Friture Rene is a belgian friterie-bistro restaurant in Anderlecht, Brussels.
Friture Rene in Brussels' Anderlecht has run since 1932 on Place de la Resistance. Pre-war fritkot-bistro hybrid: hand-cut beef-fat fries, steak from the grill, white-shirt waiters.
Signature dishes: Hand-cut frites, Steak frites
Must order: Steak frites or moules-frites, then anything from the long beer list.
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday. Lunch service runs to 14:30; the dining room books out on weekends.
Address: Place de la Résistance 14, 1070 Anderlecht, Brussels
Racines in Brussels' Ixelles is the Italian-Belgian dining room on Chaussee d'Ixelles. Francesco Cury and Ugo Federico cook a tight modern menu with natural wine pairings, Bib Gourmand listed.
Signature: Hand-rolled pasta, Italian-Belgian tasting menu
Order: Whichever pasta is on the chalkboard, with a glass of the house orange wine.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The bar seats face the open kitchen; lunch is the budget pick.
Henri in Brussels' Dansaert is the neo-bistro on Rue de Flandre. Tight chalkboard menu, focused natural-wine list, beef tartare and cheese souffle as the through-line.
Signature: Beef tartare, Cheese souffle
Order: Beef tartare prepared at the table, with the cheese souffle for two.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. Lunch set is the value pick; book ahead for evenings.
Toukoul in Brussels is the city's canonical Ethiopian restaurant. The kitchen serves spongy injera with stews from the central pot, on Rue de Laeken near the Dansaert quarter.
Signature: Doro wat, Vegetarian beyaynetu platter
Order: A vegetarian beyaynetu for the table, plus doro wat, all rolled into the injera with no cutlery.
Tip: Open daily for dinner. Vegetarian and vegan platters are the value; tej (honey wine) is the drink.
Bia Mara in Brussels' Saint-Gery is the British-style fish and chips counter near the Bourse. Sustainable cod, hand-cut chips, condiment bar runs Belgian.
Signature: Beer-battered cod, Hand-cut chips
Order: Beer-battered cod with hand-cut chips, plus the curry-leaf mushy peas.
Tip: Open seven days lunch and dinner. Quick service; the bench tables fill at peak lunch.
ONGBA in Brussels' Ixelles is the Vietnamese kitchen on Chaussee de Wavre that earned a Bib Gourmand in 2026. Family-run, phos and banh mi, lunch counter and small dining room.
Signature: Pho, Banh mi
Order: A bowl of beef pho with extra tendon, and a banh mi to take away.
Tip: Closed Sunday. Lunch service is fast; dinner runs slower with full carte.
Humphrey in Brussels' Sainte-Catherine is a Yannick Van Aeken concept where chef Glen runs Filipino-inspired sharing plates. The room is small, the carte changes weekly, Bib Gourmand listed.
Signature: Sharing-plate tasting menu, Filipino-Belgian small plates
Order: The sharing-plate tasting; let the kitchen send what they're cooking that week.
Tip: Closed Saturday and Sunday. Counter seats face the kitchen; the back table is the spot for groups of four.
