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Wine Bars and Restaurants in Brussels
This is a very personal selection of good addresses.
However, in this business times may change fast and someone may disappear
(and new ones are established). It can therefore be advisable to contact
them in advance. And we appreciate if you send us an
email if you find
something that is outdated.
The restaurants have been selected because they represent
a particular interest, in some way, usually from a wine perspective. It is
generally not the famous, top level restaurants. More often it is affordable
places, or even very affordable, worth going to both for their food and
their wine selection.
The wine bars or wine cafes are similar. They don't always
have a very large selection of wines (but sometimes they do), but they are
always worth going to for their wines. The distinction between a wine bar
and a restaurant is sometimes quite fuzzy.
För våra rekommendationer på svenska klicka här! Swedish - click here.
Restaurant Patagonia
Chaussée de Charleroi 179, 1060 Bruxelles, tel 02 539 35 94
Daring colour choice (purple and moss green), discreet tango music from
the loud speakers, lamb from Patagonia, some grilled meat and some other
more exotic specialities. That’s the essence of this nice Argentinean
restaurant. The wine list is almost exclusively Argentinean, with a few
wines from Uruguay. But, despite the name, currently it is just Mendoza
even if they said they are looking at maybe getting some Patagonian
wines too. Closed Sundays.
(Brief 31) |
L’Air de Rien
Chaussée de Waterloo 559, 1050 Bruxelles, 02 345 35 25, Closed Sat lunch
and Sun.
Restrained by attractive décor that well matches the food, that is
delicious and beautifully presented. Lunch with two courses is 15 euro –
very good value – and in the evening a main course will set you back
15-22 euro. Interesting wine list and good, attentive service. Simply
very friendly
(Brief 28) |
La Fin de Siècle
Av Louise 423, 1050 Bruxelles, ph 02 648 80 41,
www.lafindesiecle.be
A nice little Italian restaurant with a very good brochette de
scampi and home made pasta. Original and clever strategy with the first
courses: add 2€ and they’ll make it into a (bigger) main course.
Pleasant outside seating in the garden at the back. |
  Le Temps Délire
175 chaussée de Charleroi, 1060 Brussels, tel 02 538 12 10.
Large windows open up to the street, a nice wooden floor and very restrained
decoration. Good choice of food with several vegetarian dishes (‘légumes
croquants’, 12 euro, vegetarian lasagne, 10 euro) and pasta, but also fish
and meat. Very good value lunch menu including (two courses plus coffee) for
10 €.
Brief 12 |
Et qui va promener le chien?
2,rue de Rollebeek, 1000 Bruxelles, 03 503 23 04, open every day 11-23.
 Original names on the restaurants seems to be a passion in Brussels. This
one has a large ‘terasse’ on a pedestrian street so it is perfect in summer.
Today’s lunch with soup and main course (a tasty chicken with mango sauce
when we were there) for just under 10€. A good but small selection of wines.
Brief 12 |
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Osteria a l’Ombra Grand-Place
2, rue des
Harings, 1000 Brussels, ph 02 511 67 10, open 10.00-24.00, closed Sun
Well made pasta, Italian ice-cream and Italian wines.
Very close to Grande Place. |
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Chelsea Wine Bar & Restaurant
Chaussée de Charleroi 85, 1060 Bruxelles,ph 02 544 19 77,
closed Sat lunch, Sun and Mon evening
Has been around for a few years. Interesting
presentation of the wines: you can buy a ”set” of six wines for a
comparative tasting of 4 cl each. Exists in different themes. Pity it’s not
more copied by others. Also good food. |
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Chez Marie
rue Alphonse De Witte 40, 1050 Brussels, ph 02-644 30 31
Open since 1995
with a creative cuisine. Daniel Marcil is a wine enthusiast from Quebec and
has created a wine list with more than 300 references. |
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Le Pain et le Vin
812a chaussée
d’Alsemberg, 1180 Bruxelles,ph 02-332 3774, closed Sat lunch and Sun
Provencal
style. Minimalist interior so the focus is on the cooking.
Lots of vegetables, parmesan and olive oil. Extensive and interesting wine
list. Pity so few wines are served by the glass! Count on 35-40€ for
dinner |
Le Vistro
Quai aux
Briques 16, 1000 Brussels, ph 02-512 41 81, open 12.00-14.30 and
18.30-24-00, closed Sat lunch and Sun
Good value lunch menu and lobster menu. Located at St
Catherine where you have an abundance of fish restaurants. “Vis” meaning
fish in Flemish they are (too) focused on seafood. Quite a few wines by the
glass and you can sit outside if the wether permits. |
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Le Fils de Jules
Rue de Page 35, 1050 Brussels, ph 02 534 00 57, closed Sat
and Sun lunch
Basque specialiteis. Try the duck’s breast filled with foie
gras. Good selection of wines from Navarre and French Pyrenees
(Jurançon, Madiran, Iroleguy etc). |
Restaurant Bleu de Toi
Rue des
Alexiens 73, 1000 Bruxelles, ph 02-502 43 71, closed Sat lunch and Sun
In the centre
of Brussels between Maneken Pis and Place Sablon. Open fire if it is cold
outside. Specialised on Bintje – the potato. Filled as a
strter or main course. But they also have other food:
mini-cassoulette with mussels and couscous, lobster with basil and wild rice
for example. Well done wine list where you can find Domaine de l’Hortus from
Languedoc, Comte de Peraldi from Corsica or even a wine made from the Tannat
grape from Uruguay. |
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Bonsoir
Clara
22-26 rue
Antoine Dansaert, 1000 Brussels, tel 02 502 09 90, open every day but
closed for lunch Sat and Sun
Close to La
Bourse. Booking is essential. No wines served by the glass (why?). Otherwise
a good selection: Château Rochemorin from Pessac-Léognan, Sancerre from
Domaine Gitton, white (!) Bandol from Château Saint Anne, a Californian
Aligoté from Au Bon Climat, a very good German Riesling from Egon Müller, a
Chardonnay from Domaine Saint Martin de la Garrigue in Languedoc. They are
specialised in fish, try the small sole for example. Desserts are good too.
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Brasserie
Toucan
Avenue Louis
Lepoutre 1, 1050 Brussels(corner of chaussée de Waterloo), ph. 02 345 30
17, open every day 10.00 to midnight.
www.resto.be/toucan
A charming
brasserie with an interesting design made by the sculptor Armand Joncker.
Well made French-Belgian food and an interesting and good-value wine list.
Today’s lunch for 8.50€: e.g. veal liver. On the a la carte starters cost
around 10€ and main courses are around 15€ (millefeuille de thon, magret de
canard, lamb chops…). Wine selection with both some classics and some
“rising stars”.
(Brief nr 2) |
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L’ancienne Poissonnerie
Rue du Trône 65, 1050 Bruxelles, ph 02 502 75 05, Mon to Fri
12.00-15.00, on Sat also 19.00-23.00, Sun closed
A very good Italian resturant in an old fish shop. A
short menu but with some good dishes: excellent Spagetti Vongole (12.50€) or
veal stuffed with cheese and ham (12.50€). Italian wines from 22€ to 48€
(Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, 22€, Sicilian Nero d’Avola from Terre de Ginestra,
31€). |
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Belga Queen
Rue Fossé aux Loups, 32, 1000 Brussels, ph 02 217 21 87
A rather special interior: an old bank has been
converted into a restaurant, and some modern sculptures have been added.
Spacious seating – so, good for confidential discussions. Focus on Belgian
food and a very extensive selection of Belgian beer. They also try to focus
the wine list on Belgian wines, but here they extend the definition to
include wines owned by Belgians outside of Belgium. Good lunch menu for 14€
(starter, main course and coffee). Main courses on the a la carte are
between 18€ and 28€. (And do go
the the lavatories! You’ll understand why.) |
In t’Spinnekopke
Place du Jardin aux Fleurs 1, 1000 Bruxelles, tel: 02 511 86 95
Very "bruxellois". Orignially a beer
place but since long a very Belgian restaurant. To be honest, you wouldn't
really go here for the wines. The first one on the list is Château
Schoonhoven, Vin Rouge Belge, but the waitor himself recommended that you
might find other, better-value wines on the list. But a very good selection
of beers! The food is
predominantly fish and seafood (mussels, Coquilles St Jacques, lobster,
crevette grises...) but you can also find traditional meat and stews, plus a
number of Belgian specialities (waterzooi and others). Price-wise it is quite reasonable.
Good and efficient service and they also have seating outside. |
Pain et Vin Quentin
7, rue du Page, 1050 Brussels, tel 02 537 85 97
This is a combined wine bar and wine
shop where you can buy wines from small, well chosen producers and eat a
soup, a salad or cheese and charcuteries. Small and cosy. Closed Saturday
evening and Sunday.
(Brief 9) |
Enotria
avenue des Celtes 8, 1040 Bruxelles, tel 02 735 01 50 (Métro : Mérode),
closed for lunch Sat and Sun.
Very good Italian food – antipasti
around 14€, pasta around 12€, meat dishes 14-19€, and two today’s special
for 10-14€ - and a very good wine list! All of Italy is represented but it
is the wines from the sout that are particularly interesting. It is rare to
find such a good selection from Sicily, Apulia and Campania. For the
Aglianico-lover there are a couple of block busters: Titolo Aglianico del
Vulture from Fucci in Basilicata (49€, or 20€ if you buy it to drink it at
home from the wine shop) and Serve di Luoti Taurasi from Feudi di San
Gregorio in Campania (51.50€)
(Brief 7) |
Le Verre à Pied
a Swiss (!) wine shop and wine bar on place Vieille Halle aux Blés 29,
1000 Brussels, ph 02-513 53 27. Open Wed-Sat 11-19 and even until 21 on Fri
and Sat.
Who would have thought that there are
so many good Swiss wines? The Swiss have never been a big exporter of wines
so they are little known outside the country. This is now supposed to
change, with the first Le Verre à Pied outside Switzerland (there are
already four in the country). It is both a shop and a wine bar and a
selection of wines are served by the glass – different every week (3-5€).
You can get some cheese and charcuterie to eat. My Syrah from Valais was
definitely up to par!
(Brief 7) |
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