Brussels, the capital city of Belgium, is a place of art and history. Its historical city center, the Lower Town, is a hamlet consisting of churches, monuments, little alleys and historical buildings. After a few hours walking across the Lower Town, you will probably need a lunch break. In this article, we will give some useful suggestions so that you can avoid the most touristic places and experience some special food. Let’s see some interesting spots where you can enjoy a nice crepe, a traditional sweet and high-quality coffee.
Taste a unique crepe at Maison des Crepes
Maison des Crepes is a “creperie” (a place specialized in making crepes) located at a two minute walk from the Grand Place in Zuidstraat 13. A crepe is a French dish consisting of a very thin pancake made with wheat or buckwheat flour and filled with a wide selection of ingredients. A crepe can be sweet or savory and even if it looks really thin, it is a filling meal. The word crepe comes from the Latin word “crispa” which means “curled”. At Maison des Crepes you will find one of the widest selection of crepes I have ever experienced in my life. There are crepes for every taste: vegetarian, vegan, with cheese or meat. Usually crepes are served in a big dish with salad on the side. The crepe you see in the picture above is a tasteful cheese crepe filled with four different Belgian cheeses. Here you can also try a traditional beer: if you want a light beer you can go for a blanche (white), if you prefer a strong beer you can go for an amber or a Trappist beer. A complete meal with a crepe and a beer will cost you between 12 EUR and 15 EUR (13 USD and 16 USD).
Try a typical sweet at Aux Merveilleux de Fred
There are no words to describe the experience that you can get at Aux Merveilleux de Fred. First of all, the shop is beautifully designed with cozy furniture and a great use of marble. All the sweets here are displayed as precious jewels in fancy smart boxes. Aux Merveilleux de Fred is a company with many branches in Europe created by Frederic Vaucamps, a determined, passionate chef from the North of France. In 1985, he started his fortune making his own version of the recipe of the merveilleux (marvelous) cakes. A merveilleux consists of a double meringue welded and covered with whipped cream. As you can see in the picture above, at Aux Merveilleux de Fred you can find an incredibly wide variety of marvelous cake in practical boxes. If you want to try all the flavors, you can take the box in the picture above but you can also have a single merveilleux served in a smaller box. There are merveilleux cakes for every taste: chocolate, fruits, coffee and many others. At Aux Merveilleux de Fred you can also experience a nice variation of the well known French brioche bread.
After a great lunch is coffee time
As an Italian, I feel particularly experienced in coffee, and in all my trips outside Italy I always had some disappointment tasting North European coffees. Well, I have found for you a nice place in Brussels where you can have high-quality coffee. Located at a 3 minute walk from the Grand Place, at Rue des Eperonniers 60, you can find Aksum Coffee House. Here you can experience high-quality Ethiopian coffee managed by a team of friendly and welcoming Africans. The coffee comes from organically grown beans and is worked by a classic “Marzocco” espresso machine. Moreover, here you can find also drinks such as herbal teas, baobab drinks, South African wines and Ethiopian beers. There is also a nice selection of cakes, and if you want, you can take some coffee beans home.
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Try high-quality food in Belgium
Brussels will surprise you with the quality of its food. You can experience tasteful typical products almost everywhere here. Tour the Lower Town and when you feel hungry, try our “flavors path” starting with a special crepe, continuing with a unique sweet and then recharging yourself with an energetic Ethiopian coffee.
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