Ixelles – Local tips (restaurants)

One of the spots I like to go to is L’Auberge espagnole. Funny, when I’m making appointment with French speaking friends, they’re so enthusiastic as it’s the name of a very popular french movie. But anyway, all this don’t tell you why it is my spot:

Once, I went there and tried their Chili Con Carne… and loved it. So few time later, I came back with one friend and on our way I was giving her all delicious details about this Chili… hmmm we were so hungry! It was around 9 pm, we arrived and… bad surprise: no more Chili. They told us that if I wanted to make sure I have to come back earlier or to make a booking… (something I never do).

So one week later; here we are, now the three of us and it’s… 7.30 pm. And 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 before 8 pm?” Well they were sorry but couldn’t help.

After this, they can hardly forget me, and each time I go there, I don’t have to order.. they know what I want! But now, I’m regretting to let you know about this place, ’cause we will be even more people to order that dish!

About the wine; the place is a wine bar. I can’t tell you much about wine, but it seems they have wine from Argentina, and some other Spanish speaking countries. And my friends told me it was good.

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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

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!

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 of 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

I love this place: a typically Belgian one! Not because of the food they serve here -we can argue as Spaghetti ala Bologna became a basic dish in any self-respecting Belgian brasserie even though the recipe used in Belgium is very different from the Bolognese one – but for the simplicity of its service and the personality of its owner: Françoise.

She will welcome you properly: with a smile, a sarcastic sense of humor, a love for her customer, her good mood.

The place has other originality: it’s exiguous; on the menu you’ll find only Spaghetti (4 sorts) and you’ll be served in 2 minutes chrono.

The atmosphere owes much to all this characteristics and to Françoise herself. So you won’t go there because it’s the best spaghetti in town (even though the dishes are not bad at all) but because it’s the best place in town to eat them!

One day, I was very lucky: Françoise was in a good mood, the music on the radio was one of her favourite, so she puts the volume higher…and we started to dance… Crazy moment? No: Belgian moment!

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La Canardière | Restaurants (Spaghetti) | Spaghetti € 10.00
Rue Stassart, 17 | Ixelles | +3225122620
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 more enjoyable 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 but this time in a vibrant and living neighbourhood. At night you can enjoy Brazilian, African, or other cultural happenings.

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.

The most vibrant part of Brussels and the best experiences to be found are there.

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

You already smell it, 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.

An 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

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Ouzerie mezedopolio | Restaurants (Greek) | An ouzo € 25.00
Chaussée d’Ixelles 235 | Ixelles | +3226464449
Mon – Sat 19:00 – 00:00

Do you know this feeling? You want to eat this particular dish that you use to eat when you were still leaving at your parents’ place… but you know the preparation takes long, you’re not sure about the recipe and you don’t see yourself calling your mum (who’s not living in the same town by the way) to ask her to prepare it…

Fortunately, I found out in my neighborhood a snack offering salads, soups and… traditional Moroccan food! And I found exactly what I was looking for: the taste from my childhood.

Obviously, I’m not the only one: many Moroccans eat there as well. It’s true that in the neighborhood there’s a Moroccan community: and some of them use to go there to drink the traditional tea, have a chat altogether, listening to the traditional music…

Sometimes, I have the feeling I’m in one of the many snacks in Casablanca… and it’s even true, when the waiter starts to sing an Arabic song while serving everyone!

I’ve tried nearly everything and was not disappointed, but I especially recommend the “Tagine Kefta” (ask for ‘la totale’ with potatoes and eggs), the “Soupes de lentilles”.

Oh, and did I tell you? Yes, they have Couscous, of course!!!

Bsaha (Arabic word to say ‘bon appetit’)

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Perle D’Orient | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Moroccan) | Soup € 3.00
rue Malibran, 23 | Ixelles
Mon – Fri

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 Libanese and Vietnamese restaurants and a regular brasserie.

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