Beyond the burger: the best of vegetarian junk food in Brussels

When it comes to fast food in Brussels, vegetarians can often feel left out. The staple of Belgian fast food are the “snack” shops found on near every street corner, serving up no-frills, meat-laden döner kebab (if Turkish) or shawarma (if Arab) wrapped in pita and smothered in sauce. Not much room for the non-meat eaters there.

As you’ll learn below, even Belgium's iconic fries are suspicious for the strict vegetarian. So where’s a hungry vegetarian to go for a greasy bite to eat? Luckily, there are plenty of alternatives!

Falafel and the snack life

Almost any takeaway where you buy your döner kebab will also offer falafel, that tasty ball of fried chickpeas and spices. Whether it’s any good or not is another story.

A very good falafel can be found at L’express, just off the Grand Place on Rue des Chapeliers. Packed full with veggies, it’s a perfect cheap bite to grab and eat on the ground of the beautiful square. Another one is Mr Falafel near Anneessens. For less than €5 you can have four large falafel balls in a fresh pita with tahini sauce or hummus. But what makes Mr Falafel a great deal is that you have unlimited access to a salad bar with delicious fillings: you can refill your salad plate as many times as you want.

You can also go upscale and head to Chana on the Parvis de Saint Gilles. Hardly junk food anymore, here everything is made from scratch with fresh, organic ingredients, from the hand-rolled falafel to the hummus, babaganoush and wholegrain pita accompanying it. They also make fresh sauces with which you can douse your falafel liberally as you munch. You pay for the quality of the ingredients, however, with a falafel running between €6.50 and €8.50.

If you’re tired of falafel, as an alternative, a personal favourite is Snack Libanais in Etterbeek right by Merode metro. They make a travel-worthy vegetarian shawarma, which is really a sort of courgette-based omelette broken up and wraps in pita with all the wonderful fillings of a regular shawarma. It’s rich, bursting with flavour and very filling.

If you’re really craving some semblance of a meaty pita, you can even find a vegan döner kebab at the vegetarian chain Greenway at Gare du Midi. It’s not really comparable to the taste of its meaty counterpart, but it should satisfy your need for spiced “meat” drenched in sauce.

Msemmen – Morocco’s filling crepe

You might not know the word msemmen, but you might have seen them without knowing it, especially if you frequent any Moroccan bakery. It’s a thick, oily crepe from northern Africa, and it’s delicious.

The Soul Kitch’n food truck, reliably found on Flagey’s weekend market as well as at many other markets across Brussels throughout the week, is a popular place to find this tasty crepe. The bright green truck is hard to miss, usually with a long queue of people in front of it. They serve them sweet or savoury, with toppings such as nutella, honey and banana, but also sundried tomato, ricotta and olives (and merguez for the meat eaters).

However, for an authentic taste of Morocco, the best msemmen to be found is at a nameless stall at the Gare du Midi Sunday market. It's hard to miss on Avenue Fonsny; it’s the place with the crowd of people sipping mint tea as they attempt to handle enormous crepes bursting with fillings without making a mess.

Not only does this humble stand have the tastiest msemmen, it also offers the best price. While Soul Kitch’n will set you back €6 for a savoury vegetarian crepe, the stand at Midi is only €2.50 for the same thing, but stuffed to the brim with delicious toppings.

The bad news about frites

Of course, in Belgium, you might say, you’re lucky to have perhaps the greatest of all vegetarian junk foods: chips! Alas, no. While in concept fries are vegetarian, I regret to inform you that almost any traditional frietkot, or little stand selling fries doused in mayonnaise, will likely cook their fries (twice, as tradition demands) in animal fat.

When it comes to these delectable potatoes, you’ll be hard pressed to find a chip shop serving up truly vegetarian fries in Brussels. (Though in most restaurants you should be fine – they generally use plant-based oil.) Some vegetarians choose to look the other way. If you’re strict, you’d be best to ask what they use as frying oil, but you’re likely to be disappointed by the answer.

If you’re really craving some vegetarian-friendly fries, head to Ghent, the country’s most veg-friendly city. Try Frietcultuur, which makes great fries in plant-based oils and has an assortment of veggie burgers and other snacks to boot. Also, De Frietketel in Ghent serves up 100% vegetarian fries, including vegan mayonnaises and a carbonade sauce.

Photo courtesy Soul Kitch'n