Bizie Lizie — Restaurant in Antwerp

Before choosing to come here, do yourself a favour and read every review with the word ‘manager’ mentioned. They do not exaggerate. This was one of the most disrespectful and unpleasant experiences we have had.

We walked into the restaurant (with our small dog in a carrier bag), requesting a low dining table to help us accommodate our dog. The manager (bald man, stern looking), with an audible sigh, told us that we could take the high table near the door, and that the only low tables available were upstairs, and dogs were not permitted upstairs. We agreed and sat down, but 10 minutes later, a local family with a larger border collie dog on a leash came in and were seated upstairs without question. My husband asked the manager if we could do the same and he refused to speak to him, telling him to give him a minute, and proceeded to ignore us for the remaining 2 hours we were in the restaurant. The service staff Nick and Hussein were fine, but the manager made it very clear throughout the night that he did not want us in the restaurant, and it definitely affected our experience. He also seemed to intimidate and raise his voice at the other service staff around him.

The food took very long to arrive with a big gap of waiting (more than half an hour) in between the appetizers and the main dishes. Food itself was relatively simple typical French-Belgian faire that was generally alright albeit under-seasoned, but at this price point you’re better off with the many other delicious options available in Antwerp.

My point is, if you’re looking to spend above €100 for a couple drinks, 2 appetisers, and 2 mains, there are plenty of places that will satisfy you, without the side order of rudeness and discrimination...

I was very excited to join that restaurant after noticing that it was recommended by Michelin. When we arrived, the atmosphere was cold. None of the waiters was smiling. When we asked for the mozzarella bruschettas, the waiter first said that they were not available and recommended sardines instead. After insisting on having the mozzarella bruschettas, the waiter finally served us some. They were suddenly available again. We also ordered boulettes and vol-aux-vents. These two dishes were extremely average. A 10-year-old could have done much better. The croquette crevettes by contrast were delicious. What shocked us was that the manager declared us persona non grata after our baby started crying. The manager kept telling us that it was not normal that a baby cry like this and invited us to leave the restaurant as soon as possible.The manager presumably wanted to maintain the chique nature of the restaurant. Yet, there was nothing chique about the quality of the dishes, which could easily have been served at a regular brasserie. The manager looked like a mafia leader. With his creepy face, he spent his entire evening instilling fear in waiters and spying on customers whilst drinking like a lazy bastard. The fact that we had a Taiwanese, an American and a francophone at the table did not help our cause: the restaurant is welcoming mostly towards local Flemish. Never again!!! Good luck before they acquire an actual...

The owner (tall bald man) will greet you in a very rude manner: "why are you here?" Then sits you down at the worst table even though you are the first clients. Will smile to some people and be rude to others. I had time to observe the way he greets clients. No smile, no hospitality. From the first second he will ruin your experience. The waiter was very nice and tried his best to make up for the bad welcoming. The owner will keep staring at you while you're eating and stare you down. Ruined the entire experience. I told him at the end that he had been rude from the first moment we got in, his reply was : "This will be your last time here anyways." PLEASE read all comments before you go there because once we arrived we started reading comments and a LOT of people had the same experience. Small man complex and obviously has a problem with minorities 😅 IF you look like you have money, you'll be treated well, otherwise ruuuuuun from this unwelcoming place. Thank you for the waiters that tried...