Where to eat the best fries during the Flower Carpet 2026: our pick of 4 addresses

During the Flower Carpet 2026, the Grand-Place becomes the most photographed spot in Belgium — and the hardest place to find a good table. BXLOVE did the sorting: here are 4 addresses where the fries and the mussels truly deliver.

1. Brasserie Auguste — the view over the carpet

Right on the Grand-Place, with a direct view of the carpet. The brasserie opened in June 2026 inside the Maison du Roi de Bavière, the baroque building that housed the Hard Rock Café from 2012. At the helm, brothers Emmanuel and Daniel Ulaj, reviving the tradition of the great French-Belgian brasserie: Belgian produce, a seafood bar, fine meats, and a monumental piece by Charles Kaisin hanging in the dining room. Kitchen open non-stop from 11am to 11pm, 7 days a week — precious during the carpet weekend.

After just 1 month, the house already ranks n°1 on TripAdvisor. The dish that makes the difference: mussels marinière at €18.90, arguably the best value for money in Brussels at this address.

BXLOVE tested it for you: the quality is there, and you can taste it.

© Brasserie Auguste · official Instagram · reproduced with credit

📍 Grand-Place 12A, 1000 Brussels · 🍽️ Book here → brasserie-auguste.be

2. La Roue d’Or — the 70-year-old brasserie

30 metres from the Grand-Place, on rue des Chapeliers, a Brussels institution: wood panelling and original stained glass, Belle Époque atmosphere, and above all those murals paying tribute to Magritte that make every guest look up — bowler hats included. The kitchen sends out the full Brussels repertoire: mussels and fries, carbonnade, stoemp, shrimp croquettes. Old-school service, crisp fries, and that rare ability to stay accurate when the square is packed.

📍 Rue des Chapeliers 26, 1000 Brussels · ☎️ 02 514 25 54 · 🍽️ Book here → larouedor.brussels

3. Le Pré Salé — Sainte-Catherine for 40 years

In the Sainte-Catherine district, on rue de Flandre, more than 40 years of mussels and fries served in a room tiled from floor to ceiling, with an open kitchen: you watch the pots leave, you hear the service, it is a show on top of the meal. The house claims “the best mussels in Brussels” and doesn’t stop there: Flemish carbonade, stoemp and sausage, grey shrimp croquettes, local produce. The locals' address when the Grand-Place is saturated: five minutes on foot, and the atmosphere changes completely.

📍 Rue de Flandre 20, 1000 Brussels · 🍽️ Book here → lepresale.be

4. Big Mama chez Thierry — the safe bet, right next door

A stone’s throw from the Grand-Place, the Sablon, Manneken-Pis and Central Station, Big Mama has been feeding Brussels since 2001 on place de la Vieille Halle aux Blés. Christine and Thierry welcome guests themselves, with Brussels humour thrown in for free. On the menu, the great “Belgo-Belgian” classics: grey shrimp croquettes, Chimay fondue, boulets à la liégeoise, mussels and fries, washed down with craft beers. Generous portions, golden fries, vegetarian options on the menu.

And our Big Mama means Thierry and Christine: mussels of your choice with fresh fries at €24.00, a “homemade” Belgian speciality that remains one of the most ordered dishes on the menu.

📍 Place de la Vieille Halle aux Blés 41, 1000 Brussels · ☎️ +32 2 513 36 59 · 🍽️ Book here → bigmama.be

The BXLOVE tip

Book the 1pm and 7.30pm services on 15 and 16 August: those are the two peaks of the weekend. And if everything on the square is full, walk up to Sainte-Catherine — that’s where Brussels really eats.

🔗 Sources & verifiable links

• Brasserie Auguste : https://brasserie-auguste.be/
• La Roue d’Or : https://www.larouedor.brussels/fr
• Le Pré Salé : https://www.lepresale.be/fr
• Big Mama : https://bigmama.be/fr
• City of Brussels : https://www.bruxelles.be/
• Official Flower Carpet : https://www.flowercarpet.brussels/
• Visit Brussels : https://visit.brussels/