Lola

We stumbled upon Lola in 2023 as a family of 4, and it turned into one of the most unforgettable dining experiences we’ve ever had. After a long day of walking and exploring the beautiful city of Brussels, we walked in without a reservation ~ something we later realized was incredibly lucky, as this restaurant has been a true staple in the city since 1994. From the moment we sat down, the service was impeccable: attentive and welcoming, yet never overbearing. The menu offered classic brasserie fare, but every dish had a refined and memorable touch. I opted for the lobster ravioli and an extraordinary sweetbread vol-au-vent, which was both unique and perfectly executed. My husband and son enjoyed the most incredible bone-in chicken breast, while my other son had a seared tuna dish ~ so exquisite it instantly ranked among his favorites of the trip. And then came dessert ~ the perfect finale to an already flawless meal. As a family that travels the world in search of exceptional food, we were blown away. Lola not only exceeded expectations but firmly cemented itself in our minds as one of the best dining experiences in Europe. Although it is recognized in the Michelin Guide, in our opinion, it absolutely deserves a Michelin star. We can’t wait to return one day!

This place was fantastic. I absolutely loved the frog legs, and the pavlova cake was heavenly. The service was top-notch as well 🤍

Brasserie located on Sablon, one of the nicest areas of Brussels. It was very busy and consequently very loud. Important to get your expectations right: it’s a brasserie and not a fine-dining restaurant (even if prices may give that impression). The menu makes one want to order many things. I found my choices unfortunately rather tasteless. The foie gras was ok, the meat was a bit too tough (and the knife didn’t cut well enough), the sauce of morel mushrooms was delicious, as was the side salad; the desert of apple crumble was a total disappointment (no flavour and very weird combo, using granola and not crumble). The service was ok, but they felt stressed and, in part, not particularly happy or friendly.

This place was packed at lunch. We sat at the bar and had good banter with the bar staff. The food was great, more fine dining sequences than expected and definitely a place we would return to when in Brussels again.

Had lunch at Lola in Sablon and left feeling underwhelmed. I asked for my steak medium rare, but it came out well done and a bit dry, which was disappointing given the price. The side salad was also forgotten and only brought over after I asked for it. To their credit, the staff offered to replace the steak, but I ended up waiting another 20 minutes for the new one. By that point, I was too hungry to take a photo. The shrimp croquettes were actually quite good and probably the best part of the meal. But between the mix-up, the wait, and the average steak, the whole experience fell short of expectations.

It’s difficult to find restaurants that accommodates 1 person. At Lola’s you have a bar option (which was great) the first impression was the host and bartender, who made me feel welcome dinning alone. The bar (didn’t get his name) crafter a couple drinks for me (excellent) and recommended a couple fish dishes. Had the Tuna tartar and the sea bass- both were good recommendations. I would definitely return to Lola’s - great dinning experience and great staff.

Impeccable lobster ravioli. The sole was also excellent. Pistachio profiterole was good, but not on par with the rest. Minor fix suggestion: remove/hide the plastic boxes of empty bottles behind the bar. I understand that space is a challenge, but they compromise the ambiance.

The tail piece that we each received of the sea bass was little 'fishy'. Some lemon was squeezed on it to hide the smell. Otherwise, the food and service was very good. Very clean, beautiful place, including the parklet table area.

I think this restaurant was subpar to the many different options in Brussels. We paid about 137 euros for two people with drinks, two entrees, an appetizer(snails), and bottled water. We were seated immediately inside without reservations so that was nice. The staff spoke moderate English and the inside was clean. It's higher maintained than a casual restaurant but not upscale. I thought the wait was a little long for what we ordered. The snails weren't something I'd get again but fresh. The sea bass was the best out of the whole meal. The lobster was not spicy at all and felt a bit overcooked and the pasta undercooked.

Very nice restaurant and I am glad we got a reservation the day before. I was on a business trip and looking for some nice places to eat and this was a recommendation from a colleague. We ordered a nice bottle of Sancerre, I had the beef carpaccio and had the Vol au Vent for my main. My colleague had escargot and sea bass for her main. Dishes were beautifully presented, I thought the carpaccio was the highlight of my dinner. While the flavors of the Vol au Vent were great, it was a bit heavy for my taste. Service was great and very attentive. Ambiance was very modern and we enjoyed our dining experience. Overall, I would come back and try some of the other main dishes.

Delicious and great service. I have been craving the escargot ever since my meal here and no place has been able to satisfy that craving. I'm coming back to Brussels in summer and stopping in for this dish as well as mussels if they serve them too.

Best meal in Belgium, hands down. First of all, this place is POPULAR, make sure you make a reservation as least a day or more in advance because walking in is not an option unless you want to sleep over and eat tomorrow. The vibe is intimate but energetic, and you better like your neighbors because this place gets packed. It is popular because the food is seriously tasty. The foie was rich and creamy, and the lobster ravioli were just two , but bursting at the seams with lobsteriness. The tuna was perfectly cooked , our only minor gripe was the rice was too salty. The real star was the razor clams - yeah I know I'm a bit obsessed with razor clams in general, but this was the 2nd restaurant I've been to where I ordered a 2nd helping for dessert. We ate an ungodly amount of bread to soak up the clam juices. What really made it for us was our amazing server then turned host Rafi - who was engaging, funny and kept things together when the rest of the service in the restaurant went a haywire due to a huge unflux of people all at on once. But the food was so good we didn't mind hanging out and waiting a while for our stomachs to make more room for more clam-soaked goodness.

The only reason I gave it 4 stars rather than 5 was the fries. I was expecting Belgian style fries and what I received was McDonald style fries. They were salted & tasted like fast food.

These guys appear to have come up with a formula circa 1996 for classic Belgian dishes and service, and it works pretty well. My wife got Vol Au Vent, and I got braise endive wrapped in ham, baked in cheese sauce. Both were excellent. Great location on Place du Grand Sablon. On the spendy side, lunch for two was about 65 EUR.

When in Brussels...get some mussels! On our only evening in Brussels we headed out to get some moules and frites. (Yes, I know that's 2x frites in one day. But hey, we walked a lot. I earned it.) We did not have a reservation but were lucky to get a great table in the back. I highly recommend making reservations but they do also have bar seating if you didn't plan ahead. We saw the table next to us eating croquettes which looked delicious. However, we both agreed they looked better than they tasted. For our main course we each ordered mussels although probably we could have shared. The bowl was huge! While the mussels were really tasty, all of the sauce was at the bottom so while the top ones were good, the bottom ones were amazing. But at that point I was already quite full. It may be silly but I'd recommend moving the ones from the top off to the side and start with the bottom. Then you can add them back in and toss with the remaining sauce. We ordered a bottle of pouilly fume which was extremely tasty and reasonably priced from the extensive list. I definitely recommend ending the meal with their mint tea which was the perfect finish to cleanse us of our double frites sins.

Excellent dinner here last night. We enjoyed the croquettes and asparagus for appetizers, and my friends had chicken and asparagus, while we had the beef meat loaf and cod fish. Perfect ambiance with good , attentive, and classy service. It's rather expensive but it's worth a try.

I was very impressed with the whole artichoke entree. But the main course was disappointing. A veal chop with overcooked spaghetti pasta on the side and some old fashioned mushroom sauce was not what I expected when I read the beautifully written menu. I had imagined a thin pasta with veal and mushrooms in a sauce mixed together. More modern flavours. But instead it was a bit like eating at an old Swiss Chalet, than a chic Brussels eatery. Also wines available were poor.

We went here during our Christmas break, I know long delay in reviewing, and we both really enjoyed our meal. The restaurant is small, but it doesn't feel cramped and more importantly the noise level is great so it was easy for us to enjoy a nice meal together. I ordered the chicken and my fiance ordered the risotto and both were excellent. Beyond the food the location was awesome. After dinner we were able to walk around and check out one of the many high-end chocolatiers in the square. Overall great place.

After a ropey start to our night in a restaurant elsewhere, we thankfully stumbled across this absolute gem of a restaurant. Saturday night, busy busy spot, and they were only delighted to accommodate us. We were greeted by the maître d′ who was positively delightful! She sat us and popped us over pre dinner drink promptly and with very little fuss. Our meal consisted of prawn croquettes and seabass(possibly?!) ceviche, followed by the lemon sole and lamb, all of which were exquisitely cooked. The level of service from both the maitre d and the gent with dark rimmed glasses was just exceptional. We never felt rushed, even though we were a relatively late sitting and felt welcome from the moment we walked in. In fact, when we went to order coffee, our waiter offered to hold off as we still had quite a bit wine to go! Just a simple courtesy, and yet it was very much appreciated. Highly recommend this restaurant for a spot of Belgian fine dining with a reasonable price tag and some wonderful service thrown in for good measure!

Fun, Eclectic, Sleek, Cozy, Creative, Friendly are all adjectives that describe this awesome eatery in located in the heart of CBD. The Chef does a masterful job of creating a delicious crowd pleasing menu. The atmosphere is relaxing and comfortable. The bartender whips up some of Brussels finest cocktails. From start to finish this "brasserie" is worth checking out.

Went to Lola's based on a recommendation from a local friend. Food lived up to the recommendation. We were on a whirlwind tour of Brussels, Brugge and Paris so some stiff competition from the numerous places we ate, but in the end it came out as one of the top restaurants we visited. For our mains, we had a diverse selection. From cod, to shrimp risotto, chicken to ham shank the meal was excellent. The shrimp risotto came out on top for our main selection. Excellently prepared. If not for having bone in my fish (a pet peeve of mine), the cod would have been perfect. The ham was a massive piece of meat, though after breaking through the fat you were left with a reasonable sized portion. We had chocolate three ways for dessert and some creme brulee. Both were nicely done. Service was good. Decor is cozy, wait staff were hipster (think suspenders, black frame glasses).

Pretty pricey but the food is really really really really good. The ambiance is nice and the waiters are friendly. To keep it short, I'd save up to come and eat here once in a while. Everything on the menu looked really good but I stuck to the sea bass with scallops with leek sauce and pumpkin risotto. It was the best sea bass ever. So soft and tender. And I definitely recommend the vanilla ice cream with figs for dessert! It has so many flavors and spices in a bite!

Went to lola on a Monday for dinner. The staff was very helpful in selecting our entrees. Scallops with puff pastry and butter and the desert (chocolate mousse cake with vanilla almond ice creme) were to die for. Our entrees didn't disappoint either. Definitely will not think about visiting the place again.

Food was excellent with a great location. Service was also good, but suboptimal as they didn't offer bread till we were done with dinner. And, when ordering the appetizers, there were no serving spoons for condiments, and in fact, dropped one of our toasts on the floor. Extremely uncharacteristic for a "high end" dining establishment.

Lola Lovely Lola! How fabulous on the palette but lets hope work is paying :p I was delightfully invited for lunch with the brother in law who has a taste for all things fine, luckily. Fine dining in a causal environment, well dressed waiters, a superb menu with suggestions to have you pondering over the menu for quite some time. What a wine list! And liquor list... We had a range of starters including carpaccio of scallops, tuna tartare, and scallop 'parmentier'... all melt in the mouth! An ossobucco and a steak tartare for the boys, all devoured. Somehow we managed space for dessert - a molleux and a caramel moelleux! This obviously all needed 2 eau-de-vive's to wash it down. Wine was divine. Everything was divine! For 3, I believe the bill was above the €250 mark if not 300. First date material :)

It's a very busy restaurant, nice setting and clean. It's a bit a wait for meal and dessert to come out, however the service was very attentive. I ordered "cod with butter lemon sauce, asparagus and mash potatoes". It's nice fine dish, the cod perfectly cooked but it's bit cold. As I would like my fish to be hot, not just warm. It's a great dish after all. I ordered desert "creme brûlée" and coffee. It's too bad that I had my desert first, and wait a bit for my coffee. I finished my desert then my coffee come later. Not sure, if it is how it works, but I would like to have the sweet together with my coffee. It's nice place after all, but I would like to check some where else.

We dined here recently on the recommendation of the hotel concierge. We asked 'lola' for a wine suggestion, told her what we liked, and she suggested one the most reasonably priced wines, which was quite good . We both enjoyed our entries, as well as the service and ambiance. The steak tartare was awesome. Highly recommend.

Amazing! Delicious! I had the sweetbreads dish and can't say enough. The atmosphere is perfect!

Great dinner and atmosphere! Very good service and continent for a Sunday evening. Dessert ananas was delicious and good wine selection.

This place was recommended to me by the concierge at the hotel I stayed at while on a weekend trip to Brussels. I cannot remember exactly what I ordered since its been a year since I was there but I do remember that their food was amazing. The decor was very contemporary and sleek, and their staff was very friendly, and helpful. Not to mention patient when I attempted to practice my so-called french-restaurant-ordering skills hehe ... The understood and spoke English but I tried anyway :) This is definitely a nice restaurant to check out if you're in the area

We ended up here on a Sunday night when most restaurants in Brussels are closed, and it was really great! One person in our group is allergic to gluten, and the servers were very nice in helping her find dishes that would work for her. I had an asparagus appetizer that was really good and fresh, and a delicious shrimp and risotto main course. The desserts looked great, but we were stuffed, so just enjoyed some refreshing mint tea. I highly recommend this place - especially if you're looking for somewhere to eat on a Sunday night.

After visiting the Magritte Museum near Place Royale up the hill, my wife and I came down to the Grand Sablon and grabbed lunch at Lola based on the trusty Yelp reviews and the enticing pictures of the food. I would caution that for any Americans (or non-local tourists), it's definitely not as tourist-friendly as most of the other places we went to. Given that lunchtime on Sunday was very crowded, we ended up with the last two seats at the bar - no mind at all in what was a restaurant with a very modern feel and lots of light coming in the windows. However, the bartender's English was shaky at best, and the English-language menu did not make it very clear what was an entree vs. an appetizer (apparently, the vast majority of the menu is appetizers or tapas-style portions, as I would think of it), so we ended up selecting the daily specials off the French-language menu. I also think that led to the service (once we were served our food) to be non-existent; it took us a long time to get someone's attention to give us our check, and then for the check to be taken. I don't fault it as harshly as I would a restaurant in an English-speaking locale, but just keep in mind that ultimately, you're not necessarily in the most 'touristy' section of Brussels here. That said, we really did enjoy our meal here. Definitely a bigger purveyor of wines relative to beers (which was disappointing), but the Chimay Bleu was still delicious. For an appetizer, we went with a half-dozen hollow-shell oysters (which I think just means it had a deeper shell). I don't think I had had oysters in Europe before, and the flavor was distinctive from the East Coast / West Coast versions available in the U.S. While it's definitely on the more briny side, it has a warmth in flavor that you don't get much from the briniest of East Coast oysters. They're very meaty as well and delicious overall. We then split a scallop appetizer, where slices of freshly seared oysters were mixed into mashed potatoes and served with mushrooms and a poached egg on top. This was absolutely phenomenal; the scallops paired with the potatoes were really good, while the poached egg gave an impressive depth of flavor that didn't overwhelm as some gravies do. For our entrees, I definitely got the better plate - the daily special of roasted braised bone-in pork butt and thigh, which was so incredibly good and tender - the meat just fell off the bone without any effort. Whatever sauce it was roasted in - I think it was some kind of mustard - gave it a nice little spicy kick without masking the smoky flavor of the pork. My wife got a sesame-seed crusted salmon which, while good, simply was no match for the decadence of my entree. Lola does their food really well; I only wish that we had a bit more clarity on what we ordered initially instead of winging it a bit. However, the pork was probably the most delicious individual dish I ate during our weekend in Brussels, and, while a bit expensive, it was a delightful dining experience.

Good restaurant, the kitchen is reasonably good. However it is pricey. Desserts and entries should be sold at more realistic prices. For a main dish, drink and coffee it is still somehow a good pick. The wine they recommended us was very good and also at a reasonable price. The decoration is functional and personnel polite and formal. Fair enough. Not for every day

Traveling on business, I took an extra day to check out the Sablon district of Brussels, and the cab driver recommended Lola. Busy restaurants don't often welcome a "party of one" with open arms, so on a Friday night, without reservations, I didn't have high hopes. Not only did they fit me in at the bar, they made me feel right at home. What a great experience! The service was great and the food fantastic.

I would give it a 5 star in Brussels excellent food quality and very good service.the meal came on time right after the appetizer. Would certainly visit again

I wandered in here around 8p on a Saturday, a single person looking for dinner. The hostess was incredibly gracious and found a nice spot for me at the bar. The staff was also wonderful. The food was lovely--mackerel tartare with cauliflower foam. It was exactly the perfect thing when I was tired and needing something light.

Excellent steak. This is a proper restaurant. A bit on the pricy side, but it's worth the price.

A very well designed, modern and chic restaurant. A good price for quality restaurant that is worth visiting on special occasions. Good and quick service. Be sure though to reserve in advance, especially during weekends.

I ate there yesterday the entree was okay but the main was cod on vegetables the fish was so dry and tasteless the service was okay my husband had the large shrimps with risotto the risotto was undercook the food wasn't worth what we paid for