Leuven Belgium Beer Cafe — Restaurant in North Island

This is the first time I've been disappointed about my Leuven experience prompting me to write this review.

Leuven's usually able to be relied on for good food and service. The food still holds up, but the service? Not that great anymore. It seems like the staff need a bit more training on how to clear a table and wipe it down between guests. Our table was filthy when we were seated and we had to clean it ourselves with travel wipes.

After eating, several dishes were on the table and we had to ask the staff to clear the table. They cleared away two dishes, and left the other two. Asked for a refill of a wine thinking they might clear away the other two dishes when they returned with the wine. Nope. Dirty dishes still left, including the old wine glass. Also, no water refilled even though the bottle was empty. Called a staff member over after catching their attention and ordered dessert and said - can you clear these dishes and refill water please. One dish was taken away and the other left. Dessert arrived and dirty dishes and cups were still left on the table!

It's a sad indictment that staff seem averse to removing dirty dishes when people have clearly finished with them. We would've stayed longer for a couple more drinks but were worried we'd end up getting new wine glasses and having multiple dirty dishes left on the table.

Staff training on clearing tables, noticing when things need refilling (like water) and finishing at one table before flittering off to another table are all sorely needed at Leuven. Hopefully this occurs in the near future and my next experience at Leuven won't be one of dirty tables and dishes not...

We went in a group to the Leuven Belgium Beer Cafe for dinner. Three main issues: When we arrived, I told the waiter that we were coming because we had been given vouchers to their restaurant. But at the end of the evening, when we went to pay, we were told that we could only use one of our vouchers per visit. And that no change is given from a voucher. And that on the voucher (in writing too small for me to read easily) it said "T&C's apply". But at no time did they warn us that we couldn't pay for our whole meal with the vouchers, plural, which they could have done when we arrived. One of our party has life-threatening allergies. The waitresses were unsympathetic to the point of being rude. The waiters were a little better. We have never found this attitude in a restaurant before. Every other restaurant has made an effort to accomodate this. We do understand that they have a small kitchen, but they even reacted rudely to our request that the chef might just use a different spoon for each dish he was cooking. The person in our party who has the allergies was brought a soup which was almost inedible, and a salad without any dressing. We asked if the chef could at least make a vinaigrette, but the waitress told us that the chef did not know how to make vinaigrette! So she brought some tomato chutney instead. To go with a green salad. We could do better at MacDonalds! We were seated next to the window, which meant there was a constant cold breeze through the cracks. Consequently we ate with our coats on. So we will not be returning to this restaurant, and would recommend that others don't go...

Service was good.

Food was marginally above average.

Prices were on the high side.

First course was a trio of meat croquettes, the fillings, spicy sausage, beef and chicken. They were quite tasty but an expensive entree at $16.50. The bigger complaint for this first course was the side salad. When did restaurants forget how to make a salad that does not comprise of bagged rocket that like most other restaurants in Wellington probably comes in en masse via bidvest? This dish could have been justifiable with a tastier salad that had a bit more imagination and thought!

The second course was a 500gm rib eye with the bone in. This dish cost $41.00 which is the second most expensive steak I have eaten in Wellington. It was accompanied by some pretty lackluster roasted vegetables. I asked for the steak to be cooked medium rare some parts of the steak were medium to well done but closer to the centre the steak was cooked well. I ordered some fries to accompany the steak.. These could have done with a bit more seasoning although they were crisp.

I asked for some mushroom sauce to accompany the steak this request was accepted although I can make a far better tasting mushroom sauce at home. The sauce was runny and had an odd orange colour through it and the mushrooms were extremely rubbery.

My wife ordered the meatballs which she enjoyed.

The stand out of the night was the ox tail casserole. It was the first time I had tried ox tail and I liked it. The portion size was generous and I could imagine that being a perfect...