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Restaurant life
The restaurant experience, from customers' and professionals' perspectives.
A bad restaurant review… before you have even seen how the restaurant responds?
Does a mistake at a restaurant justify a bad review? Before you post, the owner's response can change your whole experience.
Can a restaurant turn away a customer for being poorly dressed?
Can a restaurant refuse a customer because of their clothes? What Belgian law allows, the limits set by anti-discrimination rules and our point of view.
We ordered carbonara in an Italian restaurant. This is what we were served.
Cream, bacon pieces and industrially grated cheese: when does a dish lose the right to be called carbonara? After a major disappointment near Charleroi, we take a closer look.
Should tap water be free in restaurants?
A carafe of tap water seems free. Yet serving it has a cost. Wallonie Gourmande takes a position in this debate between diners and restaurateurs.
Should restaurants still accept customers arriving 10 minutes before closing?
A customer arrives at 8.50pm at a restaurant closing at 9pm. Should they still be served? The customers' perspective and the restaurateurs' view.
An escalope with pasta: Italian cooking or a dish created to please us?
Escalope and pasta on the same plate: Italian tradition or a Belgian adaptation? Wallonie Gourmande takes a view without oversimplifying Italian cuisine.
Restaurant no-shows: should the empty table come with a charge?
A reserved table stays empty: can the restaurateur claim compensation? What Belgian law says and Wallonie Gourmande's view.
The disappearance of village cafés in Wallonia
Between 2015 and 2024, the number of active cafés and bars in Wallonia fell by around 23%. Behind the figures, a social meeting place is fading away.
Why are some restaurants moving away from lengthy menus?
A short menu can improve freshness, consistency and organisation. But it is not, on its own, proof of quality.
Why does the daily special still matter in Belgian restaurants?
Quick, seasonal and often more personal than the regular menu, the daily special remains a valuable option for kitchen and customer alike.
Brasserie, bistro, estaminet and restaurant: what is the difference?
These words describe different atmospheres and traditions, but their boundaries are cultural much more than legal.
Old Walloon inns: how did people travel and eat in the past?
Before railways and cars, Walloon inns offered meals, beds, news and a stopping place for travellers and their horses.
Why do Belgian brasseries have such extensive menus?
Mussels, croquettes, salads, meat, fish and desserts: the long brasserie menu reflects a historic model now under pressure.
Are there really fewer and fewer Belgian restaurants?
Are Belgian restaurants really disappearing? The figures mainly show a traditional model under pressure from falling visits, fast-food growth and changing habits.
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