The weekend travel guide to Brussels

Here's what to eat, drink, and do in the old Gothic city.

Get access to our Spring shopping guides

ICYMI we kicked off our spring shopping guides last week! We’ve started with footwear, and next up, we have transitional jackets, shirts, and then trousers.

We’ll also be rolling out a series of suiting/wedding content with tips on how to get fitted and measured for a suit, whether you’re getting married or attending one, how to talk to your tailor, etc.

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Travel guides are baaack

It’s been a minute since we whipped these out, but Mat Spade, who is our travel editor and a master curator of good vibes, has just come back from Brussels with the rundown on what’s good to do there, so we need to share that with you.

He has a colorful eye for design, strong personal taste, building a home, and how to travel well.

If you want to get to know Mat better, here’s an interview I did with him a while back. Also, please give Mat a follow for more zinger content.

Last, here are some previous guides we’ve done on (that should largely still be up to date):

• Manchester

• Copenhagen

• San Juan

Got a city we should cover next? Drop it in the comments!

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Food + Drink

Batch

Batch neighbourhood restaurant in Saint-Gilles for dinner (they’ve open all day, breakfast looks great too). Jazz house playing and a nice lost of sharing plates on the menu.

We had the burrata clementine salad, green cabbage pasta with confit egg, roasted cabbage with sriracha blanc + hazelnuts. Try bag seating in the bar area; a really slick mix of industrial and traditional Belgian design.

Nightshop

Still buzzing off our dinner at Nightshop; I had several recommendations for this place and this is me officially passing that tag on.

Love that they retained the garage details from previous use, the front shutter opens wide when it’s warm enough, and the long narrow unit lends itself perfection to the long open-kitchen table on the left (you get a great insight to what a well-oiled machine a kitchen can be).

The food was modern European, with an emphasis on locally-sourced meat and veg, and unusual pairings. Go here.

Mok Studio

A listening bar where people are actually listening. Mok Studio is by the people behind Mok Coffee Roasters; they’ve created the perfect day time space for anyone interested in coffee and listening a record top to bottom.

Quite a large space, with seating geared towards the front sound system, which also doubles up as the coffee bar. The baristas are the DJs, watch them reset the records in between making your pour-over. One of the most unique coffee experiences I’ve ever had.

Stella

Park yourself up at one of Stella’s cafes in the Saint-Gilles area. Stocking coffee by local roaster Wide Awake (also worth visiting one of their cafes while you’re central). Spacious, community-first cafes, with plenty of seating, set a modern airy units. Definitely where the locals go.

Bouche Coffee

This place seems to be highly recommended by visitors for coffee + design. Perfect location too, just opposite the Magritte and Oldsters museum, along with the Royal Palace.

As you approach, you’ll see it’s in good company, surrounded by curated vintage and design stores.

In terms of the cafe, a low-lit, wooden-and-concrete interior, coffee-forward, with daily bakes and a dedicated space for laptops. The outdoor seating is definitely prime people-watching material.

BoaBoa Records

What looked deadly quiet from the outside turned out to be a full house. We grabbed the last 2 seats at the bar in BoaBoa, just in front of the DJ. He said “I hope you like jazz” and we proceeded to have one spot-on hour chill.

What looked deadly quiet from the outside turned out to be a full house. An intimate setting, with the cocktail table and booth layout clearly taking design inspiration from traditional jazz bars, knocking arms and all cosy like.

I really enjoyed this place, seemed like I wasn’t the only one.

Le Coq

Old school Belgian pub at its finest. Right in the city centre, but felt very chill (unlike Delirium Cafe). A list of beers as long as a Skyrim scroll, we went in on a few local cherry numbers. Cash only.

Cafe Encre

Make your way into the red cube, through the curtain to the cafe bar at the back. A wild concept that works perfectly. Bonkers drinks jostle between regular brews, but these guys have a clear vision, which is clearly influenced by art and movie culture, so embrace it I say.

See + Do

Comic Museum

Belgium is the home of the comic, centre of the world for doodles, so it would be a shame not to visit the source. Go see Tintin and the gang.

Handshake (running store)

Independent running store about 5 mins walk from Bouche Coffee, stocking a range of smaller running and lifestyle brands that you won’t find at the usual commercial chains. Lovely little set-up too, designed around glass bricks, steel fittings and concrete.

Maison Hannon

To overlook learning some history about the places you visit gives you a better understanding of why the place is. There’s a couple of historical houses and venues in the city, we only managed to get tickets one: Maison Hannon in Saint-Gilles. A beautiful home just one the highstreet.

Get the audio tour and take your time, it’ll improve the experience ten-fold.

Old Masters / Magritte Museum

Art is always on the cards for a city visit, and I don’t remember visiting another museum on such a brand and extensive scale in a long time. Get lost in the endless rooms on several levels. From small regional artists to epic old masters at work.

Tag teams nicely with the Magriette Museum, which sits on separate wing of the same complex.

Centreville (clothing)

A menswear-focused independent store on the Rue des Chartreux. Stocking bits from Stone Island, Purple Mountain Observatory, Thisisneverthat, CP Company and other small brands worth discovering.

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