Belgian Pigeon House — Restaurant in Bruges

I do not like leaving poor reviews, especially when things started out very nicely…. However, this is my experience and my opinion….

I really liked the adorable little restaurant tucked away on the pretty plaza. The staff were very professional and courteous. I liked the pigeon interior, the pictures, the trophies, the table settings and the ambiance. We were sitting inside by the window, it was a very windy day, and our table was perfectly located where we got a fresh breeze, but not as much fly away napkins, etc, as did people sitting outside.

The restaurant serves the bread basket with little dishes of olives and mixed nuts. The bread was very fresh and tasty, the as were the accompaniments. Café Latte was served with a cookie and a chocolate. We started with the fried duck liver and it was AMAZING. The portion was generous, the liver was properly cooked, medium rare, wonderful flavor. The warm apple wedges accompanying the dish were thinly sliced and lightly candies. Fantastic appetizer.

At this point I was very excited for the rest of our meal. However, that is when the disappointment occurred. We ordered three main course plates. Lamb shank was very good. It was tender and juicy. It had a great flavor. However, the fillet Mignon I ordered, was really bad. To begin with, I asked for it to be cooked medium rare. When the plate came to the table, the meat was so tough, it took me multiple attempts to cut it… further, I believe that it was not a tenderloin…. I have eaten and cooked myself this particular cut of meat so many times, that I am reasonably sure it was not it. Finally, it was not medium rare, it was closer to medium or medium well… even overdone fillet mignon is generally tender enough to allow no effort to slice it…. The chicken filet was actually a skewer, and the meat on it were five or six small pieces of overcooked, salty, dry chicken…. The veggies and roasted potatoes were good. I would come back for the foie gras, but not the...

We thought that this was a really lovely meal, in an ambient, cozy little restaurant. We sat downstairs in the cellar, the room was a typical example of the brick lined cellars in Bruges. The stairs down were a little steep, especially post meal when you've sampled the drinks menu. The food we had was lovely, warm goats cheese and shrimp croquettes for starters, both very large, the goats cheese was the star it was beautifully creamy and sweet with balsamic. The shrimp croquettes had whole shrimps throughout and had that lovely seafood flavour. For our mains we had pigeon and venison. The pigeon was a full pigeon, legs and wings all done over an open flame and was really lovely. The venison was tender and served with an unctuous red wine jus, and a really tasty blue cheese bake. For dessert we had the apple pastry, with all the trimmings and it was massive.ore than enough for 2 people and very very good. The service was excellent despite there only being one waiter, he was friendly, knowledgeable attentive and gracious. Overall I would eat here again without a...

What an amazing place, we were in Bruges just before Christmas and during our miandering down side alleys found the Pigeon House. Compared to so many other overly formal, faux-authentic, restaurants we had looked at, it immediately stood out, striking a fantastic balance of being welcoming and refined, friendly and professional. As the many pictures and reviews will attest, the food is simply delicious, but the thing that really stood out and puts them head and shoulders above the rest of the Bruges alternatives, was their astounding customer care. The Waiter opened up the cavern next to the down stairs dining area, so our inquisitive 2yr old could have a look. They prepared mini versions of their dishes rather than a separate children's menu, the owner was warm and genuine, her passion for the food was utterly infectious.

We will be back, we may travel to Bruges just to dine there again. I urge you to visit and experience the simply brilliant Belgium Pigeon House, you...