The best French cuisine restaurants Yvoir

Thierry Van Damme, who collects fine breweries like others collect classic cars, launched this one with his partner Michel Grenier. A brasserie overlooking the Meuse at the foot of the Luxembourg Bridge, it boasts a shellfish bench (oysters, mussels, clams, langoustines, North Sea shrimps...). The menu features regional classics: croquettes crevettes, entrecôte, américain, sole meunière, vol au vent... Afternoon drinks service only. In fine weather, superb outdoor terrace.

Located on the banks of the Meuse, near the marina, this Michelin-starred restaurant offers a unique setting. Contemporary architecture and interior design use aluminum and wood as the main materials. Creative cuisine is served here, with meticulous presentation: chef Julien Wauthier offers pleasure to the palate and the eye. The menu features noble products such as scallops, game and offal such as sweetbreads and veal cheek. The terrace on stilts and the riverside garden are sure to tempt you on sunny days.

Sitting at John Maes' is the assurance of a disconcerting moment every time a plate arrives. The chef proposes a cuisine without (too) extravagance, regularly renewed and using local products. Although these are treated with care, they are most often diverted from their original aspect. The contemporary setting may not have the exuberance of the plate, but the decoration brightens up the large bays open towards the Meuse. A beautiful terrace allows you to enjoy the environment even more fully.

At the entrance to the city, the tavern offers a variety of menus and daily specials. Pan-fried Irish entrecôte, vol-au-vent, homemade meatballs and old-fashioned knuckle of pork are just a few of the must-tries served at Champs-Élysées. Seafood is also a highlight. In fact, everything is homemade, in keeping with the traditions of an authentic brasserie. The owner is a sommelier by passion, and it's a pleasure to discuss wines with him. The dining room and veranda are spacious, as is the terrace, heated in winter and shaded in summer.

What a great adventure, that of Maxime and Louise! Above all, what a great idea to focus on the seasons, sustainability and local products to offer a menu that goes beyond the roundabout. The terroir and its raw materials have given birth to Racines, based on the principle of slow food. Taking the time to do things well and to present them well. You can choose from a single menu (2, 3 or 4 courses) to compose your meal. At the wine bar, you can nibble on a glass or two of wine, bubbles and even kombucha. And it's lovely!

You'll be amazed by this terrible liner that appears to be moored against the Jambes lock. In fact, it's a new building complex on the ground floor of which the brasserie has taken up residence. The terraces are crowded with people in fine weather, and the superb dining room, with its tables arranged according to mood, is bustling with people. The menu is rich and varied, featuring classic brasserie dishes that have been (re)visited. A special mention goes to the vol-au-vent and its sweetbreads. The fish is beautifully prepared. The wine bible includes some fine Belgian parishes, and the sommelier has mastered his subject.

Les potes are two young enthusiasts, François and Damien, who embarked on this adventure in February 2020. Their menu offers freshness and seasonality in two starters (mushrooms in 3 ways or roasted scallops), two main courses (Belgian game meat or catch of the day) and as many desserts. The restaurant is highly recommended, both for its contemporary setting overlooking the river and for its contemporary gourmet cuisine. Also noteworthy is the cheerful service: François and Damien come to your table to present their dishes.

This restaurant-brasserie, with its contemporary furnishings, is housed in a perfectly renovated former grain market. The premises are pleasant, bordering the Sambre and overlooking the Citadelle, and popular with tourists in fine weather, especially on the terrace. The menu features regional and local cuisine in a busy atmosphere. A tempting selection: shrimp croquettes, veal bread à la namuroise, braised sweetbreads, salmon au gratin or linguine with scampi. Sauces are plentiful, so ask for them on the side.

On the first floor of the Hotel des Tanneurs, the Grill has been completely revamped. Decoration, service, cutlery and meats, the whole place has taken on the appearance of an Argentinean grill, a country dear to Geoffroy Bouvier's family. On the menu, meats from there and elsewhere, but you can also enjoy a minced tartar, a rack of lamb in a crust, kidneys à la Namuroise and fish. A special mention for the home-made béarnaise, the chips and the three-course menu "de la Tante Jeanne". A must, each time a rediscovery for meat lovers.

In the house once owned by his parents in the Plante district, Charles Jeandrain offers gourmet cuisine based on seasonal produce. The hyper-trendy decor is the opposite of the classic style of yesteryear. On the plate, haute cuisine: lobster rubs shoulders with sweetbreads, Iberian pluma, langoustines, turbot and oxtail. The chef also offers Belgian "ocietra" caviar, served with cauliflower, lemon and bread. Reservations recommended. Take-home store and classes to reproduce.

Thanks to its independent management, the EHN (Eau d'Heure Nautique) clubhouse is now open to all. And we're not going to complain. The place is particularly pleasant, with an outdoor terrace adorned with rustic tables and benches, and an indoor terrace overlooking the small marina and lake. On the menu at any time of day: tagliatas, entrecôtes, meatballs with homemade tomato sauce, filet américain, burgers, pastas and salads, a jumbled menu of dishes that aren't too fancy, but are good, hearty and reasonably priced.

Les Cousines is a vintage-looking restaurant run by two cousins who form an impressive duo. It opened on the banks of the Meuse in March 2020. Their efficient and simple cuisine (hot or cold sandwiches, dumplings, pancakes, ice creams...) does not hide a warm welcome and an ideal location on the banks of the Meuse, conducive to the spirit's stroll. It is an ideal place to put down your hiking bag or to get off your bike; it is also a strategic point on a day of visit to the famous nearby Gardens. A hearty dish of the day announced for the week on the blackboard.

At the foot of the cable car leading up to the fortifications, this restaurant could easily be a tourist trap... but it's not! In fact, the chef had a distinguished gastronomic career before taking over this local institution. Dinant locals and strollers alike can be found here, and the menu rotates between classic dishes and those from the Haute Meuse region. Petits-gris de Warnant, trout from the Leffe stream, regional cured meats, locally-raised meat, or the sweetbreads with morel mushrooms that are the pride of the house.

Be Belge is a small, recently relocated restaurant in a leafy corner of Namur, with a short menu that anticipates the seasons. Catherine and Axel do their name proud with dishes that feature local ingredients... but not only. Fish from the North Sea coexist with farmhouse pork with Bister mustard, game in season, and strawberries and chocolate are the special guests for dessert. Axel Devaux is a graduate of the Namur hotel school. His menu is bimonthly and features home-made products.

L'Entité is the kind of address you feel you've always known. Unchanging, with its terrace in front, from which you can watch the passing cars and pedestrians while being seen, you can enjoy a beer, a coffee, a croque or a dish of the day. The clientele? A flock of regulars either leaning against the counter, or always at the same little marble and wrought-iron table. The bulk of the clientele are students and staff from the nearby university. Its ideal location close to the RAVeL and Louise Marie Park attracts many customers.