Restaurant in Brussels, Belgium
Lily's
210ptsSolid Michelin pick without the top-tier bill.

About Lily's
Lily's holds consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) and a 4.1 Google rating from nearly a thousand reviews, making it one of Brussels' most reliable contemporary rooms at the €€€ tier. It is the booking to make when you want serious, Michelin-recognised cooking without the €€€€ spend of the city's top-ranked restaurants. Booking is easy, and the late-dinner slot suits explorers combining it with a broader Brussels evening.
Who Should Book Lily's — and When
If you want a Michelin-recognised contemporary dinner in Brussels without committing to the four-figure bill that comes with the city's top-tier rooms, Lily's at Avenue Emile De Mot 1 is the booking to make. This is a €€€ venue with two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) and a Google rating of 4.1 across 928 reviews — a volume of feedback that carries real signal. It suits food-focused travellers who want serious cooking at a price point below the Comme chez Soi or La Villa Lorraine by Yves Mattagne bracket, and it works well for a late dinner or a special occasion that does not demand the full ceremony of a two-Michelin-star evening.
The Portrait
Lily's operates in Brussels' contemporary register , the kind of kitchen that draws on modern European technique without anchoring itself to a single national tradition. The Michelin Plate is a meaningful credential here: it signals that Michelin's inspectors consider the cooking worth a detour, even if a star has not yet followed. Two consecutive plates (2024 and 2025) suggest consistency, which is the metric that actually matters when you are booking rather than browsing. A venue that holds recognition across multiple inspection cycles is a safer bet than a one-year wonder.
The address on Avenue Emile De Mot puts Lily's in the Ixelles pocket of inner Brussels, a neighbourhood that has a reliable density of serious restaurants without the tourist-circuit noise of the Grand-Place area. For explorers arriving by metro, Trone or Louise are the natural reference points. If you are combining dinner with a broader Brussels evening , a concert at Bozar, drinks from our Brussels bars guide, or a hotel booking from our Brussels hotels guide , the location connects well to the wider upper city.
The 4.1 rating from nearly a thousand Google reviewers is worth reading correctly. In Brussels' fine-dining bracket, where many comparable rooms sit in the low-to-mid fours, a 4.1 at this price point reflects a venue that delivers on its promise consistently enough to satisfy a broad cross-section of diners. It is not a room that polarises; it is one that performs. For an explorer who wants depth over novelty, that reliability is the draw.
Late-Night and After-Hours Suitability
Brussels does not run as late as Madrid or Lisbon, but a €€€ contemporary room like Lily's fits the later-evening slot better than the city's more ceremonial restaurants. If you are arriving from elsewhere in Belgium , perhaps from a day trip to one of the country's standout regional tables like Vrijmoed in Gent or Boury in Roeselare , a later table at Lily's makes logistical sense. The contemporary format also tends to be more flexible in pacing than a rigid tasting menu, which suits diners who want to linger without feeling processed through a set sequence. For confirmed late-service hours, check directly with the restaurant, as hours are not published in our current data.
If the late-night angle matters to you, Lily's sits in a more accessible bracket than the city's prestige rooms. Comme chez Soi and La Villa Lorraine both run at €€€€ and carry more formal service rhythms. Lily's is the more relaxed late-table option at a lower price point.
Booking Window and Logistics
Booking at Lily's is assessed as easy relative to the Brussels market. With two Michelin Plates and a Google profile showing nearly a thousand reviews, demand is real , but this is not a room that requires weeks of forward planning in the way that starred Brussels restaurants do. A booking window of one to two weeks ahead should secure most dates outside major holidays or events. For Saturday dinners or dates around Brussels' busier periods (EU summit weeks, for instance), book at the outer edge of that window.
If you are planning a Brussels trip around the restaurant calendar, note that Belgium's most decorated kitchens , including Hof van Cleve and Zilte in Antwerp , require significantly more lead time. Lily's is the room you can fit around a trip rather than build a trip around, which is a practical advantage for explorers with flexible itineraries. For further Brussels options at every price point, see our full Brussels restaurants guide.
Ratings at a Glance
- Michelin: Plate (2024, 2025)
- Google: 4.1 / 5 (928 reviews)
- Price range: €€€
- Cuisine: Contemporary
Practical Details
| Detail | Lily's | Comme chez Soi | Au Vieux Saint Martin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price range | €€€ | €€€€ | €€€ |
| Cuisine | Contemporary | French-Belgian Classic | French Bistro / Belgian |
| Michelin recognition | Plate (2024, 2025) | 2 Stars | None listed |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Hard | Easy |
| Late-night suitability | Good | Formal pacing | Moderate |
| Leading for | Contemporary dinner, explorers | Special occasion, classic cuisine | Belgian comfort, casual evening |
How It Compares
See the full comparison section below.
Pearl Picks , Also Worth Considering in Belgium
- Eliane , Creative cooking in Brussels, worth tracking for food explorers
- Barge , Organic focus in Brussels, a lighter alternative to contemporary fine dining
- Vrijmoed in Gent , One of Belgium's most interesting contemporary rooms outside the capital
- Willem Hiele in Oudenburg , For serious food explorers willing to travel for a singular experience
- d'Eugénie à Emilie in Baudour , A regional Belgian option worth the detour
- Jungsik in Seoul and César in New York City , For explorers tracking contemporary fine dining internationally
- Explore more via our Brussels experiences guide and Brussels wineries guide
Compare Lily's
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lily's | €€€ | Easy | — |
| Comme chez Soi | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| La Villa Lorraine by Yves Mattagne | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| senzanome | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Au Vieux Saint Martin | €€€ | Unknown | — |
| Aux Armes de Bruxelles | €€ | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Lily's handle dietary restrictions?
Lily's operates in the contemporary European register, where kitchens at the Michelin Plate level routinely accommodate dietary requests — vegetarian, gluten-free, and allergy-based adjustments are standard practice in this category. check the venue's official channels when booking to flag any requirements. Given the €€€ price point, expect the kitchen to take these seriously.
How far ahead should I book Lily's?
Booking at Lily's is assessed as relatively easy for the Brussels market, but two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) and close to a thousand Google reviews means demand is consistent. Book one to two weeks out for a weeknight table; aim for two to three weeks ahead for a Friday or Saturday. Last-minute availability is more likely here than at Brussels' top-tier Michelin-starred rooms.
What should I wear to Lily's?
At the €€€ price point and Michelin Plate level, Lily's sits in the polished-but-not-formal bracket. Think neat, put-together clothing — a collared shirt or equivalent — rather than a jacket-and-tie standard. Overly casual dress would feel out of place, but you are not dressing for a starred room either.
Is the tasting menu worth it at Lily's?
Lily's holds two Michelin Plates and prices at €€€, which positions any tasting format as competitive value against Brussels' Michelin-starred options that run significantly higher. If tasting menus are your preferred format and you want Michelin-recognised contemporary cooking without the top-end price commitment, Lily's makes a strong case. For à la carte flexibility at a similar price tier, weigh that against how much you value a structured progression.
What are alternatives to Lily's in Brussels?
Comme chez Soi is the reference point for classic Belgian fine dining but costs considerably more and books further out. Senzanome offers Italian-inflected contemporary cooking at a comparable level. Au Vieux Saint Martin and Aux Armes de Bruxelles both lean into traditional Belgian cuisine at lower price points. La Villa Lorraine by Yves Mattagne is a step up in prestige and price. Lily's sits in a practical middle ground: Michelin-recognised, contemporary, and accessible.
Is Lily's worth the price?
At €€€ with two consecutive Michelin Plates, Lily's delivers recognised quality without the pricing pressure of Brussels' top starred rooms. For the Brussels market, that is a reasonable value position — you are paying for a kitchen that has earned consistent external recognition, not just for a well-designed room. If budget is flexible and prestige matters, Comme chez Soi or La Villa Lorraine sit above it; if you want Michelin-acknowledged cooking at a manageable spend, Lily's holds up.
Is Lily's good for a special occasion?
Yes, with one caveat: Lily's works well for occasions where the emphasis is on a quality dinner rather than maximum ceremony. Two Michelin Plates and a €€€ price point signal a serious kitchen and a composed room, which suits birthdays, anniversaries, or professional dinners where you want the meal to feel considered without the formality of a starred venue. For maximum occasion weight, Comme chez Soi or La Villa Lorraine carry more ceremony.
Recognized By
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