Can you recommend some inexpensive but good restaurants in Brussels and Amsterdam?

I will be visiting Brussels and Amsterdam soon and would like to get the names of some good places to eat. We're on a budget so cheaper ones would be good but we'd rather eat nice food than cheap trash! It's our first trip so we don't know the area at all so places near the typical tourist spots would be good. Also recommendations on what to eat. I'd love to try some typical Belgian and Dutch dishes. In Amsterdam our hotel is quite central but in Brussels we will be in Upper Town, 5 miles from the airport. Thanks in advance!

Public Comments

1. Brussels is expensive....try the set menu for a fixe price and avoid the big market(less on your plate). Amsterdam also even more expensive, try the restaurants at Rembrandt plein.
2. I can only answer for Brussels. You'll find the best fish restaurants on the "Place Sainte-Catherine", it's very close to the tourist spots like the "Grand'Place" You can also try in the area of "les Etangs d'Ixelles", but it's maybe a bit too far from downtown or the airport
3. For Amsterdam: Look on the menu before going into a restaurant, they all have the prices on the outside and many people will have a look before going in. The Zeedijk, (Nieuwmarkt to Centraal station) has many small ethnic eateries. Around Leidse straat and Leidse plein are also a lot of small places, but go to the side streets and their side streets again. You can fill your belly for about 5 Euro in a Febo, a meat and chips/french fries place the Dutch way, but it will be bottom of the list. Showarma (other spellings possible) is also not expensive, it is Kebab/Donner. Pizza is often a good cheap meal, but not for every day. Many of the Chinese Indonesian restaurants have a good selection of relatively cheap dishes, most restaurants have dinner offers too. Rice table is famous, a big selection of different dishes for a moderate price too. But check the price as not all Chinese Indonesian places are cheap. For lunch, or if you are a small eater, pancakes the Dutch way. Belegde Broodjes, buns made into sandwiches are what the Dutch go for to get lunch. When you find that you have spend more than you would like, think about getting a good but cheap lunch somewhere and get a loaf of bread and some toppings from a supermarket, and eat dinner at your hotel room. Map, you can search on the name of the street, or by topic: http://www.amsterdam.info/map/ You will not find many traditional Dutch dishes on the menu in the Amsterdam restaurants, but peasoup is often available. (I hate it so I can not tell you where to eat it.)
4. Below is a fantastic online restaurant guide to Amsterdam. My favourites are van Kerkwijk in Nes near Dam Square and de Reiger in Egelantiersgracht in the Jordaan area.
5. This is the recommended restaurant guide for any major place in Belgium: http://www.resto.be/ware/index.jsp?lg=EN As far as the typical cuisine: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_cuisine