Mussels steamed open in the heavy black pot with white wine, shallot and parsley, served with a side of hand-cut frites. Belgium's national dish, with Brussels as its capital.
Moules-frites began as a Flemish fishermen's meal, with mussels from the North Sea coast cheap and abundant. By the 1890s Brussels brasseries were running them as a winter house dish; Leon Vanlancker opened on Rue des Bouchers in 1893 with mussels-and-fries already the through-line. The black-pot service became the standard across Belgian and northern French brasseries through the 20th century, and remains the canonical Brussels order.
4 editor picks for Moules-frites in Brussels, ranked by editorial score. All Brussels signature dishes · Moules-frites across every city.
Au Vieux Saint Martin ★ 4.3
sablon · Place du Grand Sablon 38, 1000 Brussels
Au Vieux Saint Martin in Brussels has held the corner of Place du Grand Sablon since 1968. The Niels family invented Belgian filet americain here; the brasserie still serves it from the open kitchen.
Aux Armes de Bruxelles ★ 4.2
sainte-catherine · Rue des Bouchers 13, 1000 Brussels
Aux Armes de Bruxelles on Rue des Bouchers has been running since 1921, with Calixte Veulemans opening as a brasserie. Rudy Vanlancker of Chez Leon bought the house in 2018.
Chez Leon ★ 4.0
sainte-catherine · Rue des Bouchers 18, 1000 Brussels
Chez Leon in Brussels has run on Rue des Bouchers since 1893, when Leon Vanlancker opened five tables. Five generations later the family still serves moules-frites from the same kitchen.
Volle Gas ★ 3.9
ixelles · Place Fernand Cocq 21, 1050 Ixelles
Volle Gas in Brussels' Ixelles is a 1924 Art Deco brasserie on Place Fernand Cocq. The kitchen runs nearly 30 mussel preparations and a Belgian carte of meatballs and steak.