Bij den Boer

I’ve been to Bij den Boer three times now, and every visit has been incredible. The seafood is absolutely amazing fresh, flavorful, and beautifully prepared. Their wine selection pairs perfectly with the dishes, making the whole experience even better. A heads-up: the place is always packed, so make sure to reserve ahead. Parking is really tough in the area, so I highly recommend taking an Uber or using the metro instead. Definitely one of my favorite seafood spots in the city!

Delicious mussels (white wine, garlic cream) with fries. There was also free bread with some tomato and fish to top it off. We enjoyed the house Sauvignon white wine. Very nice experience!

Very good mussels: generous portion and good seasoning, but waffles to avoid: dry and tasteless. There were not so many people besides us, yet service still managed to be somewhat slow. Overall not a bad place with a typical Belgian design and dishes.

I had a traditional Belgian dish called “Eel in Green Herb Sauce.” I chose this restaurant specifically to try it. The service was excellent, and the place was lively with many local customers. The food was delicious, and even as a solo Japanese traveler, I felt very comfortable dining here. I highly recommend making a reservation in advance!

Airy restaurant by the quay with beautifully presented food at reasonable prices and excellent service.

We had the €33 menu consisting of one entrée, a main dish and dessert. All I can tell is that it is worth every penny. Food is superbly prepared, very fresh and seasoned to perfection. The staff is very nice too, the two waiters were alone to tend to all tables, but never failed to provide excellent service. One of them was Portuguese, which is always a bonus when you can communicate in your mother tongue ;) I can’t recommend enough.

The best shrimp croquette I ever ate! Mussels were good, too. One of us had the menu, which is 36€ for 4 courses - so a good price, but the most interesting dishes on the menu were either not part of the menu or with a supplement.

I enjoyed a sole and shrimp dinner. The sole was a bit dry. Meal was 'okay' probably impressive for those who are not familiar with eating seafood routinely. What struck me was, as a single diner, how inordinately inattentive the service was. It was so bad that I actually walked out of the restaurant and took a 30-minute walk before returning to pay my bill. And that was after waiting for 30 minutes to get to someone's attention to ask for the check - to no avail. The stunner was - and I actually returned to pay the bill- that the Maitre'D was at the door and he said to me 'oh did you forget to pay??' Did I forget to pay? How about did you forget that I was actually a client? a paying customer? Someone who needed your attention more than you needed mine?

Had a lovely, late dinner at this place. It's a place for locals; we were the only tourists in the restaurant, which was nice. It looks like a place in Paris where you think Hemingway might eat on an everyday night: unpretentious, white table cloths, lots of wood. The prix fixe menu is a must. You get 4 1/2 courses (if you count the adorable amuse bouche) for 29 euros. The fish soup was delicious; then we had a choice between the salmon tartare with new white asparagus (artful presentation) and the shrimp croquettes (one good size ball that oozed yumminess when cut); the main dish was either a fish with one of the best creamy risottos I've ever had or a steak (also good). Dessert was a gorgeously plated flan with berries, crumbled merengue, and lemon sauce. The service was efficient and professional.

Ambiance: slightly over lit, and quite traditional Belgian/European. Don't recall any music. Not very romantic, but perfect for a family dinner. Service: I don't think waiters are assigned to any particular table, so sometimes service can be a bit slow, but I suppose this is the norm in a country where good service is not incentivised with tips. Many of the waiters seemed like grumpy old men. Food: the food was of a very high standard, well presented and made with care and love. Some of it on the salty side, but far above average in Brussels. Price: good value for money, the have a price fixed many too, which seemed like a great deal. The crowd: mainly older, well dressed people, many seemed like locals, which is normally a good sign.

Bij den Boer was listed in our guidebook (Rick Steves) as a recommended dinner restaurant, so we decided to try it out. It's located an easy 10 minute walk from Grand Place, in the heart of the Fish Market district of Brussels. We were seated immediately at 6 pm on a Saturday, with our server telling us we could have the table if we were ok with finishing by 7:30 for a reservation. Prices are moderately high here; 20 Euros and up for dinner entrees. I tried the shrimp and tomato entree, and my husband got the catch of the day, a local white fish I can't recall the name of. Our food was excellent, and the portions were pretty large. We were able to finish our food, but were totally stuffed by the end of the meal. The service was good, with our server bringing a vase for the single rose I was carrying around without asking, it was a nice touch. My husband and I enjoyed our meal, and if you're looking for a great variety of seafood in a comfortable local setting, I'd definitely recommend Bij den Boer. If you're looking for a fast or cheap dinner though, this isn't the place for you.

We found this restaurant in the book, 500 Hidden Secrets of Brussels--which is mostly pretty great--as a seafood recommendation for traditional Flemish food. The restaurant opened at 6pm. We got there at 6:30pm to a totally empty restaurant. We were asked if we had reservations and when we said no, they told us that they couldn't seat us. I protested and said, it's completely empty but they refused to seat us. They said that they had a large table booked at 7:30pm, but there were plenty of other small tables open, obviously. Totally strange and unacceptable. It wasn't that fancy, we were dressed nicely and greeted them in French. Avoid.

A great fish restaurant - very good food, very nice wine list, and affordable prices. Tends to be quite full so reservations required. More on https://onfoodandwine.wordpress.com/2016/06/07/bij-den-boer/

Lots of seafood places don't get their Bouillabaisse right, oversalting or overseasoning it. At Bij den Boer, the bouillabaisse is precisely turned out, a generous portion (good enough for two, or for a very hungry bouillabaisse lover who will linger over the meal for the better part of an evening or afternoon); all the dishes, in fact, are superbly done and reasonably priced for this quality of cuisine. We chanced in with a friend one evening, when so many establishments are closed for the end/start of the year... We were a group of five, enjoying oysters; venison ("biche"); lotte (monkfish or anglerfish, in a well-balanced sauce that was neither too thick nor too rich, well-complementing the deliciously fleshy fish with some well-chosen mushrooms; sole (two different ways, both generously portioned); and the Bouillabaisse. Frites and croquettes accompanied, along with excellent bread -- but the real surprise came with dessert. The desserts are excellent, so don't hesitate to splurge, because you won't often find such well-composed sweets, properly flambéd in front of you, and freshly made. This restaurant is a real find; service is prompt and friendly without being pompous or intrusive. To be fair, one of the most enjoyable meals in Brussels -- a city of fantastic dining choices for those who bother to take the time to look around for Quality without fuss.

Sorry. This has now become a real tourist trap. Low quality products (how can you make mussels like this in a season where they are so tasty...-) unfriendly service and in the end 60 euros. Never again - and we went there for many years when this was still a Belgian restaurant that took its ingredients seriously. Now this is a money making no quality place and I feel bad about that...so many places like this in Brussels now...take care

We love this restaurant, but loved it a lot more years ago when it first opened as a reasonably priced alternative to the Rugbyman twins. The seafood is excellent - all of it - but at 40 euros per person for lunch, it is a bit much. Very nice people serving interesting crowds in an old Flemish neighborhood brasserie atmosphere. We still show up, but no more than a few times per year. Very crowded during prime time.