Le Chou de Bruxelles — Restaurant in Ixelles - Elsene

Great value for money

I understand afterwards why it is packed. So MAKE A RESERVATION!!! There are limited staff (3) but when they are at your table they are very friendly, be aware that the crowd comes in around 8PM, and it is busy. The serving speed is fast. Limited amount of wine but great wine! Loire based for white. Nice value for money.

Please do not go cheap, because it is already cheap! So take a full menu, so you do not pay à la carte price if you take 1 menu for 2 persons. The portion is big! Think about if you can have a free choice menu, and à la carte price for the oyster are 15 euro... how many do you think you get? 6. What is really low, hard to find. Quality and food combination is alright, not fine dinning, more than level up of home cooking. Would like to have more pate. Main course of course the mussels we picked saffron, what I cannot taste, pity, what they do have is a lot of lemon. We have also the duck what is a disaster, it seems like double cooked, grilled once and afterwards left it and when main needs to be served, once more or put in the oven, making the outside dry out so much and center raw/medium. We have also the steak, what is wonderful done, not like black Angus or any high and beef but well-prepared also with the sauce (mushroom). Served with fries, what is really pity because they are not crunchy and a bit crumbly not soft. Maybe we had some damn good fries in the center. Dessert is a bit of a let-down, smaller portion than the other courses. Home level. What I need to give some points are the plates and the presentation, well thought, not too much fine dinning mindset but more practical.

So deduction of points are air ventilation is bad, so they need to open the door on a slight gap to get some fresh air in. Also, bathroom is small and to dry your hands is almost non. Making it hard to do it. Some points are good amount of...

Absolutely outstanding. I admit that I've never been the world's biggest fan of Belgian food or of mussels, so I was a little bit skeptical when my friend suggested we grab dinner at this place. But since we were in Brussels anyway, I figured we might as well try to get the full Belgian experience and try both mussels and beer. Le Chou de Bruxelles certainly did not disappoint -- the food was outstanding, the service impeccable, and the space delightful.

The mussels were remarkably fresh and were a bit briny (as all mussels must be) but weren't overly fishy. Le Chou de Bruxelles offers a wide swath of sauces you can pair with your mussels, which is super fun; I ended up doing a more classic combo with white wine, garlic, and several herbs, but it was super tasty -- the herbs were super fresh and brightened up the overall dish, and the white wine was a lovely pairing with the shellfish. We also got their caprese salad, which was super tasty; the mozzarella was incredibly fresh and the tomato was perhaps the best tomato my friend had ever tried. It was presented in a rather entertaining way, with the tomato cut in half and hollowed out, then with the mozzarella packed inside the tomato.

The service was also phenomenal and absolutely on-point. We were seated in the back of the restaurant right next to the patio door, so a few bees flew in and circled around our heads during our meal, but the staff was super friendly in helping us push the bees back outside. Vibes-wise, the restaurant is gorgeous and lively. It's a little bit out of the way from Central Brussels, so you end up with a good mix of locals and tourists. Absolutely love this spot and can't wait to come back in my next trip...

We lived next door to Chou de Bruxelles for 16 years, and got to know the owners and staff as we came and went from our apartment. They always had a cheery wave and a happy "Bonjour" for us. Therefore it is inexplicable that we never went to eat there until the very last night before leaving Brussels. Perhaps it was because it was too close to home to qualify as "going out for dinner".

Its a pity because we missed out. But on our final night in Rue de Florence, after we had packed all our stuff in the van for an early morning departure the next day, we were tired and hungry. Going next door was the obvious choice. We had a lovely meal in happy surroundings, served by people who had been friends and neighbours for years. It was a quietly fitting way to celebrate the end of a happy 16 years in Brussels.

When we finally received the bill, it said simply, "Courtesy of your friends and neighbours at Chou de Bruxelles." What a lovely gesture. It brought a tear to my eye.

Bearing all the above in mind, what I can say as objectively as I can is; Le Chou de Bruxelles offers a nice friendly service, good traditional local cuisine and a...