Beer, Chocolate, Frites and More: Everything to Eat, Drink and See in Brussels, Belgium
What more do you need in life than an ice-cold beer, some hot and crispy fries, and delicious chocolate? Exactly, you don’t need much more than that. And Brussels offers all three of those things, and more!
We kicked off our 16-day stint around Europe in Brussels with a single goal of eating and drinking as much of their delicious food offerings as we could. Of course, we also fit in a few of the must-see sites while we were there.
Check out 10 things you have to do on any trip to Brussels.
1. Drink Beer.
Some of the best beer around the world are produced in Belgium, which is why it’s absolutely necessary to take yourself on a Beer Tour in the country’s capital city of Brussels. You could book with a tour company but we decided to DIY so that we’d have more freedom and save a little money.
There are plenty of great places to go for a brew in Brussels but some of our favourites included: Delirium Village, The Poechenellekelder and Cantillon Brewery. Delirium Village is HUGE and offers over 2,000 different beers so you’ll be sure to find one or two that you like. The Poechenellekelder also has a good variety of beers available but what really makes them great is their very unique display of puppet decorations. Cantillon Brewery offers tours for those interested in that brew making process, but you can also head straight to their tasting bar and try their Kriek beer which is absolutely delicious and fruity. We also of course stopped at our favourite international craft beer establishment: BrewDog.
2. Eat Chocolate
Another thing the Belgium people do great – make chocolate. And there are plenty of chocolatiers around the city. Again, there are tour companies to book a chocolate tasting tour through but we decided to DIY for this too. No matter which chocolatier you walk into, it’s going to be good. We popped into as many as we could and bought just a few of the chocolates from each to sample. Some standouts for us were Mary Chocolatier and Neuhaus Chocolate.
3. Visit the Atomium
Back in 1958, Brussels hosted the World Fair. For the event the city had the Atomium created which is essentially 9 spheres connected by 20 tubes. Now, the Atomium is home to a museum, a restaurant and an awesome place to see a panoramic view of Brussels.
4. See the Manneken Pis, Jeanneke Pis and Het Zinneke
One interesting fact about Brussels is that they are home to some VERY unique statues: Manneken-Pis, Jeanneke Pis and Het Zinneke. All of these statues have one thing in common... they all depict someone urinating.
The most famous of the three is Manneken-Pis. Legend has it that a witch caught a boy peeing on her front steps and was so furious with him she cursed him so he would be peeing for eternity and turn into stone. However, more detailed records state that this statue was first created as a fountain in the 15th century. Since then, the statue has been destroyed, stolen, and recreated over and over again. Now, the statue represents the sense of humour of the Brussels citizens. They even dress him up on special occasions – he has over 800 outfits!
In 1987, the sister statue of Manneken-Pis was constructed. This time, the Jeanneke Pis showed a little girl peeing. Then in 1998, the Het Zinneke was put on display which depicted a dog peeing.
5. Eat a Waffle
It would be a crime to visit Belgium without trying one of their famous waffles! There are two different types to try (1) The Brussels waffle and (2) The Liege waffle.
The Brussels Waffle is light and crispy and typically comes with all sorts of sweet toppings. The Liege waffle are thicker and sweeter because the batter caramelizes as the waffle is cooked. Of course, both are absolutely delicious.
There is no shortage of places to try a waffle in Brussels but our favourite was Maison Dandoy! They offer both versions and a wide variety of toppings. I highly suggest trying some Speculoos on top too!
6. Visit the Grand Place
No visit to Brussels would be complete without a stop in their central square, Grand Place. Back in the day, the Grand Place was home to a big market. The square is still boasting architectural styles from the Baroque, Gothic and Louis XIV eras.
The area gets packed so I suggest getting their early if you want to take everything in without the crowds.
7. Learn About the History of Brussels at Broodhuis
Located in the Grand Place square is the Broodhuis or the Brussels City Museum. This is a great place to learn more about the history of the city and it also has the original Manneken-Pis on display.
8. Visit the EU Headquarters
Technically, the EU has no headquarters but Brussels hosts what is considered the closest thing to it. The city hosts the European Commission, the European Council and the Council of the European Union thus making it the “de facto” capital of the European Union.
Around the area of the headquarters there is a European History museum if you’re interested in learning more. It’s free and open to the public. However, we didn’t have time to do this so we just visited around the area before heading off for some more delicious frites and beer.
9. Eat Frites
Although it’s unclear whether the French or the Belgians invented them, it is clear that Belgian can make a delicious batch of fries. It’s also the perfect snack to help soak up all the delicious Belgian beer you’ve been drinking too.
We stopped at two major friteries and both were amazing in their own way. The first was Maison Antoine. We were warned the line here gets long but when we went there was absolutely no one waiting. They give huge portions of fries and you can also choose from a large selection of sauces.
Our second frites experience was courtesy of Fritland. We were slightly sceptical of this place because it’s located in such a touristy area that we were sure it was going to be a rip off. But, Fritland was arguably better than Maison Antoine. Apparently, Fritland is one of the only places in Brussels that completely avoids using frozen fries, and they top your fries with some delicious sauces. We took the suggestion of the man working there and had ours topped with a mix of garlic mayo and a spicy mayo.. absolutely delicious.
10. Catch a Killer Sunset at the Mont des Arts
Located in the heart of the city, the Mont des Arts is a great, free park to catch the sunset at. You’ll be in the company of the locals enjoying and will have one of the best seats for the sunset over the lower part of the city.