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Brussels, are you also obsessed with the autumn colours?!

While autumn may not be my favourite season of the year, I always catch myself smiling when I look at the beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow while taking a stroll in Parc Cinquantenaire. You may be taking the same stroll in Bois de la Cambre, Parc Josaphat, or Parc de Woluwe, who knows. But if a nature walk is not enough to ease your possible autumnal blues, I’ve got you covered with some other fun activities you can do with your friends and/or family.

You will also notice that, for the very first time, this newsletter is featuring a paid ad. It is by none other than the host platform of this newsletter, beehiiv. I honestly couldn’t be happier that I have chosen these folks for my writing. Their customer service, the features, and the data analysis are truly next-level. And I cannot wait for their big news release on 13 November. If you click on the link in the ad, you are directly supporting this newsletter. Thank you so much in advance ❤️ And if you’re thinking about starting your own newsletter, let me know, and I’ll be more than happy to tell you about how I do it 🙂

In this issue:

  • 🍽️ 30 restaurants for a group dinner in Brussels

  • 🎤 5 unusual fun activities to do with your friends and/or family

  • 🗓️ Upcoming events in Brussels (22 October-4 November)

  • 🎥 Content creator in the spotlight: Chiara Gerngrosz

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30 restaurants for a group dinner in Brussels

Shoutout to my reader Marta for suggesting this topic!

I actually hear this quite a lot. My colleagues are looking for a restaurant to take their project partners to. Our Social Committee is trying to find a place for our annual Christmas dinner. And the Facebook group “Expats in Brussels” is exploding with questions on which venue people recommend for hosting a large birthday party.

Below, you can find a list of 30 restaurants, arranged by location, and from the smallest to largest capacity (seated dinner). If you try any of those that I haven’t been to, do let me know how it went!

City centre/1000

Etterbeek

  • Fasika (Thieffry/Pétillon) - number of people not specified; Ethiopian cuisine

  • La Fleur d’Oranger (Montgomery) - group number not specified; privatisation max. 40 people; Mediterranean cuisine

  • Origine (Place Jourdan) - group number not specified, privatisation max. 40 people; internatiional cuisine

  • Le Mess (Arsenal) - group reservations from 10 people, privatisation 40-64 people; Belgian/international cuisine

Ixelles

  • Lily’s (Abbaye de la Cambre) - from 8 people, upper limit not specified; fusion

  • La Luck (Vleurgat) - groups more than 15 people, upper limit not specified, privatisation max. 160 people; vegetarian and meat dishes

  • Barracuda (Flagey) - I went here for my birthday dinner this year and really enjoyed it! The place is stunning, the Italian food yummy, and the cocktails delicious. You have several booking options - small groups (10-25 people), partial hire (30-45 people), or entire restaurant (182 people).

  • La Quincallerie (Châtelain) - 10-200 people; seafood and fish

  • Volle Gas (Place Fernand Coq) - 15-200 people; Belgian cuisine

  • Chalet Robinson (Bois de la Cambre) - group booking starts from 11 people, 240 gala dinner, 250-500 reception; 3 catering options available

Molenbeek

  • BelMundo (Quai du Hainaut) - 10-100 people; international cuisine

Saint-Gilles

  • Café des Spores (Parc de Forest) - 6-17 people; international cuisine

  • Crab Club (Porte de Hal) - max. 30 people; seafood and fish

  • Tero (Stephanie) - 12-25 people for groups; privatisation max. 90 people

Saint-Josse

  • The Hoxton (Botanique) - 14-40 people; international cuisine

Schaerbeek

  • Chez Tom (Plasky) - up to 30 people; international cuisine

  • Le Zinneke (Meiser) - 300-100 people; Belgian cuisine

Uccle

  • Au Repos de la Montagne (Place Saint-Job) - our last office Christmas party took place here; the food was delicious! We were between 40 and 50.

Woluwe Saint-Lambert

Woluwe Saint-Pierre

  • Le Vignoble (Parc de Woluwe) - 65-120 people; meat and fish

5 unusual fun activities to do with your friends and/or family

With the weather getting colder and gloomier, I’m personally not spending too much time outdoors. I have actually bought a walking pad to get some more steps in. Such weather usually invites people to go check the multiple museums we have in this city, go have a meal or a drink or simply stay at home. But Brussels, never short of things to do, has some activities up its sleeve that you may not have tried before.

  • Karaoke at KaraFun: I LOVE love love this place! As a singer, I’m very big on karaoke. That actually makes many of my friends not go do it with me, as they think they could be embarrassing - they couldn’t! I have been to this karaoke bar many times, and I really appreciate that you can choose your own room based on your style preferences, and they have a screen inside which allows you to directly order drinks without needing to go to the bar.

  • Axe throwing at WoodCutter: OK, maybe this is not an activity if you have small children, as it combines throwing axes AND drinking beer. You can simply come with your friends, but you may also use their space for birthdays, bachelor/bachelorette parties or teambuilding.

  • Go-karting at BattleKart: Were you a Mario fan and wondered, “What would it be like to race like this little Italian fella in real life?” Well, now you have a chance to try it for yourself at Tour & Taxis. However, it’s definitely not the cheapest activity, especially if you come as a family.

  • Arcade at Gamestate: This place amounts to more than 40 games, ranging from racing and shooting games, through VR games, to claw machines. You can also organise your child’s birthday party here.

  • Relive Fort Boyard at Prison Island: This place has been on my list for so long, but I still haven’t gone. Prison Island is an adventure game made up of 32 cells and unique puzzles to be solved as quickly as possible. But don’t worry, the organisers don’t expect you to have enough time to visit all of the cells.

Upcoming events

  • 📅 22 October-5 November: Filem’On, 19th International Film Festival for Young Audiences @various locations (link)

  • 📅 23 October: Is Feminism for Everybody? @The Nine (link)

  • 📅 23 October-6 March: The last days of Pompeii @Brussels Expo Palais 1 (link)

  • 📅 24 October: RIP Patriarchy Halloween Party @The Nine (link)

  • 📅 25 October: Fresh pasta masterclass @Wolf (link)

  • 📅 25-26 October: Comic Con Brussels @Tour & Taxis (link)

  • 📅 27 October-1 November: Halloween Cinema @Gare Maritime (link)

  • 📅 27 October-1 November: Día de Muertos @Marolles (link)

  • 📅 29 October: Pumpkin carving workshop for kids @Wolf (link)

  • 📅 30 October-10 November: Pink Screens, Brussels Queer Film Festival (link)

  • 📅 31 October: Horror Movie Night @Wolf (link)

  • 📅 31 October-1 November: Hangar Halloween 2025 - 2-Day Indoor Rave @Brussels Gate (link)

  • 📅 31 October-2 November: Les Nuits Weekender @Botanique (link)

  • 📅 1-9 November: Bruxelles sur Scènes, le festival des cafés-théâtres @various locations (link)

  • 📅 3-9 November: Listen Festival @various locations (link)

Content creator in the spotlight: Chiara Gerngrosz

chiaragerngrosz has recently been selected among the top 10 ZN #EUinfluencers on Instagram. Her content is not your usual Brussels/EU bubble posts or reels, but looks at the EU and Europe through the lens of art and culture. Chiara herself wears two hats - on one hand, she is working for the European Parliament, on the other hand, she is a writer of literary fiction. If you want to find out more about her, she also has her own website.

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