In 't Spinnekopke — Restaurant in Brussels

The food is good and the setting is very old Belgian style. I like it! I had been here before the change of property. The service is good, friendly and informal as it is appropriate in such a setting. We got several recommendations, and all were absolutely to the point. The flamish stew is very good. I recommend it. The rest of the food is ok, I would just not expect the frozen potato croquettes to be brought with 'homemade' style food. I must say that our food came a bit one after the other (stew before and several minutes after the french fries). So all in all this would deserve somewhere between 4 and 5*.

BUT, at the end of the dinner, the waiter comes for the payment. 1. He does NOT bring a check and just tells us the total amount. 2. He insists that only one person pays (we were 5). No splitting of (non-existent, non checkable) check allowed. Anywhere around the world, the hospitality service brings a check and then also accepts the splitting of checks, whether with cards, cash, or mixed. That's, of course, part of the service. The place was not extremely busy, the credit card fees are negligeable... there is no reason not to offer this to the client. We were 5, not 25, so it was totally doable in 2 minutes. Furthermore, the restaurant does NOT seem to understand that it is engaging in an individual contract with each consumer and must allow clients to pay their food and not oblige one to pay the food of others. I am legally NOT obliged to pay for something I have not consumed. What a way to let clients leave with a bad taste instead of a good taste.

On top of it, if it was at least indicated, well, you know and make up your mind beforehand. Maybe you walk even out if you are not ok with this arrangement. But I haven't seen any sign in the big room we were in, and it was certainly not on the menu. Put it on the menu and inform clients or just offer a better service in this regard! We were 5 people who do not know each other well and it created a very okward situation which could have been easily solved by the waiter by accepting to split the bill (we were 5 and had to make only 3 payments). The lack of willingness to offer such a service is, from my point of view, very regrettable.

I travel a lot, I have never seen this. I am often in Italy, Spain, Portugal, France which are countries with an extremely well developped hospitality service nobody would even think of not bringing a check to the table (and allow clients 2 minutes to have a look or not) and tell clients that they do not accept more than 1 card per table. I am (negatively) amazed. Clients must remember to carry around cash because a restaurant does not want to accept several payments on a table? That's ludicrous.

Update after reply: Not bringing the check is not excusable. My menu did not indicate anything on card payments. Check your menus! In any case, it's not legal either - you can not oblige me to pay something I have not consumed. The statement on transaction costs is a lie: there are European rules, and the costs are negligible. At least try not to lie. You are in the hospitality business and should thus offer a better service. It's not a lot to ask. 98% of places do not mind separate card payments. Why...

Visit: 10 February 2018 What a wonderful place! Dined here with a friend who had been several times before. Booking is necessary, this place fills up and it isn't that large but groups can be easily accommodated.

The menu is quite extensive; hot and cold starters, meat, poultry, fish and desserts however very little for vegetarians. A lot of dishes come with/in either a wine or beer sauce and most dishes seem to come with a small basket of frites. There's an extensive beer and wine menu as well.

If anything there is far too much choice, of everything! I spent an age narrowing down 2 cold and 2 hot starters to just the one and don't get me started on the mains. The one upside is when i return, which i surely will, I'll have a head start on what to choose.

Don't think that with such an extensive menu the choices will be sub-par, everything is done exceptionally well.

Service is friendly and fairly efficient, when you see how busy the place is you'll appreciate you may not get served immediately, it's a friendly convivial atmosphere so if you're with friends you'll enjoy chatting whilst trying to decide...

Old restaurant that is living off it's fame. I came to this restaurant 3 years and really enjoyed it so I returned here on my latest trip to Brussels and I had quite a disappointing experience. We arrived at 10pm and the restaurant had a few empty tables so I was expecting a fairly swift service, unfortunately I was very wrong. After 10min of being seated I had to get up to ask for the menu, after 10min of choosing our food I had to get up again to make the order. Ordered a beer and the waiter brought a different one and poured it in front me, when I noticed it was the wrong one and told him he just said he had ran out of the other one. What kind of restaurant gives you a different item without even telling you? They probably thought I was tourist that doesn't understand anything about beer. Finally, after 20min of our order, they came to tell us the mussels had finished and had to pick something else. All in all it was a disappointing experience and I will not be coming back, the food was pretty good but the service was...