Belgian-style chicken or veal pie in a puff-pastry shell: a creamy sauce with mushrooms, chicken meatballs and herbs, served with frites.
Vol-au-vent translates as 'flying with the wind' for the lightness of its puff-pastry shell, an Antonin Careme invention from early 19th-century Paris. The Belgian adaptation filled the shell with a thick cream sauce of chicken or veal and mushrooms, with small meatballs alongside. The dish became a Sunday-lunch brasserie staple across Brussels and Flanders, served with a bowl of frites to soak up the sauce.
3 editor picks for Vol-au-vent in Brussels, ranked by editorial score. All Brussels signature dishes · Vol-au-vent 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.
Brasserie Ploegmans ★ 4.1
marolles · Rue Haute 148, 1000 Brussels
Brasserie Ploegmans in Brussels' Marolles is the wood-panelled local that runs Belgian standards: meatballs, shrimp croquettes, choucroute garnie. Half a block from Place du Jeu de Balle.