Searching for a new cafe haunt in Brussels? Or perhaps the perfect viewpoint from which to watch the sunset? You'll find tips like these and more on 'The Guide Brussels', a set of social media pages that has amassed more than 350,000 followers across platforms and become a go-to source for uncovering the city's best-kept secrets.
But behind these recommendations is an unlikely curator: Nancy Lahoud, an energetic Lebanese immigrant who only recently made Brussels her home.
A tough start
The Brussels Times met the woman behind the screen at the bustling Café de la Presse, a spot in the Louise area which she herself had recommended to her followers. Switching easily between English and French, Lahoud recalls how she and her husband moved to Brussels in 2021 to escape the financial crisis that has crippled Lebanon since 2019.
Before coming to Brussels, the city wasn't even in her top ten bucket-list destinations. The choice, she admits, was "rather random." Still, Lahoud says she "didn't hesitate to say yes," having always wanted to live in Europe.
The transition to Belgian life was not smooth sailing for Lahoud. She moved to Brussels without a job lined up, benefiting from the family reunification system. So while her husband, a French national, quickly found work, her residency application dragged on. "The page was the only thing I could do," she explains.
In Lebanon, Lahoud had worked in a bank for over 11 years. "At the bank, I had really fallen into a routine, and I didn't feel like I could put my own touch on things in that work." She had always loved creativity, journalism, photography and travelling, and found a way of bringing all these areas together through 'The Guide Brussels'.
When Lahoud finally obtained her residency in July 2022, she faced pressure from her family to find a "real job" to supplement her husband's income. After applying to nearly 100 jobs, she landed a fixed-term contract that let her go after only six months "for no real reason," she says.
"It's not super easy for a Lebanese [national] to find a job in Belgium," she laments, adding that she couldn't work in a Belgian bank because she doesn't speak Dutch.
At some point, a Lebanese friend told her, "Stop looking for a job and focus on your page. You'll start making a living out of it if you focus on it." Grateful that she followed this advice, Lahoud calls the success of her page "a miracle." Although she underlines that she "didn't have the choice to abandon it."
An unlikely love story
Her page filled a gap in the market by being both informative and personal. Though she was anonymous for about a year, she says her sincere love for the city, as well as her outsider's take on it, was likely infectious. "I was not shy to say I loved Brussels."
Credit: The Guide Brussels
As the sole employee of her business, Lahoud takes pride in the fact that she does everything from researching to filming and editing herself. "The minute you start outsourcing or doing several other things on the side, you lose the spirit of the page."
As a result, although they may only have small marketing budgets, Lahoud plans to continue working primarily with small businesses in the HoReCa sector (hotel, restaurant, café).
Scrolling through 'The Guide Brussels' on Instagram, it is easy to see the appeal. Lahoud compiles monthly agendas of things to do in Brussels, ventures out and tries quirky workshops and restaurants, taking you, the follower, along with her seemingly endless enthusiasm.
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"People tend to criticise me because I'm too positive about Brussels," she says, somewhat bemused. Lahoud insists there is much to love about Brussels. In particular, she never tires of the parks (her favourites being Bois de la Cambre, Duden, Tenbosch, Josaphat), the architecture ("We live in an open-air museum!"), and the slow life.
But above all, what she loves most about her home is that, "In Brussels, everyone can be who they want to be, there's a place for everybody. It's home for everyone, and this is a very weird mix of people from everywhere, but somehow they all live together."
Broader horizons
In the few years she has been in Brussels, Lahoud has felt a change in the safety of the city, however. She always took pride in the fact that 'The Guide Brussels' would highlight not only the hyped places, but also those under the radar, sometimes off the beaten track.
"I'm someone who used to go to all the neighbourhoods, and now, for example, I have to think twice before going to certain neighbourhoods. I want to be able to go everywhere without worrying."
In the future, Lahoud hopes to explore other locations outside of the capital, but her content will remain focused on Belgium, and she says Brussels will always be the priority. "Every year, there are new people who come here," she says, adding that her audience isn't just those well-acquainted with the city, but also the constant stream of newcomers.
Lastly, when asked if she had any advice for jaded Brussels veterans, her advice was simple: to try new things! "There are so many interesting events," she says, rattling off a list of roller parties, fashion shows, basketball games, manual workshops, and running clubs.
"The dog cafes even did a speed dating for dog owners! I get invited to so many events, I can't even do them all."
