Convento — Restaurant in Leuven

Update after feedback from restaurant:

Dear Tom / Team Convento,

Thank you for your response.

While I appreciate your willingness to engage, I must be honest: I stand by every word of my review. My experience was not only disappointing, it was, unfortunately, emblematic of the kind of hospitality I hope to avoid and warn others about.

You say you were taken aback by my account, and that it doesn’t reflect your view of the situation. I understand that. But as a guest, I can only describe what I saw, felt, and experienced; and what I experienced was a level of pretension, inattentiveness, and coldness that made an already overpriced lunch feel even more alienating.

Being charged for wines we didn’t drink, and then met with indifference when we pointed it out, isn’t a “misunderstanding”, it’s unacceptable. Being treated as an inconvenience while spending nearly €200 is not my idea of hospitality. And being greeted at the entrance like a nightclub hopeful is not how I expect to start a hospitality experience.

If that is not how you see yourselves, then I genuinely hope our experience was an exception.

Nonetheless, I appreciate your response and the invitation to discuss further, but I believe the most constructive thing I can do is share my honest experience so others can make an informed choice. If you wish me to contact you via email next time, maybe post an email that you can be reached under.

Regards

Anna

Avoid at All Costs - Pretentious, Overpriced, and Shockingly Rude

We visited this place on a Friday in April, and it was a disappointment from start to finish. The food was passable, but that's where the positives end. Portions were insultingly small - we left the restaurant hungry, even after spending over €130 (yes, including tip). The wine? Absolutely dreadful. To make matters worse, the staff insists on pushing whatever overpriced bottles they want to move, with zero interest in your taste or preferences.

Then came the bill - which, incredibly, included charges for wines we didn’t even drink. When we pointed it out, the staff was absolutely unapologetic. What a convenient "mistake".

At the entrance, there’s a man who acts like a nightclub bouncer, deciding who gets to pass through the gates as if he's guarding a sacred temple (spoiler: he’s not). You have to practically plead just to be let into the restaurant. Restaurant is two thirds empty, but still they tell you they don't know if they can seat you and make you wait while they check.

And the service doesn’t get any better. It’s cold, careless, and completely devoid of hospitality. Even after deciding - against our better judgment - to buy 2 bottles of champagne from their store (the only decent thing we encountered there), we were treated like a nuisance. No bag, no assistance, no “thank you.” Just a receipt handed over in silence and two bottles dumped on a table for us to awkwardly carry out.

We spent nearly €200 between the restaurant and the store - and somehow felt like we were the ones imposing.

Well, rest assured, that won’t happen again. This place will never see us - or anyone we can warn - ever again. You’d be far better off spending your money somewhere that understands the basic concept of hospitality and...

I wish I was good enough with words to rightly describe to you the experience of this meal. I guess it would take a poet. And a very good one. But having said that, there is no way I'm going to let this opportunity pass me by. I come from Portugal, a place where great wine and food can both easily be had just about anywhere. Still, this was the best meal in my life so far. Yes, that good. We were celebrating our anniversary, my husband and I (hardly did we know we were about to celebrate life itself) and asked the owner's advice for champagne. His description (light copper color and the richness of it's taste and smell) totally matched the wine, now my new favorite. The food experience that followed can hardly be conveyed. I was surprised by a combination of subtle to bursting tastes. Exquisite ones, so much so I couldn't even maintain a conversation while having them. All of my senses were mobilized. When we reached dessert we certainly weren't expecting yet another peak. It was so rich in textures, tastes and even shape and color... trust me, I have no means to justly describe it. We felt compelled to thank the chef in person and tell her this wasn't food she made but little pieces of heaven. Isn't this the reason we're alive? To experience the beauty in everything that surrounds us and share the joy of it? As if this wasn't enough, the staff was amazingly nice, starting with the beautiful couple that owns the place (he's got the most refined humor and she's got the warmest smile and laughter in a 30km radius). How can you beat that? Well, in a sentence, you can expect the best because you're undoubtedly...

Wonderful wine shop and bistro! The food is delicious and every time we go there there's something new on the menu. The atmosphere is great and the stories that go with every wine are fantastic. The bistro recently expanded and I look forward to sitting on the terrace with a lovely glass of wine (or beer, because the beer selection is great too). Convento is kid-friendly too. We've brought our son along with us every time since he was a baby and he very much enjoyed colouring the placemats (and the food of course). They also organise special wine evenings, tastings, and walks through the city. If you get a chance I would highly recommend it! In conclusion: if you are in the neighbourhood, just go in for a good bottle to go, a quick glass of wine or a...