Spaghetti bolo for breakfast? Hell yeah!…read more After a morning jaunt through the flea market where I snatched up a fab porcelain pastry plate for 2E, my local host suggested a mid-morning snack at this 100% authentic Belgian café. As soon as we walked through the door my heart started to flutter. The wood paneled restaurant with its large central Zinc bar, gruff but friendly waiters, formica table tops with little napkin dispensers looks like it hasn't budged in 50 years. In a word: adorable! After examining the menu thoroughly I settled on the house specialty of spaghetti bolo and a café russe to wash it all down. An incongruous blend, I know, but hey, in a 24hr Belgian diner anything goes. Needless to say the bolo was like nothing I've ever had. Served over slightly overcooked vermicelli and topped with grated gruyere, the peppery, chunky bolognaise sauce had a regressive, quirky, heartiness to it that made the whole dish super fun to eat. If I lived in BXL I could see La Clef d'Or becomming a regular post flea market spot.

We liked the place and the food so much that we went back the next day for brunch as well. We have…read moretried the cheese croquettes, cheese omelette, Croque Monsieur and Madam and everything is pretty good. Outdoor seating is comfortable and affords a lot of fun people watching in the square and the flea market. But just know that you will need to pay in cash. They do not accept credit cards.

10€ for family style pastas might have sound a good deal. This is not…read more The classic Bolognese does not deserve its name. The pastas are undercooked, stick together making blocks you thought have forgotten since you left school cafeteria. There is chili pepper in the tomato sauce, not the little hint you could have like as a twist but the distinct flavor you would rather expect in Asian dishes... and it is coming with a big meatball, bland, so once more not the way a ragu is supposed to be. Finish this gloomy picture with emmental (or gruyere) cheese to definitively fall off track. Forget it.

Lovely original old school lunch resto. Try the trio or maison with chicken…read more Warning, they like their spices :)

It was a small little place that was a quick pit stop for a sandwich. The sandwiches were okay…read more Nothing mind blowing but it did the trick for a quick bite. The servers were nice and willing to explain the different things on the menus. However, the seating is limited so be aware if you go during a busy time.

Alright, first let me say, this review is based on two things: first, the sandwiches that have made…read morePistolet an institution here in Brussels, and second, the awful atmosphere of the "restaurant," if you can call it that. When it comes to the sandwiches, they're certainly not bad. They're nothing mind-blowing by any means, but they're pretty good. I got the classic American Cressonnette, a raw beef spread; and the wife for the Rillettes des Canard, a duck spread. They're pretty small, and the wife and I were just popping in for a quick bite, so one was fine, but if you're coming here hungry, you're gonna need two sandwiches. Would I eat then again? You bet. Would I go back to Pistolet in Sablon? No way. ... Let's just say, it was not the clam, chill atmosphere I was looking for when it came to a little bite to eat. It's pretty popular with families, or at least it was on the day we were there, and between dodging strollers and loud children running around, it's not going to be my preferred sandwich shop. My advice, if you're a family, kids in tow, this is a solid place to grab something quick and easy to eat that everyone will love. If you're not looking for that... Get it to go.

located just next door to the church Parvis de Saint Gilles, this bar is separated from the main…read morefull people pedestrian street where La Maison du Peuple is located. 100% local people, the terrace has this peaceful sensation where you almost feel on holidays (due to the church?) they have a good choice of beers and home cooked snacks like croque-monsieur, pasta and other easy going dishes my favourite beer there is Affligem which becomes hard to find in Brussels. if you want to avoid big crowds there you will feel at home.

Great local watering hole. Good beers, good soup, good terrace. Nice location and atmosphere.read more

Nice place to have a drink with some friends and eat their famous "boulets liégeois" (meatballs…read morewith sweet sauce). The place is representative of the new kind of inhabitants arriving in Saint-Gilles: artists, hipsters, upper middle-class. The place is decorated with old brasseries elements, so are the furnitures (very simple, but that's part of the friendly and family atmosphere). The food is also voluntarily simple but effective. It reminds me of the good old dishes that my grand mother used to cook. Important, and rare: French fries are home made. A lot of different local tasty beers. Good quality/price ratio. They now seem to be a bit victim of their success. The place is often overcrowded and the service is not always effective anymore... Moreover, prices have recently raised.

When eating dinner with a friend from out of town, my boyfriend and I wanted to take her to a…read moretraditional Belgian Brasserie. He has been wanting to try out La Boule d'Or for a while now so we settled on it for the evening. Best to reserve ahead of time as soon after we arrived it was full! More of a bar type atmosphere, La Boule d'Or is a fun place to have a drink and a simple dinner. Unfortunately, there are very few veggie/fish options so I was limited to tomatoes and shrimps or toasties with mushrooms. My boyfriend settled for the former and I the latter. I wasn't that impressed with my dish BUT did love the homemade fries and mayo! My boyfriend's dish was a lot better and normally I don't like that dish but was pleasantly surprised! For dessert, we all ordered different things, I loved my panna cotta with red berries!! With water, this all came to 15 eur, which is, in my opinion, a steal. As a note, this restaurant only serves meals of the day that are listed on a blackboard, so no menu.

This is a pretty decent cafe that does lots of food, including the much loved and popular mussels…read morewith frites/fries/chips. I found the menu to be quite pricey for what they were selling but I guess if you want to sit next to the city's opera house that you have to pay a bit extra for that. Besides, it must be popular with the opera crowd who probably don't mind spending a bit above the norm. There is a good although not large beer selection. You can also get different drinks - cocktails, wine, soft drinks, etc. If its nice outside, that is the best option. Quite impressive looking inside too.

The Café de la Opera (English : Opera Coffee Shop) is situated in the city center of Brussels, is…read moreone of the most expensive Coffee Shops, but it is really unique and worthwhile. Regarding the price/performance ratio it's ingenious. I have never had such a delicious diner as in that Café. You can have a look at the menu on the website of the Café de la Opera. Unfortunately, it's not possible to reserve a table via Internet. Generally, you can go to the Café de la Opera in the morning to have a genial breakfast, at noontime or to have a dinner in the evening. Don't miss that opportunity, you certainly won't regret it!

Les Filles started with a micro loan that seeded three women to start their own épicerie,…read morerestaurant, and cooking school, now in two locations. This is one of the few restaurants open seven days a week for both lunch and dinner. Serving fresh local produce in a relaxed communal atmosphere for very reasonable prices, they do not take reservations and the wait for brunch can be 30 minutes or more (in Brussels this is considered an extremely long wait)! We went to the newer and larger second location, which looks like an office building or private residence from the outside, except for the signage in the window. It's serve yourself buffet style, with dishes that change every half hour. For brunch there was an assortment of five breads, including brioche, nut, sweet egg, and whole wheat, to croissants. Three types of jams, three types of butters, a pumpkin turnip soup, a mandarin orange endive salad, a sausage and onion casserole, a parsley oil tzatziki, tabbouleh, an assortment of cheese and fruit, soft boiled eggs, fresh ham, and for dessert a chocolate fondant with spiced whipped cream on the side. Everything was so good we all went back for seconds and thirds! For 15 Euros, this place can't be beat:)

Huiselijk verborgen restaurant achter de Dansaert wijk…read more Les Filles werkt enkel met menu, donderdagmiddag is het enkel veggie maar op andere momenten maken ze eveneens voor de veggies graag uitzonderingen en passen ze hun maaltijden wat aan, in de mate van het mogelijke natuurlijk. Je komt binnen in de grote hal en via de houten ronde trap ga je richting de huiskamer. Je passeert de keuken, wat altijd fijn is om even te piepen naar hygiene. In de huiskamer voel je jou meteen thuis. We werden snel bediend. Heel vriendelijke staff. Het meisje dat ons verwelkomde was zeer beleefd, goedlachs en aangenaam. Alleen voor de staff krijgt Les Filles al een plus. Voor 25 euro krijg je aan tafel gebracht een aantal tapasjes en twee voorgerechtjes. Vervolgens dien je zelf je hoofdmaaltijd te gaan bedienen in de "keuken". De gerechtjes zijn biologisch en seizoensgebonden. Twee dessertjes sluiten het overheerlijke menu af. Bij het eten hoort ook een drankje en hiervoor heb je keuze uit een heel assortiment aan lekkere wijnen, tevens biologisch. Les Filles wil een waar huiskamergevoel creeren & hierin slagen ze 100%. En ohja, voor ik het vergeet, je kan hier ook blijkbaar kook workshops volgen. Misschien iets voor in de toekomst? Klinkt alvast veelbelovend!

Rustic place with cozy setting and large portions! The quiche and soup of the day were delicious…read more People serving the food recommended a great selection of vegan/vegetarian dishes.

Not a nice place and expensive. If you order a lait russe…read moreyou a bowl,its not very handy if its hot.