Updated on 11 April 2026

Amex Global Dining Collection: The Best Restaurants in Belgium with Exclusive Benefits

Last month I was sitting at a table in a starred restaurant in the centre of Brussels. White napkins, soft candlelight, a glass of Burgundy that the sommelier had recommended with a subtle smile. And while I was enjoying an amuse-bouche with langoustine and yuzu, I realised that this entire dinner for two was already included. No bill. No catch. Simply a benefit of my Amex Platinum card that I had honestly left unused for far too long.

The Amex Global Dining Collection in Belgium is something I overlooked for a long time. To be honest: I mainly used my Amex Platinum for lounge access at Brussels Airport and earning Membership Rewards points for flights. But the dining benefits? They turned out to be far more interesting than I thought.

And that's what I want to share today. Not as a dry list of terms and conditions, but as someone who now looks forward to those exclusive reservations every quarter.

What exactly is the Amex Global Dining Collection?

Let me start with the basics, because there's quite a bit of confusion about it. The Amex Global Dining Collection is a suite of dining benefits exclusively available to American Express Platinum cardholders. It's not an app you need to download separately, not a points system you need to figure out. It's a package of restaurant privileges that automatically comes with your card.

In Belgium, it specifically revolves around three pillars. The first is Dining for 2: three times per year you and a guest can sit down at a selected top restaurant for a complete 2-course menu, entirely free of charge. The value of this adds up to €300 per year. That's not nothing, especially when you consider that the card costs €780 per year. This one benefit alone covers almost 40% of the annual fee.

The second pillar is the Black Pearls Dining Experience at Brussels Airport. Twice a month, as a Platinum cardholder, you can pick up a meal at Black Pearls, the restaurant at the airport. This is separate from your lounge access. Imagine: you have an early flight from Zaventem and the lounges aren't open yet, or you simply want something better than a croissant from the Relay. Then Black Pearls is a real recommendation.

The third is the Lounge On the Go: also twice a month a premium takeaway option at Brussels Airport. Handy for those moments when you've passed through the gate and want to quickly grab something delicious to take on the plane.

Which Belgian restaurants participate in Dining for 2?

This is the question I get most frequently from other Belgian travellers. And I understand, because Amex doesn't always communicate this very clearly. The list of participating restaurants changes every quarter. That might sound like a limitation, but I actually experience it as something positive. Every three months there's a new selection, which means you keep discovering new addresses.

The restaurants are mainly located in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent. Think of establishments with a Michelin star or a Gault&Millau score, but also trendy newcomers creating a buzz in the Belgian food scene. Over the past year, I've dined at places where I might not have been so quick to make a reservation otherwise, simply because the price would have put me off. But with Dining for 2, it feels like an invitation to taste outside your comfort zone.

My tip: check the Amex app or the official Amex Belgium website at the beginning of each quarter. The most popular restaurants fill up quickly, especially in Brussels. I always book within the first week after the new selection is announced.

A concrete example. Last December, there was a restaurant in the Antwerp city centre on the list that I had been wanting to try for months. Two courses, wine pairing included, for two people. The bill would normally come to around €180. That evening I paid zero euros. Those kinds of moments, that's what gets you excited.

Black Pearls and Brussels Airport: fine dining before you fly

I fly regularly from Brussels Airport. Sometimes to London for work, sometimes to Barcelona for a long weekend, sometimes BRU to IST to a further destination. And honestly? The food in airport lounges is fine, but after the twentieth time having the same hummus and the same salad, you start craving something different.

That's where Black Pearls makes the difference. This restaurant is located landside at Brussels Airport and offers Amex Platinum cardholders a Dining Experience twice a month. These are takeaway meals of a quality you wouldn't expect at an airport. We're talking about dishes that are seriously prepared, not reheated from a combi oven.

I often combine it like this: first through Fast Lane security (also free with the Platinum card, normally worth €169 per year), then a stop at the lounge for a coffee, and I take my Black Pearls meal onto the plane. On short flights within Europe where the onboard food is disappointing, it feels like a small luxury that makes all the difference.

The Lounge On the Go works similarly. Twice a month a premium takeaway. Ideal for those moments when you don't have time to sit in the lounge, but still want to board with something better than a dry sandwich.

How the Amex Platinum restaurants combine with other benefits

What I find most interesting about the Amex Global Dining Collection is how it fits into the bigger picture. The Platinum card isn't a card you get for one single benefit. The power lies in the stacking.

Take a typical weekend away that I did last autumn. Friday evening: Dining for 2 at a starred restaurant in Ghent. Free. Saturday morning: via Brussels Airport to Lisbon. Fast Lane security (free), lounge access for me and my partner (free, because the Platinum card covers the cardholder plus 1 guest at 1,550+ lounges worldwide). Three nights at a Fine Hotels + Resorts hotel in Lisbon with complimentary breakfast, room upgrade to a suite, late checkout until 4pm, and a welcome gift of €100. The total savings on that one weekend? Well over €800.

And meanwhile I was earning Membership Rewards points on all spending. With the Booster option (€10/month extra) you get 4 points per euro. I use those points later for flights via partners such as Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa or Emirates. It's a flywheel that keeps feeding itself.

As I also explain in my detailed review of the Amex Platinum card, it's the combination of all these benefits that more than recoups the annual fee of €780. The dining benefits alone are already worth €300 to €500 per year, depending on how actively you use them.

Amex Offers and restaurant discounts in Belgium: the hidden benefit

There's something else that many Belgian cardholders overlook. In addition to the major dining benefits, Amex also has a programme called "Amex Offers". These are discounts and cashback promotions at more than 100 brands, and restaurants and food delivery services regularly feature among them.

The way it works is simple. Personalised offers appear in your Amex app. Sometimes it's 10% cashback at Deliveroo, sometimes €20 off at a particular restaurant chain. It literally takes you two taps on your screen to activate the offer, and the discount is automatically applied when you pay with your Platinum card.

I don't use it for every restaurant, but when I happen to be eating at a place that's on the Amex Offers list, it's free money. Last month I had an offer of €15 off at a restaurant group where I was going to have lunch anyway. Five seconds of effort, €15 saved. Those small amounts add up over a year.

And then there's the concierge service. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I've used it a few times to arrange last-minute reservations at popular restaurants in Brussels and Antwerp. No magic, but the concierge sometimes has access to tables that are already fully booked through regular channels. For a special dinner with friends or a birthday surprise, that's worth its weight in gold.

Is it worth the €780 per year as a foodie in Belgium?

I understand the hesitation. €780 per year is a lot of money for a credit card. And if you were to get the card solely for the restaurant benefits, then the answer is: it depends.

But that's not how it works in practice. Nobody gets the Amex Platinum just for dining. You get it because you travel regularly, because you benefit from lounge access (value ~€500/year via Priority Pass Prestige), because you use the travel insurance (trip cancellation, luggage, medical expenses abroad), because you pay no foreign transaction fees abroad, and yes: because the restaurant benefits come on top of all that as a very pleasant bonus.

Let me do the maths. Dining for 2, three times per year: approximately €300 in savings. Black Pearls Dining Experience and Lounge On the Go at Brussels Airport: say you fly 8 times per year, then you use it at least 10 times, value around €150. Fast Lane security: €169 per year. Lounge access: €500 per year. Fine Hotels + Resorts for one hotel stay: up to €650. We're already well above €1,700 in value, while the card costs €780.

For Belgian travellers who fly at least three to four times per year from Brussels Airport and enjoy dining out, it's a no-brainer. That's my honest opinion after three years as a cardholder.

How do you apply for the Amex Platinum with the maximum welcome bonus?

If after reading this you're considering applying for the card, there's one thing I want to share with you. The way you apply matters. Via the TravelLux.be referral link you receive the maximum welcome bonus of 150,000 Membership Rewards points. That's more than when you apply directly on the Amex website.

The requirements are straightforward: you must be at least 18 years old, have a gross annual income of at least €30,000, no payment arrears, and a Belgian fiscal residence. The application itself takes about five minutes online.

Those 150,000 welcome points can be redeemed for flights with partners such as Brussels Airlines, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, British Airways, and 15 other airlines. Or you exchange them for hotel stays, shopping credit, or statement credits. The points never expire as long as your card is active, so there's no rush.

I used my first 150,000 points back then for two return flights BRU to BCN in business class via an airline partner. It felt like theft, honestly. In a good way, that is.

Frequently asked questions about Amex Dining in Belgium