Au Vieux Bruxelles

Frommer's Review

This convivial, brasserie-style restaurant from 1882 specializes in mussels, which it serves in a wide variety of ways. In Belgium the personality of the humble but tasty mussel is a staple of conversation as much as of diet, and people assess the quality of each year's crop with the same critical eye that some other countries reserve for fine wines (the fact that the mussels all come from neighboring Holland adds a sharper point to their critical faculties). Au Vieux Bruxelles, a kind of temple to the Belgian obsession with mussels, serves the shellfish in 15 different ways, including raw (accompanied only by a light white-wine sauce), baked, fried, grilled, and broiled, as well as in traditional dishes like moules marinières (boiled in water with vegetables) and moules au vin (boiled in wine). Should you not wish to do some work on the mussels, you can get great steaks, like the steak au poivre flambé (flamed pepper steak), escargots (snails), and crepes (pancakes).

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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