A L’Angolo — Restaurant in Brussels

We selected this Italian restaurant based on its many favorable reviews, hoping for a warm and authentic dining experience during our visit to central Brussels. Initially, all seemed promising. The restaurant was busy, with a vibrant atmosphere, and the staff were numerous. The first person to attend to us—a Moroccan gentleman—was particularly smiley, dynamic, and friendly. His welcome gave us confidence that we had made a good choice.

Once seated, we checked the wine on the menu. My Japanese wife is a passionate and certified wine expert. We decided to start by enjoying two glasses of Lambrusco Bianco, along with a variety of recommended pasta dishes for the whole family, complemented by a bottle of water and some bread. We were thinking to order some more special wines after.

Although the restaurant was active, there was no visible pressure on the staff, who were enough people. Yet our service quickly became sluggish. It took an unusually long time to place our order, and even longer for anything to arrive. Being visibly a tourist family—carrying hats and bags, speaking imperfect French—it became clear we were disposable customer.

As we began eating our pasta, still without receiving the wine, I grew concerned that the staff member in charge of our table had simply forgotten or chosen to ignore our order. I took the initiative to approach another staff member—an Italian gentleman—hoping he might assist. He listened kindly and assured me he would personally take care of the matter. We were thankful for his attention, but again, nothing came promptly.

Only near the end of the meal, just before dessert, did the wine arrive. And with it, a final disappointment: the Lambrusco was completely flat, void of any bubbles or brightness. It tasted lifeless, more like still wine diluted with water than a refined Italian sparkling. My wife, always discreet and reluctant to complain, would have endured the experience in silence. But I could not accept it.

I brought the two glasses directly to the bar, where the person in charge admitted without resistance that they had been poured from a quite old bottle. In any serious establishment, such a bottle would never be served to a customer—certainly not at the price of a fresh pour.

The entire experience cast an unfortunate shadow over our afternoon in Brussels. It is especially sad because I have had so many truly wonderful moments in Belgian brasseries—warm, generous places where the food is excellent and the welcome sincere.

This review is offered not in anger, but in the spirit of fairness. I believe every guest, regardless of origin or language, deserves upmost attention and respect. I sincerely hope this restaurant will take such feedback to heart and reflect on the standards it wishes to uphold, so to prevent future visitors (not us) to enjoy their place and...

I had a long day walking around Brussels and decided to eat here in the evening.

First of all, the view from the restaurant was amazing. As you can see in the picture, there was construction work on the opposite side of the street, with an old building being torn down to make way for a new one. It was like watching the Industrial Revolution in real time, with old bricks and electrical wires being demolished to pave the way for new lives and new experiences. While I was excited about the new building, I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad watching an old building filled with history and memories being torn down. This view paired perfectly with the food at the restaurant, like a good red wine complements a meal.

While I was people-watching from the restaurant, I noticed a guy standing in the same spot by the building next door for over an hour. I still wonder what he was doing—was he waiting for someone? Just killing time? These questions filled the empty void in my brain, constantly seeking the tea—something the iced tea at this restaurant was not able to satisfy.

There was also a birthday party at the restaurant. A group of people started singing for the birthday person while I was eating. I didn’t get to see their reaction to their friends loudly singing “Happy Birthday,” which was a bit of a shame as it is always fun to see them suffer. I was too tired to join in the clapping, but the birthday song was like finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano: it smells a bit funky but tastes delicious with my pasta.

The appetizer bread was as stale as my legs after walking non-stop for four days with no sleep, and like my body, about to crumble to pieces and fall incredibly sick the second I return home. However, anything will taste good when you have butter.

TL;DR: Overall, what I would recommend is to visit Luxembourg. There is nothing that will make me happier and more satisfied than free...

Genuinely looked forward to dining here based on the menu, photos, and mostly positive reviews about the food.

Arrived around 8pm on a Thursday and had to wait a bit outside before a table was available, which was no problem at all.

The issues arose after the host/owner gestured us inside. Perhaps due to miscommunication, our assigned waiter brought us upstairs to an empty table, but then had us wait on the side and called up the group who were after us (and who also didn’t have reservations—we conversed with them outside while waiting) and sat them down.

The waiter didn’t explain the situation and had us walk back downstairs to speak with the owner, who hand-waved an excuse about getting the number of available tables wrong, while completely ignoring that our waiter brought us to an empty table and then made us stand there while he seated the next group at the table!

He then had us awkwardly wait in the middle of the restaurant, promising that a table was opening up. After five minutes without any resolution we decided to leave. We told him as we left that while we understood the mistake, the lack of hospitality (didn’t apologize or even offer us water) and overall attitude made dining here a non-starter.

Well he didn’t like the feedback, going so far as to follow us onto the street unhinged, yelling at us.

I thought maybe we just caught him on a bad day, but if you filter for the low reviews on Google, Yelp, and elsewhere, a common theme emerges of the waiter/host/owner being rude and argumentative—especially if a customer “dares” to voice any feedback.

Responses to reviews by the restaurant, who I believe are written by the same person, are the same: rude and defensive. Read and judge for yourself.

Another reviewer mentioned rats (not sure literal or figurative, maybe both?). And apparently they were also cash-only until recently (lol)....