Vegan in Brussels: The 15+ Best Places to Eat

Last Updated on November 11, 2022 by Nina Ahmedow

After my recent trip back to Brussels, I can happily update this post from the much more limited info it had a few years ago. Here’s my new vegan Brussels guide with all the vegan food Brussels currently has to offer. I got to try most of the vegan restaurants in Brussels as I spent a lot more time there this time around.

If you’re a vegan in Brussels, Belgium you will realize that there are quite a few vegan spots to check out if you spend at least a day in Brussels. So here are the best places to eat vegan in Brussels.

Vegan Brussels Guide 2022

I’ll preface this by saying that the vegan restaurants Brussels is home to aren’t quite as good as the city’s cafés which is why I’ve separated those into two separate categories.

Vegan Restaurants in Brussels

The first time I went to Brussels I didn’t actually manage to try a single fully vegan restaurant as they were all closed during my stay, but this time I was a lot luckier.

I was really looking forward to the first place I tried on my second trip. Le Botaniste is a wine bar with two locations established in 2018 and 2019 and offers starters, soups, salads, and bowls. The reviews for both locations are great, so I had to make this my first dinner on my second trip to Brussels.

The Schuman location is in the European quarter where you will find tons of office buildings. Not really a charming or interesting neighborhood and I wouldn’t have gone there had it not been for Le Botaniste. The interior is somewhat in between fast food place and cozy bar, but the women working there definitely create a welcoming atmosphere. It still doesn’t feel like a place you can hang out with friends.

I ordered the Tibetan Mama bowl and a lemonade and was honestly pretty disappointed. The bowl was a bit bland, but then I’m not an expert on Tibetan food. I would have definitely expected it to be more flavorful. I guess it would be a good place if you work in the area and need to go somewhere for lunch.

A few days later, I decided to give Le Botaniste another try – at the other location on Bailli street. This location definitely felt more like a place you’d go with friends though it was pretty empty which made me wonder how they can stay open at such a large location with almost no customers.

Anyway, I got the pasta bolo and an iced tea – and this time, the food was actually too salty. Now, I’m known for eating my food slightly on the saltier side, so if something is too salty for me I can’t imagine how anyone else would eat it.

Overall, I was quite disappointed by the food at both locations, but you should definitely try them yourself because, well… tastes differ.
Rue Franklin 2. Open Monday to Saturday 11:30 am to 9:30 pm. Rue du Bailli 10. Open Monday to Sunday 11:30 am to 9:30 pm.

But there was some good vegan food in Brussels for sure. Liu Lin, a fully vegan Taiwanese restaurant, opened in 2019 and offers an array of dishes like soups, curries, and dumplings. The reviews are outstanding, the food looks delicious, and the location looks really pretty, too, so I was curious to try it.

Well, I should have known that all the above meant that this place would be busy. I barely managed to get a rather uncomfortable table near the bathroom, so I’d absolutely suggest making a reservation here. It’s an otherwise really nice place so it would be a shame to miss out on a nice table here.

I ordered the coconut curry and an elderflower lemonade and have to say that this was one of the best vegan meals I had in Brussels. The flavors were really nice and balanced, and the tofu was nice and crispy. Though I will say there could have been more tofu pieces. Tp be honest, the only reason I didn’t go back is that I was afraid it would be too crowded again.
Rue Haute 20. Open Wednesday to Sunday 12 pm to 2:30 pm, 5:30 pm to 9 pm.

Of course, I wanted to try some veganized traditional Belgian food while I was in Brussels, so I was excited to see that The Judgy Vegan offered vegan meatballs with a sauce from Liège. Also, how cool is that name? As soon as I walked into the restaurant I loved it. It’s really spacious with a lot of seating and very, very cozy with a really laid-back and warm atmosphere. I thought I might eat there every night if I didn’t find anything better.

On to the boulets sauce liègeoise: The meatballs are made of seitan which I’m not a fan of, but I really wanted to try them. They came with fries which helped me cross off vegan fries in Brussels as well as a side salad. I also ordered a lemonade because apparently, that’s one of my go-to drinks.

One note on fries in Belgium: They are not vegan since they are usually fried in beef fat. If there’s no vegan label be sure to check with somebody before ordering. (This is one of the reasons I created an extensive guide on being vegan in Greece after noticing how many people mistake certain dishes for vegan.) As of 2022, there still doesn’t seem to be a fully vegan place that specializes in fries. Please let me know if there is one! It would be amazing to try some fries as a vegan in Brussels and not simply have them as a side dish.

Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed with the meal. A mere three meatballs made it look like the meatballs were the side dish to the fries. The taste didn’t convince me either. I didn’t want to judge the meatballs too harshly as I simply don’t like seitan, but even the sauce wasn’t very tasty, and the fries tasted like nothing. The best part of the meal was the salad.

Hoping that there might be something better at the restaurant I wanted to order a milkshake, but sadly by that time the kitchen had already closed. So instead I simply bought some chocolate which they also sell there. I’d still recommend this restaurant but would suggest that you try a different dish.
Rue des Capucins 55. Open Wednesday to Friday 6 pm to 10:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday 11 am to 10:30 pm.

The Brussels vegan scene is growing so I also got to try a fairly new vegan restaurant called Wonderbao. Now this place is pretty much a fast food spot where you order at the counter and sit at less-than-comfortable tables on less-than-comfortable chairs. However, the staff were super friendly, and I think as a tourist in Brussels, it’s not bad to have a quick bite at a fast food place.

I ordered the lunch menu with the XL crispy tofu bao which was okay but nothing outstanding. The side dish I ordered were the onion pakoras which obviously don’t match the concept of baos, but they were actually very good. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the mint chutney that came with them, but I liked the fact that for a side dish the portion was actually quite big. I definitely wasn’t hungry after this. (Oh, guess what I had to drink! A lemonade, what a surprise!)
Rue St. Boniface 34. Open Monday to Saturday 12 pm to 10:30 pm.

The best vegan restaurant Brussels is home to is sadly one where I couldn’t get good photos because of the lighting at my table. Verdo is certainly the vegan restaurant in Brussels with the nicest interior, the most amazing staff, and the highest quality of ingredients. I highly recommend making a reservation so you don’t have to sit at the uncomfortable table by the window.

At Verdo, I opted for the orzo gratin which was very good and had the most delicious mushrooms. The bread I got before was very good, something I’m not used to anymore from Amsterdam, because almost all bread here is really bad. The olive oil was also of very high quality, and I loved that for soft drinks, instead of brands like Pepsi or Coca-Cola, they had a Belgian brand on their menu.

Yes, the restaurant was more expensive than all the other ones I visited in Brussels. But I think the service, atmosphere, and quality of ingredients used were also much better than at all the other places so the price is justified. To be honest, Verdo and Liu Lin are probably the only two vegan restaurants in Brussels I’d want to go back to.

The last vegan restaurant in Brussels I went to was Mo Mo. This Tibetan restaurant serves dumplings and soups. The vegan Brussels scene is definitely a bit more diverse than some other cities where you can only find variations of junk food.

I loved the interior at Mo Mo, it has a super warm and cozy atmosphere, and the lady who works there was very friendly as well. In terms of the atmosphere it’s one of the places I’d most recommend for going with friends if you want to be able to have a good chat while having lunch or dinner without the noise at the more popular places.

I opted for the lunch menu with fried dumplings (you can also get them steamed) which comes with a very delicious and creamy soup and steamed vegetables. The dumplings were a bit lacking in terms of flavor as were the vegetables, and so the soup was actually my favorite part of the meal. Since there isn’t much else on the menu I’m not sure I’d go back another time. It certainly wasn’t bad, but simply a bit bland.
Avenue des Villas 7. Open Tuesday to Saturday 12 pm to 2:30 pm, 7 pm to 10 pm.

Vegan Delivery in Brussels

As I was working from Brussels, I didn’t always have time to go for a proper lunch and had to order food a few times. And let me tell you, I found the vegan place in Brussels to order food from. A Burgers is apparently from the UK but now also exists in Brussels.

The delivery via UberEats was quick, and I loved how the bags always had a cute little message on them. Shoutout to my girl Iman who packed my orders twice!

On to the actual burgers: Yooo, they’re the epitome of vegan junk food. So greasy, messy, tasty, and filling! Exactly what you’d expect of a burger. Although I’ve never had such a messy burger, and I’m glad nobody saw me devouring that stuff. Once I ordered the “spice up your life” burger, and it actually had a slight kick, unlike most supposedly “spicy” food you order anywhere.

You can choose between different side dishes out of which I can really recommend the onion rings and the coleslaw. They also come with a generous size of sauce. You can order regular soft drinks so I went with my standard option in such cases: Coke Zero.

If for whatever you’re in Brussels and don’t want to go out to eat but order instead I highly recommend A Burgers which you can find on UberEats.

Vegan Cafés in Brussels

If the vegan restaurants in Brussels were underwhelming, the café scene was so much better! I guess Belgians really enjoy the coziness of sitting in a café with a hot beverage and anything chocolate-related. I can’t say that I blame them.

Out of the several vegan cafés, I had read the most about Buddy Buddy. This vegan café opened in 2019 and makes plenty of hot beverages and pastries. They also sell their own nut butters which get rave reviews.

As someone who doesn’t like coffee I was happy to see that they also have interesting drinks that are made without coffee. I ordered a praline chocolate which I was worried might taste too much like Nutella which I was never a fan of, but it didn’t remind me of that taste at all. Instead, it was very soft and silky and really tasted like high-quality liquid chocolates. It was perhaps the best hot beverage I’ve ever had in my life.

Now, along with that I ordered what was labeled a cinnamon roll although it didn’t look like one. Sadly, it also didn’t taste like one and was quite dry. To be fair, I arrived in the afternoon so the pastries were obviously not fresh anymore, but I feel like the reason I’d go back is the drinks anyway.

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I’ll say try to go here when there’s fewer people so during the day when people work. When I was there it was really busy, there was only one tiny empty table, and it was a bit noisy. In general, I didn’t enjoy the atmosphere as everyone seemed to be quite pretentious. A hipster’s paradise for sure, but definitely a great place to get a hot beverage to go.
Rue de Drapiers 10. Open Monday to Sunday 10 am to 6 pm.

The complete opposite in terms of vibe was Taylor’s Café – quiet, cozy, welcoming, and sweet. It’s the kind of place where you could sit for hours chatting with a friend and ordering one drink or dessert after another.

I initially ordered a savory toast which was basically bread with scrambled tofu. It didn’t really do much for me, but the hot chocolate was one of the best vegan hot chocolates I’ve ever had. So I felt like their sweets might be better than their savory dishes and got a “Snickers” to go.

Don’t imagine a Snickers bar here, but more like a soft peanut butter chocolate brownie. It looked nice, but wow, was it delicious! Both the texture and the taste were absolutely outstanding, and I honestly wasn’t ready for this delightful yumminess. If someone brought me this from Brussels I’d consider them my best friend forever.
Rue Haute 228. Open Wednesday to Friday 9:30 am to 5 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 5 pm.

Another vegan café that only opened in the summer of 2020 is Lucifer Lives. This place focuses on sandwiches and cakes and offers brunch on weekends. This was by far the place with the best and most diverse crowd in Brussels. It’s a very clearly leftist, anti-fascist space, and super cozy and welcoming. The interior is quite funny and in keeping with the direction of the name, it’s decorated with posters and books from horror movies.

I ordered a croissant, a walnut carrot cake, and a hot chocolate here. The croissant was pretty good, and so was the cake though a bit too sweet. The hot chocolate was fine, but I was a bit spoiled by Buddy Buddy and Taylor’s Café. I’d absolutely go back to Lucifer Lives because the people there were so relaxed, the croissant was great, and the cake and hot chocolate were definitely enjoyable, too.
Rue Haute 120. Open Wednesday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm, Saturday and Sunday 9 am to 5 pm.

Perhaps the best vegan café Brussels is home to is L’Alchimiste in the St. Gilles municipality. I loved the neighborhood, I loved the cozy interior, and I loved how quiet and comfortable it was. It’s the perfect place to work from. In fact, that’s what almost everyone was doing there. It’s also one of the few places that open early enough for breakfast.

I wanted a really good breakfast to start my day so I ordered the breakfast bowl which basically consisted of tofu scramble, tomatoes, some deliciously marinated and fried tempeh, and a few slices of fresh and tasty bread. This was definitely a winner for me, and I highly recommend this if you’re looking for a high-protein start to your day. I was also intrigued by the blue latte which is made with blue spirulina, and it was really creamy and delicious as well.

And guess what, since I still had some blue spirulina at home I basically make my own blue latte every morning now. True inspiration!
Rue de Savoie 59. Open Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 3 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 3 pm.

Vegan Chocolate in Brussels

You can’t travel as a vegan in Brussels and not try Belgian chocolate. Laurent Gerbaud is a chocolatier with a sweet little place not far from the Old Town. Upon entering, the owner himself greeted us. He later also cleaned our table. Refreshingly down to earth.

I had my first-ever vegan hot chocolate with soy milk. Of course, due to the dark chocolate, it was quite bitter, a bit too much so for my taste. But it was lovely to be able to sit outside in Brussels on the last weekend of winter. With a hot chocolate, not at all missing out on things non-vegans do. After the hot chocolate, we looked around the lovely store where they had many different chocolates on display.

I purchased several vegan ones that I ate when we got back to our apartment. And let me tell you, they were miles ahead of any other chocolate I’ve ever had. Vegan chocolate from a Belgian chocolatier is exactly as good as one would hope. As of 2020, it appears that about 90% of the chocolates by Laurent Gerbaud are vegan. So this is the place to go if you’re a vegan in Brussels.
Rue Ravenstein 2d. Open Monday to Sunday 10:30 am to 8 pm.

Vegan Food on the Go in Brussels

I arrived at the train station in Brussels and hadn’t had lunch yet so I was really thrilled to find a supposedly vegan branch of the Yoghurt Barn near one of the exits. I got the deal with the cake (more like a banana bread) and the “bango brownie.” For the base, I got to choose between overnight oats, soy yogurt, and coconut yogurt. I chose the coconut yogurt and went for the small size.

The banana bread wasn’t that great, but I quite liked the bango brownie which ended up essentially being coconut yogurt, with mango, walnuts, brownie pieces, and some syrup. Despite some reviews online stating the opposite I found the small size quite generous and the price very fair. You get a good amount of all the toppings too, and it doesn’t feel like you’re paying for nothing.

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On my last day, I went back to YB to get the “choco caramba” (coconut yogurt with chocolate chunks, agave syrup, banana, and peanuts) and a croissant, but after I paid I realized that the croissant wasn’t vegan. In fact, there were signs with the pastry that stated which items were vegan. As the place was listed as vegan I hadn’t even bothered to look at those. So keep in mind that this is not a vegan place. In my case, I offered the croissant to a homeless man outside the train station, so it’s all good

If you’re at the train station YB is a really convenient place to grab something to eat, and it also opens a lot earlier than most other places in Brussels so if you wake up early and are looking for a vegan breakfast you can absolutely grab a yogurt here.
Carr de l’Europe 2. Open Monday to Sunday 5 am to 9 pm.

All over the city, you can find a chain called EXKi. They specialize in organic fast food and have a few vegan options. I got some nice sandwiches with green lentil paste the first time I was in Brussels. Definitely a great little snack to have during the day.

Since they’re a chain I expect the options and service to be pretty similar in all of them. So as a vegan in Brussels this is a quick option when you’re out and about. Sometimes, fully vegan places are not easy to come by. Check out my seven tips for vegan travelers to help you with such situations.
Gare du Midi. Open Monday to Friday 6:30 am to 8 pm and Saturday and Sunday 7:30 am to 8 pm.

If you’re looking for a vegan waffle Brussels has a dedicated place for you: Veganwaf’. Sadly, you can’t actually sit down here, but let’s just appreciate that if you crave vegan waffles Brussels definitely has got you covered. You can choose between different toppings, and I went for some banana as well as whipped cream. The lady was super nice and added a lot of whipped cream.

I loved the texture of the waffle and although it was perhaps a tiny bit too sweet I’d definitely go here again next time I’m in Brussels. It’s a pity though that you can’t actually sit down at this place to properly enjoy your fresh vegan waffle in Brussels.
Galerie Agora 48. Open Wednesday to Sunday 11 am to 7 pm.

Shopping As a Vegan in Brussels

I was curious about what the vegan shops were like in Belgium so I went to check out Vegasme, a vegan and organic shop selling vegan meat, cheese, produce, cereals, and personal care products. You can also get food for takeaway during the week. I generally have the impression that the more vegan stores there are in a city and the more they sell the less you can find at regular supermarkets. I only went to three smaller supermarkets and really struggled to find anything vegan so I guess my theory is true for Brussels.

Since I didn’t really need anything from Vegasme I simply got some of the peanut butter cups and cream wafers from Love Raw. The last time I got those was in London, and I was really excited to find them in Brussels. I also got a brownie from behind the counter which was very tasty. If you’re in the area definitely check out this vegan shop.
Chaussée de Waterloo 367. Open Monday to Friday 11 am to 7:30 pm, Saturday 10 am to 7 pm, Sunday 12 pm to 5 pm.

But if you’re a vegan in Brussels there’s also a chance you want to look for body care products either for yourself or as a gift. Luckily, there’s Bubbles at Home, a fully vegan shop that makes soaps, conditioner bars, bath bombs, body butters, oils, and many other things. Think Lush without the horrible smell, animal ingredients, and sexist marketing.

I got a white ylang body butter as well as a loofah soap, but was very intrigued by their soap perfumes as well which are inspired by the scents of big brands like Dior, Chanel, Thierry Mugler, or Chloé. My perfume is running out so I might place an order on the Bubbles at Home online shop soon.

Places I Look Forward To

In order to make this post more valuable to you if you’re a vegan in Brussels, I’m also adding a few places I haven’t yet been to myself but which look really great. It’s really great to see that it’s now even easier to be vegan in Brussels. I would love to go back sometime and try these out and expand this Brussels vegan restaurants guide:

Be Nuts: This vegan café opened in 2019 and focuses on hot beverages as well as cakes and cookies. But they do make salads, soups, and sandwiches as well. The reviews are excellent, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of space. I actually tried going here, but it was closed during their opening hours. Rue de la Victoire 232. Open Friday to Wednesday 10 am to 7 pm.

Green House: This raw vegan restaurant was established in 2019 and is on the pricey side. The reviews are a bit mixed though none of them are actually bad. Again, I tried going here during their opening hours, but they were closed. Rue Lesbroussart 120. Open Sunday to Thursday 11:30 am to 2 pm, 6 pm to 9 pm.

Le Poisson sans Bicyclette: This feminist vegan restaurant only opens twice a month and on special events, but I’m always looking for feminist vegan spots. Rue Josaphat 253. Check their website to find out when they are open.

Les 4 Jeudis: This was one of the restaurants I wanted to try that wasn’t open on weekends so I hope I will be able to visit next time. The food is vegan, gluten-free, and organic, the reviews are excellent, plus the photos are mouthwatering. Rue du Marteau 36a. Open Monday to Friday 12 pm to 3 pm.

Recyclart: This spot only turned vegan in 2020 and is located outside of the city center. It’s actually part of an arts and events center meaning you can combine it with some local activity away from the tourist track. Manchesterstraat 13-15. Open Wednesday to Friday 12 pm to 3 pm, Thursday also 6 to 9 pm.

Succulente: This is a fully vegan bakery that makes bread and pastries and has outstanding reviews. The photos make me want to book my next train to Brussels immediately. Rue Docteur Huet 108. Open Wednesday to Friday 7 am to 6:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday 7 am to 1 pm.

V.gan: Another shop for vegan products (packaged foods, personal care products, even a few clothing items) for self-caterers. Avenue du Roi Chevalier 47. Open Friday to Wednesday 8 am to 8 pm.

To Sum Things Up

Brussels really stepped up its vegan game since my last visit. Being vegan in Brussels is definitely easier now than ever before. I look forward to going back and trying the remaining spots that are vegan in Brussels next time.

What about you? Have you had good or bad experiences as a vegan in Brussels?