't Koningshuis — Local services in Ghent

Regular Customers No More: Disappointing Customer Service at t'Koninghuis Ghent!

We have been loyal customers of t'Koninghuis in Ghent for months, ordering takeaway ribs every weekend. The ribs were consistently juicy, tender, and perfectly seasoned. We even dined in twice, experiencing both exceptional and average days. However, recent events have led us to decide never to return!

On Saturday, after placing a pick-up order for 8pm, we called at 6:30pm to provide feedback on the ribs from the past two weeks during Gentse Feesten. The quality had noticeably declined: fries were like leftover scraps, and ribs were thin and poorly seasoned. We understood that Gentse Feesten might have stretched their resources, but we felt compelled to share our experience.

Our call was received by a woman who was incredibly impatient and kept cutting us off. Instead of listening, she repeatedly asked if we liked the ribs juicy or dry. We tried to explain that while their ribs had been amazing for months, the recent decline in quality was disappointing. She seemed uninterested and eventually passed the phone to her husband or the cook, likely because she was either annoyed or too busy.

The second person was just as dismissive. When we expressed our concerns and asked for more attention to quality, he bluntly said that the ribs were always prepared the same way and cut us off. He then told us, "If you’re not happy, go somewhere else." This lack of respect and unwillingness to listen to a regular customer was shocking!!

We asked for a refund and decided that our history with t'Koninghuis ends here. While the food can be great at times, the customer service is appalling. We understand they might be busy, but dismissing and cutting off regular customers is unacceptable.

If you're willing to take a chance on the quality of the ribs, go ahead. However, if you find yourself dissatisfied, don’t expect your feedback to be welcomed. The team at t'Koninghuis seems unwilling to accept criticism or make improvements based on customer experiences. We hope our review helps others make an...

TL;DR: Great food. Wonderful interiors. Unforgettable fries. Would go back.

For sure, I will go back to 't Koningshuis soon. My dining experience was wonderful and my friend, who was visiting from Austria, told me that this was his favorite amongst the other restos we visited.

I was craving for some grilled meat or some ribs and we luckily stumbled upon this via Google. The ratings were good so we took a chance. Booking online is very easy. We were greeted by their lovely servers and were seated immediately. Realizing we don't speak Flemish Dutch, they directed us to the website.

Of course, my eyes locked on the eat-all-you-can pork ribs. My friend for a steak. Trust me when I say that this place is worth the price.

It did not take too long of a wait before our food came in. The lovely server set down four sauces for our fries, which I would later use for my ribs. With our steak and ribs came a salad and some frites. Lemme tell you about the fries. THEY WERE AWESOME. I immediately knew they were fried in beef fat. That gives it that wonderful distinct flavor. I would go back just for the fries.

I ordered the seasoned ribs and they were great! They were toasted in the right places, the seasoning was spot one, and the meat was falling off the bones. The server was visibly surprised when I asked for my third rack. They would bring in smoking hot straight from the kitchen!

Also, I failed to mention that I loved the wonderful interiors. The deep red walls makes the place cozy, warm light are peppered throughout the dining area, the high ceiling gives it an airy feel, and those cow head sconces gives it a quirky touch.

I would totally come back and try to reach four racks this...

Edit: owner asked the review to be removed in private and didn't even bother to apologize. Now the response still lacks an apology and despite him knowing I went to the doctor, he still is arguing the fact (privately and publicly) because the first google result shows "typically after 8 hours first symptoms appear". If he bothered to google further, he would see it could happen much faster than that. (He sent me the screenshot). Amended my review score due to this.

The food was delicious, however I got food poisoning from the cote a l'os with two days full of vomiting and diarrhea. I'm still not feeling fully recovered, which sucks because I'm traveling and spent most of my time in a hotel thus far. It was an unfortunate experience.

I later realized some of the meat from the côte à l'os was not fully cooked looking back at the fact, as it looked raw colored near the bone. I didn't think much about it at the time of the dinner, but looking back, I should have been more aware and not trust blindly.

In the picture you can see some of the bone meat (bottom right) and how raw colored it is.

I didn't eat anything else on this day, and started feeling the first symptoms of discomfort after +- half an hour of leaving the restaurant. (So an hour ish after...