Au Vieux Saint Martin

The story

Au Vieux Saint Martin, Brussels: Belgian Restaurant on Place du Grand Sablon

Au Vieux Saint Martin is a Belgian restaurant at place du Grand Sablon 38 in Brussels, open on the square since 1968. Gault&Millau awarded it 13 points for 2026, and Michelin lists it as Recommended that year.

Belgian cooking built on fresh produce

Chef Thierry Strauven leads the kitchen. The restaurant says its carte and set menus favour ultra-fresh products, and the Belgian cooking follows that approach. Dishes are served in a room that suits both a long lunch and a late dinner.

Dishes the guide singles out

Gault&Millau names the beef tartare with fries and the fried prawn croquettes, which it describes as golden brown. The same review praises the impeccable service. The family credits its ancestor Joseph Niels with inventing the filet américain in 1924, a recipe the site says has not changed since.

A room that dates to 1968

Albert Niels bought the Café de la Justice in 1968 and restored the original name, Au Vieux Saint Martin, after a sixteenth-century sculpture of Saint Martin he found at auction. The interior, designed with Christophe Gevers, uses solid oak, brass, copper, leather and blue stone. The guide describes the ambiance as stylish and lively. Guest rooms and a suite are available upstairs.