Any foodies have favorites in either of these two cities? We are really into food and want to eat well (although not neccessarily expensively) while we are in Brussels/Antwerp next month. No tourist traps please....!! Best places to sample all the different beers Belgiums brews would be sweet too, especially if they are one and the same......!!

In case you find your way arround the Bourse area in Belgium, there's a bar/bistro called Le Fiacre along rue de Bourse that we wnt to a few months ago and I had a very good bowl of Moules et frittes (around 18 euro) and a decent croque madame. The restaurant appear to cater primarily to after-work locals, or those that work at the nearby stock exchange. I had a a glass of Tangerlo Blond lager to go with it. This sweetish and nutty lager went very well with the mussels.

La Vigne along rue Jordain at the Luiza area is a restaurant that caters mostly to those travelling on business as evidenced by single diners all over the restaurant. I had a very good dish of monkfish and scallops cooked in milk broth and whole peppercorns, in addition to a nice and comforting starter of warm goat cheese salad.

Just a clarification on my earlier post - that restaurants that I referred to are all in Brussels.

xj:

In Brussels, we favored the fish restaurants at the canal wharfs, just three blocks east of the Grand Place...the best and most reasonable is a family run little mom and pop called Le Quai. Nelly is the affable owner now and the cold lobster plate ordered by dear wife is sweet and delicious. I had the grilled salmon which is also very good.

Also, for a full night of gypsy music and excellent Yugoslav/Hungarian menu choices (reasonable) is Le Grande Mayeur in the Grand Sablon upscale district...a healthy walk from Grand Place. This is an evening experience.

In Antwerp's diamond district, for flavorful Eastern European/Jewish cooking (lip-smacking tasty) at moderate prices, try Hoffy's famous deli, just off Pelikanstraat where all the diamond shops are. A two block walk from the train station. Don't mind the gruff wait staff...it's all part of the ambience!

AND while in Antwerp, be sure to take in the very intriguing Ruben's Huis, 17th century home of artist Paul Rubens. Walk on Kaiserlei (the main drag) a few blocks due north from the train station, and the house is on a side street with banners proclaiming it.

Enjoy!

Stu T.

One thing you really must sample while in Antwerpen is gin -- better known as "genever" -- at the bar Da Vagrant. The bar carries several hundred different "flavors" of gin of varying "proofs" and concocted of differing herbal ingredients, and it is really nothing like anything else you've ever tasted labeled "gin." Delicious! And the bar is quite atmospheric (you can also eat moderately priced meals upstairs).

There is a foodie web blogger named "Jack" who has a restaurant guide to Paris that I used very happily some years ago, and Jack is actually a Belgian native. He also has foodie recommendations for Belgium and I pass them along here with this warning: I don't know if these restaurants are all still open. I ate at his recommended Da Zavel several years ago in Antwerpen, and I was ecstactic.

Here's the link:

http://www.jack-travel.com/Belgium/Html/mainbelgium.htm

As for beers, De Konick has a very popular atmospheric pub (as it were) in the Great Market square, but I'm sure you can find recommendations on the web for other highly respected places.

Last but not least, chocolate in Antwerpen is simply divine. There are many shops serving freshly made pralines in the historic center, and it doesn't cost much to sample them all, one bite at a time.

You will eat and drink extremely well in Belgium without spending a lot of money. I think its restaurants are overall superior to those in France.

<<<<<<<<<<<&lt ;
In Brussels, we favored the fish restaurants at the canal wharfs, just three blocks east of the Grand Place
>>>>>>>>>>>&gt ;

You must be referring to Place Ste. Catherine. There are lots of seafood places lined up one after another in a nice quaint cobble-stoned enviroment and it is actually quite lively at night.

You're right, Bill Boy!..

Stu T.

My husband and I recently had one of the best meals we've had since moving to Brussels (we've been here since Nov 2004) at Re-Source (www.restaurantresource.be/), a restaurant specialising in fish and seafood, located on rue du Midi (not far from the Bourse).
We are foodies and this place stood out as something really special: slick decor, friendly service, good food and great value (we took the set menu at 38 euros and would happily have paid double for what we got!).

Nessundorma, you do realize the Jack hasn't updated his restaurant recs for five years. Some of them are a bit out of date, for example, the service at Toucan's can be very haphazard and the reviews of La Quincaillerie as of late have been mixed. However, many of his recs are still good ones.

These are our favorites and all are not the usual tourist choices. We've eaten at all of them within the last six months (some several times).

*Notos (Greek haute cuisine, this is NOT your typical taverna) on rue Livourne. Take the 93 or 94 tram to the rue Bailly stop (there is an Irish pub on the corner, Michael Collins, get off there, walk down rue Bailly, turn left on rue Livourne and it's just a few doors down). Reservations strongly advised. http://www.notos.be/index_fr.php
*Brasseries Georges (good lunch specials on weekdays, a classic spot to meet for Sunday lunch, French bistro food, all good). On the Uccle/Ixelles border on the Ave. Winston Churchill where it meets Chaussee de Waterloo. Can be noisy!
*Canterbury's (by the Ixelles lakes [ponds IMHO]--best chicken dishes in town, terrific frites, nice fireplace, most diners are residents of this upscale neighborhood. One of our favorite hangouts.
*Les larmes du Tigre (21 rue de Wynants near the Palais de Justice), excellent Thai
* Lola--fashionable spot (after all these years) on the Sablon
* La Tour d'y voir---also on the Sablon but only if you're feeling adventurous...you tell the chef what kind of meal you'd like (meat, fish, vegetarian) and he takes it from there. Excellent food but not for the picky eater or for those who like to choose from a menu.
* Le Chalet de La Foret--way out in Uccle (next to our health club), but a classy spot in a pretty wooded setting. If you want to one splurge meal, THIS is the place to go. http://www.lechaletdelaforet.be/
*Shake Hands (weird name, isn't it?)--A French brasserie in the Stockel neighborhood of Woluwe St. Pierre. Nice spot for lunch, one of the least expensive choices here. If you're out that way. If you like white wine, try the Dents du Chien, a good mid-priced white that's not easy to find. http://www.resto.be/ware/details.jsp?businessid=2452
*Le Jaco--similar to Shake Hands but out at the end of the 92 tram line in St. Job (Uccle). Again, only if you're out that way. A casual, local hangout, good food, nice atmosphere. We tend to run into people we know when we dine there. http://www.resto.be/ware/details.jsp?businessid=578 OR http://www2.resto.be/jacos/
*Les Etangs Mellaerts--next to the lovely Woluwe Parc in Woluwe St. Pierre (on the 39 and 44 tram lines). Very popular for lunch. Surprisingly good food for a park location.
* Le Vignoble de Margot--An excellent (and pricey) seafood restaurant in leafy Woluwe St. Pierre, overlooking the Parc Woluwe. Definitely no tourists, but plenty of expense account businessmen and diplomats. The parking lot is like a luxury car showroom ;-) Very happening for lunch and a nice place to take a stroll afterwards. http://www.levignobledemargot.be/

Most of these are moderately priced but can become expensive if you go all out with wine choices, etc. Reservations strongly advised for all of them for dinner...you can probably get by without reservations for Canterbury's or Shake Hands at lunch. Le Jaco is probably fine without reservations, but I doubt you'll get out that way.

Finally, Au Vieux St. Martin--not for meals, for drinks or light snacks only. A prime spot on the Sablon. I love going there in the middle of the day, sitting at Bill Clinton's table (a table in the back corner of the front section) and having a tea with fresh mint or decadent cappuccino (comes with a bowl of homemade whipped cream topped with dark chocolate shavings and served with a palmier cookie).

If you want pastries that rival anything from France, Germany or Austria, go to the Wittamer cafe on the Sablon (or pick out one of their luscious pastries to take with you). Don't go too late or the most popular pastries will be gone...

Apologies, the www.resto.be links to individual restaurants don't seem to work. But if you go to www.resto.be and enter the restaurant's name, you can get the details and customer reviews.
However, the links to the restaurants' own web sites do work.

BTilke,

You do realize I said right in my post that the restaurants might not even be open and that I had not used the list in several years? So, yes, I do realize that the list might not be current and said so.

Yes, N, I do realize what you wrote, that *you* had used them several years ago. However, you didn't indicate that Jack himself hadn't done so either...and people may go to the link and not realize that the site itself hasn't been updated for years (which is different from saying that you used the site years ago...there are web sites that I used years ago and even though I don't use them now, they've been updated since I used them last). Anyway, the point is that Jack's web site is five years old and things have changed at some of the listed restaurants (just as they would have with a hard copy restaurant guide dated 2001) and new places have opened that are equally or more worthy of a vist.

Btilke,

I still think my written warning of my not knowing whether the list was current would lead most people to conclude the list might not be current, and likewise most people assume there are new opening in Belgium all the time.

But what I'm really glad you posted is that many of Jack's recs "are still good ones."

If we can get past this silly argument, how about saying which ones? I know I'd genuinely appreciate it.

Well, most of them in the Chaussee de Waterloo cluster are still good...Bistrot du Mail, En Face de Parachute, Le Fils de Jules. Toucan's is also there, but I find their service can be hit or miss, and if you sit outside, more likely to miss than hit. The young staff tend to spend more time chatting with their mates inside than checking on tables. En Face de Parachute still doesn't take credit cards. (An easy way to get to most of these is to take the 91 or 92 tram to the Ma Campagne stop, then stroll up Chaussee de Waterloo. Some nice shops along the way too)
And of course, Chalet de la Foret is even better than Jack described (and he raved about it).
Les Larmes du Tigre is also still very good; it's near the Palais de Justice.

Sister Act, near the Sablon on rue de la Regence, is one of the new trendy favs; I think it's a tad over-rated.

A correction on my list: Jaco's is out by Fort Jaco, not St. Job (if you take the tram, you pass St. Job before you get to Fort Jaco).

If I were a foodie visiting Brussels, the two places I'd put on my must try list would be Notos and Chalet de la Foret. Notos recently got a rave in Conde Nast Traveller, but it's still largely undiscovered by tourists. But be advised, it's virtually impossible to get into either of these without a reservation. Fortunately, you don't have to reserve far in advance.

Thank you, Btilke. I'm pocketing all these recommendations, since I hope to return to Belgium soon and visit Brussels for the first time.

Do you have any updates on the list for Antwerp?

No, sorry, Antwerp just isn't one of my favorite places in Belgium, I only go there on occasions. So I'm far from an expert on the best places to eat in that city.

I will limit myself to Antwerpen, 'cause that's where I live.
De Kleine Zavel, as mentioned by nessundorma: excellent mediterranean cuisine
Het Fornuis: French cuisine (expensive)
Le Zoute Zoen: Belgian cuisine - owner is Lady Chef of the Year 2006 (excellent Lady Chef menu)
Lam & Yin: genuine very fine Cantonese cuisine (limited menu and wine list)
La Tavola Italiana: Neapolitan owner, genuine Italian cuisine
Brasserie Appelmans: Belgian cuisine - young trendy atmosphere
Gin Fish: first class fish & seafood restaurant (expensive - 1 Michelin *)
Het Gebaar: international - fusion (lunch lounge), nice location in the Botanical Garden
Ilha Formosa: oriental - vegetarian

None of these are tourist restaurants. All are in the historical centre.

Thanks to both BTilke and Myriam. It's been a very useful set of answers!

maybe you should simply go to Pelgrimstraat where there are a lot of nice restaurants and it's a very cosy neighbourhood. Via Via is very nice and if you want to taste beers go near the Cathedral there are some places that offer many different beers.
By the way, you really can't compare Antwerp to Brussels, I think Antwerp is far more charming with lots of nice places to visit. I do hope you have nice weather it makes a huge difference. As for the chocolates: lots of people go for 'Leonidas' it's a cheaper brand but many people when returning to Belgium always go for these, so do try some. Have fun when being in Antwerp.

Every man to his taste, I guess. The only real good restaurant I know in Pelgrimsstraat is the provençal restaurant Fr. Mistral. Via-Via used to be a favorite of ours but not anymore since we discovered lots of other places (see my other posting).