8 Best Restaurants in Cinquantenaire and Schuman, Brussels

This cozy café is the epitome of Brussels decor: bicycles hang from the ceiling, Tintin statues everywhere, shelves overflowing with books. It's sculpted chaos and part of a chain of cafés that is slowly taking over the city. This was the first branch, and it's still the best. The bagels and ready-made sandwiches are always tasty, plus it stays open until 8 every day, by which time it's filled with busy students.

The Maison Antoine frites stand sells the best fries in the capital, say some people, accompanied by a dizzying range of condiments; try either local fave "Bicky" or the indulgent vol-au-vent sauce. The surrounding bars on Place Jourdan are used to patrons munching on frites (so long as you order a beer), so grab a seat and savor your twice-fried snack.

A short walk from place Jourdan reveals this elegant, modern French restaurant, its pared-down, neat decor broken up with colorful prints of animals and the bustle of the open kitchen. The choice of food is equally sparse but to the point: its four-course set menus deliver with imagination and no little amount of skill, letting you mix and match from your pick of cold, warm, hot, and sweet dishes on the blackboard. Lunch is a great deal at €28 for a starter and main.

Moules (mussels), pastas, and steaks, along with a small handful of the usual Belgian standbys, set the pace at this much-adored brasserie. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks—it's pretty much all things to the large contingent of expats who have made this a popular local spot. There are plenty of burgers to keep the kids happy, too.

The Maison Antoine frites stand sells the best fries in the capital, accompanied by a dizzying range of condiments; try either local fave "Bicky" or the indulgent vol-au-vent sauce. It's a bit out of the way, but it's a great place to try Belgium's famous snack (the country's secret is frying the potatoes twice in beef tallow) and most of the bars that line the square will let you sit down either inside or outside and order a beer to go with your paper cone of frites. Although don't leave your greasy paper behind or you will get told off.

This organic Neapolitan-style pizzeria has a couple of branches now (Sainte-Catherine, Flagey, Rue de Bailli), but this branch next to the Merode subway has one advantage over the others: its location. In summer, it's not unusual to see locals queuing for a takeaway to sit and eat their wood-fired pizzas on the grass of Parc du Cinquantenaire, which lies just across the road. But it's no hardship to sit inside, either, and the quality is always good.

This sturdy Belgian chain nestles on the pedestrianized Chaussée de Wavre, just opposite place Jourdan, where you'll find slightly better dining options than around the square. It's as reliable as its gravy-soaked meats are tasty, dishing up the classics (meatballs, beery beef stews, ham and mustard sauce) amid walls plastered with old advertising posters from the '50s and '60s. It's one of a half-dozen in the city, but still worth a go.

A patisserie-cum-deli with a Greek twist, where you can sate your appetite on bougatsa (custard pie) or spanakopita (cheese and spinach pie), or just bag a coffee and chocolate croissant.