Food-grazing walk: Midi Market to Flagey fries: a walk in Brussels

A neighbourhood graze through Saint-Gilles and Ixelles: market snacks, a Belgian deli, an Art Deco cafe, Art Nouveau streets, the Chatelain area and the city's favourite fries kiosk.

Best time: Sunday from 10:00 (Midi Market) - or any day skipping the market

The route, stop by stop

1
Midi Market
Sunday only: olives, msemen, fruit; 45 min. Prices drop near closing.
The largest open-air market in Brussels, where the city's North African, Southern European and Belgian families shop for cheap fruit, vegetables, olives, spices and street…
2
Halle Gate
Medieval gate on the way up; view from the ramparts optional.
The last surviving gate of the 14th-century city wall, turned into a castle-like museum; the rampart walk at the top has a panorama over south Brussels.
3
Parvis de Saint-Gilles market
Parvis square and its market; 15 min.
A small produce market under the church of Saint-Gilles, surrounded by cafe terraces where the neighbourhood lingers.
4
Fernand Obb Delicatessen
Shrimp croquettes or a stuffed sandwich; 20 min.
Saint-Gilles deli famous among locals for Belgian classics done well, especially grey-shrimp croquettes and stuffed sandwiches.
5
Brasserie Verschueren
Coffee or a beer in the Art Deco cafe; 30 min.
A 1930s Art Deco cafe on the Parvis de Saint-Gilles with a historic football scoreboard on the wall; the artistic Saint-Gilles crowd meets here.
6
Horta Museum
Art Nouveau house (book ahead, afternoons only) or admire the facades; 10-60 min.
Victor Horta's own house and studio (1898-1901), a UNESCO-listed Art Nouveau interior where every handle, radiator and stair rail was designed as one whirling whole.
7
Umamido
Ramen stop near Chatelain if still hungry; 30 min.
Belgian ramen chain with rich bowls and a quick turnover, a go-to for Ixelles residents on a cold evening.
8
Ixelles Ponds
Walk the ponds; 20 min.
Two ponds lined with Art Nouveau houses running from Place Flagey to La Cambre Abbey; locals eat fries on the benches and jog the loop.
9
Frit Flagey
Finish with a cone of fries on Place Flagey; 20 min.
The fries kiosk on Place Flagey is a neighbourhood ritual: locals queue here, then eat on the square or by the Ixelles ponds.
10
Cafe Belga
Drink on the Flagey terrace.
The ground-floor cafe of the Art Deco Flagey building, the social centre of Ixelles with a big terrace and DJs in the evening; overwhelmingly local.

Walking directions

Food-grazing walk: Midi Market to Flagey fries

The route, stop by stop

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