Gluten Free Survival

Updated October 2022

I’m updating this page with three cafes or restaurants after a trip into Brussels in 2022.

I’ve googled the websites of the original restaurants listed here and they do still appear to exist, post pandemic.

This post shares my gluten free dining experiences whilst in Brussels and along the route.

As usual, there’s a Resources section at the end of this post with links and lists!

The Research

I searched Google for gluten free restaurants and also put out a post on my Instagram account to get suggestions.

I knew the key phrase to look out for is Sans Gluten which means ‘without gluten’.

Travelling

I travelled by train to London Euston and then took the Eurostar to Brussels. Arriving in Euston at lunchtime, I headed to Leon who are located on the mezzanine level of the station. Leon is perfect for getting a quick and healthy lunch. They are also a life saver for ‘gluten free on the go’. There is plenty of seating inside and outside the restaurant, overlooking the main station concourse. After considering the options, I decided on a warm and filling Lentil Masala.

From Euston it’s around a ten minute walk or two stops on the bus to Kings Cross. As it was a bit drizzly, I got a bus from stop D outside Euston station. Once alighted from the bus and facing the main entrance to Kings Cross, I headed to St Pancras International which is a separate building to the left.

Lola’s Cupcakes at Kings Cross St Pancras has some gorgeous wheat free cupcakes. I purchased to gluten free raspberry and chocolate cupcake to enjoy whilst waiting for the Eurostar. This had a marbled sponge and a raspberry compote in the middle. Topped with raspberry and vanilla mascarpone….mmm.

Quick tip if you’re new to the Eurostar (like me!): print your tickets at the signposted kiosks before you join the queue to check in or you may be sent back to print them. I thought my printed email was an e-ticket but they actually required the airline style printed tickets from the kiosks.

Going through security is a bit like airport security where the bags go through a scanner and you walk through a detector. You can however, have liquids in your bags without size restrictions. After security, there was Passport Control.

Once in the waiting area, there is a Pret A Manger which offers a range of salad options. Glancing over the allergy notices, there were a few which didn’t contain wheat.

Gluten free shopping in Brussels

I was pleased with the availability of gluten free food in the two chain stores that I visited- Carrefour Express and Delhaize. Both stores were easy to find around the city and offered a range of biscuits, cakes and bread. I purchased some bread from Delhaize which was rather dense.

Making use of self catering

On my first evening in Brussels, many of the local restaurants were closed so I decided to make the pasta that I had brought with me. Another evening, I popped back to the apartment and heated a bowl of soup I’d purchased…this would keep me going for a few hours whilst I went out to explore Brussels!

Restaurants in Brussels

Away from the centre of Brussels, check restaurant opening times as they tend to open limited hours compared to what we are used to in the UK. Some open from 5.30pm or 6.30pm and some open for only a few days a week. Maybe because I was there in the winter months….some restaurants also had thick heavy curtains at entrance. The windows were quite high so it was difficult to tell if they were open!

Here are the restaurants I ate at. There are links to their websites in the Resources section below.

La Riviera Ristorante

This is an Italian restaurant in the European quarter. My two visits here were in pleasant weather and all the diners were seated outdoors even though they did have indoor seating. They offer gluten free penne pasta with a good amatriciana sauce. The service is good and efficient.

Ego Ristorante-Pizzeria

Another Italian restaurant in the European quarter. Ego has an unassuming entrance…it’s difficult to tell if it’s open from outside as it has a frontage as wide as a residence with a regular looking front door. The windows are quite high up too. However, once you’re in, you can walk in through a second door to a quirky long room that makes up the first section of the restaurant. This then leads to a conservatory style extension which is a lighter brighter dining area…which then leads to the outdoor seating.

Ego offer gluten free pizzas with an interesting array of toppings. I’ve tried the pizzas and they are of good proportions. On one visit, the waiter spoke good English which turned out to be handy as he suggested one of their daily specials was gluten free. It was chicken in a creamy mushroom sauce…absolutely delicious.

Oh, and they do serve gluten free beer too!

Ricotta & Parmesan

A lovely, cosy little Italian restaurant that was recommended to me on Instagram. I was lucky to get a table as it was completely full by the time I finished eating. I enjoyed a risotto with grilled courgette.

Il VElIero

This was a small Italian restaurant that had come up on a Google search. The waiter didn’t speak any English. I mentioned English and sans gluten and was provided with a menu in English with gluten free and lactose free options. After checking the menu options, I used Google Translate to ask if the gluten free pizza was cooked separately.

Whilst waiting for my Siciliana pizza, I was served butter and a gluten free bread roll. The pizza was very good. It had a thin crispy base and was topped with spicy salami and peppers. I didn’t try the desserts but they did have gluten free options- pancakes with ice-cream and tarta al ciocalat. They also had gluten free beer!

Reve d’asie

This was an interesting restaurant serving Thai and Vietnamese cuisine that I stumbled upon in the centre of Brussels. There were traditional Thai statues along with interesting objects hanging from ceiling and attached to the walls.

I used my coeliac translation book to confirm that their Thai green curry and rice were gluten free.

Superbowl

I visited Superbowl at Midi station though you will find a few of them around Brussels. They basically have a choice of healthy salad bowls with allergens listed on the menu board. I also purchased some unusual biscuit packs to try at home.

Exki

Exki was a great discovery in 2019 but the gluten free range has vastly reduced in 2022. I could choose between a soup and a couple of salads. Not like my first visit where I was spoilt for choice on cakes. There are multiple shops around the city. Some are takeout whereas some have a dining area. Everything is labelled with allergens.

Other restaurants that were recommended to me on Instagram were Spago, The Sisters Brussels Cafe and VeganWaf. I have to admit that I did get lost and spend a lot of time walking in circles so I didn’t find all these!

Resource List

Website to research restaurants: https://www.findmeglutenfree.com

French Coeliac Restaurant card: https://www.celiactravel.com/cards/french/

A pocket sized guide called Multi Lingual Phrase Passport which covers French, German, Italian and Spanish phrases. French is one of the official languages of Belgium.

Gluten Free Holiday Checklist:

restaurant links

My essential packing

Schar Fibre Seeded loaf (as it’s got air in the packaging to stop it getting squashed).
Chocolate and seasalt flavour Nut Bars from Aldi
Packs of Snickers and Galaxy
Granovito pate and M&S chicken pate for making sandwiches
Gluten free pasta
Dolmio sachets of tomato and basil pasta sauce (because I was staying in an apartment and I could make a pasta meal without requiring additional ingredients if I was struggling for time or to find places to eat safely)