Basils — Restaurant in Brussels

I was going give a 3/5 for service and nice interior but the pizza (tasteless yellow pomodori sauce, lukewarm pizza on which they throw ice cold straciatella cheese..and no, it wasn't just the cold cheese -which should just all so slightly melt on the hot pizza- the pizzas of my neighbours were also lukewarm at most.

The acoustics are terrible. In the renovation they clearly forgot to take acoustic measures.

It is overpriced and of course, one should always be able to get 7 pizzas out at the same time, warm ones . No option to select a Dutch menu !!! 4 languages but no Dutch. That alone is of a disrespect for the big number of Dutch speakers that work in the area and that make these restaurants turn around big money.

On top of that, the manager refused a (shy and polite) customer who wanted a table for one where we saw him refuse none of the big groups that came without reservation. There was of course always a way to make space for one person. It is a money making machine. The same business opposite the road (bad service and mediocre food but also nice interior and terrace) also extended recently. So to me it feels all form and no content what the owners are doing, with one aim, profit. The staff in both places don't seem happy. Either that or they don't manage to find many friendly members of staff (all students it seems).

Don't be fooled by the fact it is busy. People like to try new things and of course some people don't really care if it is nice food. Foodies...

It’s the 20th time I eat pizza from Basils because honestly they’re great. It’s also the third time I come on site, disregarding the fact that the service is terrible. But tonight was the icing on the cake! They post an instagram story of their new Asparagus pizza yesterday evening. Tonight, I’m ordering that famous chef recommended pizza but I notice that there’s no asparagus. I kindly ask the waiter to check with the chef, he comes back telling me that the new recipe does not contain asparagus on top. Surprised, I check the menu again and it does mention asparagus slices. I’ll try with the waiter again and he does not apologize but reassures me that I would have a discount. When comes the times to pay the bill, they had discounted 0,5€ from a 24€ priced asparagus pizza with no asparagus…

Conclusion: I removed one star for not taking my initial comment into consideration, 2 stars for lying to me, 3 stars for not apologizing and 4 stars for making me a discount of 0.5€. NEVER AGAIN, this is a complete lack of respect!

Answer to the owner: I did not at any moment get a warning that there was no asparagus. Instead when I gently asked the waiter he lied to me saying that the recipe had changed. And yes, after strongly insisting that 0.5€ was a complete lack of respect, the waiter again without apologizing changed the price. But again I had to ask for...

Absolutely unacceptable experience at Basil’s. I had booked a table for three 5 days in advance to have dinner before a concert at the Cirque Royal tonight. I reconfirmed my reservation this very morning after being invited to do so by email, only to be told a few hours later by phone that “due to a technical issue” my booking had never been taken into account. By then, both Basil’s and their other location were completely full — leaving me with no acceptable and convenient option to eat before my concert, since every other restaurant in the neighborhood was also fully booked.

This is not just disappointing, it is outrageous. A restaurant of this supposed caliber cannot simply wash its hands and blame an app, especially on a concert night, being located right in front of one of Brussels major concert halls. I really don't understand how that is even possible in 2025 in a big European capital like Brussels.

Next time, I will gladly go back to La Piola (with which I have zero link, by the way - only the fact I live nearby), where the service is consistently reliable and the food is flawless. Basil’s has lost my trust entirely, which is a shame because I really loved their sister pasta restaurant.

Mise à jour - merci à la direction du restaurant pour la réponse claire et honnête, ainsi que pour l'offre - que j'apprécie beaucoup. Qui...