[Travel Advice] Brussels

Small walking city, Trappist beers, Seafood, Chocolate, Waffles

Jul 23, 2024

Random Observation/Comment #848: Unsure why there's so much hate on Brussels. It's a lovely cobblestone city with delicious food.

Things About Brussels

My trip was attached to EthCC and crypto side events, so I mainly had meals from parties and maybe a few mornings or nights to explore. I wound up taking a Sunday secret food tour and had 2 days or so of food exploration, so I still amassed a large list.

None of the good lunch places open until noon - I was very tempted to get early waffles or frites and then have something at 1pm.
Brussels always has some construction happening - Lots of half destructed buildings
Lime scooters are surprisingly fun and efficient, but terrible on cobblestones - Remember that you need to push a bit before you can start accelerating.
Bottled Trappist beers are fantastic and available at corner stores - It’s nice to have all the amazing options. Beware of 8%+ strong ales. Malty and sweet.
Tourist traps are everywhere - I'm much more careful with choosing restaurants and going off the path to find a good place.
Stores close at 6pm - I wound up having to leave a few side events early so I could buy some presents.
Don’t take taxis - It’s not only a hard place to get a pick-up, but taxis are much more expensive.
Trains cancelations to be expected - While this isn’t a frequent occurrence, it is significant enough for it to have happened to me the 3 times I’ve taken trains.
Be careful on streets - Cross on the crosswalk or the zebra stripes instead of jaywalking.
Beware of some shady neighborhoods in Brussels - Some crypto people got robbed in some of the outskirts of Brussels. This red zone from this tweet seemed pretty accurate.

Places to eat and see

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Ottanta - Incredible Italian fine dining with very reasonable prices. Came here twice for the trip and I would have went more times if I was in the area.

Little Delirium - Watched one of the games here and had a delicious few beers. It was nice to just hang out and enjoy the space.

Delirium Taphouse - This place is gigantic and seems to have taken over the whole block.

A la Mort Subite - My hotel was right around the corner from here so I drank a lot of this beer and ate a lot of their breakfasts.

Brasserie de Cantellion - The area is a bit dangerous for a walk, but it was definitely worth the hike. The bar is on the second floor and you get a few tastings after the self-guided tour. The second time I went, I just went straight to the bar and drank a bottle while listening to a podcast.

Le Corbeau - Pub food and yummy beers. I loved the fresh bread dipped in their vegetable soup.

Wolf Food court - There’s a lot of options here, but I wasn't blown away by any of them in particular.

Comic arts museum - Really cute and family friendly museum. You could just get lost looking at a lot of hidden gems.

Fin de siecle - Solid Danish food with delicious mashed potatoes and meat-based gravy everywhere. I loved the ribs.

Fresh Japanese Noodles - I came here twice because it was raining and I needed a light broth with chewy/perfect hand-pulled noodles. Both times were excellent.

Lafeh - Great owners and great place to have a quick bite of fluffy falafel. Don’t let the simplicity of the menu fool you - this is legit.

La Bottega della Pizza - Authentic pizza spot with a delicious calzone. Love the cobbled stones and outdoor seating here.

Secret Food Tour Locations and Meals

The secret food tour was $119 for 3 hours with a very well informed tour guide. I thought it was definitely worth the adventure. Dani shared the summary of the foods and places we went:

Cramique / Brioche :