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Eat the world: Readers' tips for Brussels’ best speciality restaurants

10:13 04/12/2016
The best way of finding great places to eat is still word of mouth, so we put that to the test

The Bulletin asked expat Facebook users for their tips for the best ethnic or speciality restaurant, something slightly off the beaten track that the tour guides won’t necessarily tell you about.

There were quite a few votes for l’Everest, a Nepalese-Indian restaurant on Chaussée de Vleurgat in Ixelles recommended by Anna Lobacheva and Päivi Roybin, who advises the vegetable and the chicken momos – filled dumplings similar to Japanese gyoza.

Ana Veloso recommends Portuguese: Coimbra on Avenue Jean Volders in Saint-Gilles, is slightly upmarket but remains down to earth with a wide range of fish dishes, as you’d expect from a country with all that coastline. It’s worth the trip for the facade alone.

One of the favourites was Bia Mara, the fish and chips place on Rue du Marche aux Poulets in the centre of town (there’s also one in Antwerp). Some people seemed to think it’s English, so for the record it’s the brainchild of two Irish expats, and the name means ‘seafood’. It might seem odd to list an Irish fish restaurant among the ethnics, but it earns its spot because it’s special.

Lidija Dee gives her vote to Bossa Nova, a Brazilian restaurant in Rue Haute in the Marolles area close to the Porte de Hal. “Great food, amazing juices,” she says. Bossa Nova, which claims to have been the first steakhouse in Belgium, also gets the thumbs-up from Jane Anne Whearty: "Another vote for Bossa Nova – the interior is pretty basic but the meat and cocktails are great!"

Slightly more exotic, and another big vote-winner, was Toukoul in Rue de Laeken in the city centre, which bills itself as a “resto bar culture house” – the menu features not only Ethiopian food but also concerts of world, jazz, soul and more. The injera, a sort of pancake of millet flour acts as plate, scoop and base for a variety of toppings: meat, fish and vegetarian. From the same people: Kokob in Rue des Grands Carmes, where you can also discover the coffee ceremony from the country that gave birth to the drink.

Best of the rest

Mei Wei Lou on Rue Gretry, “but try the Chinese menu at the back of the book, not the European one,” advises Aoife White.

Vinograd in Zaventem, for “excellent Croatian cuisine,” reports Silvia Rezessy. “Sava, also in Zaventem, offers a similar menu and is fantastic too.”

Kitchen 151 on Chaussée de Wavre offers “Mediterranean/Israeli food full of flavour, fresh herbs and vegetables, great service and a good price point,” according to Katherine Levy.

Los Ponchos in Saint-Gilles has been around a long time – more than 30 years, according to chef-owner Daniel Vasquez. The food is Latin-American, with typical dishes like ceviche, guacamole and quesadillos, chicken in chocolate sauce and some excellent beef from the grill.

This article first appeared in The Bulletin Newcomer, autumn 2016

Written by Alan Hope