Antonio8069

Since you are Platinum, I would go with the Four Points for the comp breakfast! Also, you can confirm your suite upgrade in advance by contacting the Front Officer Manager @ [email protected].

We really enjoyed our WW I battlefields tour. That time of year, private tours are also an option.

TTT

Thank you for the suggestions. Any particular reason you would choose the Thon or FP over Made in Louise?

Thanks. I initially passed over the FP because of some reviews on FT. It might be worth reconsidering (though I lose Platinum next year ).

TheMadeTraveler

Actually, I went through their reviews on google and most of the guests had good experiences. And, I don't say 'Made in Louise' is bad but I just shared two options if somehow is needed.

TTT

​​​​​ Thank you. I appreciate the additional options!

TheMadeTraveler

You are most welcome

TTT

I just wrapped up my Brussels weekend and wanted to follow-up and share some of the highlights. Firstly, thanks to the suggestions in this thread I was able to have a great experience - so thank you all again for your great suggestions.

Hotel
I stayed at Made in Louise. I loved the neighborhood and location, the hotel was fine. I was slightly disappointed in the service - it wasn't as proactive as one might expect from a nice boutique hotel. Overall though, given the right price I would stay there again.

Eating & Drinking
Overall, I had great food in Brussels. I relied on the recommendations here and in the Lonely Planet city guide. Here is a summary of the places I tried in no particular order.

• Le Perroquet: I ate here my first night. They have a variety of stuffed pita sandwiches and a decent beer selection with a lively atmosphere. The waiter was excellent in making suggestions and his ham, cheese, and chorizo pita recommendation was delicious. Very reasonably priced too.
• Le Chou de Bruzelles: It was just around the corner from the hotel so I tried to get dinner reservations here, but they were fully booked for the weekend. They do offer their full menu at lunch, however. I ordered the waiter-recommended mussels with vegetables in a white wine and cream sauce. They were really quite good (though the fries really weren't anything special)!

• Knees to Chin: I was looking for a lighter dinner after a day of heavy chocolate and pastry eating so came across Knees to Chin in my Lonely Planet book. Knees to Chin does Vietnamese-inspired rice paper rolls with a variety of fillings like minced chicken, shrimp, egg, etc. The rolls (I had three) were fresh and filling. They also had hot items on the menu like soups and bao (though the pork bao I had was disappointing). Overall, a quick and easy dinner and very reasonably priced.
• Hinterland: This was a great find and very nice cafe. I went here for breakfast one morning after a long run and had their scrambled egg breakfast which was delicious. They had a variety of other tasty breakfast options (served until 18:00) as well. Most of the menu leaned on the healthy side, but they had a couple of nice looking French Toast options.

• Cafe Belga: I went here for breakfast on a Sunday morning (Tip: there is a market in the square right across from the cafe on Sundays with lots of great looking food, produce, and meat vendors). Had a nice cappuccino, ham and cheese sandwich, and hardboiled egg. Food was simple but tasty. Counter service only. Walking by this place in the evening gives the impression that it could get quite crowded on a Friday/Saturday night.

• Flagey Market: This was a great surprise to find as a really enjoy walking around markets. There were some wonderful looking baked goods, produce, meat, cheese, and fish stalls. I sampled a few of the baked items from one location and a cup of yoghurt from one of the stalls. Both were really delicious. I was there quite early so few of the food vendors were setup yet, but from what I could smell they all seemed good!
• Renard Bakery: I stopped by here on my way to the airport. A wonderful assortment of pastries, patisserie, and breads. Apparently they do sandwiches around lunch, sadly there were no savory breakfast items on offer. I had an apple Danish and stroopwafel filled with buttercream to take on the plane. Both were exceptional. Their breads looked really nice too so I bet the sandwiches would have been tasty.

• Mer du Nord: Definitely on the tourist map but I enjoyed my meal of fish soup, calamari, and shrimp croquette. Food is ordered at the counter and there are standing tables that can be used. When you food is ready, your name is called. It came out very quickly and as mentioned, I really enjoyed it. The soup was perfect for a cool February day.

• Jat Cafe: This was a great little coffee shop with a variety of bagel sandwiches. I had a salmon and cream cheese sandwich one morning for breakfast. Close to the central train station too.
• Moeder Lambic Original: This was a great place for a couple of beers (thanks malmostoso). The bartender offered excellent suggestions. The vibe in this location was really cool too - this would be a great place to be a regular!
• Ballekes: Belgian meatballs. This looked interesting, but overall I was disappointed. Essentially you choose your meatball (beef/pork, chicken, or veggie) and your sauce (they have 8+/- available). Your meatball is then served with the sauce selected. The sauce I selected was good but since the meatball wasn't cooked in the sauce (just poured over) there wasn't much flavor in the meat itself.

• Mokafé Taverne: Lonely Planet recommended Mokafe for waffles. It was fine and relatively inexpensive, but the waffle was pretty dry (is that typical of a Brussels waffle?). Ordered just with powdered sugar.

• Autoword: I like cars so this was fun to see. They have some really nicely preserved old and classic cars - really neat to see some of the defunct European manufactures from the 40s, 50s, and 60s.
• Comics Arts Museum: This was fun to walk through even not being a big comic fan (thanks 365RoadWarrior). I enjoyed the Smurfs display (brought me back to my Saturday morning cartoons as a kid). If anything, the building was worth walking into - really amazing architecture.
• The Horta Museum: This was fascinating (thanks Giggleswick)! The attention to design and function, especially as it related to light was so neat to see. If you do go, note the limited hours (14:00-17:30, I think). Also note that all belongings will need to be placed in a locker before going through the museum
• Bois de la Camre Park: I went for a couple of runs through this park and the adjacent woods to the south. This would be a great place for a quiet afternoon stroll. Really nice grounds and trails. If you do go for a run, make sure you have your phone/maps. I got lost many times, especially as I made my way further south through the forested area.
• Jazz Station: I am a fan of jazz and was glad to find they were having a concert while I was there (and at a reasonable hour for an early-to-bed kind of guy). A really great jazz group played on Saturday nigh with a fun crowd of locals. The venue is an old train station that has been nicely redone.

Chocolate/Sweets
I have a very strong sweet tooth and enjoyed indulging it this weekend. There are certainly no shortage of sweets on offer throughout Brussels!

As for chocolates, I really enjoyed trying a few from a variety of chocolatiers finding myself preferring the smaller producers. Here are the ones I tried, in order of preference (with my novice attempts at tasting notes):

• Passion Chocolat: Really nice assortment of chocolates. The taste of the actual chocolate here was, IMO, the best of the ones I tried. Very smooth and not too sweet. The clerk was really nice as well and told me a bit about their business and manufacturing process. If you go, try the white chocolate passion fruit. I don't typically like white chocolate, but it blended very well with the passion fruit filling.
• Laurent Gerbaud: Really interesting flavors (think curry, yuzu, olive). Apparently they don't use any added sugar or alcohols in the making of the chocolate. It too was smooth and not too sweet, relying on the various added flavors. The counter staff weren't nearly as pleasant here but overall, I enjoyed the chocolates they had.
• Mary: This was my favorite of the larger produces. Other larger producers tasted a bit chalky, the chocolates and Mary did not. Usual flavors available with beautiful presentations.
• Elisabeth: Again, smooth chocolate with the usual flavors. Their dark chocolate was smooth and satisfying.
• Neuhaus: Of all the chocolates, I really appreciate Neuhaus' presentation/design. But the chocolates otherwise tasted rather plain. Nothing stood out (and the fact that they can be purchased in the US made them even less appealing).

As for other sweets, I really liked Maison Dandoy (certainly no "local" find, definitely tourist focused). That said, the spectaculoos with dark chocolate was delicious.

Overall, I had a great weekend in Brussels. I think it would be a great city to spend a few days in and then use as a jumping off point to other parts in Western Europe. Thanks again to all for the suggestions and recommendations in this thread!

Zolex

I'm glad you enjoyed my hometown
And indeed the smaller independant 'chocolatiers' make so much better chocolate!

TTT

I had a wonderful time - such a fun city.