Macho — Restaurant in Ghent

If you are considering celebrating an event at Macho, think again. Last weekend, we hosted my girlfriend's 30th birthday there. She had personally gone to the restaurant four days before the event to make a reservation and spoke to Geraldine, the manager. We had agreed on a plan for the birthday party and my girlfriend was standing next to her when she took note of it. Two days before the event, we texted her to reconfirm everything and ask if we could bring a birthday cake, but we never heard back. On the day of the event, we arrived 20 minutes early to check if everything was in place, only to find out that the staff knew nothing about our reservation and nothing was prepared. When the waitress called the manager to see if they could offer us the agreed-upon plan, we received a negative answer. It was too late to go elsewhere as the 14 people we invited were already on their way, so we had to stay and order from the menu, as that was the only option the manager gave us. Once we were seated with some friends, Geraldine approached our table, not to apologize or offer compensation, but to unfriendly inform us that we couldn't bring a birthday cake and that they wouldn't offer the plan we had requested, despite agreeing to it when we made the reservation. At the end of the night, after I complained, she offered a small refund of 8% of the bill and an apology, but the bad experience had...

UPDATE MARCH '24

Unfortunately, I lost my enthusiasm for this place.

The atmosphere is still very cosy (interior), nice terrace exterior (minus a star because of the sewerage smell coming from the river, also noticeable in the bathrooms). Service is charmingly young and friendly, although a bit forgetful / chaotic at times. The food has potential, the menu is interesting enough and at the base the food is well made, but somehow the same mayo and sweet BBQ sauce is served on every dish, causing everything to taste the same... The cocktails are to be avoided - they are tourist-grade (quite sugary and low in alcohol content), the wine is passable. I'd still go for a drink on the terrace in summer, but wouldn't recommend for more than that.

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ORIGINAL Summer '23

Went for drinks and bar bites during opening weekend. Super friendly personnel, food was very tasty (good portioned garnaalkroketjes and very tasty, pastrami was a small portion but delicious) and good music! They have a very cosy terrace in the green with views over the water. Took off one star for atmosphere because the water can be a bit smelling of sewerage. We are definitely...

We had dinner at Macho and really enjoyed the atmosphere and location, with a great view of the library De Krook. The setting was vibrant, and the overall experience was pleasant.

The food was delicious: we opted for all the sharing plates and all the tacos, which we shared among the group. The veggie tacos, in particular, were a highlight.

However, one downside was the long wait for our food. Since we ordered all the sharing plates first and the tacos afterward, there were significant delays, with some people waiting up to an hour between tacos. While we understand it was a busy evening, the pacing of the service was frustrating.

The service itself was okay. The waitresses were friendly, but at times they were slow or not very attentive, especially when it came to clearing tables or responding to requests.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take pictures of the food. We might come again to try it...