It’s the first place I’ve ever eaten in Brussels, so it’s a very special place to me. 5 years, and not much has changed!

Getting more popular by the minute l’Ultime Atome is a typical café restaurant in the heart of Ixelles, squeezed between the shopping street of chaussee d’Ixelles and the African neighbourhood in chaussee de Wavre.

It’s a great place to rest after shopping or drink before clubbing. It offers food all day long, and has a very good beer list (seasonal beers, Trappist beers, regional beers,…). They also serve breakfast daily, but unfortunately only ’till 12:00!

I like the pot of fresh mint tea (with liquid sugar!) a lot. One of the specialities is the “chocolat chaud”, the hot chocolate which is served as hot milk and separate chocolate pearls which you mix at your taste. Not to miss is the “molleaux au chocolat” served with custard and the cakes in display on the left of the main entrance.

It has a dozen tables on the terrace, a bit squeezed but great on one of those few warm sunny day. The staff is friendly, prices are average but you’ve got to pay for the loo.

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L’Ultime Atome | Bars, Restaurants (Café) | Beer € 2.00
14, rue Saint Boniface | Ixelles | +3225111367
Mon – Fri 08:30 – 01:00, Sat – Sun 10:00 – 01:00

Ha, I love going to this place any day any time. Everybody knows each other and the good times are never ending. I always find someone there to have deep meaningfull conversations with and I adore the natural friendliness of the staff.

I absolutely appreciate the wooden interior and the stylish decoration. They also shedule some excellent live music and in the weekends or evenings the place is crowded with people watching the football or rugby. This must be the most homely place in the area surrounding avenue Louise. Next to a very large beer selection they have good food and high quality wines.

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Irish pub michael collins | Bars, Music | Glass of wine € 3
1, Rue du Bailli | Ixelles | +3226446121
08:00 – 01:30 daily

Metro stop Naamse Poort is the gateway to African shops, various ethnic restaurants, Italian, Greek, Indian, Pakistan, and Belgian cuisine. This is rue Nord, Brussels commercial clothes street converted into a nice area to wander in.

There are also a lot of African barber shops, clothes, food and jewelry shops next to HM, Zara and the usual pack of Belgian stores.

Further down the shop street right in front of the subway you’ll find a park to sit in front of the cities town hall, in Ixelles. Various bars and restaurants add to Matongés cultural offerings.

The Chaussée de Wavre offers mainly restaurants, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian and Japanese bars and several African shops. There are also various second hand clothes shops and other specialised shops. The prices for food, clothes, or other items in this area are fairly cheap. Be sure to see this area at your own interests and pace.

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Matongé | Art & culture, Bars, Restaurants (Different)
Chaussee de Wavre, Porte de Namur | Ixelles
Daily

The Rue Jourdan is one of the places to be when you’re looking for a cozy street full of nice resto terraces in the Louiza Area. Located close to movie theatres UGC Toison d’Or and Vendôme (check the Vendôme article) makes it a good spot for a pre-movie dinner.

Italians are well represented in this street, Al Piccolo Mondo, I Trulli, Il Rinascimento , Il Vecchio Mulino… your pick! Fancy French food? Try a Coq au vin in Le Délire Parisien or French/Belgian cuisine in Au Boeuf Gros Sel while Kwiling will feed the ones looking for Asian kitchen.

Take a look around the corner in Rue Dejoncker for other (and more budget-friendly) options such as Lebanese and Vietnamese restaurants and a regular brasserie.

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Rue Jourdan | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants
Rue Jourdan | Ixelles
Early breakfast – late dinner daily

This was the first bar I went to when I moved to Brussels. My friend brought me here to celebrate my new job. Since that time I can’t avoid a stop here if I’m in the neighborhood.

They have few tables, friendly staff, and a good choice of wine and beers. However, what attracts me most are the tapas. Just what you need while drinking a good glass. Try the quinoa salad or the cheese (not always available)!

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Delecta | Bars, Snacks | Beer € 2.00
Rue Lannoy, 2 | Ixelles
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 01:00, Sat 11:00 – 02:00

Tigre Café became a real place to be for everyone who’s hip (or trying to be). You may have the feeling that everyone knows each other, and it’s a bit true as Brussels is a small town, and its people are divided into different “tribes”, each of them going to some specific places at some specific times… So Tigre Café is one of the headquarters of the hipsters.

The best moment to be there is on Friday night. There’s a DJ playing a set of soft electro music, but if it’s not raining, the whole crowd is outside smoking, having a chat, showing people their new look, looking at the other ones to check who’s there and who’s not… and certainly not listening to the music!

Don’t be afraid to go inside : the decoration is cosy and the bartender is friendly.

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Tigre Café | Bars
Rue de la Brasserie, 117-119 | Ixelles
Fri – Sat 20:30 – 02:00

I used to love this place few months ago. I don’t go there that often anymore and I was really thinking : should I leave this article online or not?

I decided to leave it online (but to change the content) as, if you want to act as a local, you should know this place and have an opinion about it.

In Brussels, there’s always a place that everyone loves to hate.

A place that everyone agreed (a) year(s) ago that it’s the hippest one, but it’s not anymore.

A place where everyone will still go but with excuses : “I don’t like it, but I’m meeting people there before going to a party” or “I hate it on Saturday night when it’s crowded, but it’s decent on Sunday afternoon as it’s the last terrace of the neighborhood in the sun” (which is true).

But then they make some renovation (the place is twice bigger now) and you like it again or you hate it because it’s not like it used to be… !

For the moment, the place you’ll love to hate for many other reasons is Bar du Marché. You can’t miss this opportunity to have an opinion about it as any other local…

Please leave me a comment and explain why YOU hate it!!

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Bar du Marché | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music
Rue Alphonse de Witte, 12 | Ixelles
Mon – Fri 16:00 – 02:00, Sat – Sun 09:00 – 02:00 | Happy Hour Sun – Thu 23:00 – 00:00, Fri – Sat 00:00 – 01:00

You must know it already if you have been reading my articles, I like jazz music (and soul, funky, groovy, hip-hop music, …): so I can’t keep this legendary place in Brussels for myself and the very few who like Jazz. It’s located in a little street near the city hall of Ixelles : The Sounds.

The name itself sounds like this is the place were things happen. And things have been happening for more than 20 years now at the Sounds!

I can’t explain more than that. It’s not something you have to read, it’s something you should hear and experience by yourself. It’s warm, cosy, friendly and the sound in the air is one of the best in town.

Every Monday, you’ll enjoy the Master Sessions (with very good Belgian jazzmen), every Wednesday the sound is more latino, I’m sure none of us will complain.

And there’s a concert every other day, so you must find what you’re looking for (and even be well surprised).

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The Sounds | Bars, Music, Snacks
Rue de la Tulipe, 28 | Ixelles
Mon – Sat 20:00 – 04:00

This is my place to be on Wednesdays nights, for their concerts. But this small bar in the fresh renewed neighborhood of Place de Londres, organizes events every week from Wednesday to Saturday.

I remember that the only time I did organize a party was here and it was a great success!

During the day, I do not go very often, but it’s also a nice bar to spend an afternoon: the place is cosy, the design is modern and the bartenders very friendly.

Also: I must notice that the place has a certain energy which makes the talk with other people you don’t know yet easy: very soon, you make new friends in town. So don’t hesitate to come to have drink and enjoy the music and the company!

And I’m adding you a tip; they have an extra room in the basement, so after a certain hour, the bar only seems close in order to keep peace with neighbors. So, just knock on the door if you see some light and one or two people hanging at the bar and they’ll show you the way to the stairs…

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London Calling | Bars, Music
rue de Dublin, 46 | Ixelles | +3228888347
12:00 – 02:00 daily

One of the spots I like to go to is L’Auberge espagnole. When I make an appointment with French speaking friends, they’re very enthusiastic as it’s the name of a very popular french movie.

The place is a wine bar. I can’t tell you much about that, but it seems they have wine from Argentina and some other South American countries. According to my friends the choice is good.

Once, I tried their Chili Con Carne… and loved it. So few time later, I came back with a friend and on our way I was giving her all delicious details about this Chili… Hmmm we were so hungry! We arrived around 9 pm, and… bad surprise: no more Chili. Their advice was to come earlier or to make a booking… (something I never do).

So one week later, here we are – now the three of us – and it was only 7.30 pm. But again… bad news. No more Chili! I was so desperate and hungry and angry.

“How early is not too early to have this Chili? It’s even before 8 pm?”

After this, they can hardly forget me, and each time I go there, I don’t have to order : they know what I want!

I’m nearly regretting to let you know about this place, ’cause we will be even more people to order that dish!

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L’Auberge espagnole | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Tapas) | Tapas from € 5.00
Parvis de la Trinité, 10 | Ixelles | +32473315979
Tue – Sat 18:30 – 23:00