While it’s not exactly in the city centre, Le Zinneke is one of the best restaurants in Belgium. It serves typical dishes from Brussels, using organic products and respecting the slow food movement, and is completely transparent about the origins of its meat, fish and other ingredients. When mussels are in season, the restaurant offers a daily supply of fresh shellfish from Zeeland, and prides itself on preparing mussels in 69 ways.

If you’re in Brussels at the right time of year, don’t pass on the chance to tuck into fresh mussels at Le Zinneke or Le Chou de Bruxelles. Pro tip: dip your fries into the sauce at the bottom. You won’t regret it.

As a moules-frite destination, one should know that the chefs at this restaurant prepare mussels in 69 different ways. The mussels are sourced fresh daily from Zeeland (the western coast of the Netherlands) and their processes embrace the slow food movement where all ingredients are locally sourced and organic. Though it is a bit far out from the city centre, the trip is well worth the food, the authentic Belgian ambience, warm service, and cosy spaces offered at their restaurant, garden and terrace.

In fact, moules-frites are Belgiums’ national dish on par with our 'fårikål' mutton and cabbage stew. A great option to try the traditional dish is the authentic Le Zinneke restaurant, which serves mussels in over 70 different ways when they are at their best in season. Go for the classic prepared with white wine, shallots and parsley or why not try it with a Belgian wheat beer or curry and cream?

Si vous avez envie de faire l’expérience de la véritable Belgitude à Schaerbeek, direction Le Zinneke, un restaurant belge avec une carte extensive de plats traditionnels belges. La grande spécialité de la maison, ce sont les moules, avec un choix quasi sans fin de sauces !. La déco est tout aussi belge que la carte.

Not to be outdone, Schaerbeek institution Le Zinneke (pictured, above), offers more than 69 mussel recipes with hand-cut fries on the side (pictured). The bistro favours traditional cuisine with some tweaked classics and adopts a slow food philosophy. Another time-honoured address is Volle Gas in Place Fernand Cocq.

Le Zinneke was our dinner spot because they served 69 different types of mussels, how could we say “no?!?. ” This spot is located quite a bus ride away from the main touristy area around The Grand Place and definitely had more locals. We’d eaten a lot at lunch so we weren’t super hungry.

Le Zinneke (Schaerbeek) – We haven’t made it yet to ‘S’ with our commune by commune guide … but I have it from trusted sources that Le Zinneke is a great local brasserie, serving moules 69 (!) different ways. This alone is a worth a visit to Schaerbeek.

Le Zinneke: It’s also not too close to the centre, but they do Belgian food very, very well. In fact, last time I checked, they did mussels almost 70 different ways.

Il en va de même pour le Faubourg Saint-Antoine, une institution dans le coin, ou le Zinneke et ses 69 façons de préparer des moules-frites.