La Pergola — Restaurant in Baarle-Nassau

Great Italian food in a little Belgian/Dutch town (its both). It's geopolitically complicated.

Now on to the food!

Appetizers: olives and the bread special. Olives are olives these are alright though I prefer pitted olives. The bread special was great; amazing bread (crunchy crust with pillow soft interior) with 3 types of dip/spread (the classic olive oil to dip, fresh soft butter and I think some sort of olive/garlic tapenade).

Mains: I had the spaghetti terra e mare (I think this is suppose to be a version of surf and turf? But the pasta only had zucchini squash and shrimp). The pasta was perfectly al dente; seasoned with garlic oil and fresh parsley. The zucchini squash was diced and fresh as was the shrimp. A wonderful plate of paste though I do wish there was more but maybe pasta is more of an appetizer than an entree traditionally?

My friend had the Pizza Renato which I was informed is named for the chef-owner. It's a classic Italian pizza topped with tomato slices, fresh basil and parmesan cheese. I didn't try any but from the sound of the crust as she was cutting it, the pizza was nice and crispy.

We finished with coffee and dessert. She ordered the lemoncello cheesecake and I had the tiramisu both made in house (with a side of what tasted like homemade whipped cream). The coffee was authentic Italian coffee (I had it black and she had it cappuccino). The tiramisu was so good. You can really taste the espresso and the lady fingers was perfectly moistened and the cream or mascarpone cheese was light and airy. Honestly love this dessert; it didn't sit heavily in my stomach after consuming. My friend really enjoyed her cheesecake and that little lemon slice on top is actually a cookie!

So if you're looking for amazingly delicious and fresh Italian food in Belgium and don't want to go all the way to Italy definitely check this place out! Also the town is an interesting little tourist attraction too with Belgium and the Netherlands both sharing custody of it. You literally cross the border between the 2 countries by crossing the street or at times even just walking...

You immediately get a nice vibe from the place when you walk in. Gentle, atmospheric, Italian music playing in the background and a cozy, friendly feeling. There's a covered terrace and a bar area out the back, or you can sit where I did, inside where you can see Renato, the owner, preparing and cooking the food. The restaurant was started 25 years ago by his father after they moved from Sardinia and they still use family recipes to make the dough, bread, pasta and dishes and, best of all, they import a lot of their ingredients from Italy so you get the real genuine taste. The staff that I met, Paula and Lorenzo, are friendly, warm and welcoming and Renato is a great guy with a real passion for food, cooking and hospitality. The whole experience is like eating in an Italian family dining room. I would go back there everyday of the week! Simply superb dining experience and one of the very best pizzas...

If you want to go there on the weekend, reservation is a must! It's very popular. Waitress was nice, professional, but we waited longer than we wanted. Food delicious, price normal, so the deal is great! They have tables inside and outside, nice atmosphere. I ordered pizza with salmon, AMAZING. My friend chose Fruti Di mare, also fantastic. Porcions were enough for a woman, maybe some man should order two pizzas or something extra to be full. I...