Gateway to Brussels

Ideally situated and within walking distance to the Grand Place and the luxury area of Louisa, this three-star hotel is really cheap compared to others in town. A full American/continental breakfast buffet is included in the rate. The staff is friendly and very accommodating. There is metro station just outside. The rooms are clean and fully furnished, with a private bath and toilets. This is a very good compromise in a city where accommodation is expensive.

You would usually be advised to avoid the formula restaurants in the rue des Bouchers area, but Vincent, founded in 1905, is something different. For starters, you make your entrance through the bustling kitchen. That's a first overlook on what you'll later get in your plates!! No doubt about how fresh the meat is!!! The brigade of waiters, all men, all dressed in white and gold, treat you with professional respect.

The main room (ask for the salle carellée) is exquisitely tiled, with tables shaped like fishing smacks. But this is no theme restaurant; it offers serious Brussels cuisine and is as close as you can get to the traditional Bruxellois experience. Funny to see the waiter preparing and putting the final touch to your plate just before you get served. The usually prepare the dishes up front on a "work desk" in the middle of the room.

The restaurant is most of the time crowded and reservation even if not mandatory is recommended. That also means that it may be a little noisy for a romantic diner!

Food is delicious and the bill is very reasonable.

Hidden among the tourist traps of the Ilôt Sacré, this child-friendly restaurant attracts a largely local clientele with its slightly tarnished middle-class elegance and Belgian classics: turbot waterzooi (turbot fish in a stock thickened with cream and egg yolks), eels in green sauce, a variety of steaks, mussels prepared every which way, and frites (french fries), which the Belgians believe, with some justification, they prepare better than anyone else. The place is cheerful and light, and service is friendly, if frequently overstretched.

More than a century old, this cheerful restaurant has, over the years, expanded into a row of eight old houses, while its franchises can now be found across Belgium and even in Paris. Heaped plates of mussels and other Belgian specialties, such as eels in a green sauce and fish soup, are continually served, accompanied by arguably the best french fries in town.

This is the restaurant that started it all off for entrepeneur Fred Nicolay, who now owns a large chunk of bars and restaurants around Antoine Dansaert. Zinc table tops, bare brick, and theatrical lighting make this a place to see and be seen. The menu is modern European, with lots of carpaccio this and griddled that, all topped with lashings of first-press virgin olive oil. There's a reasonable choice for vegetarians. Clara is one of Brussels' trendy institutions and will satisfy even the fussiest diner. Do make sure you wear this year's black.

Belgium is the country with the best beer in the world. Therefore, your stay in Brussels cannot be complete without a visit to one of the many typical and beautiful cafes and pubs that you will find here. Try the local beers of Brussels Gueuze or fruit beer (cherry beer, raspberry beer, and peach beer) or a wonderful Trappist beer, made in one of the Abbeys of Belgium. Be careful when drinking a Trappist beer. These beers tend to be very strong (between 8% and 11.5% alcohol!!).

La Mort Subite (The Sudden Death) is perhaps the best fruit beer cafe in town. It's a very typical Belgium bar where you can enjoy dozens of local beers. It has a very warm ambiance and is often very crowded during after-office hours. People just walk in, have a beer, and chat. Cheese and sausage plates are available to pick at.