Brussels is the capital of Belgium. A city with a lot of gold in buildings. Also amazing golden gluten-free French fries and of course golden gluten-free waffles.
We were in Brussels for less than 24 hours on our way to Netherland. We arrived in the afternoon and left the next day at noon. The experience was unique!
Very nice city with beautiful architecture and as I said before, the gold dominates its buildings.
Belgium is known for its waffles, French fries that are fried in a special way and its chocolates, which however, due to limited time, we did not have time to try.
It is also the country of Georges Prosper Remi, the creator of Tintin. The creator of the Smurfs, Pierre Culliford, is a Belgian cartoonist with the pseudonym Peyo. Also Belgian are the famous painters Peter Paul Rubens of the Baroque and René Magritte of the Surrealism.
One of the attractions of this city is the Manneken Pis (“the little one who pees off”), a small bronze statue 61 cm high located in Brussels. The Manneken Pis is located near the Grand Place, two blocks behind the town hall. It is the symbol of Brussels and is associated with the history and traditions of the Belgian capital and depicts a little boy peeing in a fountain. Our disappointment was great because we did not know how small it was. We had gone early in the morning in the rain to see it and together with a couple of tourists we burst out laughing, not believing that this small statuette was the symbol of the city of Brussels.
A very good help also on this trip was the application “Find Me Gluten Free” that I downloaded on my mobile. For the places I was choosing, I was able to read comment and reviews from other celiac people. For me, the most important reviews on this app are from those who have celiac disease and are symptomatic. In the places I visited I also wrote my own impressions and also upload photos. Also in places where they were on this app but when I was telling them about contamination and traces they said they couldn’t serve safely, I also wrote it down at the app so symptomatic celiac can have a guide assistant.
From this summer I also started writing about Greece and especially about Thessaloniki, where I live and the shops and restaurants I visit. I recommend this app but pay close attention to the comments/reviews before you decide to visit a store or restaurant.
Motel One Brussels
Rue Royale/Koningsstraat 120, 1000 Brussels
A very nice hotel with doll-like rooms (they were doll-sized) and a very nice garden for your coffee. But what impressed me was that the breakfast buffet had gluten-free bread in individually wrapped packages.
Rue Chair et Pain n°3 1000 Bruxelles
“The Sister” has homemade gluten-free food produced by organic farming, whole food & healthy ingredients, vegan friendly, raw desserts and gluten-free beers of course. The focaccia sandwiches also come with a delicious soup.
VeganWaf’
Galerie Agora 48 (at Agora Mall), Brussels, Belgium
VeganWaf’ was difficult for us to find it because is located in a store gallery with small shops and is located in the city center. It is open market hours, meaning it is open when the shops are open.
It is a small shop but its variety is huge, which makes you confused and not know what to choose for topping on your waffle. He gave me a lot to try and they were so delicious that I wanted all the toppings.
Both the owner and his father who was there were of the friendliest, smiling people I met in Brussels. We chat, between all the spoons of toppings he gave me to try, and they told us that they had come to Greece a few years ago and had a cruise around the islands with a boat owned by some friends. Very friendly and helpful people. They even found us a table with chairs in a neighboring shop so we could sit and enjoy our waffles.
In the photo you only see one waffle, I didn’t have time to photograph the others. Really, if we were staying in Brussels more days, you would definitely see me there at least twice a day.
Belgian Frites
Rue de la Madeleine 1-3 Brussels, Belgium
When we talk about French fries, these are the world’s best. They are cooked in a special way and are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Their double frying is a frying-boiling of the potatoes at a medium temperature and then they fry them again at a very high temperature and so they become crispy on the outside with a very nice golden color. The shop is not gluten-free and does not have a sign for gf at the menu, but they assured me that they only put fresh potatoes in their fryers and so I took the risk to eat because right after we had to catch a bus for Netherlands. Everything went well and luckily I took the risk and tried these perfect French fries.
Dreamy gluten free vacation!
For the short time we had, it was an amazing trip to Brussels. And the happiness for me was that I found delicious gluten-free options easily.
I left some places that I would like to visit like the Atomium in the Hazel Park and of course the chocolateries that Brussels has. Luckily, in Greece we have the Belgian chocolates Leonidas, so when I came back from there I visited it.
- The official languages ​​spoken in Belgium are mainly French and German. Fortunately, in Brussels almost everybody speaks English and so we were able to communicate easily.
- The weather was a bit strange. One day it was sunny and very hot since we went in August and the next day started with a lot of rain, cold for that time of year but by noon when we left, a bright, warm sun had come out! So bring a raincoat or umbrella because it can rain suddenly.
- Brussels is halfway between the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France so you can also visit the surrounding countries. If you find the trains quite expensive you can take the Flixbus buses which, for example, the Brussels-Amsterdam ticket costs from €11.50 and drops to €8.00 if you travel at night. And for Paris it starts at €11.00 depending on the area you are going to
I really hope this gluten-free guide-article for Brussels will help you, so that you can have a carefree vacation there! If you find other places to recommend or have questions, just message me in the comments below or on Facebook or Instagram. If you are in Brussels and upload photos on social media, tag me so I can be happy with you!
Book for Rome now and have dreamy gluten free vacation!!!
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