UPDATE: Closed permanently…
A well-known, centuries old, derisive term to describe the inhabitants of Brussels, is “Kiekefretters“, which translates to ‘chicken devourers’. However, with a name like that, there are remarkably few chicken restaurants in Brussels. La Pouletterie en Ville is one of the more recent restaurants trying to fill that gap, and very successfully, we must say!
Is one main ingredient—roast chicken, of course—and one beer on draught—Bertinchamps Blonde—really all you need?
UPDATE: Closed permanently…
We’ve had ramen and gyoza before, but we had no clue what donburi, kara age, or onigiri were, when we first read it on the menu of Kumiko. Although the food menu is definitely Japanese, you can’t simply call the place a Japanese restaurant: there is a cellar bar more suitable for drinking than eating, and a nice courtyard terrace. There is some Japanese macro beer available, with the brewery in the same block, a Brussels Beer Project beer would be the obvious choice here, unless the CraftWorks beer tickles your fancy more.
The Huggy’s Bar is a burger restaurant chain with two location in Brussels, in American sports bar style — there was even a cycling race on when we were in — but with a difference: instead of some commercial lager, they serve a whole range of their own beers, neatly paired with their burgers. Noteworthy as well: you can have an unlimited amount of chips with your burger!
It makes so much sense to have a beer with your chips, it is just crazy nobody thought to open a craft beer chip shop in Brussels before. Bintje stepped up to the plate, and opened their chip shop in the Chatelain area of Ixelles last December. Not only do they serve two draught beers — currently both from De la Senne — with their organic chips, there are dozens more of excellent bottled and canned beers — both Belgian and foreign — to choose from, certainly a lot more than any other bar in the neighbourhood, as far as we know!
We’ve always liked the members of the Peck family: the original Peck 47 of course, but Woodpecker and Streetpecker as well. All of them have at least a couple of beers from De la Senne available, either on draught, or in bottle. Apart from that, their menus can vary quite a bit. At Peck 20 you can enjoy an evening meal, like in 47, but some menu items you won’t find in the centre. Take that Vietnamese style pulled pork burger, for instance…
Bia Mara, didn’t we write about that one already? Well, the one in the centre was one of the first venues appearing on this blog indeed, but recently, they opened a second restaurant in Ixelles, mostly offering the same menu. So why bother writing another article? Because Bia Mara – Place de Londres has one thing the one in the Marché aux Poulets hasn’t: beers on draught!
It can be quite frightening when upon entering Caberdouche, you see big tanks of Stella below your feet in the pits of hell where they belong… Or maybe it is just a floor window offering a glimpse of the the beer cellar of the bar? Luckily, there’s quite a bit more on offer, among which a dedicated Brussels Beer Project tap, and a couple of beers from Tiny Rebel, that not quite so tiny anymore Welsh brewery, that seems to become more available in Brussels every passing day.
When you think about having a beer, a Japanese ramen restaurant isn’t the first thing that springs to mind. However, after the obligatory sake and plum wine, the first thing on the drinks menu of Menma Artisan Ramen you’ll notice, is a short list of beers, and even a couple of them on draught: Uijin, and Uijin Yuzu Blond. Considering the only beer of this brewery we ever had was at Moeder Lambic, we had to try these Japanese beers! Although… are they really Japanese?
UPDATE: Closed permanently…
When it comes to beer and food, you can’t look past Restobières. Their Belgian dishes, often using beer as an ingredient, combined with beers from mostly smaller breweries — no InBev here — makes the restaurant a must-visit on the list of many beer tourists coming to Brussels. But even though many of the customers here are tourists — I think we were the only locals during our visit — the quality of the food and beers here is much higher than in the Rue des Bouchers!
The Pecker family just keeps expanding. And after the outdoorsy Woodpecker, the much more urban Streetpecker opened on the still-not-quite-finished Place Rogier. The concept is more like the slightly older Peck 47 and 20 though: a great selection of — often very eggy — breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes, which can be washed down with one of the local beers, in a trendy but still welcoming setting.