For Thanksgiving 2019, my sister and I decided to forego the big family gathering, and instead take a trip to Europe for the holidays. I went a few days early to spend some time in Frankfurt, Cologne, and Düsseldorf, before taking the train over to Brussels to meet up.
We stayed at the Marriott Grande Place, which was centrally located right in the main square of Brussels, and walking distance to everything we wanted to see and do in our short time in the city. The hotel also had one of the best executive lounges I’ve been to – each night they had free flowing wine, appetizers enough to make a full meal, and incredible desserts.
After we unpacked, our first goal was to find something to eat. We wandered out of the hotel and through a few Christmas Markets before stumbling upon Brasserie Grimbergen Café. The menu was full of traditional Belgian entrees and drinks, so we stopped in, ordered some beers, mussels and frites, and an incredible rabbit dish (pictured above). It was the most tender, delicious meat I’ve ever had, and we dipped all of our extra frites into the sauce at the end.
Outside of the restaurant was a Christmas Market, and we stopped for some Gluhwein while we wandered the stalls. The Christmas Markets were a huge draw both here and in Germany, and I’ve resolved to make a trip in 2021 just to visit cities known for their amazing markets! (It was supposed to be in 2020, but COVID put a bit of a damper on that plan).
Our next adventure was finding the Manneken Pis, exactly what it sounds like, a mannequin, that is peeing. There are multiple “Pis” statues around the city of Brussels, and it’s such an attraction that every time we found a statue, we also found a massive tour group.
As we made our way back to the main square, we were able to see the incredible Christmas lights and the light show that happens every night around the holidays. The lights were absolutely breathtaking and this photo does not in any way do it justice (the iPhone 7 is very out of date at this point).
Walking around the shops in the streets surrounding the main square is such a treat. It feels like every other spot is selling chocolates or these incredible waffle desserts we snapped a photo of. We were still a little too full to grab any quite yet, but OH MY the smells – the entire street smelled of waffles and chocolatey goodness.
The Christmas decorations were another sight to behold all to themselves. There were these incredible chandeliers strewn across the side streets that illuminated everything and made us forget about the rainy weather.
Our next stop was Le Cercueil – a small gothic bar on a side street off the main square. It definitely didn’t seem like a tourist destination, and was something we found when searching for obscure things to do in the city. The decor was incredible, the music was phenomenal (all metal and punk), and the beer selection was even more incredible. We had a Tripel Karmeliet and a La Guillotine – the latter of which was served out of this very festive tap above.
Had to share one additional photo from the bar – some of the tables were made out of coffins! It’s definitely a must see destination if you’re in the city.
Our last stop was Delirium Tap House, probably the most famous beer and bar in all of Brussels. There are multiple bars to stop at, and we chose one that was very carnival themed – we even sat in an old carnival ride with a barrel as our table! The beers here are incredible, and you can’t go wrong with anything. We shared 6(!!) beers between the two of us so that we got to try a little bit of everything.
Day 2:
We started day two off immediately with some food. We had passed Frites Atelier the day before, and knew it needed to be on our list. This ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL restaurant is basically a luxury fry menu. The entire restaurant is marble and gold, and you can order from a menu full of pre-made combinations or order the frites alone and make your own sauces.
The frites sauce station was a sight to behold in itself, with a ton of amazing different sauces to try from. We ordered two of the pre-made combinations, and both were INCREDIBLE. Of course we also got one of each of the sauces to try as well, and nothing was anything less that delicious.
After eating WAY TOO MANY frites, we decided to walk the hour-ish over to Mini-Europe. Mini-Europe is definitely a super touristy thing to do in the city, but in my opinion, totally worth it. Walking around the park, you can view mini versions of famous landmarks from around 80 different cities around Europe. Some of the landmarks even have interactive exhibits where you can press a button to move planes, trains, boats, etc around the monuments. It was way worth it.
Right next to the Mini-Europe exhibit, is the Atomium, a massive structure built for the World’s Fair. You can go inside the Atomium to visit, and to get a sense of how huge the entire thing is, there is an escalator in the angled connectors to take you from atom to atom. From the top, you can see some incredible views of the city and views down to Mini-Europe below.
After walking back into the city, we decided to stop at Aux Merveilleux de Fred for the most delicious cakes we’ve ever had and fantastic coffee to warm up for the rest of our evening. The spot is adorable, with chandeliers, velvet couches, and marble tables. It was the perfect spot to unwind for a bit.
For our actual dinner (why isn’t cake a dinner again?) we went to Ballekes for fancy meatballs. This place is to meatballs, what Frites Atelier was to fries. You choose your meatball and choose the sauce, and it comes in these adorable mini cask iron skillets. Because we’d been on vacation diet, we also grabbed some brussel sprouts to get some greens in us.
As a last stop before heading to bed, we went to À la Bécasse for Lambic beers. The spot claims to be one of the first taverns in the city of Brussels, and has a super homey atmosphere. The Lambic beers, two to choose from (light and dark) have a sweet/sour taste, and are served in traditional clay jugs with small glasses to pour into.
We decided to try one of each and share, and we enjoyed both! It was a great last stop on an amazing quick trip to Brussels.
The next morning we woke up early to catch our train over to Paris! It was an amazing trip, and we’re looking forward to being able to have a repeat European adventure in 2021. Any spots we can’t miss or questions about your own trip? Let me know in the comments!
