Our selection of museum cafés and restaurants in Brussels

27 February 2022

Fondation Boghossian - Villa Empain Bruxelles intérieur architecture Art déco café

Are you planning an art marathon? Do you want to discuss the latest exhibition over a bite to eat? Or simply have a drink somewhere other than the local bar? Take note food aficionados and fans of cafés and other arty bars, Brussels museums have something to treat yourself to after (or before) your visit! From stylish restaurants to intimate tea rooms, via avant-garde cafeterias and hybrid bars, there is something for everyone! Here we serve up our selection for you...

Kamilou (WIELS) An exceptional industrial setting

WIELS has taken up quarters in one of the jewels of the capital's modernist industrial architecture. Its restaurant, Kamilou, has placed its tables in the former brewing hall between the magnificent period vats with their copper sheen. It offers family and seasonal cuisine, in a spacious setting that is wide open to the city. A hassle-free spot for a break while you are on-the-go and that is delicious and arty in equal measure.

About WIELS: WIELS aims to present contemporary art in all its rich variety and put the public in touch and in continuous dialogue with the latest developments and debates in the world of art.

wiels restaurant museum bar museum brussels

Victor Café (Bozar): sunlit outdoor seating area

Contemporary design and art deco architecture combine perfectly at the Victor Café. Its clean lines echo a simple and delicious "Healthy & Funky" menu. As for its architecture, do not miss the visual nods (including the magnificent green granito) to Victor Horta, the architect of the premises after whom the café is named. For an arty touch, look carefully at the embroidered curtains signed by the Belgian artist Valérie Mannaerts. Bonus: the outdoor seating area facing the street enables you to enjoy the sun without missing any of the hustle and bustle of the city. Finally, discerning gourmets are entering the doors of the Bozar restaurant, which has a Michelin star.

About Bozar: When talking about culture in Belgium, we inevitably thinks of the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels. Whether it be exhibitions, concerts, theatre, cinema or projects focusing on literature and architecture, Bozar always showcases originality and innovation.

bozar-café-victor museum restaurant inside design museum

Café of the Villa Empain (Boghossian Foundation): art deco setting

Comfortably established in Baron Empain's former private lounge, the Villa's Café is the ideal place to enjoy a gourmet experience in an opulent setting where marble, gilded brass and precious wood feature strongly. As regards the food, the Villa's Café continues to build on the original collaborations for the creation of short-lived menus: the fusion harmonies of the Michelin-starred chef of San, the locavore flavours of TERO and today BELI, a Lebanese-inspired restaurant.

About the Boghossian Foundation: The Villa Empain, a remarkable testimony of art deco architecture, is home to the Boghossian Foundation, a centre of art and dialogue between eastern and western cultures. It offers the public a rich and varied programme (performances, conferences, festive events, international meetings, guided tours).

café restaurant of the Villa Empain - Villa Boghossian - museum

Les filles (BELvue Museum): A garden in the city

A stone's throw from the Royal Palace, in the heart of the city, Les Filles Belvue is set out of sight in a pocket garden. The green setting of this restaurant with bay windows looking out on to the surrounding trees can be enjoyed in both summer and winter. The menu contains delicious dishes - full of local and organic products with great vegetarian options - and changes every day depending on the season and availability.

About the BELvue Museum: A museum about Belgium and its history, but also a "centre for democracy", the BELvue Museum has a recently reworked museography. Democracy, prosperity, solidarity, pluralism, migration, languages, Europe: these are the variety of themes used by the BELvue Museum to help you to discover Belgium.

restaurant les filles Belvue Bruxelles terrasse jardin

Albert (KBR): a gourmet rooftop

At the heart of the Mont des Arts, the rooftop of the Restaurant albert is about to become the one of the most popular terraces in Brussels. With its panoramic view over the city centre and its extremely high-quality menu, albert offers a local, sustainable and environmentally-friendly experience. This restaurant, with its sophisticated designer style, has a minimalist and skilfully retro ambiance from breakfast through to afternoon tea, via lunch. This summer, do not miss the albert culture events, a series of open-air concerts to make the warm days even more vibrant.

About KBR: Belgium has been hiding a treasure for 600 years: the Library of the Dukes of Burgundy. Inaugurated in 2020, the new KBR museum is a unique place in which to learn about the cultural past of the Middle Ages in Europe, and to admire the splendid illuminated manuscripts of the Library of the Dukes.

Wiels - Contemporary art centre

It was the brewer Léon Wielemans who asked his friend, the architect Adrien Blomme, to design and build the new buildings of his brewery in Forest. It became the leading monument of industrial archaeology in the art deco style, and houses now Wiels, an international laboratory for the creation and the diffusion of contemporary art. Focusing on visual arts, but granting a particular attention to the crossings and interactions with other disciplines, the centre wishes to present contemporary art in all its diversity and to offer a permanent dialogue with the developments and the most recent debates of the art world. The Art centre has a shop, a café and offer an impressive panorama on the city.

Cultural centres

Wiels - Contemporary art centre

Boghossian Foundation - Villa Empain

Opening of Villa Empain to the public according to several themes of organised activities and events (exhibitions, concerts, conferences, etc.) from 2010. La Fondation Boghossian has its international office in Villa Empain, on which restoration work began in 2008. With the Stoclet building, constructed by the Austrian architect Josef Hoffmann in 1911, Villa Empain is undoubtedly one of the finest masterpieces of Art Deco architecture in Brussels. In 1930, Baron Louis Empain, then aged 21 years, had this 2,500-metre-square mansion built on the prestigious Avenue des Nations, which was later renamed Avenue Franklin Roosevelt. He entrusted the building of this fine house to the Swiss architect Michel Polak, assisted by his colleague Alfred Hoch. The plan designed for Baron Empain on a 55-acre plot included a monumental villa with four façades in polished granite, a garden surrounding a swimming pool ornamented with a pergola, and a caretaker's lodge. The modern and luxurious nature of this structure soon aroused enthusiasm and curiosity. It is true that the variety and quality of the materials used (marble, polished granite, bronze, wrought iron, stained-glass windows and precious woods), the sophistication of the details and the coherence of the whole thing with simple but imposing lines immediately contributed to its patrimonial value.

Cultural centres

Boghossian Foundation - Villa Empain

BELvue museum

Chips, beer and chocolates... surely there is more to Belgium than that? Democracy, prosperity, solidarity, pluralism, migration, languages and Europe: these are the themes used by the BELvue Museum to help you to discover Belgium. Each one is developed through present-day testimonials and then traced right through history. This is a modern, original way of gaining a fuller understanding of modern-day Belgium. Have a look at the gallery too: there are more than 200 objects to view, each one forming a tangible memory of Belgium. Here are just a few examples: a lithograph by Magritte, a motorcycle, crystal vases by Val Saint-Lambert, and a football signed by the Red Devils. The very essence of Belgian-ness! Speciale openingstijden op schoolvakanties en feestdagen 9.30 tot 17.00 uur 24/12 en 31/12 9u30 tot 16u00 Het BELvue Museum is elke woensdag vanaf 14u en de eerste zondag van de maand gratis toegankelijk.

BELvue museum

KBR

KBR (Royal Library of Belgium) is the national scientific library. It collects all Belgian publications and preserves, manages and studies an extensive cultural and historical heritage. It provides the public with access to information, facilitates research and offers a broad cultural experience.

KBR

Centre for Fine Arts - Bozar

It’s impossible to talk about culture in Belgium without mentioning the Centre for Fine Arts located in Brussels. Whether it comes to exhibitions, concerts, theater performances, movies or projects concerning literature and architecture, BOZAR will always put originality and innovation first. They prove to keep a finger on the pulse with their varied and sophisticated programme. Besides emphasizing the importance of creation, quality and a rich artistic offering, BOZAR is especially concerned about the total experience of the visitors.

Centre for Fine Arts - Bozar