In't Spinnekopke, Brussels

In’t Spinnekopke (in the Little Spider’s Head) is a Brussels tradition for its beery cuisine as well as its fine mix of up market service and rustic Brussels charm. It manages to be both a fine dining experience and non too stuffy all in one breath though its pricing is decidedly in the former category and must be considered a splurge for any intrepid beer connoisseur that generally backpacks in budget style. I’ve dined here twice, once on a bustling evening in the more rustic side of the restaurant at a long wooden table. Blown away by both the selection and grand beer atmosphere I drank and spent a tad too much but resigned myself to the once in a lifetime splurge mentality that overtakes most people more than I. With Doreen in tow on our recent trip, I wanted her to at least try their scallops and it was one place I knew I’d find draft lambic. We went for a late lunch and found the place empty aside from a few tables of businessmen running up the company tab.

Favorite Dish: We sipped a purposely flat tart Cantillon lambic (3 Euros) and started off with the Coquilles St-Jacques à la Trappiste de Rochefort (17 Euros) , perfectly seared huge scallops in a sauce made of Trappist delight Rochefort 10. The combination of the two was magic. For main meals we opted for Lapin à la Gueuze (18.50 Euros), rabbit prepared in Cantillon’s Gueuze and Stoemp Saucisse (12.95 Euros), a Brussels delicacy of vegetables mashed into potatoes and sausage. The former was a marvelous taste sensation while the latter was lacking with a particularly dry sausage an utter disappointment. It was perhaps a poor choice for such an establishment and was more appropriate for a cheaper eatery that specializes in such local fare. We paired them with Cantillon’s spritzy and acidic 100% Gueuze (6 Euros) and a cherry tart Kriek (6.50 Euros) by the same brewer. We shared the decadent Gaufre de Bruxelles à l'Orange Flambée (6.95 Euros), a Belgian waffle doused in Grand Marnier and lit aflame, for dessert. I resisted the temptation to wash it down with a Rochefort 10 as I knew we had a big night ahead of us.

Great experience. The cab driver who is a native, even had a time remembering where this place was. It was well worth the hunt though. Great food and beer selection. Cozy interior and old school professional wait staff. If you do not speak french or dutch, the menu can be a little overwhelming. Just order something though, everything we had was great.

Favorite Dish: The waterzooi was wonderful as well as the mussel casserole.

* * MY FAVOURITE SPOT * * A MUST VISIT RESTAURANT * *
This typical belgian restaurant is known by it's Cuisine à la bière and large list of belgian beers served here!
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Most of the dishes are cooked in beer and is a "must restaurant" for all beer lovers!
They even serve the best beer in the World: Westvleteren 12 Abt (according to me and ratings given at Ratebeer.com)
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Check out their website and find out what does "In't Spinnekopke" means :-)
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My brother/parents have eaten here frequently but when I visited the place on a Saturday evening we spent a while deciding to have game and once ordering we were told it was all gone. We then switched to an order of various mussel dishes ... and were told they had none of these at which point we left.
It would have saved a lot of time if they had told us when we arrived that these dishes weren't available.
That said my family have had a number of enjoyable meals there ... perhaps they always asked for items on the menu.

This restaurant is a good mix of "the good old local real stuff" and "international place to be"... By this i mean that despite the fact that 't Spinnekopke is very well known by the ex-pats here in Brussels, it keeps its typical Brussels charm and local visitors. Menu is written in the Brussels dialect (one of the dialects in fact, there is no such thing as one Brussels dialect) but don't worry, there are translations and the staff will guide your through it in English or French. Make reservations if you want to go on a Saturday or Friday evening. For big parties, ask the room in the back.

Favorite Dish: I like all of it but the "stoemp mè sosisse" (mashed potatoes and sausage) is my favorite. One thing to do is to taste the delicious and authentic Geuze ! This is one of the best Belgian beers which can only be made in the area of the Zenne (small river). Don't worry if you do not see a beautiful white collar forming on the glass... this is how it should be ! This is a pure beer, nothing added.

'ESTAMINET' is a typical brussels
word. Since I've been 'In 't Spinnekopke'
this is the place I associate most with that word.
Have a look at their website!].
Also in English. I didn't knew the place ,
It was a friend who had chosen it for a
reunion. It's a little bit like stepping into
another world. Everything looks old and
authentic. Even the weighter seem to fit in
the interior. It's one of those last stylish
gentlemen , but did a very eficient job.

When the menu arrived I felt comfortable
even if the space to sit is rather limited.
The menu is funny...Brussels-dialect is
some sort of Dutch but with french
influences...
I don't know. I got no problems understanding it.
Thank god it wasn't only 'En Francais'.
But to imitate it. That is impossible.

It's not a place I would like to sit down for a
long time. It's way to small and narrow.
It can also get quit busy. Keep that in mind...
make a reservation. That is even possible by mail.

Favorite Dish: They got a very fine choise of
Belgian dishes.
Like mashed potatoes with sausages...
Rabbit in beersauce...sometimes served with fruit.
The dish I've ordered was a suggestion ,
and it was ok , but I've eaten it somewhere
else a lot better.
The fries tasted delicious. Hand cut.
(and you can always order more.... ;-))
They gave me cooked potatoes with the dish..
As we are real Belgians we asked fries...
He argued that it came with...NO , I want fries. lol.

My favorite dish were the DESSERTS.
I took the one from the house...
Look at the picture.

I already knew a few restaurants where it is possible to taste some typical Belgian food (Volle Gas, L'Amour Fou,...) but not to such an extent!!
This place is amazing, you could find so many typical belgian dishes or simply dishes cooked with belgian beer: mussels, waterzooi, stoemp...
Don't expect any kind of sophisticated food but just plain authentic food.
Authenticity has however a price, this is not specially cheap...
One more thing, as in most restaurant you could have wine with your food but this time I wouldn' recommend it, the choice of beers is so impressive that I'd rather taste some of them...
I'm Belgian and enjoy good beers but still, there was some beers available I had never heard of...

Favorite Dish: It was the first time I tasted fillets of Mechelen Cuckoo, a typical Belgian dish! I was first disapointed when I saw the vegetable : endive (Chicon in french - Witloof in Dutch), another typical belgian vegetable. I'm not really fond of it but this time it was perfeclty cooked and I even manage to enjoy it!!
I just have one regret : I did not taste their beer-flavoured sorbet...

This restaurant is one of the oldest restaurants in Bruxelles. You can order dishes based on differents types of meat and coocked with many beers. Very nice ;-)
Closed on saturday and on sunday.