Le Zinneke

A great place for mussels. Don’t be fooled by the entrance, the restaurant goes way deep, and to the side, so it’s pretty big. 60+ kinds of mussels, the ones I had (#40) were great. Literally anything you can think of. Frites were good and crispy, and a wide variety of beer (which is kind of a requirement for a good Belgian restaurant). Very friendly and helpful staff, who speak English and French (and probably other languages). Good for families as well as groups or couples. Very relaxed atmosphere, but really good food.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ A Mussel Lover’s Dream with Great Vibes Le Zinneke is a fantastic spot if you’re craving mussels—there’s an enormous selection and every dish we tried was absolutely delicious. The beer menu is solid too, especially the brown varieties with lower alcohol content that still pack great flavor. The staff were incredibly attentive, friendly, and fast, and the restrooms were spotless. We also enjoyed a lovely dessert and found the wine list to be well-curated. The cozy French-inspired decor adds a charming touch to the whole experience. Just a heads-up: parking is limited, so I’d recommend taking a taxi or Uber. Make a reservation to avoid waiting. Overall, highly recommend and would definitely return!

Would definitely recommend this restaurant. You can have local Belgian food specially Mussels were really tasty. We were around 16 of us and still the service was fast and prompt.

It’s rare to find a place that nails both seafood and vegan cuisine so perfectly. The mussels were fresh and delicious, and the vegan menu wasn't just an afterthought, it was excellent. The staff are lovely, the vibe is great, and the beer is top-tier. Highly recommended!

Very charming dining environment with friendly service. The mussels were tender, fresh, and absolutely delicious! We tried three different recipes and loved them all! A wonderful experience overall. Highly recommended!

Good neighbourhood restaurant with very nice service. We liked that they have a happy hour service until 6:30 and then you have to leave by 8:30pm and then all the food is 25% off which is nice. Otherwise I think it’s a little pricey for the mussels at more than 30 EUR even though there are a lot and the fries are unlimited which is very nice. Their specialty is that they have more than 60 sauces that you can choose from but IMO the sauces don’t taste much. Overall I still recommend the place it’s been around forever and good if you need a quick mussels fix

Delicious mussels with a huge variety to choose from, authentic atmosphere, and very friendly staff. Highly recommend trying the cherry Kriek sorbet – it’s a real highlight!

Great restaurant with fresh, delicious mussels. Probably the best and tastiest I’ve ever had. There are tons of choices on the menu. Also there’s a menu deal available which is very affordable at 30 euros which includes a starter, main course and dessert. We had the cheese croquet for the starter - yummy. Then for the main dish the mussels in cream, garlic and herbs. Just delicious and a huge portion with fries of course and tartare sauce. Also took the onion soup which was very good. Everything was homemade and arrived hot at the table. For the dessert we had the delicious chocolate mousse. The service was kind and the place is styled in a typical Belgian homey atmosphere. Such a nice experience. We will definitely come back.

Had a large group dinner here. The cheese fondue- really cheese croquettes were tasty. The beef stew was tender and delicious. Service was slow but then again we were a large (2 rooms) group

Dropped by Le Zinneke for their moules frites. They are located a little away from the main touristy center but easily accessible by subway. The interior is dark and fairly cozy which hides the fact they have a ton of seating, and they also have an outdoor patio. You can make reservations on their website, which may help since they filled up very quickly once dinner hours started. They have a special where you can get a 25% discount on food if you come after 6pm and leave before 8:20pm - you can specifically mark your reservation for the early bird discount. Staff is polite and prompt. They have english versions of all their menus. They have 2 pages of moule frites options, with english descriptions of what is in each. The mussels were absolutely delicious - they are smaller than what I've had before, and had a very buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture. They're served each in their own pot which keeps the mussels piping hot as you eat them. The sauces they come with are plentiful and delicious, not too salty. The fries on the side are meaty and come with two different sauces. An absolute must visit in Brussels.

This is a cute little Belgian bistro. We were originally sat outside in the back patio, which is lovely, but weren't in the mood to deal with the flies and bees, so went into their back room, which was equally charming, albeit with a slightly oddball decor edge to it. The beer selection is nice, and we were happy that our server steered one of us to the Ducassis because it was a sweet and delicious surprise. The house cocktails (i.e. pimm's tonic) were only so-so. The food had highs and lows. The best dish, by far, was the traditional carbonnade. Wow, she is magnifique; think of it like a beef bourguignon, but made with beer, so a tiny bit sweeter, but not in a bad way. It was an excellent preparation and we were shamelessly scraping the plate clean with our frites. The mussels we had--option "30" of over 60 with cream, garlic, and white wine left a bit to be desired. The sauce just tasted like watered down cream and there were many broken bits of shell in it as well--it certainly paled in comparison to the ones we had at Chez Leon. Our daughter got fish and chips, but the several of the pieces of fried fish on her plate were ice cold, which is nasty. Service is friendly, and by European standards, rather efficient. We weren't unhappy with our meal, but thought it could have been better. Three stars, but a happy three.

The place to go for mussels in Brussels. Half expecting to see Jean Claude Van Damm here there was so many mussels in the place. Conveniently by a tram stop, by that I mean you can see the trans stopping right outside the restaurant. So why is a veggie eating at a place where mussels are the main dish? Because I like to keep the Mrs happy. The happy she is the less chance I'll get in the shit... and I do a fair bit that makes it likely I'll get in the shit:) Great veggie option. Well only one veggie option really as it's a mussel place. Lasagne! Which I've had more than my fair share of over the years. This one is right up there as one of the best. Obviously made in house and obviously they care about the lonely veggie in their restaurant, as it was dang good. The missus loved her mussels. I can't remember what exactly she got. Some kind of lobster and white whine broth I believe. The mussels were velvety. Which is good because the mussels you buy in the shops here are downright nasty. The desserts were great and a huge choice. Kriek sorbet with the rest of the beer poured over the sorbet making a kind of slushy in the bottom. I had the waffle with bananas and rum & raisin ice cream. The ice cream is enough to knock you on your back. Real rum, real taste and boy I wanted more. Great place with lots of regulars. Regulars say how good this place is. It's supposedly listed as one of the top 500 places to dine at. I believe it!

Unbelievably bad service. I ordered the curry mussels and was totally prepared to write a glowing review, but then things ended in disaster. I asked for the check and while waiting patiently, I gathered my things and put on my coat, because I had somewhere I needed to be immediately afterwards. Even after I'm buttoned up and ready to go, the check still hasn't arrived. Meanwhile, my waiter is moving about, cleaning and setting up tables... for no one. There is no one waiting for a table, half the restaurant is empty and no one is coming in. Why couldn't he just give me my bill in the time he is doing all of that? 15+ minutes pass of me watching my waiter puttering about. At one point he just stands there and looks around, as if he has idle time on his hands. At another, he grabs a towel, wipes his forehead, and puts it back. I'm about to lose my cool, so I get up to find someone with a credit card reader to hand over my card. Apparently they have this really inefficient system where the head waiter (or manager?) is the only one allowed to use the point-of-sale system and therefore handles ALL the table assignments and ALL the bills, hence the major backup. I walk over to him and that's when things really went to crap. The aforementioned head waiter tells me they are not accepting cards because they got hacked (likely story), and in a patronizing tone, emphasizes that he told me that upfront. This is absolutely untrue; first of all, I would definitely have remembered that, and second, he wasn't even my server - at what point would he have told me that when we never even interacted except when he pointed me to my table? I didn't have enough Euros on me, so the man tells me I have to leave behind my photo ID as a security measure while I run to get more cash. The restaurant is near a highway and the nearest ATM/bank is NOT close at all. By the time I return to the restaurant, the doors are already locked and I had to ring the bell; just to give you a sense of how long this ordeal had been dragging on. In the time I was standing in the doorway, I looked for signage warning of the payment systems issue, and of course there weren't any. In total, this whole mess cost me anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour of my time that I will never get back. The entire staff was completely unapologetic and displayed zero empathy for the inconvenience. The head waiter was particularly smug, dismissive, and condescending. His rebuke that he had told me about the payment situation upfront was both false and totally unnecessary, as if he felt he had to be in the right in this situation. Don't try to assign blame to your customers when they've done nothing wrong. I really wanted to like this place, but I was left with such a bitter taste. There are so many other options for mussels in this city, not worth it at all.

The white wine cream and garlic mussels were simply amazing! Some of the freshest and most flavorful mussels I have ever tried. The place has really great rustic atmosphere and is well worth a visit. The chocolate moose was also great!! Would recommend to anyone visiting Brussels!!!

Nice, well-made classic Brussels dishes set in a cozy restaurant. Very friendly service in whatever language you need, and very reasonable prices. Will be back.

Open since the mid-fifties, this is one of Brussels' favorite mussels and fries places. With 69 variants on offer, you'll be hard pressed to make up your mind before the friendly waiter comes round to take your order. We had three different casseroles of mussels and a vol au vent, all of which was preceded by some croquettes. We were very happy with the croquette and delighted with the mussels. Only one of the casseroles was maybe less to my liking, but the proprietor of that dish seemed delighted. The vol au vent was not bad at all and was part of the usual classics on offer such as stoemp, Flemish beef stew or boullette. Starters I was happy with my croquettes and if you're having anything other than mussels for mains you could opt for the oven cooked ones in fresh garlic, butter and covered with grated cheese. The desserts on offer are fairly simple but go down well. The only negative point is that the overall bill can do without them, as it probably might already come out somewhat higher than you'd expect. Part of the slow food movement, the restaurant is committed to championing sustainable food. Be sure to accompany your meal with one of their more exclusive local beers, an organic fruit juice, or even a biodynamic wine. I'd recommend to anyone who wants mussels and fries to try this place. Service was friendly and professional throughout.

I go to Brussels few times a year for work and always drop by here to get my mussels fix. This place specializes in mussels and fries (moules frites). They will correct you if you say that mussels and fries are French food. The menu is pretty much mussels with different kind of sauces. Also interesting to see the wall adorned with Asterix and other Belgian comic favorites.

Very nice staff, great food, very atmospheric. Definitely worth the money! Thanks for a great evening.

If you want Mussels and Frites then this is the place to go! I was a solo diner and the staff was quite nice and helpful. There are a lot of different choices for sauce. I went with the cream, bacon, and mushroom sauce which was delicious and something I highly recommend. Not to mention the menu comes in an Asterix Comic Book which confirmed this restaurant five stars. It's a little out of the way, but it is worth the trip for dinner. In addition, they have an happy hour deal, where if you finish dinner before 8pm then you get 20% off your bill. I couldn't ask for a better authentic Belgium Meal.

Amazing food, great beer, friendly service, cozy atmosphere... all around perfect restaurant! A must for Mussels in Brussels!

Great food! Sadly worse service. The waiter is aggressive and rude. They only want you to spend your money and leave. I am truly disappointed because I loved the food but with that kind of attitude I cannot recommend the zinneke. Even the wine was a let down... Finally, they don't offer debit card payments options.

The mussels here were definite . The location is a little outside of a lot of the popular tourist places but that is definitely to tour advantage. A cozy place with a good selection of tables and definitely very busy on the weekends. Came around 21:00 on a Friday and luckily there were a few tables but they filled up again just after us. The menu counts up to 69 mussel plates plus a selection of meat plates. Their lunch specialty menu which also doubles as a place setting would indicate their beef might be good too. The variety of the sauces for the mussels was pretty impressive. Everything from traditional provençal to adventurous stuff with sangal olek. I went with one that was white wine based and also with mushrooms and bacon. Excellent. My colleague had one that was Tuscan style with tomatoes which he said was also good. All mussels come with fries which didn't disappoint either. Also the house wine by the litre carafe is a good deal and tasty. Do it!

The best mussels I have had in Brussels! Plus they prepare them 69 different ways, including with curry and ginger. So quite original. The frites, sauce and mayonnaise were home made and excellent too. The restaurant is very Bruxellois style, with mannequin pisses in the bathroom! If you go before 8pm, you can get a discount. I would reserve as the restaurant gets quite busy, especially on the weekend.

A bit off the beaten path for tourists, but this place is definitely worth a stop if you are looking for authentic and delicious moules frites! There were 69 types of mussels available to choose from, from traditional to Italian to spicy! My boyfriend and I each ordered the mussels and fries and were not disappointed. There was also a nice selection of Belgian beer, including a couple of beers from the local Cantillon brewery. The staff was very friendly and helpful, and able to speak English. The atmosphere was quiet, quaint, and charming. Clean bathrooms too! Highly recommend!

Great restaurant for a nice local meal. I encourage you to try one of the local specialties. We had the fish special of the day, shrimps croquette for appetizer, my boyfriend had the Belgian version of steak tartare which kind of worried me since it's raw beef but it didn't look or taste like you'd think raw beef would at all, it was delicious. A HUGE portion of chocolate mousse topped off our dinner nicely since my boyfriend was kind enough to share with me. We received two little chilled shot glasses of Apple schnapps with our bill for an added little treat after a lovely meal. Would definitely recommend if you're in the area.

I was thoroughly disappointed in the management of this place. Server/ manager was rude turns us away without us understanding why. After a metro tram and bus ride to this place we arrived 45 minutes later excited to splurge and enjoy our last meal in Europe. We walked in and were asked if we had a reservations we replied no and the server/manager said "ok can't take you good bye ". We stood there in disbelief. A sweet hostess came over where we explained the process of getting here and that we were more than willing to wait to see if any of the other reservations canceled. She said that although she understood she would need to check with the mean manager. She walked over and we could literally see the manager yelling at her. He walked over and said no more plates no more food please leave. The restaurant didn't close for another 2 hours and there were open seats everywhere. We asked for any recommendations for anything nearby since we were so far away from our hotel and he said I don't know this area. Good luck and persisted that we left his restaurant. I've never experienced such disrespect by any restaurant and would never recommend this place simply because of the manager to anyone.