Wow! The food in Brussels did not disappoint. Yes, of course we ate lots of the stereotypical foods associated with Belgium, like fries and waffles, but I wanted to share with you my top three favourite restaurants that are lesser mentioned in the vegan blogging world.
If you can’t wait to find out where to eat vegan fries and waffles, click on the button below to skip to that section!
Three incredible vegan-friendly restaurants in Brussels
Here are my favourite restaurants serving vegan options in Brussels:
3) Frank
The location of this restaurant would normally have had me running for the hills. It is located behind the main square, specifically a three-minute walk away from the statue of Jeanneke-Pis (the sister of Manneken Pis). Having a baby has apparently taught me to appreciate the more commercial things in life. Just kidding- this restaurant has great values: serving seasonal organic food, sourced sustainably and made from scratch.
My meal was on a daily special offer in the summer so if you were to visit now, you probably wouldn’t find it on the menu, but I have no doubt you would find something equally delicious. Romanesco to start and a potato rosti main, with roasted celeriac on a bed of celeriac leaves. The flavours within these dishes were so unique and they were presented beautifully- I just wish I had thought to take a photo!
2) Buddy Buddy
We visited Buddy Buddy for breakfast before leaving Brussels. As Europe’s first nut butter café, the vibe is a mixture of hip and chilled, with a notice on the wall written in English, asking for no laptops at the weekend. The building itself is light and airy, which is contrasted with the deeper values of the business, which focus on inclusivity, diversity and sustainably sourced organic ingredients.
I ordered a deliciously creamy matcha green tea latte and a kouign-amann, which was served with hot nut butter drizzled on top.
For those of you travelling with little ones – I don’t think that this café has highchairs, but I may be wrong. We didn’t check, as it was a bit of a grab and go experience before we hit the road. Though if you can get your little ones to sit still long enough then I would definitely recommend visiting. Trust me when I say, you will devour your food so quickly that they simply will not need to sit still for very long.
1) Bodja
We stumbled upon this absolute gem of a restaurant early evening on our second day in Brussels. Due to how early it was, the restaurant was very quiet, that and the beautiful weather had most people eating outside in the garden area.
This restaurant served me the best Asian food I have eaten outside of Asia. It is a vegetarian Tibetan restaurant with plenty of clearly labelled vegan options. They also have a very extensive tea menu.
I loved everything about this place – the music, the décor and the staff. We had the most wonderful meal here and I cannot recommend it enough.
I was spoiled for choice at Bodja, but it is definitely one for your omni and veggie friends too. Some of you might get what I mean when I say this: it didn’t give off that healthy-in-a-vegan-way vibe that some vegan food does. The food was made with lots of colourful veg, yet it was still purely delicious.
Where to find vegan fries and waffles in Brussels
I’m afraid not all fries were created equally. Some are cooked using animal fats, but we didn’t find this an issue in Brussels; I think you can enjoy tasty vegan fries all over the city.
One such place for us was the restaurant chain Wasbar. A bonus to eating here is that you can do your laundry whilst tucking into a fully loaded vegan sandwich. Wasbar encourages you to wash your clothes at 40°C where possible and supply free to use ECOVER detergents, which are vegan and cruelty free.
Finally, if you are looking for classic vegan waffles (and I can’t blame you here) then you must check out Vegan Waffle.
Shamefully, we did not visit the nearby vegan cupcake shop, Tutti Planty. However, I have heard good things so you should go and see what it’s all about. Feel free to get in touch and let us know what you think if you have been.
Where to stay as a vegan in Brussels
During our stay in Brussels, we spent a few nights at a hotel called Jardin Secret, which had a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The view from our room was incredible, but I was struck by quite a large display of taxidermy butterflies in the lobby/dining area so if you are the type of vegan who is uncomfortable with this then I would definitely not recommend this hotel. Personally, I still can’t work out how I felt about it.
As far as I know, there are no vegan hotels in Brussels yet. But there is a vegan B&B just over an hour away in Bruges.
Happy travels everyone!
