Eating customs and mealtimes in Belgium

If you are sightseeing in Belgium and show up at a restaurant for lunch or dinner as you would in Spain, you will find the kitchen closed. The fact is that in this country there are differences with respect to the times at which we eat here, and somewhat in customs too. That is why it is good to know them and avoid having to go to bed without dinner.

Belgians usually have breakfast at home, mainly coffee and pastries or bread with jam or cheese. For this reason, we recommend that you book a room with breakfast included, even though it is more expensive, because it is the best way to have breakfast. And they usually do so very early, which is common in these northern European countries where everyday life begins almost with the first rays of sun.

Lunch is usually the most important meal of the day, at least in Belgian homes, since among tourists it is very common to go to a snack bar and have a light bite. It usually starts around 12:00 or 12:30, and if you are not in a big hurry, feel like a true Belgian, relax and enjoy the pleasure of eating. Dinner, on the other hand, tends to be somewhat lighter, and is usually served from 19:00 onwards, more or less, as the shops start closing around 18:00 and people head home.

So, in Belgium people have breakfast, lunch and dinner as a custom, but dear tourist, I am not going to recommend that you skip an afternoon snack. Quite the opposite. Chocolates, waffles, cakes… Belgium is a paradise for sweet lovers! Although afterwards on the way back you may have to burn off the calories, do not deprive yourselves of these small pleasures this country offers.

Photo | Flickr – Dennis McLaughlin