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CHANA

The Parvis de Saint-Gilles is a great area for all sorts of activities in Brussels, like relaxing and people watching on the sunny terrace of a cafe, food shopping or having an apero at the flea market. Whenever I’m around, I can hardly resist popping by Chana for a quick bite. If you love Middle-Eastern flavours, keep reading; I’m sure you’ll fall for this spot too!

As the name suggests, Chana Pakora & Falafel serves just these two dishes together with a handful of sides, like tahini, hummus, baba ganoush and fresh salads. The menu is short, but nothing wrong with that – I do love it when a place does a few things but really well. Chana means chickpea in Pakistani, the native language of the friendly owner, Ali, who prepares everything together with his wife on a daily basis. All dishes are homemade with organic ingredients and vegetarian, which makes Chana a great spot for a healthy lunch or dinner in Brussels. My partner in crime and I had two different pita falafel, one classic and one with feta salad. They were both really tasty and very filing; the pita bread was thin and tender while the falafel was soft inside with a crunchy crust on the outside. We also shared a portion of eggplant pakora (i.e. fritters) which came with a really nice mint sauce. Price-wise Chana is bit more expensive than your average neighbourhood snack spot but still affordable considering the quantity and quality you get.

The space itself is a testament to how much love has been put into this place: it’s small, bright and full of beautiful details like the pretty handcrafted ceramics made by the woman who also prepares the pita breads and the floor tiles which are the cutest I’ve spotted in Brussels so far. Chana is a great choice for a quick snack in Saint-Gilles. Not only is it one of my go-to spots when I’m craving Middle-Easter food (Kitchen 151 is another favourite of mine) and it also has a lovely terrace for sunny days. Try it out and let me know what you think!

INFO
Address: Parvis de Saint-Gilles 24, 1060 Saint-Gilles, Belgium
Telephone: +32 2 5344155
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Sandy (@smarksthespots)