FRIT FLAGEY

In Best Restaurants Brussels

Frit Flagey is hardly a secret spot; in fact it’s one of the most popular places for locals in Brussels but no food blog about the EU capital would be complete without it. We are talking about Belgium after all, the land of waffles, beer, chocolate and fries! If you’ve ever been to Brussels, you probably know that every area has its own fritkot, a little kiosk serving Belgium’s national fast food, and there’s even a yearly “Fritomètre” whereby people vote for their favourite friteries.

So, which are the best spots in town to enjoy real frites? Well, although there are a couple of places that always figure on the highest rankings, it all comes down to how you prefer your fries as there are numerous options covering all tastes. As a general rule, the potato strips are pre-fried in beef tallow, re-fried once you order them and served in paper rolled into a cone with a small plastic fork. You can also choose between several sauce toppings like mayonnaise, ketchup and sauce tartare to name a few. Fritkots also offer other snacks, namely deep fried croquettes, burgers, meatballs etc., but fries are still the star of the show!

At this point I should probably confess that I’m not a big fan of anything fried but after living quite a few years in Brussels, I can say that Frit Flagey is my favourite fritkot in the city. Here you can get super crispy frites and enjoy them, in typical Belgian fashion, at one of the neabry bars (do note though that Cafe Belga has started to reject this tradition) or at the beautiful Etangs d’Ixelles on a sunny day. The only downside? Fritkot Flagey is notorious for its rather long queues throughout the day and no matter the weather. And even when your turn finally comes, don’t expect a friendly service. Funnily enough, this is largely considered as part of the experience, so most people don’t mind waiting to get their hands on some of the best fries available in Brussels. They’re definitely amongst the best cheap eats in town, indulging, filling and oh so Belgian!