A Layover in Brussels: The Foodie’s 1 Day Itinerary

We recently found ourselves connecting through Brussels on our way back to the UK from Mexico. Seeing as we had a long layover between flights, we decided to get out into the city instead of killing time sitting around in the airport.

It was right before Christmas so we had a long list of chocolate shops to visit to stock up for the holiday season. On top of this there were some classic Belgian dishes we had to try while we were here as well as needling to sample some famous Belgian beers.

We put together the following itinerary to take you to some of the finest chocolatiers in the city, stopping in for some delicious food and drink along the way. We even managed to sneak in a little bit of sightseeing for those wanting to soak up a bit of culture too.

1. Store your Luggage

Since we didn’t want to be dragging suitcase round Brussels’ cobbled streets all day, we opted to store our luggage using the lockers at the airport. You can find them on level 0 of the airport when exiting towards the bus station.

Payment is by card only and we felt that they were good value at €10 for 24 hours of storage. One large locker could fit our large checked suitcase as well as 2 carry-on sized bags. Once our bags were safely stowed away, we grabbed an Uber into the city centre.

2. Grab a Bite at Fries Atelier

We’d just finished an 8 hour flight from Mexico and were starving by this point so we made sure our first stop was for some food. Belgium is famously for fries and mayo and Fries Atelier is widely regarded as one of the best spots in the city.

We headed straight here from the airport and ordered 2 portions of parmesan and basil fries as well as some classic and truffle mayo on the side. The fries are little on the pricey side at €7 per portion but trust us they’re worth it. They are cooked to perfection with a deliciously crispy outside but a light and fluffy centre. The sauces and dips are all freshly made in house and perfectly complement the fries.

Fries Atelier – Rue Sainte-Catherine 32, 1000 Bruxelles.

3. Stock Up on the Finest Belgian Chocolates

You’re completely spoiled for choice for amazing chocolate whilst in Brussels and it’s a struggle to make a decision. As a result, we ended up visiting 6 different chocolatiers across the city centre on our whistle stop tour to make sure we sampled as much as we could in our short time here.

Just down the street from Fries Atelier you have Elisabeth, an independent chocolatier with a few locations across the city centre, as well as the larger and more well-known Leonidas. We found Leonidas to be good value for money and did the bulk of our shopping here, grabbing for a variety of both milk and white chocolate boxes. Elisabeth’s products are a little more high-end and the prices reflect this, so we opted for some smaller selections here.

We followed this up with a quick stroll through Grand Place, stopping off for to peruse the Christmas market, before heading over to Neuhaus and Godiva, another famous Belgian brand. After picking up some chocolate covered strawberries and a dark selection, we headed south of Grand Place towards Pierre Marcolini.

Being fairly well stocked with chocolates by now, we were visiting Pierre Marcolini for something else. They are renowned for their macarons so we got a box each and also shared one of their famously rich hot chocolates. The last stop on our chocolate highlights tour was Laurent Gerbaud where we finalised our holiday shopping.

4. Try a Classic Belgian Waffle at Maison Dandoy

After all the rushing around chocolate shops we were getting pretty hungry again. No visit to Brussels would be complete with a classic Belgian Waffle so we headed over to Maison Dandoy in The Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert (Galerie du Roi). This architecture of this covered shopping arcade is absolutely gorgeous and the festive decorations and window displays were the perfect back drop while we stopped to recharge.

Keeping it simple, we went for the Grand Place’s classic which consists of a waffle topped with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. You can choose the light and fluffy Brussels waffle or the denser, caramel coated Liege Waffle with every order. We chose the Brussels waffle (when in Rome) and grabbed a table outside to enjoy this sweet treat.

Maison Dandoy – Galerie du Roi 2, 1000 Bruxelles.

5. Wash It All Down at the Delirium Village

As our final stop before heading back to the airport, we knew that we needed to sample some of Belgium’s famous beers. There are a ton of great bars and pubs to choose from across the city but we chose to head to the Delirium Village due to it’s proximity.

The village offers 8 different bars to choose from so there’s something for everyone, no matter what your drink of choice is. We chose the Delirium Café, known for it’s selection of over 2,000 beers. The selection is staggering and we could have been there all night sampling the range. Being short on time, I went for their flagship beer, the 8.5% abv. golden ale Delirium Tremens which packs a real punch but goes down smoothly.

If you’ve got time before heading back to the airport, take a quick walk up the street to Jeanneke-Pis, one of Brussels’ many charming water fountains.

Delirium Café – Imp. de la Fidélité 4, 1000 Bruxelles.

Wrapping Up

So that concludes our (very) quick roundup of the best food, drink and chocolate that Brussels has to offer. As with most of our trips, we’d love to come back here and spend a bit more time sightseeing and soaking up the local culture.

However, if you’re just visiting for the day or have a long layover like we did, we hope this guide was helpful in highlighting a few spots to eat and drink as well as where to pick up some delicious sweet treats.