Maison Antoine

Maison Antoine is a fry stand on Place Jourdan, in the Etterbeek commune close to the European Quarter of Brussels, Belgium. It is widely regarded as the best-known frites stand in the city and is often cited by locals in discussions of where to find the best Belgian fries. It is a street-food operation, with no dining room, no chef lineage in the fine-dining sense, and no Michelin context; the reputation rests on a simple product made well.

The signature offering is the cornet of frites, a paper cone of double-fried potatoes, which is the traditional Belgian method: a first fry at a lower temperature to cook the potato through and a second at a higher heat to crisp the outside. The cone is topped with a choice of sauces from a long list, including mayonnaise, the standard Belgian pairing, as well as a range of other cold and hot sauces. The stand also sells frikandel, a long fried sausage, and the mitraillette, a baguette sandwich filled with meat and fries. Prices are low, roughly €4-7 for most items, which makes it among the cheapest meals in Brussels.

There is no seating of the restaurant kind. Customers queue at the counter, take the cone away and eat standing or on the square. The atmosphere is brisk and informal, with a mixed crowd of office workers from the nearby institutions, residents and visitors. Queues can be long at lunch and on weekend evenings, but service is quick.

There is no beverage programme beyond basic soft drinks and canned beer, and visitors often combine the fries with a drink from a nearby cafe on the square.

Reservations are not accepted and are not needed. The stand is open daily from lunchtime into the late evening, though hours should be verified, and the best time to avoid the longest queue is mid-afternoon. It is the most convenient in combination with a visit to the European Quarter or the Cinquantenaire park, which are a short distance away.