Gluten-Free Belgian Foods: Brussels, Belgium

On my recent trip to Brussels, Belgium I had so much great food and drinks! There are a few things that Belgium is known for beer, waffles, chocolate, and frites. On your next trip enjoy these classic Belgian foods, but gluten-free if necessary. Here are the places that I found in Brussels that have gluten-free Belgian foods but let me know of other places in the country that you would recommend!

Gluten-free Belgian Foods: Belgian Beer

Belgium is known for its beer and is arguably the best in the world. For many Belgians, beer is a way of life and a key component of Belgian culture. I don’t drink a lot of beer because it is not a taste that I have acquired, and I haven’t had a good gluten-free beer. However, my recent trip to Brussels has changed my mind! It’s unfortunate, however, that about 80 percent or so of Belgian beers never leave the country. Here are the gluten-free Belgian beers I had during my recent trip.

Brunehaut Blanche

The Brunehaut brand was highly recommended by a few locals when I inquired about gluten-free beer, and it didn’t disappoint! According to its website the Brasseries Brunehaut (brewery) was founded in 1890 and seeks to blend tradition and modernity. Brunehaut produces 100 percent organic and gluten-free beers. The brewery strives to increase sustainability to respect our planet while making delicious beers. Brunehaut also promotes local suppliers by sourcing its hops primarily from Germany and Belgium and other grains and spices from Belgium and France.

Grisette Blonde Bio

The Grisette Blonde Bio is a delicious and refreshing pale ale. Despite it being the only gluten-free beer at a restaurant I went to for dinner, I would absolutely drink this again! In fact, I did the following day at brunch; it was one of three beers I had in a flight.

The St. Feuillien Brewery created the aromatic Grisette Blonde Bio, which is a certified organic and gluten-free top-fermentation beer. The Abbey of Saint-Feuillien has a long and rich history of religion, pilgrims, culture, and beer. According to St. Feuillien Brewery’s website, 30-40 monks lived at the abbey, surrounded by peasants and numerous traders, including a brewer. It is unknown exactly when the brewer arrived, but in 1796, the soldiers of the French Revolution condemned the abbey, and the St. Feuillien beer disappeared until 1873.

BrewDog’s Gluten Free Punk IPA

Unfortunately, BrewDog’s gluten-free Punk IPA didn’t match my taste buds, which isn’t surprising because as I mentioned, I’m not a big fan of beer. IPAs are rich in hops, quite more then I care for, but hey, when in Belgium. I’m sure others would love this beer, so I still recommend trying it for yourself.

BrewDog Brussels has about forty taps pouring a range of beer from BrewDog and small Belgian producers. I sat out on the expansive wooden deck, which had a fantastic view of the city.

Gluten-free Belgian foods: Belgian Waffles

I was on the hunt for gluten-free waffles my entire trip! I was even contemplating doing my “test” to see if I could handle gluten in Europe. I’ve heard stories about people with gluten sensitivities traveling to Europe and eating gluten without incident. I want to be one of those people and I was ready to risk it all on a Belgian waffle. Luckily, I didn’t have to as I found three places with gluten-free waffles, two of which I tried.

Veganwaf’

Veganwaf’, located in a covered market near the Grand Place had the best gluten-free waffle (at least out of the two that I tried). After my first bite I knew that I didn’t need to experiment with eating a gluten waffle. It was delicious! I had mine topped with chocolate, but you can add other toppings to your taste. Also, as you may have guessed from the name, the waffles were also vegan. So, for all my plant-based foodies, you can enjoy these waffles too!

Aksum

Aksum, located in the Galerie du Roi, is a beautifully decorated Ethiopian coffee house. They also had a vegan and gluten-free waffle. It was delicious, but yes, the high praise goes to Veganwaf’.

Aksum offers fresh Ethiopian coffee and beer, Senegalese herbal teas, South African wine, and baked goods. I also had this vegan and gluten-free chocolate cookie that was fantastic!

The Sister Café

I didn’t try the waffles at The Sister Café on account that I loved their gluten-free focaccia sandwiches so much and I heard someone say that the waffles were good, but not impressive. Rather than forming my opinion, like I encourage you to do, I opted to not try their waffles and stuck to trying more of their sandwiches. If you have been there or go in the future, let me know what you think!

Gluten-free Belgian Foods: Belgian Chocolate

Chocolate is naturally gluten-free, but it is an honorable mention here because it deserves a separate post. Because, who wouldn’t want to read about just chocolate? I participated in a chocolate making workshop that was so much fun. I booked it through Airbnb Experiences and highly recommend giving it a try. It wasn’t quite how it was in the description, minor nuances, but it was a fun experience!

Gluten-free Belgian Foods: Frites

While I was on a walking tour of the city, the tour guide gave the full rundown on Belgian frites, or fries. What makes Belgian fries different is that they usually fried twice in beef tallow at two different temperatures. Additionally, they are always thick-cut and made with Bintje potatoes. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any Belgian fries while I was in Brussels, but I’m sure they were delicious because we love potatoes over here at Sundays at T’s!

Honorable Mentions

In addition, to these classic foods, I also ate at Chutney’s, a Belgian brasserie near the Grand Place. I had the seafood risotto and it was wonderful! The tomato sauce was a perfect addition to the dish to balance the flavors.

I also had a late-night bite at Hella’s, a Greek fast-food restaurant. There, I met the owner and he was very personable and kind as we chatted about his life and him opening the restaurant four years prior.

I had so much fun touring the city of Brussels while trying these delicious gluten-free Belgian foods and so much more! I hope you check out the foods and places I mentioned! Let me know if there are other places I should try if I should ever go again.

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