Tucked into a former Art Nouveau post office on Place de la Chapelle, Les Brigittines is where Brussels locals send their out-of-town friends when they want to show off real Belgian cooking. Chef Dirk Myny, a Brussels native, turns out refined brasserie classics — think vol-au-vent with morel mushrooms — in a room of polished dark wood that feels like it's been there forever (in the best way). Two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions confirm what the regulars already know: this is serious classical cooking without the stuffiness.
A Brussels native chef serving Michelin-recognized vol-au-vent and morels in a century-old Art Nouveau post office — this is Belgian terroir cooking at its most authentic.
They're closed weekends and holidays — plan for a weekday lunch or dinner, and book ahead since the lunch service fills up with the Marolles crowd.
Brasserie classics done right in a stunning Art Nouveau post office
If you want to understand what Brussels eating is really about, skip the tourist traps near the Grand Place and walk ten minutes south to Place de la Chapelle. Les Brigittines occupies a former Art Nouveau post office, and the moment you step inside — all polished dark wood, old-world charm, and the hum of a dining room that takes its food seriously — you get it. This is the kind of place where the chef, Dirk Myny, is a Brussels native cooking the dishes he grew up with, just done with more precision and care than your grandmother ever managed.
The vol-au-vent is the headline act, and it delivers: a golden pastry shell filled with a creamy sauce studded with morel mushrooms that tastes like the best version of a dish you thought you knew. But don't sleep on the seasonal menu — Myny works with locally sourced ingredients and the daily suggestions are often where the kitchen shines brightest. The wine cellar is genuinely exceptional, and the staff know it inside out, so ask for pairings rather than defaulting to the house red. Local Belgian beers also feature prominently, as they should.
It's not cheap — this is a €€€ establishment — but you're paying for craftsmanship and a room with real soul. The big catch: they're closed weekends and holidays, so this is a weekday lunch or dinner play. Book ahead for lunch, when the Marolles crowd of dealers, lawyers, and locals fills the room and the atmosphere is at its best.