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 here; tej (honey wine) is the drink.
Address: Rue de Laeken 34, 1000 Brussels
Henri in Brussels' Dansaert is the neo-bistro on Rue de Flandre that runs a tight modern French carte. The chalkboard menu changes weekly, with a focused natural-wine list and short carte.
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; the dining room books a week ahead for evenings.
Henri in Brussels' Dansaert is the neo-bistro on Rue de Flandre that runs a tight modern French carte. The chalkboard menu changes weekly, with a focused natural-wine list and short carte.
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; the dining room books a week ahead for evenings.
La Villa in the Sky in Brussels sits on the 25th floor of the IT Tower above Avenue Louise. Eighteen seats, panoramic glass walls, a Michelin star under chef Alexandre Dionisio.
Signature: Modern French tasting menu, Seasonal vegetable courses
Order: The full tasting menu with wine pairing; lunch is the budget entry to the same kitchen.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. Book sunset slots for the best skyline; the lift is shared with the office tower.
Garage a Manger in Brussels' Ixelles is the wood-fire restaurant on Rue Washington, in a former mechanical workshop. Sharing plates, ember-cooked proteins, a short cellar list.
Signature: Open-fire grilled mains, Seasonal small plates
Order: Whichever fire-cooked main is on the chalkboard, with charred greens and the natural wine pairing.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The counter seats give the best view of the open fire; bookings recommended.
Comme Chez Soi opened in 1926 under Georges Cuvelier and moved to the Place Rouppe Art Nouveau dining room in the 1930s. Three Michelin stars 1979 to 2006 under Pierre Wynants; Lionel Rigolet now runs the kitchen on one star.
Signature: Filets de sole Prince Albert, Classical French-Belgian tasting menu
Order: The filets de sole Prince Albert, the kitchen's signature since the 1970s, with a glass of Mosel Riesling.
Tip: Closed Monday, Tuesday and Sunday. Book three weeks ahead for Friday and Saturday dinner; the chef's table seats six.
La Truffe Noire in Brussels has been the city's truffle restaurant since founder Luigi Ciciriello opened in 1988. Chef Olivier Broucke works white and black truffles into a garden-side dining room beside the Abbaye de la Cambre.
Signature: Perigord truffle a la croque au sel, Carpaccio prepared tableside
Order: The Perigord truffle a la croque au sel, the kitchen's signature, and the tableside-prepared beef carpaccio.
Tip: Closed Sunday. Lunch service Tuesday to Friday, dinner Monday to Saturday; the garden terrace is the seat to ask for from April.
Menssa in Brussels is chef Christophe Hardiquest's second act in the building that held his two-star Bon Bon until 2022. Twenty-two seats, cuisine instinctive, one Michelin star since 2024.
Signature: Cuisine instinctive tasting menu, Belgian seasonal seven-course dinner
Order: The tasting menu in full; the wine pairing draws heavily on small Belgian and German growers.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. Book the counter for the open-kitchen view; the dining room takes parties up to six.
