Molenbeek-Saint-Jean is a densely-packed district where unemployment is high and disengagement rife. Children play on green open spaces framed by graffitied walls, and behind the colourful shop facades there are pockets of poverty.
The population is transient, but some families have settled; mothers with buggies are a familiar sight. Within its melting pot of cultures there's a large Muslim community.
The recent Paris attacks have thrust Molenbeek into the international spotlight. Belgian authorities carried out a series of raids searching for key suspects believed to have lived in the area. Two people arrested have been charged with terrorist offences.
It's led to Molenbeek being widely labelled as a jihadi haven, but for some residents that's an unfair description.
Restaurant owner Derdabi Nabil said his regular customers came from more than 30 different countries but live in harmony in this corner of Brussels.
He was working on the day of the first police raids in connection with the Paris attacks.
"There were lots of police and lots of weapons," he said. "It was the first time we've seen anything like that.
"There is not usually any problem here. There is no problem here."