Where to bring your mum for an aperitif in Brussels?

To Cirio.

My ultimate guide to Brussels, "The 500 Hidden Secrets of Brussels", has Cirio in the list of "The 5 Best Bars to Drink Like a Local" (No. 96).

This is a place where already Jacques Brel used to drink half-half, i.e. drink with half sparkling wine and half white wine. The waiters wear traditional black suits with bow ties and the Art Nouveau interior from the beginning of the 20th century deserves to be labelled as one of the most beautiful in Brussels.

Cirio has a long history. The Italian entrepreneur Francesco Cirio opened many cafés around Europe a hundred years ago, but this one in Brussels is the only one to survive (go before Starbucks takes over...). It's not perhaps the coolest bar in town, and I'm not sure to what extent it's a place to drink like a local rather than a grandma tourist, but the half-half is inexpensive and good. A must when your mother comes over for a visit!