Good vegetarian food in Brussels?

February 20, 2011 3:49 AM

I'd like recommendations for vegetarian dining/drinking in Brussels; not necessarily vegetarian-specific restaurants, but any bars, cafes or other sites with a reasonable selection of non-meat/fish based dishes.

We're flexible about the more challenging things-with-possible-extracts (cheese & beer) so don't mind if it's not the most aware, vegetarian only place, but want to avoid kitches whose reputations are built on quality meat rather than quality cooking. Any price, any location within the centre (tho' would consider a tram ride for something exceptional).

posted by AFII to Food & Drink (1 answer total)

I wouldn't normally try to answer this since I don't live in Brussels, but since no one else has answered and I was kind of curious myself, I looked around a bit on the web.

My impression is that there's not a lot that's fully vegetarian, and things that are might be of the purist type (e.g. (Den) Teepot, at Rue des Chartreux 66 gets mentioned at lot, might be macrobiotic).

Saw a lot of suggestions to pick ethnic restaurants that tend to have good veg choices such as Indian. In particular:

Bombay Inn, Greepstraat 38
Kokob, www.kokob.be, Ethiopian, reservations rec.

Mentioned in a few different places:

Hemispheres ("world kitchen") (http://www.hemispheres-resto.be/)
Arcadi (Rue d'Arenberg 1B) (pastas and quiches)
Exki (Nieuwstraat 78) - chain of bio (organic) lunchrooms - salads, soups, quiches, sandwiches.
Soul food for thought (20 Rue de la Samaritaine) (http://www.soulresto.com/)
Maison des crêpes, Zuidstraat 11, 1000 Brussel

Vegatopia Restaurant list, with notes in Flemish (maybe run through Google Translate?):
http://www.vegetarisme.be/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=146&prov=BR

In a pinch, any street block will have a place called "Frituur" where you can get an order of french fries to go with one of a half-dozen sauces. :-)
posted by mvd at 9:39 AM on February 21, 2011