The Belgian Cafe — Restaurant in Eastbourne

As much as I’d like to leave a positive review, I genuinely can’t rate this experience higher than two stars.

Despite it being a quiet Sunday, the restaurant and bar felt chaotic. Staff were scrambling around without clear roles or direction, which made the atmosphere uncomfortable. We were informed there was no table service and that we needed to place our order at the register using our table number. That would’ve been fine—if the process had been smooth. Only one menu was provided for three people, which made ordering unnecessarily difficult.

One woman was handling both the register and preparing all the drinks, while other staff members passed through without assisting with the growing queue. None of the staff wore name badges, which felt like an intentional choice to avoid accountability. After waiting around 10 minutes, I finally ordered a Coke and a Caesar salad.

Oddly, although my friends ordered before and after me, only their food arrived. No cutlery was provided, and when we asked, the staff member seemed visibly annoyed. My salad was missing, and I was told it was on a “different ticket,” even though we ordered consecutively. As someone who works in hospitality, I found this explanation unconvincing. The staff member eventually apologized and claimed they were “so busy,” which simply wasn’t true.

When my salad finally arrived, I was genuinely shocked. I ordered the Tiger Prawns (on shell) & Shrimps Caesar Salad, which the menu described as a “culinary experience.” Unfortunately, it was anything but. The prawns hadn’t been cleaned properly—I had to remove the digestive tract myself, which should have been done before cooking and serving. If you're promising a “luxurious touch,” basic preparation should be a given.

The quantity of shrimp was excessive—there were more shrimp than salad, which was overwhelming and unappetizing. Instead of romaine or iceberg lettuce, I was served mixed leaves, and the salad included tomatoes and red peppers—ingredients that don’t belong in a traditional Caesar salad. The only redeeming elements were the croutons and dressing.

Overall, the service was disorganized, and the food was poorly executed. The experience was disappointing from start to finish. The photo I took...

After reading great reviews I really wanted to like them. However their service was so poor last night (Saturday) we actually left. Upon arrival we were early and took a seat outside with a great view. Two drinks ordered took nearly 25mins to arrive. No worries. We were chilled and no rush. The drinks arrived just as our table inside was available. So we took our drinks inside. Table booked for 8:30pm and I made a prompt order once sat. 40minutes later we asked one of the staff how long the food will be. We had ordered starters and two mains. "I don't really know. About 20minutes" with an expression of cluelessness and not giving two hoots. It turned out the table of 3 behind us had been waiting one hour for their food and the table infront had been waiting so long their party of 5 had become 3. Something was amiss. All waiting staffs would make sour faces and speak with uncertainty when asked by customers about food.

I waited 60minutes before asking to speak to the manager. I was shown a lady who was already busy dealing with another customer. Another waiter (who I'd seen dealing with the party of 5 become party of 3 next to us) asked me what the problem was. I explained that she already knew the problem given the tables around us all had the same problem. When I said we were leaving and not paying for the drinks. She simply replied "fine.. Leave". I was surprised to hear this as 1. I couldn't believe the poor service/attitude from staff and 2. I didn't think she had the authority to waiver cost but I took it on assumption of her boldness and left. Ridiculous place! We left The Belgian Cafe and walked down the road to the charming Italian place and were served starters within 5minutes despite also being busy.

The Belgium Cafe Eastbourne gets two stars for the free drinks! Unlikely I'll ever go back. Prefer restaurants that...

I came here a few nights ago as I’m a regular and I love it here the food is amazing however.. I wanted to have a nice peaceful evening to myself after having a stressful week and .. 1.) I waited ages for a table to be cleaned and cleared so I could sit down … 2.)… I didn’t know that for a single Not double, shot of alcohol in your drink costs £6?! And the drink chosen on top of that not as a whole ..like in most places 3.) the table opposite me allowed their what looked like 10-12 yr old boys to chase eachother around the entire restaurant all night causing chaos .. and staff seemed fine with it along with the shouting while they’re playing Uno … I’d understand if they were little but they weren’t … I overheard them swearing aswell at that age .. no respect honestly .. They nearly knocked my table over when I had piping hot food!! I couldn’t enjoy my nice meal in peace!! 😡 another lady a few tables down complained too .. Then when I went to the bathroom to check my makeup those same boys kept turning the lights off in the toilets which isn’t okay .. I came outside and checked to see what was going on and they did it again .. The parents could clearly see the loud noise they were making was stressing me out and I have high anxiety and somehow they found it amusing!! My night was absolutely ruined!! I couldn’t wait to leave! No way are they allowed back?

I asked clearly several times for GF bread … it wasn’t until I ate it because I was so hungry that I realised it wasn’t GF ..do you want me to have a reaction? The chips were incredibly salty and yet wasn’t taken off the bill I barely ate them because of it 😡 My order was double checked and still wrong! Every time I come here something goes wrong so I won’t be back for a while I’m disappointed! And that’s completely unacceptable behaviour in a fine restaurant It...