Belgium

Zilte Review – A High-End Lunch Experience in Antwerp

Zilte is a three-Michelin-star fine dining restaurant in Antwerp with stunning views and an emphasis on seafood dishes. Prix fixe menus are on offer here, with different numbers of courses available depending on whether you're dining at lunch or dinner, and the day of the week.

We went for lunch instead of dinner at Zilte, which is a strategy we've used several times to experience Michelin-starred restaurants at a slightly more affordable price point. As we dined in winter, another pro of lunch instead of dinner was having enough daylight to enjoy the beautiful views from the top of the MAS building- including an absolutely stunning sunset at the end!

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Westvleteren 12 vs Rochefort 10 vs St. Bernardus 12 – Blind Tasting

After going on a pilgrimage to buy Westvleteren beer in Belgium, we knew one of the first things we had to do when we got home was to try it next to other popular Belgian quadrupels (quads) to see how it stacks up.

While we enjoyed many famous quads when in the country, we never were able to sample some of the most famous in a proper side-by-side. So we gathered a couple friends, found a few more famous Belgian quads, and devised a blind taste test to see which one liked the most.

Our lineup put Westvelteren 12 vs Rochefort 10 vs St. Bernardus 12, three of the most famous quads in all of Belgium, against each other. For a bit of a twist, we also threw in a quad from a local producer in Pittsburgh, Strange Roots, for good measure.

So, how did the blind taste test turn out? We have some thoughts!

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Tips and Advice for Driving in Belgium and Luxembourg

When we decided to go to Belgium and Luxembourg on vacation, we knew we would rent a car. Part of this was because we wanted to visit many Belgian breweries and buy beer at Westvleteren. The other part was that reaching Luxembourg City without a car looked like a headache due to transfers.

Ultimately, we really loved having a car to drive around these two countries, and after our experience driving around Brussels, Ghent, rural Belgium, rural Luxembourg, and Luxembourg city, we have some tips to share!

Don't worry, driving in Belgium and Luxembourg is nothing like our experience driving in Tuscany!

  • Note: Historically we would include photos of our vehicle and notable driving concerns in articles like these. However, as it was incredibly easy to drive in these countries we found ourselves without any good photos to share for illustration purposes. Instead, we are featuring some fun photos of what we saw in Belgium and Luxembourg in this one. 

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7 of the Best Belgian Breweries and Beer Bars to Visit

There are so many great Belgian beer brands to enjoy when visiting the country that is simply impossible to try them all. During our one-week visit, with somewhere between three to five beers each per day, we only began scratching the surface of trying all the best beer Belgium has to offer. 

While we could go on and on about great brews we had when traveling around Belgium, in this one we thought we'd take a step back and look at where you can buy all of these great brews outright. So let's talk about our favorite Belgian beer bars and breweries, what you can expect when visiting, and share some of our highlights from each!

But we should note upfront that not every brewery or Belgian beer bar is recommended purely to drink beer. Some may be great spots to buy beer to take home and others offer historical tours that are must-sees over their beer offerings. To put it bluntly, this list has something for everyone.

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