Chocolate, Waffles & Beer – The Perfect City

Oh Brussels… This city easily makes my top five list of favorite cities in the world. It’s the perfect city for foodies; I mean you really can’t go wrong with Belgian waffles, Belgian beer and Belgian chocolate all in one place. Plus, their frites (aka French fries) are equally as delicious.

Brussels is a hub for all the Belgian specialties. You absolutely cannot go to Brussels without getting traditional Belgian waffles! It is important to know that there are two, very different, types of waffles – Brussels (light and crispy, great if you aren’t too hungry) and Liège (thick and rich with sugar crystals that melt and crystallize around the waffle when cooke
d). Both are delicious but my favorite is the Liège; in my opinion this is the true Belgian waffle because you can’t get anything like it anywhere else. Whether they’re smothered in Nutella or powdered sugar, or just eaten plain they’re a must-have! There’s lots of street shops that sell waffles that are to-die-for so if you’re busy sight-seeing grab one while walking around, but if you have the time, my favorite sit-down restaurant for true Belgian waffles is Maison Dandoy. It’s right on the edge of the Grand Place de Bruxelles and looks like a to-go treat shop from the outside but if you ask for a table there’s a full-service restaurant upstairs.

Next up, Belgian beer. Brussels nightlife seems to be centered around the diverse beer options and expansive bars. When in Brussels, go to Delirium Café. It’s really a bar rather than a café, and they have more than 2,000 types of beer. It’s worth trying the namesake beer – Delirium Tremens. It’s a great place to find locals, as well as people from around the world to chat with.

Finally, Belgian chocolate. It goes without saying that the chocolate in Belgium is magnificent and Brussels is often considered the “chocolate capital of the world”. Fun fact #1: There are more chocolatiers in Brussels per square foot than any other city around the globe. It’s almost impossible to walk the length of any block in Brussels without passing at least one chocolate shop, of course, I found myself taste testing all kinds of truffles and pralines as well as hot cocoa. Fun fact #2: Belgium invented the “praline” in 1912, which is actually a soft-centered confection with a chocolate casing (unlike the nut and sugar “praline” known in France and the U.S.). One of the best chocolate shops in Brussels is Frederic Blondeel, which is just off the main square and has magnificent chocolates and hot cocoa, it’s definitely worth checking out!

Now for the more unknown specialty of Brussels. Don’t ask me how this came to be, but Brussels is home to some of the best French fries – aka frites – in the world. It’s definitely a combination of perfectly cooked fries and the endless different types of sauces that makes them special. Fritland and Mason Antoine are among the best spots in the city to get fries, plus they are open late. You’ve got to try to the andalouse and samurai sauces while you’re there!