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Ratings and reviews

Travellers' Choice2023
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
About
Located on Eastbourne Seafront’s Grand Parade with views of the pier and out towards Beachy Head, the Belgian Cafe is the perfect place to dine al fresco during the day or experience the relaxed atmosphere inside. Established in 1999, the Belgian Cafe (formally Cafe Belge) is an award-winning restaurant offering fine a la carte dinning with exceptional service – not only the best of seafood dishes, but also a great selection of specials, burgers, tapas with vegetarian/vegan options. We also have a children's menu. In addition to our Belgian beers, we offer cocktails, wine, aperitifs, liqueurs, spirits and soft drinks.
PRICE RANGE
US$19 - US$69
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Gluten Free Options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, After-hours
CUISINES
Belgian, Seafood, European
FEATURES
Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Street Parking, Wine and Beer, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Accepts Discover, Live Music, Waterfront, Jazz Bar, Dog Friendly, Non-smoking restaurants, Gift Cards Available
Reviews (1,165)
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All reviews mussels seafood belgium beer fries great selection of beers brewed seafront pint
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Reviewed yesterday via mobile

Fantastic bar/restaurant. Stephanie is always so welcoming. Great choice of beers. Great food. Great atmosphere. Great location. Well worth a visit.

Date of visit: November 2023
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 2 weeks ago

Dinner and a vocalist what more could you wish for a cold Friday night , the food is fresh and delicious , the muscles are their speciality and come in a variety of sources. We will certainly be back

Date of visit: November 2023
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Reviewed 4 weeks ago

Poisoned with out of date crab second time. Oysters had just old skin on the shell. You can’t serve not fresh seafood on sea front!

Date of visit: October 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 4 weeks ago via mobile

An excellent place on the sea front road, with outdoor seating with vews of the pier and promenade.. Good food and large selection of alcoholic drinks. Definitely worth a visit.

Date of visit: September 2023
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Reviewed 20 October 2023 via mobile

Really enjoyed their own beers and excellent tapas! This place is a real gem and reasonable prices too. We are locals and rate it highly.

Date of visit: October 2023
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Reviewed 30 September 2023

Very learned staff about their drinks, we only had a couple each. I tried their 9% drink, can’t remember what it was called(triple something) and it was delicious. Give it a go for something different. Didn’t sell Hoegarden so a bit disappointed.

Date of visit: September 2023
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Reviewed 15 September 2023 via mobile

We a family of three adults revisited this cafe after 12 years and were not disappointed. To be honest we thought it had closed down so were happy to find it open in a revamped style and new management. The mussels are so good as...are the piri piri prawns. We sat outside on a sunny late afternoon. Please try this amazing place.More

Date of visit: September 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 8 September 2023 via mobile

Definitely the no1 venue in Eastbourne a buzzing cafe with great food! The beer is brewed on the premises, the mussels & seafood all local. It’s dog & family friendly and the beer takes me back to the best beers of Europe very tasty! Added...to this they’re members of the Best Bar None Scheme, so a safe place to eat & drink! TMore

Date of visit: September 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 21 August 2023 via mobile

We stumbled across this fabulous bar, and was greeted with a fabulous welcome. There was a great list of of locally brewed beers , and a fabulous array of home infused gins. The service was 5⭐️, highly recommend!

Date of visit: August 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 20 August 2023

Eastbourne in airshow week is always busy but this place keeps delivering. Nice beers to try but if you want something straightforward drink the IPA. The moules mariniere with frites were delicious, the terrace is a sun trap and it’s a perfect place for people...watching. Nice staff as well.More

Date of visit: August 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 16 August 2023

I've been to this cafe quite a few times for mussels without an issue, so we decided to try the seafood platter. What a mistake! Firstly we waited over half an hour for our meals. Two couples that came in after us were both served...before us. When I asked why the waitress said they were only eating pasta. Not sure why that makes a difference when we ordered first? She also said that our platter had lots of ingredients to prepare so took a long time, but 5 of the 8 items are cold and pre prepared. The only cooked items were the mussels, langoustines and clams, which take a matter of minutes to cook. One member of our group also ordered felafel, which took a further 8 minutes after the platter was served. The felafel were a soggy mess that tasted like baby food. No sign of chickpeas or any middle eastern spices at all. The garlic bread we ordered was a flat bread with butter, and a sweet paste inside. No garlic whatsoever. All in all a very expensive and disgusting meal. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY 🤢More

Date of visit: August 2023
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 12 August 2023

Had a few nights in this bar and it deserves a positive review. Their own beer is fantastic (we loved the IPA), the staff are great and Jeff (who is a star) mixed us some great cocktails. Thank you guys

Date of visit: August 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 31 July 2023 via mobile

Excellent food, very good atmosphere. I would highly recommend it to anyone. We are intending to return in the very near future.

Date of visit: July 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 21 July 2023

This bar was one of my highlights for beer and food the last time I was in town four years ago. So being in town for the tennis again I was eager to pay it a return visit. Largely unchanged from my remembrances except that...the communal bench seating that was in the left hand section have now been replaced with proper tables for 2 and 4 people. On the beer front, again much as I remember it with 9 of their own craft brews on the pumps and one guest and three of the ones I tried last time were on the pumps again, but again the Oyster Stout they do was missing. And again heavily fruit based with at least three based on Mango and I went for one I hadn’t seen before called Mangoes in Black, a mango infused stout, which was a very strange brew. I got a lot of Mango and precious little stout. I’m not sure how “Belgium” some of these brews are, but if you want the authentic product then the well known Chimay and Duvel brews are available in bottles. We didn’t try the food this time, but the extensive list of mussel dishes was prominent on the menu and I noticed that they had added oysters. I thought this was still a good bar and a decent alternative to the many traditional boozers in town.More

Date of visit: June 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 14 July 2023

Our first visit and we loved it Great friendly customer service! Primarily the menu comprises of seafood. Also various burgers on the menu. A good selection unsurprisingly, of Belgian beers are available. Other beers also available. A good dessert menu, but there was only one...choice really. Belgian waffle, chocolate source and cream. Delicious. I would highly recommend a visit to the Belgian Cafe if you find yourself in EastbourneMore

Date of visit: July 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Questions & Answers
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sallyRomford
3 January 2020|
AnswerShow all 2 answers
Response from iguana1 | Reviewed this property |
you should phone the restaurant first as dogs are not allowed in restaurants unless guide dogs .Gwyn
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THE BELGIAN CAFE, Eastbourne - Updated 2023 Restaurant Reviews, Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Food Delivery & Takeaway - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about The Belgian Cafe

Yes, The Belgian Cafe is taking precautions against COVID-19. A full list is available within the "safety precautions" section of this page.

The Belgian Cafe is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travellers:
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 4
  • Value: 3.5
  • Atmosphere: 4