We love beer in Brussels. We do not only drink it, we also consider our craft to be of the very best. Brussels alone counts over 1.000 small and big breweries selling their beers. (making us the city with the most breweries in the world!) Named after the river flowing through Brussels, Brasserie De La Senne is the city’s most popular one. Their Zinnebir is available in about every bar in town, and you see it frequently being drunk by people on our cobbled market squares in the afternoon sun.
If you’re interested in discovering some things about the culture of Brussels, I’d highly recommend visiting Brasserie de la Senne. Brussels is about the best city to visit a brewery, and this one has everything you’d for : Passioned brewers, an insightful tour, tastings of quality beers and a terrace to rest or enjoy one more.
Not only with beer, but Brussels and Belgium also have a strong cultural bond with another delicacy : chocolate. It is because of our history with Congo that we’ve been shipping cacao home since the 19th century. And in 1912, Jean Neuhaus invented the praline in Brussels, a chocolate candy with a filling.This differs from the French praline, which has a candy filling coated by a cooked mixture of sugar and nuts.
Ever since, Belgium chocolates have been world class. At the Sablon, a small square within the Brussels city center that’s named after the sand quarry that used to be there, some of the best chocolatiers are gathered. Marcolini, Neuhaus and Wittamer are a trinity of Belgian chocolate makers who set themselves apart with their high quality pralines and pastries. They make this innocent looking square actually a unique place on our planet for every sweet tooth.
I honestly don’t know if it’s a coincidence that our small country is so well-known for multiple treats. However, if you’re looking for things that locals love, I have to mention our frites barracks.
Allegedly French fries were invented in Dinant, Belgium in the 17th century. Then why are they called French fries? Because American military men introduced them into their home country during World War I. Ever since, this is how the world has been calling our fried potatoes.
Frites being called French Fries is a sour spot for us, because we would’ve preferred that they were called Belgian fries. None the less, we have been very passioned about our frites for many generations. And it’s our favorite (midnight)snack. All over the city you can find these small boots making them. One, ‘Chez Jef’ is already being operated by Jef himself for over thirty years. The most famous friterie in Brussels, and winner of many polls, is Maison Antoine on the Jourdan square. So, if you’d like togo to one of the most popular places for locals in Brussels, Antoine should be on your list.
At night, go for a drink in l’Archiduc. This stylish bar is a true art-Deco gem and has a long history of jazz concerts. It even used to be the bar where the singer Jaques Brel used to go most frequently. Today, it still is one of the most classy places to go to for good music and cocktails at reasonable prices.
The bar exists since 1937. Back then small wooden booths offered privacy for couples who’d rather not be seen together. In 1953 the place got new owners, who made it the place for jazz in Brussels. Its interior has mostly stayed the same since, and amongst locals it’s still a hotspot.
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For those who want to get to know the city through the eyes of someone who has lived and worked there for years. We want to make you know the real Brussels.
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