Fair trade coffee and organic products
As far as gastronomy is concerned, the Belgian nerve center lives, as could not be less, in a dichotomy . Popular culture is not wrong: the best chocolate and the best beer live here .
To start the day in Brussels, opt for the sweet note and don't rush the day. the grand place , the Manneken Pis , the Atomium , the park of Cinquantenaire … everyone will be waiting for you to finish breakfast.
During the week, Brussels lives hectic: everyone has a meeting to get to or a story to cover. On days like this, when time runs at superhuman speeds, there is no reason to give up a good breakfast. ** Exki **, present in points of high professional activity such as the Bourse or Place Schumann , offers fair trade coffee and organic products to start the day on a healthy note.
Always present in the busiest areas
The fruit salads, muesli and croissants freshly baked are offered in self-service. The coffee, tea and hot chocolate are collected on departure , where you can also take the international edition of Le Monde or the New York Times with you, and not waste a minute. Brussels waits for no one.
In Exki everything is designed so that you don't waste a minute... if you want
But after the rush comes the weekend, and with it, the calm after the storm . Brussels reinvents itself on weekends in a city that invites you to sit and watch life go by . Oma, in Saint-Gilles, is the perfect place for it. The place is small, but what it lacks in space it makes up for in charm. Coming here is the closest thing to going to your German colleague's grandmother's house: the kitchen is visible from the dining room, the crockery is made up of loose cups and saucers and the photos t e lead to 19th century Tyrol.
The menu, just like at grandma's house, changes periodically, going from scrambled eggs with goat cheese on toast with homemade jam , going by broccoli and bacon quiche with homemade chocolate tarts . If you arrive early (or have had the good idea to book), ask for a table on the terrace: you will have a hard time getting up.
Like in 19th century Tyrol
THE WORLD OF BRUNCH
Brussels has a clear winner: **Les Filles Plaisirs Culinaires**, in Halles St. Gery, is a unique experience in the gastronomic scene of the Belgian capital that you should not miss. The experience of having breakfast at Les Filles is an almost family event : you have to ring the bell to enter and wait for them to open for you; once inside, you will share one of the three communal tables with other diners as if they were your cousins.
The kings of brunch
Brunch is buffet style, and includes everything from bread and brioche to brownies, through salad and, starting at noon, a soup and dish of the day. The single shift is from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. , and believe us, it gets busy: arrive early and prepare for the chaos and charm of an unforgettable breakfast.
More than a brunch, a gastronomic experience
**Le Pain Quotidien** has long since burst onto the international scene, and you may have walked into one in New York, Melbourne or Mexico City. But as much as this Belgian gastronomic success is already a secret with voices , you always have to go back to the origin: in the case of Le Pain Quotidien, it is their establishment on the street Antoine Dansaert , next to the Bourse.
The concept is already a classic: fresh bread, rustic atmosphere and a healthy dose of Belgian pride. Not to be missed on the menu are the tartines, traditional open sandwiches . Try the nectarine, blue cheese and honey with lavender; If you were not very clear about the reason for its success, now you will understand.
An open secret to always return to
What you can not stop eating in Brussels is, of course, a waffle . The quintessential Belgian sweet awaits you on almost every corner, but one spot highly recommended by more than one connoisseur is Maison Dandoy. Is gourmet patisserie specializes in homemade indigenous treats based on a respected family heritage since 1829. Doors open at 11am each day, just follow the smell that floods charles bulls street and you will find it a stone's throw from the famous Manneken Pis.
People come for the waffles, but return for other Brussels delicacies such as Speculoos , caramel cookies that traditionally accompany coffee and that Maison Dandoy offers fresh out of the oven.
The kingdom of the waffle and the speculoo
but there is a trick : no matter how famous waffles are, these square cakes do not usually accompany the mornings of the neighbors of Brussels. Nope, Belgians eat breakfast more in the style of the Charli bakery : croissants, fresh baguettes with jam, pain au chocolat. A natural breakfast, unpretentious, but incredibly satisfying, especially if accompanied by a coffee and the trendy atmosphere of Rue Saint-Catherine.
Ready for the Brussels day? Hurry up the coffee and go out to explore, that at the end of the day the famous Belgian beer awaits us. You won't want to miss it.
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The perfect Belgian breakfast, HERE
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Don't miss a good cake to start the morning
Like grandma's 'pancakes' or 'frisuelos'