Operating since 1921 in an Art Deco interior that has survived wars and renovations with its grandeur intact, Brasseries Georges is the kind of restaurant that Brussels does better than any other European capital — a proper brasserie where the food is serious without being solemn and the room is spectacular without being museum-like. The banquettes are deep, the mirrors are original, the ceiling details reward sustained attention. The menu runs the Belgian-French brasserie canon with the confidence of a kitchen that has been doing this for a century: choucroute garnie, sole, steak tartare, mussels in season. Nothing on the plate will surprise you, and that is precisely the point.
Location
Uccle, Brussels
Insider Intel
Steak tartare prepared at the table — the showmanship is part of the dish. Choucroute royale with its tower of sausages and cured meats. Mussels mariniere in season. The daily fish, simply grilled. A Belgian beer from the extensive list, or a carafe of the house wine if you are settling in for the afternoon.
Sunday lunch for the full brasserie ritual, when Uccle families arrive in waves and the room fills with the particular energy of a city that still takes the midday meal seriously. Weekday evenings are calmer. Book ahead for any weekend service.
Reservations recommended for weekends. Cards accepted. Avenue Winston Churchill is in upscale Uccle, south of the centre — tram 7 stops nearby. The Art Deco interior is worth seeing even if you are only having a drink at the bar. Portions are generous. The terrace is pleasant in summer.