Address: | 514 8th St SE, Washington, DC 20003, USA |
Phone: | +1 202-544-0100 |
Site: | belgacafe.com |
Rating: | 4 |
Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–11PM 9AM–11PM 9AM–9:30PM |
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Jessica Rosenberg
Heres the deal. We went to Belga Cafe for lunch and it ended up being a brunch place. "What does that mean?" you might ask. What it means is $14 waffles that are small and served on hipstery plates. This wasnt for us, but that doesnt mean its not for you. Which is to say, if youre okay dropping $25 for lunch and leaving a little hungry, Belga will do it in style. Its nicer than a diner for sure. If you just want lunch, though, this is not your place. We came here as a group of six and, despite having a reservation, had to wait outside for about 20 minutes. Lucky for us it was a nice day out! Inside, the tables were too large for the space, meaning every thirty seconds as a server walked behind my chair, s/he bumped my chair. It was annoying, honestly. No one apologized, no solutions were offered, and it interrupted my experience. Food-wise, I ordered the salmon burger and was surprised to find out that it wasnt fresh salmon after seeing the word "grilled" in the menu. It also said "patty," so this was my mistake I guess. But I was also then bummed that it didnt then taste all that exciting. Ive made this kind of salmon burger before at home and think Ive done a better job than Belga. Contributing to the lackluster burger was an overly large and dry bun, as well as missing toppings that I had to ask repeatedly for and then got a tiny portion of. My fiancé and I also shared a side of fries, but were disappointed to see that the menu had been misleading. The meals, for $6 extra, came with a small fries and side salad. Instead of getting that, we ordered the side of fries to share. It was more expensive $7.50, but it turned out to be the identical portion as the small fries. So we spent $1.50 more and didnt get salad, basically. So why 2 stars and not 1, even? I generally only give 1-star reviews to places that seem dirty, corrupt, etc. Belga wasnt that... it was just overpriced with lackluster food. I wouldnt go back, I wouldnt recommend it to friends... but its not harming people, you know?
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Nelson Cortes
This is a tough review to write. We went to Belga Cafe during the current Restaurant Week in DC. We made a reservation for 8 people. We were seated promptly when we arrived. We ordered some appetizers while waiting for 2 members of our party. We decided to ordered without them, however, they arrived shortly after we place our order and immediately placed their order. We waited approximately 1 hour for the food. A few other tables arrived after we placed our order, got the food, paid the bill and left while we remained hungry waiting for our food. A table next to us had the same issue and probably because they were more vocal than us got the food quicker -- guess next time we shall all stand up on the table and start complaining to get food here!? Our order finally came out. We then ordered dessert. Surprisingly enough, dessert took another 30 minutes to come out... they kept telling us "its coming right out!". To end this adventure, the check was extremely confusing and they couldnt really explain us what they did with the different parcels within the check. He tried to explain to us as they gave us a discount by not charging some beers but charging one additional Restaurant Week price... which made no sense. All in all I guess it was a senseless meal. Oh wait! I am suppose to discuss the food too! The food, when we saw it and were starving, was good. I guess increasing the wait for the food could be seen as a trick to make us enjoy the food more. We had mussels, lamsburger, steak sandwich, among a few other items. The food was generally good and tasty. Good selection of drinks -- almost a bit overwhelming. The desserts were also good, despite the waffle being cold -- guess must have been all of that waiting. The experience could have been so much better as we like the owners other restaurants, however, the service was simply subpar, and made it a not so enjoyable experience. Will we return? Until we forget this experience probably not, unfortunately.
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A Private User
I used to love Belga cafe. On m y birthday it has become a tradition to eat there. I made a reservation. We had a lovely meal with great service. However, as we were seated outside the sun was blazing hot (Sunday August 16th around noon - imagine hot DC and blazing sun). My 63 year old father got up and moved the umbrealla over about a foot so my step mother and I were not sitting in the direct sun. well Chef Bart (whom I have admired and enjoyed for years until this moment) came over and began WW III with my New York City father over moving the umbrella a whole 6 inches. Chef Bart then began the yell at us - yes Chef Bart so european and "elegant" - told us to go F**K OFF and to F**K ourselves. The entire patio and all those waiting heard this. Mind you, it is my birthday - and I have lived and dined on the Hill for over 6 years. This is horrifying - for Chef Bart not us. I have eaten and drank at Belga on a monthy basis since it opened. I will never never never step foot in there again. I have emailed my entire set of friends to do the same, I updated my facebook status with the events. Chef bart obviously has some sort of mental illness he needs to work through - and until I receive a much deserved apology - for not only ruining our meal for for ruining my birthday -- I will continue to tell my story to all who will hear it. Chef Bart, beware. You really yelled at the worng woman. I am demanding an apology. It is required - as an "elegant Belgian" you cliamed to be --- you sure can throw around the F Word to paying customers too easily. I hope you find some peace in life - as you obviously have power and anger issues to resolve.
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D Nguyễn
Ive been here once before and really enjoyed the menu here. We decided to do a New Years dinner here. The restaurant has a charm about it and a lively atmosphere that isnt too loud for conversation. Its populated by the urban hipsters of Capitol Hill and Young Hill interns scoping out the political scene, food and drinks. The service was top notch as is the food. The menu was a pre-fix for New Years eve so the choices where limited. The chef here is creative, innovative and stylish when it comes to food with well executed, presented plates. Maybe my palate isnt as sophisticated but there was a hit and a miss in each course. My lobster beignet was light and the broth was delicate consume . The wild boar was well done sides of wild mushrooms and mushroom crème brulee part was just strange. The desert course was well present but seemed a bit schizophrenic with all sorts of sweets...macaroon, chocolate cake, berries...and chocolate covered bacon. I wasnt sure the connection with the rest of the meal but I did enjoy it except for the bacon drizzled with chocolate. The bacon tasted like day old ... maybe thats why it was covered with chocolate. Overall, the experience here tries to push Washingtonian cuisine to a new level the likes of NYCs WD-50 or Public but here the chef emphasis the use of locally grown ingredients ... even with the miss it is still a bravo.