Thanks to its excellent food and diversity of cuisine, Brussels has moved into the European culinary limelight. While not the cheapest of cities to eat out in, its thousands of restaurants offer consistently high quality fare and spectacular value for money. The excellence exhibited by restaurants like Comme Chez Soi has trickled down to mainstream dining, and as a result, there really is no excuse for eating poorly. With the natives expecting this minimum level of quality, even the trendiest of restaurants are obliged to have a cuisine which matches the sleek decor. Apart from the excellence of the native Belgian fare, the city is among Europe's best for sampling a wide range of different cuisines - from the ubiquitous Italian places, through to Spanish, Vietnamese, Japanese and Russian restaurants.

Restaurants aside, it's worth remembering many bars and cafés serve food. Though this is often limited to pastas, soups and croques monsieurs , many have wider-ranging menus usually consisting of traditional Brussels fare. There are also plenty of frites stands and pitta places around the Grand-Place, notably on rue du Marché aux Fromages, known locally as "Greek Street", and on rue des Bouchers.

Unfortunately, Brussels is lacking when it comes to specifically catering for vegetarians , but many restaurants, particularly Middle Eastern ones, serve a good selection of vegetarian dishes.

The Lower Town is great for good-quality cuisine that doesn't cost the earth. The fashionable rue Antoine Dansaert is an excellent place to start, with several stylish restaurants. The Lower Town also holds the frenetic rue des Bouchers, a restaurant ghetto well worth checking out. There's another cluster of good restaurants around the lovely place du Grand Sablon in the Upper Town , although the food doesn't come cheap and you may find yourself paying extra for the pretty scenery. Out of the town centre, Ixelles is home to some of the capital's finest restaurants, particularly at the place Stéphanie end of chaussée de Charleroi, but also close by the attractive place du Châtelain. The EU Quarter holds a few spots that rise above the average business lunch gulpdown, while the commune of Ganshoren is home to two of the finest restaurants in the city.

Generally speaking, most places are open from noon to 3pm and from 7pm to 11pm. Sundays and Mondays tend to be the quietest days, and some restaurants close down altogether in July and August. It's not usually necessary to make a reservation midweek, but it's highly advisable on Friday and Saturday nights.

Restaurant prices vary, depending on where you eat and when. Lunch menus are considerably less expensive than evening menus, whereas the plat du jour - the main course meal of the day - is often great value for money and usually available all day.

Service charges are automatically included, and you need only leave a tip if service is above average.

Belgian specialties
anguilles au vert eels in green sauce faisan à la brabançonne pheasant in butter, white wine and chicory ...
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The Grand-Place and around
Aux Armes de Bruxelles Rue des Bouchers 13 (tel 02 511 55 50. Métro: Bourse. Tues-Sun noon-11.15pm. Closed June 19-July 16. ?20-32.) Right in the middle of the restaurant district near the Grand-Place, this polished spot divides into a formal...
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The Lower Town
L'Achepot Pl Ste Catherine 1 (tel 02 511 62 21. Métro: Ste Catherine or de Brouckère. Mon-Sat noon-3pm, 6-10.30pm. ?20-32.) A welcoming, family-run restaurant in the trendy Ste Catherine district. Vegetarians would probably have a coronary if they...
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The Upper Town
Aux Bons Enfants Pl du Grand Sablon 49 (tel 02 512 40 95. Tram #92, #93, #94. Daily except Wed noon-2.30pm & 6.30-10.30pm. Closed mid-July to end Aug. ?20-32.) A well-established, cosy old Italian place, housed in a seventeenth-century building...
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St Gilles
Beni Znassen - Chez Mustapha Rue de l'Eglise 81 (tel 02 534 11 94. Métro: Parvis de St Gilles. Wed-Sun 6.30pm-1am. Closed July & Aug. Under ?20.) This off-the-beaten-track Moroccan restaurant, just behind the Parvis de St Gilles, attracts an...
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Ixelles and avenue Louise
L'Amadeus Rue Veydt 13 (tel 02 538 34 27. Métro: Louise. Tram #91, #92. Tues-Sun 6.30pm-midnight, Sun also 10am-2.30pm. Closed Jan 1-8, July 21-Aug 15. ?20-32.) A restaurant and wine bar in the attractive one-time studio of Auguste Rodin, not far...
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Eu Quarter and St Josse
Bodeguilla Rue Archimède 65-67 (tel 02 736 34 49. Métro: Schuman. Mon-Sat 7-11pm. Under ?20.) A simple Spanish tapas bar hidden away in the basement of the expensive Le Jardin d'Espagne restaurant. The place seems to be a second home to...
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Ganshoren restaurants
Two of the finest restaurants in the city can be found northwest of the city centre in the commune of Ganshoren . If you're making the trip by public transport, the nearest métro station is Métro: Simonis. Claude...
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