The best restaurants Wavre

For a good quarter of a century, this small restaurant has been offering hearty and tempting brasserie dishes in a nice Parisian bistro decor where the walls are initialled by comic book authors. Efficient cooking with these grills (their great classic "single-sided", served with a butter-mustard-scallion sauce and a gratin dauphinois), fish, pasta, salads without forgetting some canaille dishes: roasted marrow bone, cassoulet, andouillette 5A. Everything is homemade, some wines are organic and the menu respects the seasons.

may 12, 1974, Nivelles hosted its 2nd and last F1 GP. The site reconverted in zoning accommodates in particular this restaurant. The plate is very correct and the decoration of red, black checkers and miniature cars evokes this prestigious past. The ceiling light simulates the circuit, the bottles of wine are waiting on the starting grid. At the billboard, the grilled rib steak carburetted with real fries with beef white. The tifosi will enjoy pizza or a saltimbocca. For a quick pit stop, pick from the salads and sandwiches to go.

A homemade beer, a snack or a real meal, everything is possible at the Taverne de l'Homme Bleu. This attractive brewery in the former stable of the Château de La Hulpe Farm (1833) owes its name to the main character in Folon's work. The place has kept its original decor: red brick walls and floors, high vaulted ceilings and of course the bucolic terrace, a real added value in good weather. Seasonal suggestions escort the brewery dishes and some emblematic Belgian specialities.

It's the perfect place to stop off after a visit to the abbey. Housed in a vaulted cellar dating from the Middle Ages, the place is full of charm. In fine weather, it has a lovely terrace. Stop in to sample the abbey's beers, as well as its homemade dishes and desserts. On the menu are Belgian specialties (carbonnade de boeuf, stoemp saucisses, moelleux de viande au fromage de l'abbaye), as well as salads and burgers. Service is a little slow, but it's worth the wait, as everything is prepared with quality local produce.

Opening in 2019, La Planche d'Ailleurs takes the stylistic codes of its predecessor, only better. You can sit on the pretty terrace away from the peri-urban bustle. But we prefer the interior, which is so worth a look. Solid wood floors and tables, contemporary chairs of the most beautiful effect, we love it. The menu is surprising and explains the name of the place: the meats are from elsewhere! The least exotic is undoubtedly the pata negra, that's saying something! Next to it, guanaco or zebra (!) filet, reindeer... Exotic we tell you !

It's been 20 years since Sébastien Cailletton took over his parents' restaurant, after honing his culinary skills in some of the best restaurants in the world. His credo: a French-inspired cuisine, from the market and following the seasons, with a menu that changes almost every day. For example, in the fall: a pan of wild mushrooms, pheasant nem and its emulsion with triple blonde Waterloo. The lunch is rather attractively priced. And then, there is the charm of this old building and its rose garden which gave its name to the restaurant.

Located inside the Hergé museum, the decor is based on the themes of the adventures of the young reporter. For Le Petit Vingtième was a weekly supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle intended for young people, where Tintin's adventures were born in 1930. One can see the front pages of the newspaper exposed on the ceiling following a luminous ribbon. Sitting here is ideal to enjoy the place and taste the quality French-Belgian brasserie dishes. Sharp tintinophiles will however regret not finding Syldavian specialities on the menu!

Here's a slightly different place in Waterloo, born from the imagination of Béatrice Tinland, who wanted a place that combined her affection for tearooms, bistros and cafés-théâtres. She put all that in a shaker and voilà: l'Anti-Pièce was born. Open from midday, it offers savoury dishes and pastries at snack time, and in the evening, the menu is unwrapped (turbot steak, venison effiloché) while a pianist provides the musical ambience. As for the decor, Béatrice's touch as an antique dealer is evident, with a stylish mix'n'match.

This recently opened establishment has already made a name for itself with its excellence. In a bucolic setting, it's in what looks like a farmhouse that chef Xavier Catoul and Sandrine Cuzon welcome you for a gastronomic journey through the classics of French cuisine. With classics, it's hard to cheat: simplicity and perfection of execution are the order of the day. Mêzon takes up the challenge: grilled veal sweetbread, rabbit leg à la provençale, apple flaky pie and pistachio ice cream. A real treat! As for the wine, Mathieu Closset keeps a close eye on things.

The name of this restaurant sets the tone: in a village bistro atmosphere (but a chic version), you can enjoy... Belgian cuisine. A wide range of the best and most comforting dishes from the Flat Country: Liège meatballs, mussels from the North Sea, waterzooi or chicon au gratin. Hamburgers and pasta are added to the menu (student city oblige). Under the gaze of King Baudouin, immortalized on a giant banknote (in Belgian francs), we will of course enjoy a good beer.

Nestled in the heart of the small village of Bonlez, this intimate family-run restaurant is not far from Wavre. Starters include original Asian-inspired chicken bao. This was followed by a saddle of hare, as tender as it was perfectly cooked, with a mustard and Liège syrup sauce. For dessert, a delicious French toast (regressive as can be). The restaurant has a special area dedicated to raclette, the kind you scrape directly onto the melting cheese. We conclude with blueberry tart and génépi.

Not so long ago, Isabelle Browet and Yves Delruelle took over this Waterloo establishment, which has been in existence for over 20 years. This little restaurant serves classic, homemade dishes (a whole range of pasta dishes, duck breast, sole meunière...) in a vintage setting and a no-frills atmosphere (Waterloo is known for being rather posh) at reasonable prices. A rather exceptional feature: the restaurant is open late, until midnight on weekdays and 2 a.m. on weekends! The back terrace is particularly pleasant.

A warm welcome tops the list of qualities of this well-known Hélécine restaurant. But a smile, a kind word and attentive service don't fill the stomachs of gourmands, so the menu comes to the rescue. If you're a gourmet, this is the place for you: grill, flammekuches, raclette and mussels as much as you can eat (weekdays and in season), while those with smaller appetites need look no further than the salads, which are also very tasty. The terrace is a delight in summer.

Originally located on the Grand Place in Jodoigne, Portes du Temps has now moved to the Chaussée de Tirlemont. The friendly little bar has been transformed into a fine gourmet brasserie, with a decor that combines quality natural materials with harmony and simplicity. White walls, flagstones of Soignies blue stone on the floor and large picture windows opening onto the terrace and beautiful garden. On the menu and in the dining room, Christine Saintenoy favors quality local produce and seasonal vegetables wherever possible. A great address in Jodoigne!

This brewery, housed in a restored former spinning mill, has all the cachet of an industrial space: large windows, exposed brickwork and a superb terrace to boot. Jean Rodriguez brews his beers here, while his son Nicolas is in the kitchen. The highlights of the menu: Belgian specialties (carbonnades, vol-au-vent) and meat dishes (pavé or Irish entrecôte). Nicolas went to good school (with his father, a former restaurateur, and at the hotel school in Namur), so he knows what he's doing!

A veritable institution referring to the speciality of yesteryear, La Tartine is a very simple restaurant set in a pretty house with an outdoor terrace. Whether you're hungry for a snack, coffee, crêpe or craft beer, this former bistro is a favorite. The menu features comforting classic Belgian brasserie dishes that are invigorating in winter and refreshing in summer. La Tartine has a room with a stage, and an old-fashioned bowling alley for private parties. A universe of variable geometry. A warm welcome guaranteed.

The former Jauche railway station is a rather unusual location for a restaurant. In 2004, Luc Van den Bossche and Olivier Hebrant took it over and refurbished it according to their tastes. Luc is in charge of the dining room, and Olivier is in charge of the stove, concocting delicious French dishes with a meat focus (various cuts of beef), a delicious cassoulet as in the South-West, and sauerkraut in winter. Where Olivier has the most fun is with his ever-changing seasonal suggestions: beautiful, colorful plates, full of elegance.

La Guinguette is the unpretentious resto-bar of Renipont-plage, a charming summer and aquatic leisure centre in Walloon Brabant. This rustic troquet guarantees a healthy, fresh, good and cheap cuisine, for various hungers and specific desires: steak, bolo, salads, soups, hamburger, chicken, with or without fries, nothing very complex but invigorating and well prepared. We appreciate the place for its bucolic setting. The terrace at the edge of this tide-free body of water is really very pleasant from spring to fall.

This young restaurant (opening in 2019) is headed by a young chef, 30-year-old Maxime Van Bellingen. A young team is on hand to serve you in a beautiful dining room that's both rustic with its wooden furniture and contemporary with its exposed brick walls. Maxime's background is in fish, and it shows! He pays great attention to seafood. Everything is extra fresh, in season, local whenever possible, and the dishes are a feast for the eyes and taste buds. A breath of fresh air on the local culinary scene!