Café Georgette Brussels

You can’t come to Belgium without trying the beer, chocolate, waffles, and fries! Authentic Belgian fries are fried in beef fat and often come with different dipping sauces. An authentic experience is to get them from a street stall where they come hot and crispy in a paper cone.

One famous friteries situated conveniently in the old city centre (near the Grand Place) is Café Georgette. Café Georgette’s fries are “twice fried in beef fat the traditional way”. Costing only 6,50€ for a 350g “cone”, they are light, crispy, and delicious.

Not Just a “Chip House”

However, Cafe Georgette is not just a “chip house”. It is also a restaurant and a cafe. You can walk up to a dedicated outside window and just order some Belgian frites to go, or you can actually enjoy a sit-down meal inside the restaurant.

They are pretty strict about separating the two locations (the friterie and the restaurant). Most notably, people who just buy fries are not allowed to sit at the restaurant to eat their casual snack. Only diners who order actual food can sit down.

The Food at the Restaurant

The restaurant offers an excellent selection of Belgian brasserie fare, such as shrimp croquettes, Flemish carbonnade (a beef stew), and seafood waterzooi. It’s an excellent place to get both fries and authentic Belgian dishes.

They also have healthier fare, such as salads, a whole section of different carpaccios (including a creative zucchini carpaccio, pictured below!), plus lots and lots of meat (tartares, burgers, and steaks!).

Steak Frites!

If you want steak, Café Georgette offers various cuts of beef. All steaks come with salad and their signature Belgian frites. You can optionally choose from a number sauces, everything from Tartufata (truffle!) and curry ketchup to Roquefort and Bearnaise. There are close to 20 different sauces from which to choose.

Our Two Experiences at Café Georgette Brussels

We came to this restaurant twice. The first time it was packed and bustling, full of life. The second time was our second to last night before the lockdown would occur in Brussels. We were literally the only people in the restaurant the entire night. Within 36 hours, all restaurants would close in Brussels.

Both times the food was excellent. It’s an excellent Belgian restaurant with great authentic Belgian fare, amazing fries, excellent beers, and even healthy salads! For a person with very little time in Brussels, this restaurant covers a lot of bases. The ambiance is also cozy and feels traditional Belgian yet with a modern touch.

All in all, we enjoyed our time there, though the second time was also very, very surreal and weird at the same time.