15 Best Restaurants in Ixelles and Saint-Gilles, Brussels

Finally, the mushroom-theme restaurant of your dreams … well, someone's dreams. And while diners might discover that it isn't quite as eccentric as they'd expect (mushrooms feature in all dishes but often as side ingredients), it is nonetheless quite out there, particularly the desserts: try the cakey flan diplomate and wood-ear fungus! The owners also run the impressive fine-dining French restaurant La Buvette and the excellent bakery Hopla Geiss, whose cinnamon rolls are utterly moreish, on the same street, but this is where the "fun guys" go (groan). 

There's plenty of debate as to Brussels's best ramen. This cozy little joint on rue St. Boniface is undoubtedly in with a claim. Diners cluster around the countertop as chefs boil up their stock, chop up the meat, and prepare each dish. The scents and aromas are reward enough, though the gyoza aren't bad either. That's your only choice really—the menu is tiny—but you don't come for anything more. No booking, just walk in and pray there's space. There's also a street terrace on warmer days. 

Matonge's St. Boniface area is a great spot to grab some food, and this Brussels institution (open since 1882) is as lively as any and a favorite among locals. The cuisine is decidedly Belgian, with anguilles au vert (freshwater eels in a green sauce) and hearty Flemish carbonnades on the menu, best accompanied by a draft beer. Naturally, everything is served with frites, and be sure to ask for the homemade mayonnaise. If you're too full to tackle a whole dessert, you can order a half portion.

Meatballs (or ballekes) are Belgium's current fast-food obsession. This restaurant chain is everywhere now but began here in Saint-Gilles, even if it's looking its age these days. The meatballs are offered with a choice of sauces, from classic tomato to a range of beery takes, all served up in cast-iron dishes. To this you add a choice of sides, ranging from frites to chicory salad. There's a definite Ikea vibe to the decor, but it's quick, delicious, and Ballekes even has its own craft beer—you don't get that in McDonalds! There's another branch in the Grand Place as well.

Café Belga, in an ocean-liner-like Art Deco building, is a favorite among Brussels's beautiful people. Sip a cocktail or mint tea at the zinc bar, or sit outside on a deck chair and gaze at the swans on the Ixelles ponds.

Even in Belgium, where meat tends to feature pretty high on the agenda of most menus, Colonel is something different. It's all about the steak here—marbled, aged, and kept on display like a treasured memory in a cabinet by the bar counter. Choose your own cut of traceable and personally sourced French beef, typically served with thick beef-fat frites on the side. There's more than just meat here, with a well-finessed bistro menu, but why fight it?

It divides opinion (as this hotly debated topic often does), but this is an outside shout for one of the best frites kiosks in the city. Locals who know tout it as such, and who are we to disagree? Certainly, the long queues at this historic crossroads between Chaussée de Waterloo and Chaussée d'Alsemberg (at one time a medieval toll point on the road out of Brussels) is proof enough, and the taste or sauce selection is not in doubt. 

With its all-day brunch ricocheting between healthier options (acai and Buddha bowls) and more indulgent offerings, including a guacamole, bacon, and cheddar toast, this is a good spot to bag a late-morning or early-afternoon pick-me-up (until 3 weekdays; 3:30 on weekends). 

A bustling little coffee shop that's usually packed with gossiping, bitching politicos—which is always entertaining to overhear—because it just edges the European district. The bagels are fresh and rightfully celebrated, while the coffee is first-rate. 

Luigi Ciciriello's Michelin-starred "Black Truffle" attracts a sophisticated and well-heeled clientele with its modern design, well-spaced tables, and cuisine that often requires bottomless pockets. Its menu draws on classic Italian and modern French cooking. Carpaccio is prepared at the table and served, like most dishes on the menu, with long strips of truffle. Entrées may include instant smoked bass with a truffle julienne or sautéed foie gras with dried fruits and speculoos. In summer you can eat in the garden—just don't forget your credit card. 

While COVID-19 forced a lot of restaurants to embrace reservation policies, 203 has gone for the first-come, first-served approach, and recommends turning up at 7 (we'd argue 10 minutes beforehand) to guarantee a spot at dinner. It's certainly worth the effort. Set menus at this charming bistro change every week, according to the whims of the season, and there's a fine selection of natural wines, which are, by now, almost mandatory in all modern Brussels restaurants. 

A restaurant with a firm eye on seasonal cooking, slow food, and organic produce. No surprise, then, that it's from the same people behind the Titulus wine bar (see Nightlife), and that its selection of natural wines is among the finest in any restaurant in the city. The food isn't half bad either, and impresses with its often pared-down simplicity: from Asian-style duck with miso and wakame to a gamey venison stew. Dishes are not over fussed but presented simply and with confidence. 

A really solid and reliable Belgian brasserie that rarely lets you down. One thing you are guaranteed: all food will be slathered in creamy, beery, or mustardy sauces and frites will fall from the air like raindrops on the battlefield this restaurant is named after. All the classic Belgian dishes are here, they're cheap, and they're well made. It might not be all that hip, but it's popular, and who needs a cellar of natural wines when you have squeezy sauce and friendly staff.

This branch of a local minichain is one of several good-quality lunch spots on the pedestrianized rue Jean Stas, just off avenue Louise. With a vaguely beach-house decor and outdoor tables in warm weather, the restaurant's equally breezy menu includes Belgian staples like boudin noir (blood sausage) as well as quiches and salads; the latter are huge. It's also a great place to grab a morning or afternoon coffee and a slice of delicious cake.

Power food, in all its acai glory. Wild Lab is the kind of place you get chia jam on your chocolate-banana pancakes or can find a "Goodness Bowl" brimming with lentils, roasted parsnip, and za'atar. It's a great spot for brunch, and the juices and smoothies leave you glowing.