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Latest Mechelen hotel reviews
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My friend and I had dinner here on our free evening after the conference ended, and were very pleased with our choice. It isn’t the cheapest restaurant in the city but we found it very good value for the quality, and quantity!
There is no English menu but the waiter (who I suspect is also the owner) was very helpful and offered to translate anything we needed help with – which I confess would have been almost everything! To save him the bother, and because it looked good value, we both opted for one of the special menus, "Wild menu 2". This consisted of:
~ an aperitif of our choice; we both chose a champagne cocktail made with a local fruit liqueur
~ an excellent starter of smoked ham, venison pâté and melon on a salad with a delicious mango dressing; this was very fresh tasting and all the ingredients worked really well together
~ a main course of venison in a well-flavoured creamy sauce with croquette potatoes and an unusual and excellent little cake of celeriac puree (I think) topped with wild mushrooms and other vegetables
~ crème brulée, served very simply and much better than the one I’d had the previous evening in Puro
~ coffee, tea or herb tea, with a selection of little biscuits and chocolate squares which we were unable to force ourselves to eat (though being Belgian the chocolate was tucked away for the next day!)
This spread cost us €45 each, with nothing to add but the service as we found the cocktail and a jug of cold water were sufficient to wash it all down (especially after the several beers we’d drunk earlier in the day!). The friendly service and pleasant atmosphere added to our enjoyment of the evening and perhaps explain why the restaurant appeared to be popular with locals.
Favorite Dish: I would be hard-pressed to choose between the wonderful starter and the unusual vegetable dish.
The restaurant describes itself as featuring French-Belgian cooking, and takes pride on offering seasonal produce. So in the spring there is an emphasis on asparagus while in autumn and winter game dishes are offered. It is open for lunch and dinner on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only, otherwise just for pre-booked groups of 15-30 people.
Updated Apr 4, 2011
Address: Steenweg 8, 2800 Mechelen
Phone: 015 210245
Nightlife Spot: Zorba
In the center of this lovely city, right behind Saint Rombuldus cathededral, this most wonderful restaurant is to be found. Cosely tucked away in an inner courtyard along "Nieuwwerk", it welcomes its customers in an agreeable atmosphere, along with three other establishments. Upon entering one is immediately greeted courtiously by the friendly staff and led to one's reserved table within this very beautifully decorated establishment. Because mind you, reserving your table is advisable as this restaurant draws a large crowd of customers despite its location. During summer one can sit down on the large terrace in front of the restaurant, in view of the Saint Rombuldus tower. In short spending the evening here is sure to be a pleasant experience due to the location, the friendly service and the atmosphere in general, to which the live music attributes in no small way.
Updated Aug 15, 2010
Address: Nieuwwerk 10, 2800 Mechelen
Phone: 015/206640
Website: http://www.zorba-restaurants.be/
We had lunch here again. The salads were still tasty and fresh but the place was so dirty! There were crumbles under all of the tables and in general on the restaurant floor. And these crumbles were certainly not from one morning! I couldn't even put my bags on the floor.
Favorite Dish: The salad was good but I'm not going there again.
Written Feb 27, 2010
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Trendy restaurant in the heart of the city. It's huge, all glass and very airy. With a bit of luck you're given a table with view on the river Dijle. There's also a lovely summer terrace outside, along the river.
Favorite Dish: There were four of us (VT friends!). Three of us ordered different salads, which all looked very attractive and tasted delicious. Gonnie ordered a veggie burrito and seemed very pleased, too!
Of course there were lots of other items on the menu.
Updated Feb 27, 2010
Address: Van Beethovenstraat 8-10, 2800 Mechelen
Phone: +32 15 209530
Website: www.lamot-mechelen.be/nl/resto.html
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Many of the historic buildings which surround the beautiful open space of the Grote Markt house bars and cafes, and these make a great place for people watching both in the day time and evening. During our brief visit we found time to sample two of them. A sunny afternoon saw us slipping out of the conference for a couple of hours to do a bit of shopping and enjoy a cold beer at Den Amitié in the north-east corner, where we found a good selection and prompt friendly service. From our table we had a great view of the square and could soak up the autumn sun.
Later that evening we were back for a night-cap at Mechelse Mangerie in the south-east corner (see other photos). This was possibly our favourite of the various bars and restaurants we sampled. It had a welcoming cosy atmosphere, interesting decor (e.g. some of the seating consisted of old train seats, complete with luggage racks), and our seat in the window provided a good view out to the floodlit buildings of the Grote Markt. The local oud jenever was the perfect end to a lovely evening out.
Updated Oct 19, 2007
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A dinner at this restaurant was included as part of the conference I was attending, and I was very impressed with the quality and by how well they coped with our large group (c. 50 people I think).
The restaurant is located in one of Mechelen’s main shopping streets, a little away from the historic centre, so seemed to attract more locals than tourists. The décor is very stylish and modern – I loved the red chandeliers and black taps in the ladies!
We were welcomed with a champagne cocktail with redcurrants in (which looked great but was a little sweet for my taste) and juicy capers and radishes to nibble on. My starter, carpaccio. was excellent, and my main dish of chicken wrapped in parma ham and filled with a tomato-based stuffing also good; however I was a bit disappointed with the crème brulée – this is usually one of my favourite desserts but although well-flavoured this one wasn’t crisp on the top, though the fresh berries that accompanied it were a nice touch. However, overall I would have to say the food was of a very good standard for a group meal of this nature, and the service, though slow at times, was friendly and organised – for instance, all the dishes came out more or less at the same time.
We didn’t have to pay for our meal as it was included in the conference fee but I think from the website that you’d pay about €45-55 for a similar 3 course meal, depending on what drink you chose to accompany it.
Favorite Dish: Has to be the carpaccio - very fresh and attractively presented
Written Oct 19, 2007
Address: Guldenstraat 20, 2800 Mechelen
Phone: 015 336822
Website: http://www.puro-mechelen.be/
There are plenty of places on Grote Markt to eat and enjoy the scenery.
On one side there are fast food places like Pizza Hut, and on the other - traditional Flemish restaurants. They are good value, where you can get a good meal and drink for well under E20.
You may try a well-priced dag menu - with three courses. Just be aware that in my experience while service in Begian restaurants is generally friendly and courteous, it is usually slow since most places have only one or two waiters and they don't work for tips (which would have motivated them to move customers quickly), so if you order a three course meal, it may take you like 1.5 hours to complete it, pay and leave. I would not recommend a dag menu because of that unless the restaurant is empty, for lunch at least, or you will spend more time eating than sightseeing.
Local Flemish specialties are Waterzooi and Carbonade. Carbonade is beef stewed in beer; the result is a pleasant, slightly acidic flavor and plentiful gravy. This usually comes with fries that the Belgians dip in mayonnaise instead of ketchup - and it tastes quite good actually. Waterzooi is a thick soup with chicken, but I understand that sometimes in can be fish.
Favorite Dish: carbonade
Written Aug 23, 2007
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We spotted this bar close to the Nekkerspoel railway station and made it our stop on the way to the football match later in the day.
Good selection of local beers on the menu and plenty of tasty food to tempt us with too.
Food tasty, friendly atmosphere, well worth a visit, we enjoyed.
Updated Mar 24, 2007
Address: 23 Keizerstraat
Phone: 015331734
Helpfulness
Restaurant attached to the Het Anker brewery, they produce the Gouden Carolus beers, really enjoyed the Ambrio, food also excellent, a huge plateful of tasty ribs for me and plenty of veggie options for Mrs Bonio.
It's split into three areas, a restaurant, a drinking area and close to the bar either seemed to be ok, close to the bar for us then!
Friendly welcome and help with the menu for us, our Flemish is not good, improving slowly though.
Updated Mar 21, 2007
Address: Guido Gezellelaan 49
Phone: 32 15 287 144
Website: http://www.hetanker.be/pag_en/index_nl.html
We left the hotel around 9 on a sunday night, after a long walk around the town centre we kind of left it too late for most places. So we found this lovely little chinese open and we had a great meal.
We had a nice revolving table so could swap food around with ease to try several different dished that we each had choosen. The meals was fantastic, the servce was great and we was pleased that we had stopped off for food.
Updated Mar 12, 2007
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