My Plant Based Explorations in Brussels
I just returned from a short weekend trip to Brussels, Belgium. My good friend Shane met me there and committed to trying to stay plant based the best he could for the trip — and for the most part he did. Shane is not vegan but he appreciates and understands it!
I have to admit, this post will be very short as we only ate at a few places and the trip was very short! I, as usual, used the HappyCow App to find plant based and plant based-friendly places to eat in Brussels.
The Brussels Plant Based Scene
I have to say, although we had some good food, Brussels is not a plant based mecca by any stretch of the imagination. Many places were reservation only, and/or closed at odd hours, and to be frank there were not many 100% plant based places in the city.
The Restaurants
I’ll list the places we ate at or visited in the order of our liking, #1 being our favorite.
Ami Vegetarian Brussels– ⚠️ 2026 UPDATE: AMI IS PERMANENTLY CLOSED. I have to be honest — this one genuinely stings to report. AMI was my #1 recommendation and I meant every word of it. We ate there TWICE on that trip and I tweeted at the time that it was probably one of my new favorite restaurants in the world. Small, cozy, complex and imaginative food — the Assorted Plate with veggie patties and your choice of four sides was just fantastic. Both Shane (a non-plant-based eater) and I loved it unconditionally. Unfortunately, as of 2026 HappyCow lists AMI as permanently closed. Brussels lost a gem. If you find something that fills that void, please let me know in the comments!- Mr. Falafel – Lemonnier – ✅ STILL OPEN as of 2026 — Mr. Falafel is a local spot that is very small and non-fancy. You can order a falafel sandwich or a pasta dish. Shane and I ate here for 4 meals because it was easy, good, and cheap! Not much to say about it except for a few bucks you could get a nice size, fresh falafel sandwich with all the fixings, and they are open very late. We enjoyed it for a quick basic meal — and I’m glad to report it’s still going strong!
- The Judgy Vegan – ✅ STILL OPEN as of 2026 — We went to this place on our second day, and to be honest it was ok, and the best part was the dessert. We went on a Sunday and apparently they do a brunch that was sold out, so we arrived early and they fed us. The food was bland, but the dessert — some type of strawberry cake — was DIVINE! The place was odd and just seemed discombobulated, so we didn’t go back. Interestingly, years of reviews since my visit seem to echo my experience — it’s a mixed bag. Still, it’s worth a stop if you’re nearby, especially for dessert!
Lagash – Turkish– ⚠️ 2026 UPDATE: Appears to be permanently closed. This will be short and simple. We walked a mile to get to this place, UPHILL, and upon arrival found a small little place where all the guy had was one thing — some type of fake meat that he let us taste. Let’s just say after spitting out the raw, funny-tasting stuff we left and walked the mile back in search of another place. I’m sure some people like it but we did not! Doesn’t look like it’s still around — no great loss in my opinion!
Wrap-Up
As I mentioned, Brussels is not a plant based capital or anything, but they do have options. The plant based scene has reportedly grown since my 2017 visit — HappyCow shows more listings there now than when Shane and I explored it. The loss of AMI is a real blow though. That place was special.
I plan on continuing this Plant Based Explorations series for every city I visit! Have you eaten plant based in Brussels? Found something amazing since my visit? DROP IT IN THE COMMENTS — I genuinely want to know!
Thanks for reading, and PLEASE, TRAVEL MORE!
