Restaurants

This place might NOT be the typical Greek restaurant with Corinthian pillars and dancing waiters, but it’s definitely one of my favorite spots to score a typical Greek dish when I’m in the Midi region. The place is frequently visited by Greek ‘locals’ and office people, a bit odd that train passengers don’t seem to find their way to this Mediterranean treasure.

Go into the kitchen to check out for yourself what the day dishes are, a couple of  minutes later a huge portion is served at your table. Excellent stuff is the stuffed pepper and the moussaka, which goes along very well with a glass of Malamatina retsina.

In the middle of the Marolles on the border of Het Vossenplein you can find this cosy bar. Sit on the terrace, enjoy the sun &  try one of their great beers while you are watching the flea market activity.

On every Thursday evening from 20:00 to 00:00 Chaff is the epicenter of the Brussels board games world. Dozens of people gather together. The concept is simple: go sit at a table and you wait for one of the sympathetic organising dudes to pass by, you pay 3 euro and in return you can a name tag and you can choose from dozens of often less known but fun games. The organizers can help you choose the games depending on your preferences, well known or less known, with a lot of strategy or based on a lot of luck, speed or concentration and group size.

If you’re looking for game companions or when you think it’s fun to meet new people the tables might get mixed and you end your evening playing with complete strangers. Too lazy to read the game rules (or game rules in another language)? No need to worry, you get an almost professional live explanation of everything you need to know. 

Oh yeah, before I forget to tell you, they have great food too ;)

You can already smell this is a place where you can forget the clichés of the typical Greek restaurants you’ve been to too many times. No giant souvlaki on your plate, sitting between fake Corinthian pillars while you’re being disturbed by bouzouki players bringing serenades at your table.

A typical Greek ouzerie is a place where people come together to drink their ice cold ouzo and enjoy some often cold appetizers, called mezedes. This mezedepoleio of course offers you ouzo, and has a broad selection of delicious cold and warm mezedes.

Fill your table with stuffed peppers, warm saganaki cheese, the Cretan dakos bread, fried aubergines, meat skewers, keftedes meatballs and fish.

Jump into the world of the authentic Greek, Cretan and Mediterranean kitchen and select, mix and share your favorite menu.

Kali oreksi

Posto al sole, not to be confused with another place in the sun with the same name in Schaarbeek, is another winner in my quest for reasonably priced and tasty pizza outside the city center (see also the Cosi Com’e article).

Located on square Bethlehem the restaurant is still within walking distance from Midi, the Marolles or the vibrant Parvis. For those that don’t want to walk, at Midi you can take tram 81 and a couple stops later you arrive right in front of your destination.

The pizza is tasty, made with a smile and – always important because it’s a good sign – also approved by the Italians living in the neighborhood. Have a chat with the sympathic owner, Momo… even when the weather is down, he keeps a nice vibe alive.

And when the weather is nice, go sit outside on the terrace on the square, and enjoy your meal in a place… in the sun.

You’re hungry as a bear or eager to score a meat overdose? Head for the best rib thing in town, Amadeo.

To tell you a little secret, I personally don’t like spare ribs at all, but when asked to accompany friends or family to this charming all-you-can-eat rib place I don’t have to hesitate a single second. It’s a pleasure already only to sit and absorb the unique atmosphere created by the walls made out of books and jazzy thirties music. I usually go for a steak or grilled shrimps and wait for my friends when order again and again and even more.

Also worth mentioning are the boiled potatoes delivered with a delicious sauce and the enjoyable house wine that gets billed per consumed finger. There is a big bottle on the table and they just measure how much you drank.