My wife and I have a 7-hour stopover in Brussels, and we'd really appreciate your advice on a quick Brussels experience. If you like exploring great food and unique 'local favourite' experiences as we do, what would you do with 4 hours in Brussels? Thanks so much for your response!

You hit it - with all I've heard about the great restaurants, I'd probably do 2 hrs looking and 2 eating!

I'm assuming you're coming in by plane. I would take the train from the airport to Centrale, walk down to the Grand'Place. If your trip is in the winter months, then I'd stop at one of the cafes with a fireplace--on the GP itself, we prefer La Chaloupe d'Or as it has two levels and fireplaces on both levels and is a former guild house.

From there I'd walk up rue l'Hopital to the Sablon. Perhaps have lunch there...if you're feeling flush, Lola is good and fashionable. The Flamant store has a nice cafe. Au Vieux St. Martin is a place we go to for drinks, but it's also ok to eat there (although we find it overpriced for what you get).
http://www.sensum.be/fr/resto/lola/lola.php

If you're looking for an inexpensive meal and want mussels, then the Leon's off the GP is fun and cheerful. Touristy, but who cares. Belga Queen is a more glam alternative, but I haven't been there recently.

Another option is to grab a cab from the GP or Sablon area and head out to Les Brasseries Georges for an excellent lunch.

OTOH, if you're not that keen on seeing those tourist highlights and would rather poke around a residential neighborhood, perhaps you should catch the train from the airport to the Midi stop, metro to Louise, and tram 91 or 92 to the Ma Campagne stop on the corner of Chaussee de Waterloo and Chaussee de Charleroi. Walk up Chaussee de Waterloo for a couple of blocks and you'll hit one good mid-priced restaurant after another...Lettre a Elise for grilled food, Toucan's for neighborhood hangout, En Face de Parachute, another neighborhood favorite (http://www.sensum.be/fr/resto/enface...hute/index.php
And so on. Les Brasseries Georges is also along Chaussee de Waterloo, a bit farther up, and on the corner of Ave. Winston Churchill.

Bunch of chocolate places near GP as well. Leonidas, Wittamer, Pierre Marcolini. You name it. Or try hot chocolate.

If you enjoy arts, I strongly recommend Fine Arts museum (esp including good Flemmish collection as well as contemporary/modern arts and Magritte).

If you like residential areas and Art Nouveau, you might want to try Horta Museum (catch a cab or tramway). The only thing is I think they're open only in the afternoons.

Just one word -- mussels.

And fries.

I would have the fries later, with . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .mayo!

Thanks so much everyone for the thoughtful responses.

Though it seems like some of your ideas are more from mussel memory than serious deliberation.

Any last arguments for the one or two things someone really should do with only a few hours in Brussels? (we're actually leaving tomorrow evening!)

Thank again!

What? You think eating mussels is not serious business?

The following is 100% true. I've visited Brussels only once in my life. Last September, for exactly 2 hours and 10 minutes - between my train from Antwerp and the Thalys to CDG.

What did I do? I ate at Chez Leon, spending over an hour. The rest I walked around the Grand Place.

I think the Grand Place is the prettiest square in Europe.

I lived in Holland for a few years and traveled a lot so I replied somewhat as an expert to your query. You asked about <i>exploring great food and unique 'local favourite' experiences as we do</i>. Well buster, follow that mussels advice rather than scorn it -- or rue your remaining days on earth. Wash 'em down with one of the local beers. You will enjoy the day even if it is pouring rain.

LOL, BTilke knows Brussels as do the others that responded to your question.

You asked a question (your first post on Fodor's), you asked about great food, you got answers and instead of saying &quot;thank you&quot; you snear at the answers.