Let's Go Europe 2011: The Student Travel Guide
Page 12
Lower Town
PUBLICO
32 rue des Chartreux
BELGIAN
02 503 04 30 www.publico.be
The combination of cosmopolitan Brussels with traditional food works brilliantly in this spacious restaurant. The young and courteous owner happily guides travelers through a menu of classic Belgian dishes, including stoemp (sausage and mashed potatoes) and various meat stews. There are also some tasty vegetarian options available. The weekday prix-fixe menu is a ridiculously good deal: it includes potage, an entree choice from the menu, and a coffee, all for €11.50. The contemporary art that lines the walls adds a modern edge to this tasty, traditional dining experience.
Bourse. Just off of rue Orts Lunchtime menu €11.50. Entrees €9-16. Open daily 11am-midnight. Kitchen open M-F noon-3pm and 6pm-midnight, Sa noon-midnight, Su noon-3pm and 6pm-midnight.
IN’T SPINNEKOPKE
1 Place du Jardin aux Fleurs
TRADITIONAL, BELGIAN
02 511 86 95 www.spinnekopke.be
Spinnekopke (that’s “spider’s head” in Flemish) might not sound like an appetizing name for a restaurant. But once you take in this rustic tavern’s candlelit tables and crowds of locals, you’ll know that you’ve stumbled across something very exciting. Green-aproned waiters will attend to your table with the utmost attention. For a really tasty meal, try one of the many sauces available for their steak (steak €15.50, with sauce €3), including a brilliant cheese, limbek beer and cream sauce.
Bourse. Head down rue Orts and take a left onto rue des Charteux, which leads to Place du Jardin aux Fleurs. English menus available. Entrees €12-25. Open M-F noon-3pm and 6-11pm, Sa 6-11pm.
FIN DE SIÈCLE
9 rue des Charteux
BELGIAN
With a mishmash of tables outside and no name above the door, this traditional Belgian restaurant may seem a little bizarre at first, and you could easily walk past it. But make sure you backtrack and take a step inside Fin de Siècle’s airy interior, its walls lined with modern art by local artists. The antique cash register on the bar and the blue mosaic floor provide cutesy complements to the blackboard menu featuring largely traditional fare. Readers with peanut allergies beware, though—most menu items are cooked in or include a peanut oil, including the salad dressing.
Bourse. Head down rue Orts and then take a left onto rue des Charteux. Entrees €9-20. Open daily 6pm-1am.
FRITERIE TABORA
4 rue de Tabora
FRITES
If you’re in Brussels, it’d be heresy not to eat frites. The famous fried potato is served on every street corner in Brussels, but finding a top-notch friterie can prove difficult. Tabora will double fry your frites and douse them in a sauce of your choice, from classic ketchup to Samurai sauce. The piping hot fries make for a perfect afternoon snack or, more likely, a brilliant way to end an evening sampling the beers of the local bars.
Bourse. Adjacent to Église St. Michel. Small €1.80; large €2.30. Sauce €0.50. Open daily 10am-6am.
Upper Town
LES SUPER FILLES DU TRAM
22 rue Lesbroussart
BURGERS, TARTINES
02 648 46 60
With the tram line running outside and the crazy murals painted onto the walls, this little cafe specializing in burgers is far enough off the beaten track to avoid the tourists, but not so much that you get poor quality food. Make sure you look at the walls to get the full effect of the dream-like Brussels skyline being destroyed by monsters and a massive monkey, and look out for the Atomium blasting off from the disaster. All the burgers come stuffed with delicious fillings and a side of frites in a little flower pot. If you fancy a burger challenge, try finishing the Big Joe, which overflows with bacon, cheese, pickles, onions, BBQ sauce, and a special house sauce (€12).
Louise. Off of Av. Louise, before you reach Place Flagey. Burgers and salads €10-€14. Tartines €9-€12. Open M-Sa 10am-11pm, Su 11am-5pm. Kitchen open M-Sa noon-3pm and 6-11pm, Su 11am-5pm.
RESTAURATION NOUVELLE
2 rue Montagne de la Cour
TRADITIONAL
02 502 95 08 www.restauration-nouvelle.be
High atop the Museum for Musical Instruments is a modern-looking restaurant with one of the best views in Brussels. Ascend the 10 stories in the glass elevator, reminiscent of something out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and be seated by penguin-like waiters. On a sunny day, make sure to request an outdoor seat, but if the weather doesn’t permit, try to get a window seat inside very expansive restaurant. The view of Brussels from above is breathtaking; you can see as far as the Atomium, the Grand Place, and the Palaces. The menu, considering the setting, is well-priced and has some traditional Belgian dishes as well as a fish dish of the day.
Parc. Enter through museum and head up in the elevator. Appetizers €10-19. Open M-W 10am-4pm, Th-Sa 10am-4pm and 7-11pm, Su 7-11pm.
LE PERROQUET
31 rue Watteeu
CAFE
02 512 99 22
A stained-glass window of a parrot sets the tone for this Art Deco cafe, popular with the locals and flying under the normal tourist’s radar. Locals flock here for one reason: the stuffed pitas. With a menu of over 30 different pita fillings—traditional, vegetarian, adventurous, fruity—your every pita desire will be fulfilled. Why not try the Bangkok (€7) with chicken, rice, pineapple, and curry? Served up in small baskets and overflowing with fillings, these piping hot pocket snacks will fill you up for a day of exploring the fashion shops of the Sablon area.
Parc. Credit card min. €12. Pitas €6-7. Open M noon-11:30pm, Tu noon-midnight, Th-Sa noon-1am, Su noon-11:30pm.
THE MERCEDES HOUSE
22-24 rue Bodenbroek
BRASSERIE
02 400 42 63
Looking for a way to combine your love for cars and Belgian fine dining? Then the Mercedes House Brasserie is the ideal location for a coffee or light lunch. Hot drinks are available for €2-3 and can be enjoyed on the terrace outside with shiny silver cars in the background. At lunchtime, you can sample traditional dishes which won’t drive away with your money, but the upmarket setting will put you in the driving seat if you’re trying to impress the opposite sex (this can work both ways given the car-heavy setting). If you want to really take a spin, order a bottle of champagne at €50 a pop.
Parc. Coffee still served when kitchen is closed. Entrees €14-24. Drinks €2-5. Open M-Th 10am-5pm, F 10am-5pm and 7-11pm, Sa 10am-5pm. Kitchen open M-Th noon-3pm, F noon-3pm and 7-11pm, Sa noon-3pm.
Place Schuman
CHEZ MOI
66 rue du Luxembourg
PIZZERIA, BAR
02 280 26 66
The innovative pizza bar has indoor, outdoor, and upstairs seating in which you can enjoy dirt-cheap slices of pizza (without any dirt in it). Avoid the expensive eateries in and around the EU area and just join the other young workers on the grass of Place du Luxembourg as they devour their slices. The daily menu changes regularly, but expect all the standards like mushroom, pepperoni, and vegetarian.
Maelbeek Takeout and delivery also available. Slices €2-3.50. Open M-W 11am-11pm, Th-F 11am-midnight, Sa-Su 11am-11pm.
ANTOINE’S
1 Place Jourdan
FRITES
In Place Jourdan at lunch time, two long lines form of children, locals, businessmen, students, and tourists, all hoping to grab a cone of french fries from Brussels’ oldest friterie. You may have passed out from hunger by the time you reach the counter to place your order, but tasting these frites will quickly restore you. Though they may not be Brussels’ best frites, Antoine’s piping hot potatoes are made with the city’s oldest recipe and served in some of its biggest portions. Many people head to the grassy banks of Parc Léopold to enjoy their frites in the sun, instead of sitting on a dirty bench in Place Jourdan.
Schuman. Place Jourdan is just off rue Froissart Frites €2-2.20 Sauce €0.50. Open M-Th 11:30am-1am, F-Sa 11:30am-2am, Su 11:30am-1am.
CAFÉ PARC AVENUE
50 Av. d’Auderghem
CAFE
02 742 28 10 www.parc-avenue.be
Eating out in the EU area can be expensive. Fortunately, this upscale cafe has a lunchtime option that will suit the budget traveler nicely—a €10 “Business Lunch Menu,” which includes the appetizer and entree of the day with tea or coffee. Throw in the free Wi-Fi, the iPads available for patrons to play on, and the selection of international newspapers, and you’ll be feeling as ritzy and savvy as the stuffed suits eating around you.
Schuman. Breakfast €7-17. Lunch €8-24. Lunch menu €10. Open M-F 7:30am-3:30pm.
CAPOLINO’S
69 Place Jourdan
ITALIAN
02 230 37 51 www.capolini.be
Among the expensive restaurants in this “lunching” square, Capolino’s plentiful pizza and pasta are some of the best cheaper options. Make sure you grab a seat in the garden out back with wicker chairs and wooden tables. The eating area has a refreshingly earthy feel, but on colder days the indoor seating area also has some character. The welcoming staff will be keen to know where you’re from, and will try to make you feel at home---this is one of those places where the pizza is made exactly how you want it, so don’t be afraid to ask.
Schuman. Place Jourdan is just down rue Froissart. 8% discount for takeout. Pizzas €8.70-14. Pastas €10-16. Open M-Th noon-2:30pm and 6:30-11pm, F-Sa noon-2:30pm and 6:30-11:30pm, Su 6:30-11pm.
LA BRACE
1 rue Franklin
PIZZERIA
02 736 57 73
You’d expect to find all types of cuisine in the EU quarter, but there’s certainly a lot of Italian places. La Brace is renowned for its authentic Italian pizzas and pastas, and if you walk past the storefront you’ll spot the chef through the window, poised over a traditional stone oven; he’s there all day and night, so you know that your pizza will be cooked by an expert. The Italian waiters will take your order from either outside on the street or inside the restaurant, which is sometimes complete with guitar music and singing. If you want a real pizza surprise, try the Segreto Pizza—we can’t tell you what’s on it, because the ingredients are top secret!
Schuman. Pizzas €10-14. Pastas €12-14. Meats €18-24. Open M-Sa noon-3pm and 7-11:30pm.
RESTO SIMBA
13 Leuvensesteenweg
AFRICAN
02 688 43 26 www.lsctraiteur.be
Situated inside Belgium’s Musées Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire, Resto Simba offers a few special menu offerings beyond the sandwiches and pastas you might find in the museum’s cafeteria. Take a seat among the African art and statues and tuck in to some African cuisune. Dishes include Madagascar chicken, scampi nin (a Kenyan curry), and Croq’Simba (chicken in palm nut sauce; something tells us that the dish isn’t called the “Simba” back in its Motherland). Other sandwiches and baguettes are also available.
Line 1 to Montgomery. Or tram #44 to Tervuren. African food €7.80-16.20. Sandwiches €3. Toasted baguettes €5.50-7.50. Open Tu-Su 11:30am-3pm. Kitchen opens at noon.
NIGHTLIFE
We encourage you to samples as many good Belgian brews as humanly possible, but remember: the Metro stops at midnight. Don’t forget to plan around it, particularly if you’re planning to club your way through the Upper Town area. The cheapest and most popular bars are in Brussels’ Lower Town, which features a decent mix of tourist traps and well-kept local secrets. Upper Town nightlife is less vibrant and more expensive. Bars and lounges for 30-somethings are in abundance, but there aren’t that many hubs for students; even the students of Brussels University migrate en masse to the Lower Town for their nightly fix. For a more “European” experience, head to Place Schuman or Place Luxembourg (that’s PLux to the Eurocrats), where young men in suits will undoubtedly ask you what you do and how much you make. Don’t be put off by this attitude; they are a friendly bunch in the EU.
Lower Town
GOUPIL LE FOL
22 rue de la Violette
CABARET
02 511 13 96
This eclectic estaminet (a cafe where the owner is continually present) is the most fantastic, and best hidden, bar you will step into during your time in the Lower Town. From the outside, this pub-like building looks a bit odd, with a few eccentric items in the window—including a stuffed fox—and a sign explaining the bar will not serve coca-cola to its patrons (without alcohol, that is). Step inside and you are thrown into a world of revolution, literature, and art where pictures of the Belgian Royal Family hang from the walls, a library of philosophical thought crowds shelves, and rooms full of artwork are at your disposal. The brilliant owner, Abel, sees his bar as one where people can come in groups or alone to reflect on life, admire the art, and have a slow and quiet drink, while the best of French and Belgian music plays in the background. Goupil le Fol is packed with an intellectual crowd of alternative students and older art lovers, and Abel counts the Prince of Spain and the Prince of Belgium as people who have walked through his doors.
Bourse. From the Grand Place, head down rue des Chapliers and take a left onto rue de la Violette. Reservations may be required for the weekend. Beer €3-6. Open daily 6pm-6am.
BONNEFOOI
8 rue des Pieriès
BAR
048 762 22 31 www.bonnefooi.be
Bonnefooi is one of the most pleasant finds in Brussels, and thanks to its location in an unobtrusive side street off the center, it lacks the tourists who frequent other bars in the area. Even more impressively, the bar is open every night until 8am; the punters at Bonnefooi really know the meaning of an all-night party. Despite the crazy kick-out time, the bar fosters a relaxed atmosphere. The gallery balcony is great for people-watching as locals order from a long list of beers (the Rochefort 8 is a popular and smooth beer). There is a different event going on here every night, from an acoustic session to a DJed dance mix to a jazz performance. Check the board inside the bar for details.
Bourse. Just off of Bld. Anspach. Beer €2-4. Cocktails €7. Open daily 6pm-8am.
MUSIC LOUNGE
50 rue des Pierres
JAZZ BAR
02 513 13 45 themusicvillage@skynet.be
One of Brussels’ very hip jazz bars, the Music Lounge is popular with all ages and hosts a wide range of jazz throughout the week. The youth jazz section tries to stick to traditional jazz rather than fusion or modern interpretations, so the Music Lounge will suit most jazz purists. The relaxed atmosphere and artsy clientele provide a chill setting to begin a night or end it in style. Check the website or a leaflet for concert details.
Bourse. Just off of Grand Place. Cover charge depends on the concert; student discounts available. Drinks €2-7. Doors open at 7pm. Concerts start M-Th 8:30pm, F-Sa 9pm, Su 8:30pm.
DELIRIUM
4A Impasse de la Fidélité
BAR
02 514 44 34 www.deliriumcafe.be
Situated just opposite the female Manneken Pis, Delirium is the number one stop for anyone visiting Brussels; expect to be drinking among fellow tourists, but this is the bar that anyone will recommend. The bar has over 2000 beers on tap, and you can ask your knowledgeable server to bring you their favorite for a real taste of Belgium (though be warned, you may end up with a very strong 10% beer!). The bar is packed nightly with students, so you’ll need to shout to be heard and use hand gestures to order. Don’t worry about your rudimentary French or Flemish, as you will most likely be surrounded by English speakers anyway. The interior makes you feel a little like you’re inside a brewery, and the giant wooden barrels make for a quirky change from the traditional tables in other bars.
Bourse. Just off rue des Bouchers. Beer €2-6. Open M-Sa 10pm-4am, Su 10pm-2am.
Upper Town
FUSE
208 rue Blaes
CLUB
02 511 97 89 www.fuse.be
Fuse is one of Brussels’ biggest and liveliest clubs, so if you want to escape the calm and casual bar scene in
the Lower Town for pounding music and drinks that will make your dancing excusable, this is the place to go. The large dance floor in the main room is a great place to lose your dignity; just make sure that’s the only thing you end up losing there. Every month one of the biggest gay events in Europe, La Demance, takes place at Fuse. With male strippers, drag queens, and a lot of semi-naked clubbers, La Demance is infamous in Belgium, and guys travel from just about everywhere to party it up into the early hours.
Port de Hal. Cover Sa before midnight €5, after midnight €10. Drinks €4-10. Open on club nights Th-Sa 11pm-late. Check the website for schedule.