Brussels Food Tour: Waffles, Fries, Chocolate and Beer – Which Tour Is Worth It?
4 min read
For a first visit, the City Center Guided Food Tour is the safest choice: it is the best rated of the group with far more reviews, has a small group and offers a mix of savoury and sweet stops. The three tours below each last about three hours. They differ in what you eat, the guide’s language and how much of it is beer or chocolate.
The three tours compared
| Tour | Group and language | From | Rating | What you taste |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Center Guided Food Tour | Up to 10 people, English or French | €67 | 4.9 (471) | Fries cooked in beef fat, a frikadelle, fish croquettes, Liège waffles, chocolate |
| Chocolate, Beer and Fries Tasting Tour | Spanish, French or English | €70 | 4.6 (55) | Six pralines, four beers, fries at a frietkot |
| Food Tour of 10 Tastings | English | €131.48 | 4.8 (22) | Waffle, hot chocolate, fries with a Flemish carbonnade, pastry, chocolate |
The Food Tour of 10 Tastings has few reviews so far, so its high rating rests on a small number of travellers.
What each tour is like
The first tour is the one for people who want to eat their way through the centre. The page promises many savoury and sweet tastings, vegetarian options and a guide who also gives recommendations for the rest of your stay. Its tastings include fries cooked in beef fat, so mention a vegetarian preference to the provider when you book.
The second is a drinking tour with food as a side. Its pralines come from named chocolatiers (Pierre Marcolini, Mery’s and Jitsk), and the four beers include two spontaneously fermented beers typical of Brussels and two Trappist beers. The page says the fries are served at a frietkot that still fries potatoes in the traditional way. The price covers a guide, the four beers, six pralines and the fries. Ask the provider before booking for anyone under 18, as four beers are part of it. The page says the tour starts promptly at 3 pm.
The third has the most dishes. It lists brioche at a traditional bakery, hot chocolate in the old alleys, fries with a Flemish carbonnade, pastry and chocolate at the Queen’s Gallery, biscuits from a 190-year-old family shop, a waffle and a “secret dish” at the end. One reviewer says it also passed parts of the Christmas market.
Fries, waffles and pralines without a full tour
If you only want one thing, there are smaller tickets. The Frietmuseum, Brussels’ fries museum, with a tasting costs €14: an audio-guided visit over three floors, in 11 languages, that ends with a cone of fries with sauce, fried in beef fat or vegetable oil; a guided visit is not part of it. The waffle-making workshop where you can eat all you like costs €39: 1.5 to 2 hours with an English-speaking instructor, unlimited waffles with toppings and one free drink. Its page says children cannot take part without an adult and that dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan workshops are available on request.
Our recommendation
Book the City Center Guided Food Tour if you want the broadest and best-rated introduction. Take the chocolate, beer and fries tour if beer matters as much as food. For chocolate alone, our chocolate guide compares the museum, workshop and tasting tour; for beer alone, see the beer guide. All options are on our food and drink tours page.
