Café Leffe (Brussels, Belgium)

A number of high-end restaurants flank the cobblestone Place du Grand Sablon in the Sablon neighborhood of Brussels, but I was looking for solid, affordable comfort food on my first night in the Belgian capital. The attractive brick and stone trapezoidal building facing the little roundabout at the end of the square caught my eye. Most of the outdoor tables at Café Leffe, on the building’s ground floor, were filled with seemingly happy diners enjoying the view of the square and the Church of Our Lady of Victories at the Sablon at the far end. So, after picking up delicious pralines at the Neuhaus Sablon chocolate shop for dessert later on, I sat at one of the restaurant’s slightly cramped outdoor tables. Café Leffe is a local place that’s neither fancy nor rushed, so if you’re not expecting fine dining or prompt service (it’s actually quite slow), you’re good to go.

Try This: Start sampling traditional Belgian offerings by ordering one of the Belgian Leffe blond beers, for which the café is named. Then start your meal with the Brussels cheese croquettes. Mussels are extremely popular in Belgium, so if they’re in season, Café Leffe serves them three different ways. If they’re not, choose the standard Belgian dish of a fairly fat sausage and stoemp (small chopped vegetables and herbs tucked into a generous mound of mashed potatoes, set in a little pool of brown gravy).