I hate leaving bad reviews, but we had a poor experience at Belga. Super disappointed with the service me and my 3 friends received here for Brunch on Sunday. I called twice to make a change to the time of our reservation and was told it would not be a big deal and that we could come in whenever and they would accommodate us. Upon arrival we were guided to sit outside in their small patio area. We were seated at a table that sits 2 people - - our reservation was for 4 patrons. When we asked to sit at a table that sits 4, the server was extremely rude and said if the hostess sat you there then “you can’t move!” When that server left, another server came over and apologized and said sorry she was rude and yes you can move to the bigger table. When our waiter came to take our orders he treated us as if we were an annoyance. When I asked if I could have oat milk with my latte he said, “we don’t do that here” and rolled his eyes lol. My friend wanted her egg poached hard, and the waiter said their chefs “could not poach the eggs hard” and that the cook of the egg, is the cook of the egg…lol you can’t make this stuff up.The food was okay but the portions were small. Biggest issue is that my sparkling water had little black flakes in it - -either dirt or black pepper, either way ? yucky and I didn’t drink it. We also received an up charge of a 3% wellness fee? Considering how unaccommodating and rude some of their staff was, the dirty water I received, and the food being okay, I would definitely not recommend.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Kaitlyn Dillon
We really enjoyed the food!! We had the truffle Brie which was more of an appetizer, the duck and the chicken! Everything tasted really good. Just be aware that they charge you for the water ! That was our mistake but it ended up costing $60 just for water, which made our bill way more than we were expecting. I wish they would have told us that before serving it to us. The deserts were good, nothing super special with the waffles. The restaurant is very nice. It was quite tight seating, to the point that you could hear absolutely everything the table beside you was saying lol.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
brant james
Get the Belgian stew. Also, great breakfast items. The waffles were superior.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
dcmartyd
Chef Bart continues to put out quality dishes that please both the traditional palate and the innovative foodie. I've been coming to Belga since they opened and I'm never disappointed.
Tim Carney
Very fine trio of lunches. Two course lunches included pasta and steak tartar. All delicious.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Debby J.
Nothing to look at from the outside but super cute and quaint on the inside. If you don't like cozy spaces, this is not the place for you. The food is fabulous and the service is awesome. I had the mussels from Brussels and there were plenty of mussels. Very tasty, the lobster was awesome and the fries were nice and crunchy.
JoshB
Service was great! Food not so much. 7 in our party, 5 out of 7 not pleased with their dishes. The lobster in the mussels from brussels was very tough and chewy (2 of us ordered that). There were NO vegetarian options- isn't that just weird? He paid $40 for a small baguette and a piece of brie (rip off). The fries were not the thin crispy shoe string frites that we have had there in the past and come to expect. The chicken entre was not great. And the steak was not a filet (as stated on the menu) but the price did not reflect that. We wont be back. Apologies to our server who was wonderful. $600.00 meal...
Mark Harper
Absolutely amazing. Make a reservation!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sungjun Hong
So terrible. Even though I made a reservation two days ago, they guided me to another part of rhe restaurant called Betsy. It was so cold and noisy and understaffed. Everything was slow. And the server suddenly asked us whether I want to drink and we just said yes and they brought Avian and charged us 8 dollars. So awful food and atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Daniel Velez
The chicken and Waffles was mid as was the rest of the menu. The staff was very attentive to our needs and the decor was clean and neat. Not my cup of tea but their menu is pretty creative. I may not have liked it but I would encourage others to give them a chance.
My wife and I were supposed to be in DC Valentines Day afternoon so I went ahead and made a reservation at Belga for dinner since we were close by and I’d heard good things. We have three small children so we were planning to drop them off with the grandparents before we left. My girls were already feeling a little under the weather earlier in the day, but en route to their grandparents house, both of our girls threw up all over themselves and our car and were pretty inconsolable. My wife said there was no way we could leave them in that position and that our much anticipated evening out had to be cancelled. I called Belga and explained the situation. They showed zero mercy and said they’d still be charging us $50 for the visit. I understand if that’s the policy, but had hoped a little humanity might prevail here, especially since they were not fully booked for the time we reserved (per Open Table). We would have visited at some point in the future and spent well more than the $50 they must have really needed. This obviously won’t be the case now. I cannot rate the food, but in terms of corporate governance, service, and decency they get a 1 star.
Service: 1
NatV
It was an amazing dinner, absolutely delishous, served beautifully and it exceeded our expectations. Our waiter Sergey was cordial, polite, recommended the dishes in accordance with our requests, and hr was just simply a pleasure to be around. The host, Fabian, showed us great hospitality, warmth and made us feel as the only guests of the restaurant. We are so sorry that we could not attend the brunch the next day due to the time constraints as it would be another fabulous and unforgettable meal. Our desserts were served a mini works of art, and each bite was simply delectable!!@
AlexA
My wife and I went to Belga Cafe for Valentine's Day dinner and it was very enjoyable. I have not been in that part of DC before and was surprised to see how built up it is, perhaps due to its proximity to the Nationals Park baseball stadium. It was not that long ago that that you would not want to be there after dark. My wife had the Steak Tartare appetizer and the mussels for dinner and she loved both of them. I had the Escargots and Steak Frites. The Escargot presentation was a little bit unusual, but tasted good and the Steak Frites was excellent. I ordered a bottle of wine and they were out of it. The wine steward recommended another bottle which was little bit more expensive and when they brought the bottle to the table it was a later year than what was on the menu, however it was still good. This place is a bit pricy which is why I could not give 5 stars for value but everything else was 5 stars.
Christian Hoehner
Love coming here for a quality dining experience with expansive beer selections. If you like mussels you will not be disappointed. But don’t skip trying some of the more unique dishes like the beef stew (melt in your mouth) or the lobster waffles. The real action is with the Belgian beer options so come prepared to try some 7%+ Trappist brews. Have to rave about our most recent dinner with my parents…Mark took great care of us and made some great recommendations. Will be back!Parking: Plan time to circle the blocks seeking street parking. Best bet is looking around the side of the marine corps barracks or back in the neighborhoods.Kid-friendliness: The main inside dining room isn’t a great place for kids (a little cramped). However if it’s a nice day and you want to sit outside that would work. They also now have some outdoor dining huts that can be a lot of fun for a family (private).Wheelchair accessibility: Street level so no issues.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak Frites, Mussels and Frites
Cheyenne Dominguez
Enjoyed Sunday brunch with friends. The food, service, and ambiance were excellent. I recommend asking for a table in the chalet.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Waffle Fruits, Belga's Green Eggs & Bacon
I hate leaving bad reviews, but we had a poor experience at Belga. Super disappointed with the service me and my 3 friends received here for Brunch on Sunday. I called twice to make a change to the time of our reservation and was told it would not be a big deal and that we could come in whenever and they would accommodate us. Upon arrival we were guided to sit outside in their small patio area. We were seated at a table that sits 2 people - - our reservation was for 4 patrons. When we asked to sit at a table that sits 4, the server was extremely rude and said if the hostess sat you there then “you can’t move!” When that server left, another server came over and apologized and said sorry she was rude and yes you can move to the bigger table. When our waiter came to take our orders he treated us as if we were an annoyance. When I asked if I could have oat milk with my latte he said, “we don’t do that here” and rolled his eyes lol. My friend wanted her egg poached hard, and the waiter said their chefs “could not poach the eggs hard” and that the cook of the egg, is the cook of the egg…lol you can’t make this stuff up.The food was okay but the portions were small. Biggest issue is that my sparkling water had little black flakes in it - -either dirt or black pepper, either way ? yucky and I didn’t drink it. We also received an up charge of a 3% wellness fee? Considering how unaccommodating and rude some of their staff was, the dirty water I received, and the food being okay, I would definitely not recommend.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
We really enjoyed the food!! We had the truffle Brie which was more of an appetizer, the duck and the chicken! Everything tasted really good. Just be aware that they charge you for the water ! That was our mistake but it ended up costing $60 just for water, which made our bill way more than we were expecting. I wish they would have told us that before serving it to us. The deserts were good, nothing super special with the waffles. The restaurant is very nice. It was quite tight seating, to the point that you could hear absolutely everything the table beside you was saying lol.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Get the Belgian stew. Also, great breakfast items. The waffles were superior.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chef Bart continues to put out quality dishes that please both the traditional palate and the innovative foodie. I've been coming to Belga since they opened and I'm never disappointed.
Very fine trio of lunches. Two course lunches included pasta and steak tartar. All delicious.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nothing to look at from the outside but super cute and quaint on the inside. If you don't like cozy spaces, this is not the place for you. The food is fabulous and the service is awesome. I had the mussels from Brussels and there were plenty of mussels. Very tasty, the lobster was awesome and the fries were nice and crunchy.
Service was great! Food not so much. 7 in our party, 5 out of 7 not pleased with their dishes. The lobster in the mussels from brussels was very tough and chewy (2 of us ordered that). There were NO vegetarian options- isn't that just weird? He paid $40 for a small baguette and a piece of brie (rip off). The fries were not the thin crispy shoe string frites that we have had there in the past and come to expect. The chicken entre was not great. And the steak was not a filet (as stated on the menu) but the price did not reflect that. We wont be back. Apologies to our server who was wonderful. $600.00 meal...
Absolutely amazing. Make a reservation!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
So terrible. Even though I made a reservation two days ago, they guided me to another part of rhe restaurant called Betsy. It was so cold and noisy and understaffed. Everything was slow. And the server suddenly asked us whether I want to drink and we just said yes and they brought Avian and charged us 8 dollars. So awful food and atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
The chicken and Waffles was mid as was the rest of the menu. The staff was very attentive to our needs and the decor was clean and neat. Not my cup of tea but their menu is pretty creative. I may not have liked it but I would encourage others to give them a chance.
Restaurantji Recommends
My wife and I were supposed to be in DC Valentines Day afternoon so I went ahead and made a reservation at Belga for dinner since we were close by and I’d heard good things. We have three small children so we were planning to drop them off with the grandparents before we left. My girls were already feeling a little under the weather earlier in the day, but en route to their grandparents house, both of our girls threw up all over themselves and our car and were pretty inconsolable. My wife said there was no way we could leave them in that position and that our much anticipated evening out had to be cancelled. I called Belga and explained the situation. They showed zero mercy and said they’d still be charging us $50 for the visit. I understand if that’s the policy, but had hoped a little humanity might prevail here, especially since they were not fully booked for the time we reserved (per Open Table). We would have visited at some point in the future and spent well more than the $50 they must have really needed. This obviously won’t be the case now. I cannot rate the food, but in terms of corporate governance, service, and decency they get a 1 star.
Service: 1
It was an amazing dinner, absolutely delishous, served beautifully and it exceeded our expectations. Our waiter Sergey was cordial, polite, recommended the dishes in accordance with our requests, and hr was just simply a pleasure to be around. The host, Fabian, showed us great hospitality, warmth and made us feel as the only guests of the restaurant. We are so sorry that we could not attend the brunch the next day due to the time constraints as it would be another fabulous and unforgettable meal. Our desserts were served a mini works of art, and each bite was simply delectable!!@
My wife and I went to Belga Cafe for Valentine's Day dinner and it was very enjoyable. I have not been in that part of DC before and was surprised to see how built up it is, perhaps due to its proximity to the Nationals Park baseball stadium. It was not that long ago that that you would not want to be there after dark. My wife had the Steak Tartare appetizer and the mussels for dinner and she loved both of them. I had the Escargots and Steak Frites. The Escargot presentation was a little bit unusual, but tasted good and the Steak Frites was excellent. I ordered a bottle of wine and they were out of it. The wine steward recommended another bottle which was little bit more expensive and when they brought the bottle to the table it was a later year than what was on the menu, however it was still good. This place is a bit pricy which is why I could not give 5 stars for value but everything else was 5 stars.
Love coming here for a quality dining experience with expansive beer selections. If you like mussels you will not be disappointed. But don’t skip trying some of the more unique dishes like the beef stew (melt in your mouth) or the lobster waffles. The real action is with the Belgian beer options so come prepared to try some 7%+ Trappist brews. Have to rave about our most recent dinner with my parents…Mark took great care of us and made some great recommendations. Will be back!Parking: Plan time to circle the blocks seeking street parking. Best bet is looking around the side of the marine corps barracks or back in the neighborhoods.Kid-friendliness: The main inside dining room isn’t a great place for kids (a little cramped). However if it’s a nice day and you want to sit outside that would work. They also now have some outdoor dining huts that can be a lot of fun for a family (private).Wheelchair accessibility: Street level so no issues.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak Frites, Mussels and Frites
Enjoyed Sunday brunch with friends. The food, service, and ambiance were excellent. I recommend asking for a table in the chalet.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Waffle Fruits, Belga's Green Eggs & Bacon