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We've compiled the best of the best in Day Trips from Brussels - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
A couple of miles west of Gaasbeek is the rather bijou little town of Lennik, home to a fair number of high-priced dining options. One of the finer is August, a wineshop-cum-restaurant that oozes class and is set in an 18th-century wine merchant's premises. Paired set menus aren't cheap, but they pack a lot of flavor in, arriving immaculately presented.
It's a bit of a walk from the center (about 20 minutes) to get there, but it's worth it not just for the food, which lies at the more educated end of traditional Belgian comfort food (think thick cuts of meat slow-cooked for 24 hours, flaking off the bone into beery sauces), but for the setting. Located in the Vaartcom area, a once run-down industrial and brewing site resurrected into a trendy dining and shopping area that spills into the neighboring park, Gastrobar Hop lies in part of the old Stella Artois brewery. Its vast collection of craft beers powers a seasonal set menu that cherishes the simpler things and relies on local brewers and producers.
Leuven has a good reputation for its dining, with a couple of Michelin stars knocking about its streets. This isn't one of them, but it's not far off. A little cluster of high-end restaurants scatter Bondgenotenlaan, leading up from the station. The setting here is rather unique, with a long, narrow dining hall below a beamed ceiling made entirely of skylights, leading to a small walled terrace. It couldn't be lighter, and the same goes for its food, where it almost seems to float off the plate it's so dainty and wistful. Dishes are an experience, with its collection of ingredients arriving in ever more inventive ways.
