The Belgian Café

Really good time at the cafè this past weekend! I liked their watermelon gaspacho and flatbread with goat cheese, caramelized onions and berries!

Fast food style restaurant. Nothing special. When I asked for wet napkins after eating mussels, the waitress brought the regular napkins wet with water. Never seen it before.

Fairmount is such a lovely neighborhood and the Belgian Café adds to the atmosphere of the neighborhood. Located on Green street, which is one of my favorite streets in Fairmount, they offer both indoor or outdoor seating. Belgian Café is more spacious than its sister restaurant, Monks, so that is appealing. The menus are identical. We had a couple of drafts and the award winning pomme frites. The smoked ketchup was terrific. We will be back for sure.

You really can’t go wrong here. I live about a block away and have tried numerous menu items. The Ahi Tuna Cheesesteak is a solid go to, however if I were a first time customer I’d recommend either the chicken and waffles, pork shoulder sandwich, or one of their burgers. They also have an incredibly large beer menu making this one of my favorite places in the Fairmount area.

I love Belgian Café. My boyfriend and I like to check out their drink specials and try something new every time. Note that we keep coming back for the food, not the service. I’m not sure if they have this issue with everyone or just people with less fair pigments, but the service isn’t the best. It’s not terrible, just subtley inattentive.
Anyways, come here for the beer selection. It is extensive and great. The atmosphere is very nice too, they have terrariums, nice paintings, low lighting. Outside seating is available here too. Food here is good too, I’ve had the Vegetable Spaetzle, Memling Mussels (OMG so good), Pomme Frittes (eat these), and I know I’ve had other things I can’t remember at the moment. I’ve loved all of it. If you’re coming to eat, be prepared to spend a little more than an average bar, but it’s worth it.

Such a great lunch.
I gave myself a mental health day and went into Philly to do a day of museums and relaxing. Stopped at the Belgian for a late lunch between the MOA and the Barnes. Sat outside, had a great hard cider and the burger of the day (fried green tomato with egg), both of which were great. Fries were great. It was nice and chill, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Food A–
Similar menu to monks downtown. I had the monks mussels and apple and cheese salad. The mussels come with their frites and spicy aioli which was really yummy. The broth was really good. The salad was fine, but I was expecting a larger, more filling size. This is definitely side salad level.
Huge selection of beers in bottles and on tap for reasonable prices. I like that you can chose the size from glass to pint. Knowledgable waitstaff.
Ambience B+
Toned down from the gastropubs downtown but can still be loud at times. Lots of seating so didn’t have to wait for a seat on Friday night.
Service A–
Friendly waitstaff. I forgot my ID and had to go back to my car to get it and the waitstaff were so apologetic even though it wasn’t their fault.

Very similar to the monks café but smaller. I think the mussels here are not as good compared to monks café but that is just my taste.
I don’t fancy the location too much, hard to find parking but it does cater to the locals that live around the art museum. Good place to get Belgium beer, they do sell 6 packs ranging from $ 15 and up to go. Single bottles as well.
If you like Belgium beers and dishes, give this place a try.

I still love the Belgian, but it’s not the definition of ‘as good as it gets’ anymore.
On the grub front, their formerly outstanding creamy chicken salad is nothing to hype up anymore. It’s had a funky taste the last two times I’ve had it, which is such a bummer. I used to dream about that salad! (Also I’m not exaggerating. It was so, so good.) It’s time to explore the menu more, I suppose, and hope the salad can be restored to its former glory at some point.
Beer selection still gets 5 stars. There’s no way your group won’t find choices to satisfy everyone. Just be cognizant of the prices. Each time I see a bottle I really want to try, it’s crazy expensive. Not their fault, but I wish there was a way to better filter their menu so I don’t accidentally order a $ 25 bottle of Sanctification.
Staff has been consistently unfriendly. Belgian isn’t too far from my apartment and I’ve been there a considerable amount of times in the last couple years, but I can probably count on one hand how many times I’ve actually felt welcome.
Heck, one day about a month ago, I accidentally bypassed their ID check since it was 1 p.m. and I didn’t think they were door-​checking IDs at that hour. And also no one was standing there. Nope, they were, and the bouncer-​man walked up to me at the bar to request my ID. I’ve seen him so many times, yet he seems to have memory loss each time I walk in. Please just be friendly!
Belgian no longer ranks among my top bars in the city, but I still like them and I hope they can improve their service and food quality soon.

Live around the corner and come here often. Kitchen is open somewhat late and they have a huge selection of beer. Everything I’ve had here is great, burgers especially. Excellent fries also! Good service.

Such a cool spot in the Fairmont area of Philly. Never had been here before, but had a great time with a friend. Good wine, great variety of muscles and other eclectic food, something for everyone.
Then? Piping Hot Donuts? Late night on a Saturday? Yes, they win an award for these. WOW. Go just for the donuts, if not anything else. Not the fanciest, not the most comfortable seating, but a good mix and cool spot to check out… with donuts and drinks.

It has been a few years since I had been at the Belgian Café. We stopped in on a Sunday night recently. We were seated without a wait and the restaurant was about 50% full.
We had the Pear and Arugula salad. This was the best dish of the night with really great flavors. I was surprised how good this salad was. We had two Mussels; the DeKonick and Van Damme. Both were good but not that special. Both of these broths were a little bland for our tastes. We also had the flat iron steak. This was very good and the grilled asparagus was delicious. The pomme frites that came with the mussels were just OK for me. They were classic Belgian style and thin but no one locally can touch the pomme frites at Sketch.
For dessert we went with Apple Taco and the Piping Hot Doughnuts. Definitely go with the doughnuts.
The Belgian Café has a huge selection of beers. I had a nice Belgian Whit on tap. All in all a pleasant but not great meal.

Every time I come here, I want to be impressed since I love its sister restaurant. But I’m not impressed with the food. I’ve gone there on numerous dates, and have gotten different things I’m very impressed with the beer selection– I always get something new. Service is excellent.

This bar is similar to Monk’s (I think they have the same owner). I actually liked Beligan Café better than Monk’s due to the fact that this place is way less crowded and we easily found a spot to sit at the bar.
I ordered similar things off of the menu from last time we went to Monk’s. I had a Bruegel style burger (which came with bacon and cheddar) and my husband had a chicken sandwich. My burger was cooked to perfection with no skimping out on the toppings. Same with my husband’s chicken sandwich. The food was cooked way better than our last experience at Monk’s (we had to send the chicken sandwich back because the chicken wasn’t fully cooked). We also grabbed beers off of the draft list which were real good too. I would definitely come back!

Enjoyed our dinner and beers last night at this local pub. We went a little late so there was no wait and really no crowd other than at the bar. Plenty of beers to choose from here with a solid rotating draft list. Their bottle list is a couple pages long. Onto the food. I ordered the chicken sandwich with sautéed onions, mushroom, and goat cheese. Not bad overall! The chicken was a little over cooked and dry but the flavor was great. Also ordered the steak fries and really enjoyed them. They were practically quartered potatoes with salt and pepper. Very good. Service was ok. A little slow esp for how few people were there. We will go back for beers and food again. Eat it!

The beer selection alone is worth the visit. The food is just as good as Monk’s and it is no where near as crowded. A friend of mine recommended this place to me a while ago when I told him about my affinity for Monks. Little did I know at the time that this was owned by the same owners, with a very similar menu, only larger, and much less crowded. The vibe is the same, and its a really fun place to hang out.
The beer selection is fantastic. They have all kinds of Belgian deliciousness on tap and in bottles, and plenty of other things to choose from as well. I cant remember the name of what I got, but it was a Belgian sour of some kind and it was fantastic. As far as food went, I ordered a pot of DeKonick mussels which were in a both of leeks, apples, swiss cheese, and deKonick antwerpen ale. The pot came served with a wheat roll and delicious frites and their signature bourbon mayo. My fiancé and I split that and the burger that she ordered which came with beer brined cheese and daikon sprouts called the Delvaux.
The mussels at Belgian Café and Monks are unparalleled. They always seem to be the biggest mussels I have ever seen, and they are always super tasty, no matter what way they are cooked. This dish was no different. The broth was super flavorful from the leek, beer and apple combination. Its always perfect to dip some delicious bread in. The burger was tasty as well. Belgian Café does great burgers with a really nice sear to them on a perfect roll that holds up to the juicness of the burger quite well. This particular version had beer brined cheese and daikon sprouts that provided a bit of nuttiness and crunchy texture to the perfectly cooked burger. Splitting that and the mussels and the frites was a perfect lunch time meal on a cold snowy day. Its always worth a visit, and I will dfeinitely be back and to their sister restaurant Monks over and over again.

AWESOME brunch here. Huge variety of options, both food and drink. The indoor space has great lighting and the paintings add a cool vibe.
We got the Horta burger which was juicy and the potato chips were hardy enough to stay crispy. The frites and homemade mayo were almost as good as being in Brussels. We also ordered the grilled brie which was grilled perfectly. Just gooey enough without a burnt flavor on the rind. The crostinis didn’t break my teeth when I bit into them (always a plus) and the strawberries were sweet and delicious. If only there were enough time to sample everything on the menu!
3.5÷5 service, ⁵⁄₅ food.

What a nice café with outdoor seating. After working up an appetite at Crime and Punishment, Kathleen D suggested this spot. My fiancé and I shared mussels and a burger which were both perfectly prepared and cooked. The mussels were fresh and the butter garlic sauce was so nice. The cheddar and bacon burger was so juicey i found myself thinking of it the following morning. The fries were very thin and crisp. Personally i like thick cut because they allow me to easily scoop up lots of ketchup. For dessert, we went with the donuts which initially I thought were too doughy, but again the following morning I found myself wishing I had eaten the last one. The waitress was super friendly and attentive. The beer list does not dissappoint. This is a nice spot to enjoy a leisure meal outdoors. The prices were very fair and if I lived nearby would make it a point to frequent often.

The food was good but not great although they had a great beer selection. No complaints on the service.
Overall there is nothing to complain about… However I did not love it.

Really disappointed with my recent Belgian Café experience. I ordered «vegan buffalo wings.» Sounded simple to me. The plate came to the table covered in blue cheese crumbles. I spoke up to the bartender who said that the buffalo sauce was not vegan. That should have been stated when I asked for «vegan buffalo wings.» Additionally, the menu says nothing about the sauce not being vegan. Other wing sauces are vegan. After what happened, I was turned off and simply left.
The Belgian Café needs its staff to clearly explain which wing sauce is vegan and which is not when people order the seitan wings. I hope they improve the training of their staff. Better yet, they should simply make a buffalo sauce that is vegan!

Tis a sad, duplicitous day in veganville. After receiving a tip from a fellow vegan Unilocaler, I attempted to contact management at The Belgian Café to clear things up. I called and immediately asked to speak with a head chef or manager. The man who answered said, «How can I help you?» without identifying himself or his position. So I inquired if he was a manager, to which he answered yes. Sure. Ok. So I requested verification for the seitan wings. He stated that 2 are automatically vegan but that one should always request vegan because any of the sauces can be made vegan upon request. (Keep in mind that there are 4 flavors offered for the seitan wings. Also, he has major attitude the entire time he’s talking.) Then he adds that the buffalo sauce is excluded «of course, because buffalo sauce is made with butter.» (Giving me MAJOR ‘tude.) Ok, sassy-​pants. Are you next going to tell me that the wings aren’t vegan because they are «of course» made with chicken? Oh, and that alleged vegan aoili that you offer? Do you want to tell me that it’s made with eggs? Seriously? Vegan butter is the easiest ingredient to find! He goes, «Well, we don’t have vegan butter.» I was completely fed up with his flippant and mordant demeanor by this time and demanded his name. He said that he was Patrick… Not sure if this is his real name or not. He was likely looking at St. Patty’s Day paraphernalia and just blurted out, «Patrick.»
Either way. I am extremely disappointed that the staff had assured me that I was getting vegan wings and I wasn’t. I am beyond peeved that the only thing keeping them from being vegan is that someone is too lazy to buy a $ 2 tub of vegan butter from Wally World and make a separate batch of vegan buffalo sauce. I won’t even get started again with «Patrick.»
Alas. Tis a sad, sad day in veganville.

The Belgian Café is one of those places I always pass by, remind myself how much I enjoy it there and vow to come back. Unfortunately with so many places on my radar, I don’t make it there too often.
On Friday night, my husband and I were tempted in by their Chouffemas bar special. We didn’t intend to eat dinner… until we saw the food specials board. We confirmed the bar special was valid in the dining room and decided to grab a table for dinner.
For our appetizers, we went with the roasted Brussel Sprouts with arugula pesto and the sweet potato bisque soup. These Brussel Sprouts make the cut for some of the best Brussel Sprouts I’ve ever had. They were crispy but fresh and the pesto was an absolutely amazing compliment. The sweet potato soup was rich and creamy.
For our mains, my husband went with the ginger cider braised pork shoulder and I went with one of the specials of the day– the shrimp and bacon tacos. I had a little piece of the pork and it was prepared really well and very juicy. The shrimp and bacon tacos had some sort of cabbage and were also flavored really well.
To drink, we went with Chouffe Houblon– which was a Belgian beer that was similar in style to an IPA.
Our server started off on point however throughout our meal dropped off a bit. Our orders were pretty straight forward and we didn’t need much attention so it wasn’t a huge deal.
I always enjoy Belgian Café and really need to make a bigger effort to not overlook them as a regular dining option.