Food · Belgium
What to eat in Belgium
Belgium's food, destination by destination.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Francisco Conde Sánchez, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Start with Moules-frites, Belgian frites and Brussels and Liège waffles. A steaming pot of mussels cooked in white wine, celery and onion (marinière) or in beer or cream, served with a cone of frites.
Key facts
- Dishes in this guide
- 9
- Destinations
- 3
Dishes to try in Belgium
Try in Brussels
Moules-frites
A steaming pot of mussels cooked in white wine, celery and onion (marinière) or in beer or cream, served with a cone of frites. Mussels are traditionally at their best from late summer to early spring.
Where: Seafood restaurants around Place Sainte-Catherine and traditional brasseries in the centre; avoid touts on Rue des Bouchers.
Try in Brussels
Belgian frites
Thick-cut potatoes fried twice, traditionally in beef fat, and served in a paper cone with mayonnaise or sauces such as andalouse or samouraï.
Where: Friteries (fritkots) such as the long-established stands at Place Jourdan in the European Quarter and near the Bourse.
Try in Brussels · Vegetarian
Brussels and Liège waffles
The Brussels waffle is light, crisp and rectangular, usually dusted with icing sugar; the denser, caramelised Liège waffle is made with pearl sugar and eaten on the go. Locals keep toppings simple.
Where: Street stands around the Grand-Place and tea rooms; Maison Dandoy serves both in sit-down tea rooms.
Try in Bruges
Frites
Twice-fried Belgian chips served in a paper cone with mayonnaise or other sauces, often eaten standing in the square.
Where: The two frites stalls at the foot of the Belfry on the Markt, and neighbourhood frituurs away from the centre.
Try in Bruges
Flemish stew
Beef braised for hours in brown or sour-red Flemish beer with onions, mustard and spiced bread until it falls apart; served with frites.
Where: Traditional Flemish restaurants and brasseries across the old town.
Try in Bruges
Eel in green sauce
Pieces of eel cooked in a vivid green sauce of sorrel, parsley, chervil and other herbs, a traditional Flemish riverside dish.
Where: Traditional Flemish restaurants in Bruges and the surrounding villages, including Damme.
Try in Antwerp · Vegetarian
Belgian fries
Thick-cut potatoes fried twice in beef fat or oil and served in a paper cone with mayonnaise, andalouse or stoofvlees sauce.
Where: Frituur (fry shops) across the city, including around the Groenplaats and the Meir.
Try in Antwerp
Stoofvlees
Beef slowly stewed in dark Belgian beer with onions, mustard and bread, served with fries; the Flemish comfort dish.
Where: Traditional brasseries and cafés across the city.
Try in Antwerp
Shrimp croquettes
Crisp croquettes filled with creamy béchamel and small grey North Sea shrimp, served with lemon and fried parsley.
Where: Brasseries and cafés as a starter.
Food scene by destination
| Destination | Food experience | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Brussels | Chocolate tasting at the Sablon | Avoid restaurants with touts and photo menus on Rue des Bouchers; walk a few streets away for better value. |
| Bruges | Beer café tasting | Restaurants on the Markt charge for the setting; eat a street or two away for better value. |
| Antwerp | Café crawl with a bolleke | Lunch is often around noon to 2pm and dinner from about 6:30pm; many restaurants close in between. |
Food experiences
- Brussels — Chocolate tasting at the Sablon: Several of Belgium's top chocolatiers have shops on the Place du Grand Sablon; buy a few pralines from each and compare styles, from classic ganache to modern infusions.
- Bruges — Beer café tasting: Small beer cafés in the centre stock hundreds of Belgian beers; ask staff to guide you from a light blonde through Trappist ales to a sour Flanders red.
- Antwerp — Café crawl with a bolleke: Antwerp's brown cafés and beer bars around the cathedral serve hundreds of Belgian beers; start with a De Koninck bolleke and try a Trappist.
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Belgium famous for?
Moules-frites, Belgian frites, Brussels and Liège waffles, Frites and Flemish stew.