Belgian food: what to eat in Belgium
Belgian food is hearty, simple at its best and very particular about its details. The famous things, frites, waffles, chocolate and beer, are all worth eating here, but the everyday cooking is stews, fish and potatoes. The one thing to know: the north leans Flemish and the south leans French, and a good meal often depends on knowing which side you are on.
The short answer
- Order this first
- Moules-frites or a carbonnade flamande. One is the country's famous pairing of mussels and chips, the other a slow beef stew cooked in beer, and between them they show what Belgium does best.
- When people eat
- Lunch is the main meal for many people, from about noon to 2. Dinner is usually from 6:30 or 7 in the evening. Many kitchens close between lunch and dinner.
- Tipping
- Service is included in the price. Rounding up or leaving a few euros for good service is common, but not required.
- Where to eat well
- In a small restaurant with a short menu, a brasserie with a crowd of locals, or a frietkot (a chip shop) with a queue. Our city food guides name the places we checked.
What to eat in Belgium
- FritesTwice-fried potatoes, often eaten from a paper cone with mayonnaise or another sauce. Look for a frietkot or frituur with a queue, and order a sauce beyond ketchup.Everywhere
- Moules-fritesSteamed mussels in a pot with a side of frites. Mussels are best in the colder months, from roughly September to April.Coast and Brussels
- Carbonnade flamandeA slow-cooked beef stew made with dark beer, onions and a little mustard, usually served with frites or potatoes. A fixture on brasserie menus.Flanders
- WaterzooiA creamy stew of chicken, or sometimes fish, with leeks and potatoes. It comes from Ghent and tastes best in colder weather.Ghent
- StoempMashed potato mixed with vegetables such as carrots or leeks, often served with sausage. It is plain comfort food, found in cafes and brasseries.Brussels and Flanders
- Vol-au-ventA puff pastry case filled with chicken or sweetbreads in a creamy sauce. It is traditional family food and appears in old-fashioned restaurants.Brussels and Wallonia
- Boulets liégeoisLarge meatballs in a sweet and sour sauce, usually served with frites. A speciality of Liège and eastern Belgium.Liège
- Belgian wafflesTwo main kinds: the light, rectangular Brussels waffle, and the denser, caramelized Liège waffle. Eat them warm from a bakery, not a stand beside a tour group.Brussels and Liège
- Chocolate and pralinesBelgium has a long tradition of filled chocolates. Buy a small box from a chocolate maker with its own workshop, and eat them within a few weeks.Everywhere
- SpeculoosA spiced biscuit often served with coffee. It also comes as a spread, which makes a cheap souvenir.Everywhere
How the food changes across Belgium
Flanders in the north
Dutch-speaking, with beer-based stews, fish and potatoes. Expect carbonnade, waterzooi, shrimp croquettes on the coast and plenty of good beer cafes.
Wallonia in the south
French-speaking, with more pork, game and cured meats, and cheeses from the Ardennes. Liège has its own waffles and meatballs, and the Ardennes are known for ham.
Brussels
A mix of both, where Flemish and French dishes sit side by side. It is the easiest place to eat everything on this list in one weekend.
What to drink in Belgium
- Belgian beerThere are hundreds of styles, including Trappist ales made in monasteries, strong blondes, brown ales, fruit lambics and saisons. Ask for the house beer or the bar's recommendation.
- Lambic and gueuzeSour, spontaneously fermented beers from the area around Brussels. They are an acquired taste and often a revelation to those who try them.
- GeneverA malty juniper spirit, drunk neat in small glasses in old-fashioned bars, mostly in Flanders.
- Coffee and hot chocolateCoffee is usually served strong, often with a small biscuit. Hot chocolate is made with melted chocolate and is worth ordering in winter.
Where to eat in Belgium, city by city
Brussels
The capital and the best first stop: a grand central square, comic-strip murals, major art museums and a strong beer and chocolate scene. It suits anyone who likes a real city with a few big sights.
Order Moules-frites
Bruges
A small, well-preserved medieval town of canals and cobbled lanes, easy to walk in an afternoon. It suits couples and first-timers who want the postcard version, though it is busy by day.
Order Stoofvlees
Ghent
A medieval center with a young population, castle, canals and lively evenings, usually with fewer tour groups than Bruges. It suits people who want history and an easy atmosphere together.
Order Gentse waterzooi
How Belgium eats
- Meal timesLunch is from about noon to 2, and dinner is from 6:30 or 7. Many kitchens close in the afternoon.
- CoffeeOrder at the table, and expect a biscuit or chocolate on the saucer. A coffee after lunch is routine.
- ReservationsBook for dinner on weekends, and for popular places on any night. Lunch is usually easier.
- TippingService is included. Round up or leave a few euros for good service.
- Beer glassesEach beer has its own glass. Bars serve it in the right one, and it is polite to drink it that way rather than ask for another glass.
Signs of a place to walk past
A menu with photos and a dozen languages, on the square next to the main sight.
A tout outside, inviting you in for a set tourist menu.
Waffles and chocolate shown in a window with no queue of locals and no workshop behind it.
A beer list with only the big international brands and nothing local.
Food in Belgium: questions people ask
What food is Belgium known for?
Frites, waffles, chocolate and beer are the best known. Among the dishes, carbonnade flamande, mussels with frites and waterzooi are the ones to try first.
What is the national dish of Belgium?
Moules-frites, mussels with frites, is most often named as the national dish, and many people also name carbonnade or frites alone.
What are traditional Belgian dishes?
Carbonnade flamande, waterzooi, stoemp, vol-au-vent and boulets liegeois are the main traditional ones. They are all hearty and are mostly eaten in cooler months.
Are Belgian fries really from Belgium?
Belgians claim them, and they are eaten here as a proper dish, twice-fried and served with sauce. Where they first appeared is disputed, so we say only that Belgium does them very well.
What is the difference between a Brussels and a Liege waffle?
A Brussels waffle is light, rectangular and crisp, and usually served with cream or fruit. A Liege waffle is denser and sweeter, with caramelized sugar baked in, and is often eaten plain and warm.
Is Belgian food expensive?
Not especially. Frites, bakery lunches and set menus are cheap, while a restaurant dinner in a tourist center costs more. Eating the main meal at lunch saves money.
What should vegetarians eat in Belgium?
Options are growing in the cities, and frites, waffles, cheese and vegetable dishes like stoemp are easy to find. Many traditional dishes use meat or fish, so ask about stock and gravy.