As you can see by a few of my posts it appears we'll base in Brussels for 3 nights which works out to 3 1/2 days and day trip to places like Ghent, Antwerp and hopefully Lueven for a few hours (my wife is a retired librarian and we try to visit libraries). We've been to Bruges twice before.

Dinner recommendations would be appreciated. We'll be staying in the area of Central Station but restaurants can be anywhere within 20 minutes or so.

We are not gourmet foodies. Decent dinners would be nice. thanks.

A short walk from the Louise metro station is a small restaurant street, Rue Jourdan / Rue Jean Stas. There used to be a restaurant street in the centre, Rue des Bouchers, but this has been stripped out by the authorities and few remain. There are still a few of the old stalwarts there (Léon de Bruxelles), and nearby Restaurant Vincent in Rue des Dominicains, which is a classic. A good bar with light meals a bit further away is the historic À la Mort Subite, which brews its own beer. Other atmospheric bars / restaurants are Le Cirio and Falstaff.

If you want seafood the Ste.- Catherine district is your best bet (this used to be a port on the river, the Senne; the river is now underground and the port long gone, but the area is still known for its seafood). Nearby is Place St.-Géry for cafés and bars in the evening.

There are numerous small restaurant/bar areas dotted around the city (the area around Place du Luxembourg, for instance, or along Avenue Toison d'Or near Louise (double up with a movie here), or Place du Chatelain on a Wed evening (maybe La Quincaillerie)), don't feel you have to linger in the centre of town.

Lavandula

I used to go here years ago, looks like the reviews are still ok.

https://auxarmesdebruxelles.com/en/home-2/