Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

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Hot chips

In these times of economic woe, Belgians aren’t going hungry as they have a huge number of places where they can eat out cheaply, traditionally and well. Lucy Mallows visits the traditional fritkot – the mobile chip shop

Belgians claim they invented the chip and it’s always been a source of irritation that American soldiers in World War I tasted them and named them “French fries” after the official language of the Belgian Army at the time.

One thing’s for certain: Belgians sure know how to make a good frite. They fry their chunky-cut chips twice, in beef dripping – initially for five minutes at 160°C and then half an hour later at 190°C for two minutes. This makes them perfectly crisp on the outside but soft and fluffy within.

Fritkot is sometimes spelt frietkot (fries hut) and is also known as friterie or friture in French. To be a traditional fritkot, the construction must be a little caravan stall on wheels that can move around. However, some of them have now planted themselves firmly on the ground and aren’t budging.

“Fritkots are an essential part of the Brussels life,” says Betty at Chez Léon.

But the fritkot is under threat as the authorities have decided that there should be no more little stalls, only permanent buildings serving chips.

It’s estimated there are 6,000 fritkots in Belgium and they serve their chips with a variety of sauces: regular or curry ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, béarnaise, tartar, spicy Andalouse, the hot banzai, piri-piri and cocktail. The extra hungry can also choose from a variety of croquettes, boulettes (little rissoles), brochettes (shish kebabs) and other meaty treats. A giant “cornet” of chips costs around €2, unless stated otherwise, and sauce is often an extra €0,50. Here are five fritkots to watch out for:

Green fritkot

Markt, the left-hand stall as you look towards the Belfort (belfry) & Halle (cloth hall), Bruges

Stall-owner Josef and his 10-man crew work hard to provide the best chips in Bruges. A stall has been in place here in front of the Belfort since 1897 and it’s still one of the top attractions in a city packed with must-sees. Josef uses only the best potato variety – Bintje – to make superb quality chips which are this frites reviewer’s personal favourite.
Chip quality ★★★★★★★★★★ (10/10)
Service ★★★★★★★★★ (9/10)
Authenticity ★★★★★★★★ (8/10)

Open Monday to Friday, 10am–3am; Saturday and Sunday, 10am–7am

Maison Antoine

Place Jourdan, Brussels

Opened by Antoine DeSmet in 1948, Maison Antoine sits in a dinky little octagonal stone building in the centre of Place Jourdan. The swirly red neon writing evokes the 1960s and there are two windows, usually fronted by long queues of EU officials and tourists, as this is the best-known fritkot in town. Even Mick Jagger has had his chips here. Another bonus is you can take your chips into any of the many pubs located around the square.

Chip quality ★★★★★★★★ (8/10)
Service ★★★★★★★★ (8/10)
Authenticity ★★★★★★★ (7/10)

Open Monday to Thursday, 11.30am–1am; Friday & Saturday, 11.30am–2am

Frit-Flagey

Place Eugene Flagey, Brussels

Frit-Flagey is under threat of closure, much to the consternation of its enthusiastic clientele. In fact, that there are about half-a-dozen Facebook groups petitioning to save it. Flagey was a construction site for years and every time it changed shape, the owner Thierry Van Gyet had to shift his little fritkot. After sitting on all sides of the square, Frit-Flagey is now in a scenic spot, offering quality fries to be enjoyed on a park bench by the lake.

Chip quality ★★★★★★★★ (8/10)
Service ★★★★★★★★ (8/10)
Authenticity ★★★★★★★★★★ (10/10)

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11.30am–midnight

Friterie de la Barrière

Avenue du Parc, near the Barrière de St-Gilles, Brussels

Loved by nocturnal ramblers, clubbers and those suffering from pangs of night hunger, this high caravan towers over its customers. It sits by the side of a fairly busy road, emitting pungent chip fat aromas all the way to the Barrière all through the night. Cheery Nikos serves up cornets of fries and cardboard plates of meat to customers squeezing onto the narrow pavement between the fritkot and the wall.

Chip quality ★★★★★★★ (7/10)
Service ★★★★★★★★ (8/10)
Authenticity ★★★★★★★★★ (9/10)

Open Daily, 11am–6am

Friture Martin

Place St Josse, Brussels

Situated right opposite the elegant façade of St Josse Church, this tiny fritkot is a real gem. It appears to be constructed entirely out of metal sheeting and is only large enough to fit one rotund man inside, behind the counter. The curly red neon sign beams out “Friture Martin” and there’s always a long queue in the tiny space between the stall and the busy road. Monsieur Martin’s chips won a gold medal in a contest judged by gourmet chefs and chip connoisseurs in Brussels.

Chip quality ★★★★★★★★★ (9/10)
Service ★★★★★★★★ (8/10)
Authenticity ★★★★★★★★★ (9/10)

Open Tuesday to Friday, 12pm– 2pm and 5pm–9pm; Saturday, 12pm–3pm and 5pm–9pm