Paul — Restaurant in Brussels

This is a place that hates their customers (so don’t be a customer)! Besides the old/dirty furniture and a not particularly clean establishment, there is no heat. Even worse, there is no attempt made to heat this dump. When we went in it was 4C which was the same temperature as inside. (Yes, they even hate their staff who looked part frozen.) In fact, going inside was no different to sitting at the outside tables at 4C! Avoid, avoid, avoid!!!

Also, this place is not Covid safe. The management has deliberately flaunted all the rules on hygiene and spacing. Nothing in this dump is spaced at 1.5 metres!

I’m completely miffed at how anyone can give this joint a 5 star rating, or for that matter, 4 stars. To be kind, 3 stars is the best it should do. As for the food, it was mediocre at best. It was certainly better than the Paul’s at Place Stephane, which can’t bake a croissant to save their life. But(t), that’s not saying much! In keeping with their stingy theme (ie don’t spend a penny on heating), the croissants, couque au beurre, pain au chocolat were downsized and tiny, unlike their price. Pooo….. gag…

Again, in keeping with their parsimonious business plan, the obvious benefit of keeping the place unheated is to chase bottoms off the seats into the warmth of the freezing outdoors. Yes, you will certainly not find people lounging around here. No shortage of seats! In fact, the first thing you do upon arrival is to think about leaving! Now hold that thought and just leave immediately before you get the cold finger of contempt from the greedy owners. Avoid, avoid, avoid..

However, if you were foolish enough to wander into this dump, all is not lost. Just turn around and look 20 metres to the SE and you see Léopold Café Royal. It’s new and it looks interesting. And...

I've been coming to this location multiple times a week for at least 6 years and I have to say I'm still pleasantly impressed! For someone who has checked out multiple Paul locations in and around the city center, this is definitely one of the best, both in customer service as in quality of the food. And even though the menu is mainly the same everywhere, compared to these other locations, the pastries are in my opinion much better prepared. Seeing how this is a place that sees many tourists as well, it's commendable that the quality of the food hasn't suffered! I've not had their full brunch menu yet, but I've come by to try out their breakfast menus several times, as I love to do breakfast food brunches in the weekends. Price quality wise their breakfast menus are really affordable and no-nonsense (as opposed to some of the more 'known' brunch places). I have to admit I even prefer going to this location over the nearby Brian Joyeux, as I prefer the 'cuisson' of their croissants and pains au chocolat better, and they are never out of couques after 10am (a rare feat for some bakeries). I do think the way the tables and the queue are set up in the main room is not always intuitive for new customers, and there might be room for improvement in the way the furniture is set up. Otherwise I have no remarks. To finish I will add that's its a really nice touch that I can always order in Dutch, and that I've been seeing the same friendly faces over the years. The staff has always been patient and friendly, even when it's very busy. It's honestly a joy to come here...

I'm always sorry when I have to express a negative opinion, but in some cases I consider it my duty to help others avoid small or big defects in some places.

Paul is a brand that always offers a large choice, excellent quality, and a welcoming environment. The prices, however, compared to the average are quite high and therefore the service must be up to par.

I enter this cafe at lunch time and order the "Brunch", after about 15 minutes of waiting.

The girl at the cashier asks me several times if I really want the brunch, and then continuously looks at the board behind her to understand exactly what the contents are.

And at this point she continues to ask around, to then: 1) tell me that she can't give me coffee because the machine is broken! 2) tell me that he cannot give me the omelette because there is none left; 3) tell me that she can't even give me other things. And she looks at me with the basket in front of the board with some pieces of bread.

Of course I replied that I usually don't have brunch with two pieces of bread ahahahahah

Moral of the story: I strongly advise against going to Paul's if not to take the normal typical breakfast at least when there are certain people at the cash desk.

Sorry to say, but my perception was that she didn't feel like setting...