Au Vieux Bruxelles — Restaurant in Ixelles - Elsene

My friend and I were suggested to this restuarant by a local colleague of ours. We didn't reserve a table and when we arrived it was pretty busy and packed. Neverthless, we decided to wait, dropped our contact number, and waited at a nearby cafe. About 20 minutes later, the restaurant called back to tell us our table was ready.

Restaurant interior was interesting, rustic and has character. The staff were jovial and quick on serving us. They spoke Dutch, French, Spainish, Italian, (maybe Portuguese), and rudimentary English. Despite not having English translated menus, it was pretty intuitive to figure out what are the dishes and the staff were helpful in describing the dishes beyond just a straightforward translation of the dish name.

I ordered mussels steamed with white wine, (they have more than six options of styles or sauces) Belgium style fries, sparkling water, and butter baked escargot. My friend ordered mussels steamed with garlic cream sauce and house selected beer.

Food came quickly after order. We were a little surprised how much mussels came in one order. For my order, I was surprised that all the steamed mussels were opened and the meat still attached inside. I guess it is an indication of how fresh the mussels were. The Belgium style fries came in a decent portion with a side of mayonnaise. The escargot was pretty good and we had plenty of bread to soak up the excess garlic butter. I was impressed that the escargot was actually in the shell and the restaurant had the proper escargot eating utensils for it.

Even though it was packed full the whole time with people waiting, we weren't rushed. I didnt finish my order of mussels. It was a lot and I cant think of the last time I ate mussels and couldn't finish it.

Overall total bill was around €80 (meal plus a couple of drinks). They take credit and debit cards.

I recommend this restaurant to visitors of Brussels. It wasn't touristy, had a local vibe, and the food was good. Price wise, I think it was reasonable. I will definitely...

Disappointing experience.

Overall ambiance: Mediocre. The tables were so close together that once full, the place was truely overcrowded. Being so close, we could not but overhear our neighbours' conversation, which didn't facilitate our own.

Service: One of the two waiters present was very helpful and friendly. The other one, which took over the area where we were seated at a certain point, was very not. Difficult to get a hold of, reluctant to clear our table (in fact, our empty plates sat in front of us until we left), took our still half full bottle of wine away to the counter without saying anything. We had to try to call him over, poorly available as he was, every time we wanted to refill our glasses .

Food: We had shrimp croquettes and mussels. The shrimp croquettes were fine. But the mussels were not at all. No taste of white wine to be spotted in the "mussels with white wine Pinot gris", vegetables entirely undercooked, the mussels mostly dry and shrunken, as if not freshly cooked but re-heated in the microwave before being served. We were served fries (charged separately from the main dish - first time I've had that in Belgium!) while we had not ordered them.

Price: Overpriced.

All in all, as Belgians and Brussels locals, we had the feeling we were in a tourist trap. We have eaten in multiple other restaurants throughout Brussels that provide a more pleasant experience, and serve typical Belgian / Brussels food of much higher quality for a...

On a quick trip to Brussels, I had the good fortune of discovering this gem of a restaurant. I arrived before everything got busy, which I do suggest as it has limited seating. By the time I left at 8, there were a few people outside waiting for a table to open. However, there was no rush to finish up, nor was there any sense of anything other than people involved in an enjoyable meal.

For food, I had the dozen mussels au gratin to start. These were wonderful...the cheese and sauce took the flavor to a savory level of decadence. Don't waste the good stuff left behind once you've had the mussels themselves, bread is a great friend at that point. My entree was the beef stew and mashed potatoes, both brimming with soft, hearty flavor you'd expect for a meal on a cold winter evening. Tiramisu and brandy topped the night off perfectly.

The entire experience was enjoyable and I'd highly recommend to anyone visiting to give this top shelf experience a try. The service was attentive, helpful with suggestions, and never pushy. The suggested beer pairings were also appreciated. Finally, they do accept credit card now (I know this was a point of frustration for some...