Hard Rock Cafe — Restaurant in Brussels

I have been going to HRC Brussels since the opening quite frequently. I do get why some of the guests complain about or very please with this place. I love the interior decor and it has nice view of Grand Place from the window as well. Furthermore the menu’s are all the same in different HRC but they are always very tasty. Of course the great musics gives the finishing touch of HRC.

Depending on waiters/waitresses, they are certainly friendly, attentive and gives HRC feeling. Some people follow the standard etiquette (such as what the survey would ask if they ask about if you are reward member, recommend dishes, etc) or give extra attentiveness to ask if everything is alright. The attitude of staffs seems to change dramatically (once again it’s depends on the person), depending on which country you are from or award member.

My last visit was very recent and I was seated at the bar. During my dining the bartender treated me very well, friendly and very attentive (he even pointed out the difference in cocktails and gave some recommendations to it). Also he was quite social and asked about the occasion etc. But he already knew that I was a reward member back then.

Other time was more of a down side as we made a reservation but we had to wait extra 40min since other staffs wasn’t available for the pictures (but there were enough staffs or at least they should left some warning about the possible delay on seating due to their event). Also the staffs were more ignoring you unless they are 100% certain that you will be the dining guess. The waitress in charge of my table that day only showed up for taking the menu and the bill. It wasn’t the most busy day and it was very weird how each waiters have different way of serving their guests (mine was none, table behind us have been talking about reward member and other stuffs and even got cake due to hard rock cafe’s anniversary which we didn’t get it - we didn’t mind but it would been nice to be asked if we were interested as there were some leftovers). On the other hand, there was other waiter who served our table and rest of 3rd floor and he was very attentive, friendly and social.

During other visit, we were served by the funny and friendly manager!

In general, even I do have some remarks I still consider HRC Brussels to be a good HRC restaurant (especially comparing to one in Antwerpen). Furthermore, they certainly made some improvements and I definitely recommend people to visit here! I have notice that there are a lot of people at the bar or people who are just passing by the reception just to take the picture of the interior decor of guitar wall for their Instagram picture. So I guess it’s Instagram worthy place.

-------------------UPDATE (14.11.19)---------------- Friday afterwork when HRC was not as crowded. It was my very first time my fiance and I felt very invisible. We were sitting at the table nearby the restroom. There were obviously enough staffs at the first floor and even they may be responsible for their own tables the guy (bald guy with glasses) was literally avoiding to make any eye contacts and passing away while just laughin and talking to his staff members. It 45min for someone to notice us (this friendly bartender with glasses who is obviously need to stick at his bar and even made a remark to his coworker "are you working?" not sure if he met serious). His co-worker bartender didn't do well as well (I noticed that he can do bar and let the client pay for their bill, he never gave us instructions and just handed over the bill. I remember IF I were to sit at the bar then they will let you know about "at the bar you need to pay directly" but he didn't said anything and just put the bill on our table while we were still planning to order something).... after we finished our drinks, it took another 45min (no staffs came to ask if everything was okay, they were giggling too busy with their chattings in Spanish including manager!). Only person who noticed us was the bartender guy who I mentioned before! It's like what happened...

Based on how I rate all restaurants, this was a 2 star experience. Based on my previous experiences with Hard Rock in other cities, this was not even worth a star - it felt like a bodega pretending to be Hard Rock. Where should I start? The service was friendly, but not the over-the-top, typical for Hard Rock. The food? Edible at best. It came cold and the order was half wrong. When the correct order came, I have to say - the burgers were just bland if not even bad. The desert was supposed to be a warm brownie like the lava cake - it was nothing like that. They didn't even have the normal Orange Fanta! The location - highly disappointing. Barely got a few places to serve people and barely anything exposed in terms of memorabilia. The shop? As usual, great male t-shirts, terrible female ones. I got one from males just because I'm hooked on collecting them, but I was sincerely torn if I should pump anymore money into this location.

I don't know what needs to be done in order to raise this location to a true Hard Rock experience, wether it means increasing prices or staff training, but this was disappointing and honestly felt like...

I used to go more to Hard Rock caffes but haven't been in one for years. I guess last was still before COVID. In this time, it was more of a coincidence due to the rain, and it was a nice hideaway. Situated on the corner of Grand Platz, it is easy to find. We were 2 with no reservation but got a small table next to the entry stair towards the kitchen. Initially, it was not the best location, but it turned out to be a catch. Later in the evening, a live concert was going on, with a duo playing some of the best rock songs from the 80s and 90s. And we were having a front row. The service was fast as always. We ordered a mixed BBQ plate with baby spare ribs, BBQ chicken, and pulled pork. It was massive and with additional beer hard to finish entirely. The meat was splendid, the pomfrit (French fries) a bit to fatty. As the concert was going on, we took a few more drinks (they have good selection of cocktails), enough to get us till the end. On the end, this is a typical HR Caffe, so you know what you get. It is better to book in advance, as it can get busy. Definitely to return...