Toukoul is an ethiopian restaurant in Dansaert, Brussels.
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 dishes: Doro wat, Vegetarian beyaynetu platter
Must 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.
Address: Rue de Laeken 34, 1000 Brussels
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.
Le Varietes in Ixelles sits on the ground floor of the Flagey Liner on Place Sainte-Croix. Brasserie-rotisserie cooking off a Belgian classics carte, with spit-roasted chicken running across lunch and dinner; weekend service is non-stop from noon.
Signature: Spit-roasted chicken, Belgian beef tartare
Order: Spit-roasted chicken with house jus and fries.
Tip: Kitchen runs lunch and dinner Mon-Fri, then non-stop noon to 22:00 Saturday and Sunday. Walk-in for lunch, book for weekends.
Fanny Thai in Brussels' Saint-Gilles cooks the most editorial Thai room in the city. The chef sources directly from Bangkok suppliers; the carte runs Thai canon plus regional dishes.
Signature: Pad Thai, Beef massaman curry
Order: Beef massaman curry and a plate of pad see ew, with a Singha to wash down.
Tip: Closed Sunday lunch and Monday. The back room is calmer than the bar tables.
Chez Leon in Brussels has run on Rue des Bouchers since 1893. The family-owned brasserie serves the canonical moules-frites in a black pot, every day from noon to 23:00.
Signature: Moules-frites, Carbonnade flamande
Order: Moules marinieres with frites and a glass of Cuvee Rene gueuze on the house list.
Tip: Open seven days. Ask for the original 1893 dining room; the side rooms feel like a tourist trap.
