On a recent trip to Brussels, my friend and I were pretty hungry after wandering around Grand Place doing a spot of sight-seeing for most of the morning. Whilst looking for somewhere that offered a good place to appease our appetites, my friend spotted Manneken, a rustic-looking restaurant that is well situated in this lively spot.

Upon entering the restaurant, we were promptly greeted, shown to a table near the bar and offered the menus. We were grateful to have a few minutes to defrost and feel more comfortable, especially as the weather was particularly cold before placing our orders.

Within a few minutes, our drinks were served and we waited just a few minutes more for the lunches to be served – soup for myself (which was delicious) and moules-frites in white wine sauce for my friend which she commented were very tasty and well prepared.

The menu offers a range of European dishes as well as local, Belgian food which was exactly what we had been looking for. As well as this, their range of beers gave me my first opportunity to enjoy Kriek, a cherry flavoured fruit beer.

We found the staff to be friendly and the service to be fairly prompt; it was pretty busy when we visited and we weren’t in a rush at all, albeit that we were just very hungry.

Overall, the restaurant had a vibrant atmosphere and seemed to attract a lot of tourists (which I guess is down to the location). But, the food is fresh, affordable and tasty, service is good and I would definitely visit them again if I were in Brussels.

*Tip: They have free WiFi available but be sure to ask for the password (I only noticed this as we were leaving).

Have you been to Manneken or any other restaurants around Grand Place, Brussels?