"Two Michelin stars across from the Anderlecht abattoir, where David Martin folds Japanese precision into Brussels meat — worth the detour."
Across the road from a working slaughterhouse, beneath a flock of paper origami birds, David Martin cooks one of the handful of two-star menus in Brussels. La Paix opened in 1892 as a canteen where Anderlecht's butchers ate at the end of their shift, and at Rue Ropsy-Chaudron 49 it still trades on that proximity to the meat. Martin's tasting menus climb to around €220, and the cooking marries French classicism with Japanese restraint and a streak of Norwegian seafood.
David Martin took a former butchers' brasserie and turned it into a destination, holding two Michelin stars and a place among Les Grandes Tables du Monde. The repertory reads French in bone structure and Japanese in finish: sweetbread paired with shrimp and lifted by lemon and paprika, a slipper-lobster bisque of real depth, and a dessert shaped like a canelé that behaves more like a chawanmushi, glazed with a rich langoustine-head sauce. The location across from the abattoir is no accident — Martin keeps meat at the centre of the story.
The kitchen leans on long-built sauces and precise seasoning rather than spectacle, and the menus are named after the chef's father and the parents of Nathalie, his front-of-house partner. That family framing matters: La Paix is a personal restaurant, not a corporate two-star, and the cooking carries one chef's signature from the amuse to the petits fours. For a serious meal in Brussels it is among the very best the city offers.
The dining room is the surprise. From an industrial corner of Anderlecht you step into a calm, low-lit space hung with a shimmering flock of origami birds, all Japanese minimalism and soft light. Sound is hushed and the spacing is generous, built for a long tasting and quiet conversation. Dress is smart; this is a special-occasion room. Service is precise and warm in equal measure, led front-of-house by Nathalie, and the wine pairings are taken as seriously as the food.
Reserve La Paix to close a deal or mark an anniversary because the room is quiet, the tasting menu makes a proper event of the evening, and two Michelin stars carry their own weight across a table. The Anderlecht location signals that you went out of your way, which is its own message. For more see the Brussels dining guide and our best French restaurants worldwide.
Not for a quick bite or a tight budget — the format is a long tasting menu to €220 a head, and the industrial Anderlecht address is a deliberate trek from the centre.
Yes — La Paix is one of only a few two-Michelin-star restaurants in Brussels, and David Martin's French-Japanese cooking earns the rating. The sauces, the seafood and the precision are the draw, and the origami-bird room is a genuine surprise after the industrial walk in. Treat it as the evening's main event and book ahead.
Fairly hard for prime weekend slots — a two-star room with limited covers fills up, so reserve a couple of weeks ahead through the restaurant or TheFork. Lunch is the easier sitting and a relative value. The restaurant is at Rue Ropsy-Chaudron 49 in Anderlecht, across from the abattoir.
Smart. There is no formal jacket requirement, but this is a two-star destination and most guests dress for the occasion. A blazer or a dress is right; avoid casual sportswear. The room is refined and quiet, and the dress code follows suit.
The tasting menus run up to around €220 per person before wine, with shorter and lunch options for less. With pairings, a dinner for two climbs well past €600. There is no cheap way to eat here; the format is the set menu, adjusted for dietary needs on request.
Yes — it is close to ideal. The room is intimate and hushed, the tasting menu fills an evening, and the two-star cooking makes the night feel significant. Book a couple of weeks ahead and ask about the wine pairing. For more romantic tables see our best restaurants for an anniversary.
Via La Paix · lunch is the easier sitting
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La Paix is among Brussels' two-star elite. See how David Martin's French-Japanese cooking ranks against the world's best French kitchens.
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