Guidebook for Molenbeek-Saint-Jean
Food Scene
Charli
34 Rue Sainte-Catherine Best bread in Brussels downtown
Kipkot
8 Pl. Sainte-Catherine Very good roasted chicken, organic
Brussels Beer Project
188 Rue Antoine DansaertBrasserie artisanale
OR Coffee
9 Rue Auguste OrtsBest specialty coffee in town, single origin, direct trade etc.
Handmade Chinese noodles, very good and pretty cheap. Just be aware, the smell will stick on your clothes for at least the night :-)
30 locals recommend
Au bon bol
9 Rue Paul DevauxHandmade Chinese noodles, very good and pretty cheap. Just be aware, the smell will stick on your clothes for at least the night :-)
Gourmet Street Food, fresh from the sea. Prepared on-the-spot. Ambience "à la Bruxelloise". Brunch, lunch or takeout.
208 locals recommend
Mer du Nord
45 Pl. Sainte-CatherineGourmet Street Food, fresh from the sea. Prepared on-the-spot. Ambience "à la Bruxelloise". Brunch, lunch or takeout.
Belgian brasserie, Belgian landmark since 1968, good food, chic crowd, the best Croquettes de crevettes (deep fried shrimp and bechamel croquettes) and Américain (a sort of tartare beef). Beautiful and luxurious 60's custom made furniture and Alechinsky paintings adorning the walls. Expensive but really good and authentic.
42 locals recommend
Au Vieux Saint Martin
38 Pl. du Grand SablonBelgian brasserie, Belgian landmark since 1968, good food, chic crowd, the best Croquettes de crevettes (deep fried shrimp and bechamel croquettes) and Américain (a sort of tartare beef). Beautiful and luxurious 60's custom made furniture and Alechinsky paintings adorning the walls. Expensive but really good and authentic.
Drinks & Nightlife
This place is the local icon, café and bar all day, affordable
Belgian specialties for diner
66 locals recommend
Café Walvis
209 Rue Antoine DansaertThis place is the local icon, café and bar all day, affordable
Belgian specialties for diner
Barbeton
114 Rue Antoine Dansaert Nice and cosy, cafe and bar all day, some snacks and sandwiches
Café Métropole
31 Pl. De BrouckèreDon't eat there, but have a drink in the beautiful Bar of this 19th Century hotel
The coolest bar in Belgium, this classic near the Bourse has to be seen. Ring a bell on the street and you enter a steel bubble swing door like entering a bank. You'll get into an art deco room with high ceilings, half-moon balcony, pillars to the roof, a piano in the middle and tiny corner bar.
Your fellow drinkers are architects, intellectuals and artists and the bar-staff know their music as well as their martinis. Anything from trip-hop to country plays until late and you only get your bill when you leave. Miles Davis used to come in and jam.
146 locals recommend
L'Archiduc
6 Rue Antoine DansaertThe coolest bar in Belgium, this classic near the Bourse has to be seen. Ring a bell on the street and you enter a steel bubble swing door like entering a bank. You'll get into an art deco room with high ceilings, half-moon balcony, pillars to the roof, a piano in the middle and tiny corner bar.
Your fellow drinkers are architects, intellectuals and artists and the bar-staff know their music as well as their martinis. Anything from trip-hop to country plays until late and you only get your bill when you leave. Miles Davis used to come in and jam.
Arts & Culture
Mima
41 Quai du HainautWiels station
Bozar station
Grand-Place
No need to talk about it, worth a visit
Shopping
Stijl
74 Rue Antoine DansaertThe famous multi-brands for high-end clothing by Belgian designers
Beautifully located in the Galeries du Roi et de la Reine, large choice of books
18 locals recommend
Tropismes
Beautifully located in the Galeries du Roi et de la Reine, large choice of books
HEMA
3E KorenmarktEssentials
AD Anspach
63 Bd AnspachEntertainment & Activities
UGC De Brouckère
38 Pl. De BrouckèreGetting Around
Vlaamsepoort station
Tram 51, a few stops from Gare du Midi
Comte de Flandre station
1-6 Rue Sainte-MarieMétro lignes 1 et 5