U Eat & Sleep Antwerp — Restaurant in Antwerp

The hotel itself is quite charming - the interior is pleasant, the food is genuinely good, and the location is beautiful. We did encounter a few minor issues in our room, like a missing shower door and a damaged showerhead, but these weren’t dealbreakers and wouldn’t normally warrant a complaint.

Unfortunately, the overall experience was impacted by the service.

To start, there were problems with our reservation. It was cancelled without any explanation, only to be later restored with a casual “it was a mistake.” We found out that our friends, who were also staying at the hotel, had similar issues with their bookings.

Breakfast was another challenge. Since it’s not a buffet, guests have to pre-order and choose a time - we selected 9:00 AM. Despite that, all food we ordered didn’t arrive until just before 10:00. Unfortunately one (very sweet) staff member was doing everything - running the front desk, cooking in the kitchen, and serving tables. A second person eventually showed up, seemingly returning from the grocery store. Both of them were clearly doing their best and working extremely hard, but the system in place simply set them up to fail. It felt more like a DIY guesthouse than a well-run hotel.

The most concerning part of our stay, however, was that someone entered our room at night - using a key. No one was hurt, but it was a deeply unsettling experience. We reported it to the front desk the next morning as no staff is present on-site at night. After a delay while they checked surveillance footage, we were told that the person who entered was a late-arriving guest who had been given a master key - one that opens all hotel rooms. Apparently, this is their standard procedure when guests check in after hours and no security guard is present.

What concerned us even more than the situation itself was the attitude with which it was handled. It felt to me like the front desk staff acted like we were overreacting and brushed it off with simply an apology and a 3% discount - on a stay that was, by all accounts, quite expensive.

The hotel is called U Eat & Sleep, but for us, it didn’t deliver on...

What is a restaurant? Alchemy, chemistry, magic. Theatre, performance, art. A place where we go to be indulged, waited on, spoiled. And on this particular day, it was because I needed comfort, care, and consideration. No-one in the restaurant knew my personal circumstances, someone who had sought an escape for a day from Amsterdam because of unexpected and unexpectedly distressing news.

What can I say about the food? That I have no idea whether this is the best restaurant in Antwerp - it's the first restaurant I've been to in many years in the city - but it was absolutely what I needed. There is no shortage of skill in the kitchen - I could happily have not just eaten but bathed in the shrimp bisque - and there's equal talent with Nicholas and team in pairing wines to the menu. That I was unnecessarily but very kindly offered a glass of wine on the house while I was charging my phone merely underlined their attentiveness and attention to customers in their care.

So go there, because whatever you're looking for - and especially if it's magic - you're quite...

We had a fantastic stay here back in October. The rooms were clean and well decorated. The beds were comfy too. Whilst I was here with friends, this hotel would be a great romantic getaway.

We had some small issues with the room such as a lamp being broken, which was replaced quickly when this was mentioned to the front desk. Staff were always on hand to help with reservations too.

We didn’t eat at the restaurant as we found the menu wasn’t to all of our tastes, however it was decorated beautifully. The hotel bar was well stocked and the beer on tap was lovely.

We were in town for the Madonna concert at the Sportpaleis and were able to walk there easily. Otherwise most other things we wanted to do in Antwerp were further south, but it is a very walkable city and easy to get around.

I would definitely recommend U Eat & Sleep for your...