The Belgian Cafe

Someone from this business manages this listing.

1,178 reviews

#57 of 305 Restaurants in Eastbourne££ - £££, Belgian, Bar, Seafood

+44 1323 729967+ Add website

Hours

Sun

12:00 - 22:00

Mon

12:00 - 22:00

Tue

12:00 - 22:00

Wed

12:00 - 22:00

Thu

12:00 - 22:00

Fri

12:00 - 23:00

Sat

12:00 - 23:00

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What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.0

1,178 reviews

#57 of 305 Restaurants in Eastbourne

Travellers' Choice 2023

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

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PRICE RANGE

£15.00 – £55.00

CUISINES

Belgian, Bar, Seafood, European

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Gluten Free Options

meals, features

Location and contact

11-23 Grand Parade, Eastbourne BN21 3YN England

+44 1323 729967

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Does this restaurant serve Bar / Pub food?

Yes

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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

£15.00 – £55.00

CUISINES

Belgian, Bar, Seafood, European

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Gluten Free Options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, After-hours

FEATURES

Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Street Parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Accepts Discover, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Live Music, Waterfront, Jazz Bar, Dog Friendly, Non-smoking restaurants, Gift Cards Available

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4.0

1,178 reviews

Excellent

494

Very good

318

Average

149

Poor

104

Terrible

113

Alastair J

Ngaparou599 contributions

The Belgian Cafe in Eastbourne is a good place for a light lunch and good Belgian Beers

Jun 2021 • none

This restaurant has been converted into a football bar with a giant screen for the Euros, nevertheless it was fairly quiet on the rainy lunchtime when we availed of its services during a rained-off Eastbourne Tennis day. They serve excellent tapas at the remarkable price of 4 for £15 and have a wide selection of draft Belgian beers. Our modest rainy-day luncheon cost us a mere £37, which was a bargain with very friendly service. Good Covid sanitary measures are in place.

Written 5 July 2021

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.

Daryl M

Bognor Regis54 contributions

Not Dog Friendly

Oct 2020 • none

Slight delay opening for the day. Trip advisor listed it as dog friendly but it isn't. If we hadn't paid up front I would have gone elsewhere. In the end they found a corner for us. The food was good. The service was slow and we had to send a reminder that we'd ordered a pudding. The website offered a free beer taster for those who paid nup front. Apparently that offer no longer applies. (Then don't offer it!) My wife was offered a taste of one of the beers she wanted to order. It never materialised. I tipped generously; waiting staff have suffered enough recently. If the restaurant is to survive it needs to raise its game, and stop pretending dogs are welcome. My poor Millie now has rejection issues and needs therapy, and extra treats.

Written 4 October 2020

leah l

5 contributions

Amazing Mussels...and live music...a dynamic duo!!

Sept 2021 • none

My God-daughter and I travelled to Eastbourne for a long weekend, it was both a mini-break and a chance to share some time together. We found the Belgian Cafe on our first night, and we went back the second night and also our final night. The waiting staff were friendly and warm, and Marcella, asked about our visit, and suggested that we reserve a table if we were going to come back the following night. She also gave us information on where to get the bus for our trip to Beachy Head. Anyway back to the food, the mussels was exquisite, the noises of appreciation I made was enough to tempt M, my goddaughter to try the mussels for the first time on our second nignt and she loved them. The choice of sauces with the mussels was amazing, and I will admit that I took some time deciding what to have. I loved the ritual, of the various paraphernalia that the waiting staff sat down before us, which served to create the anticipation of the star dish, which was of course the mussels. I will admit that I love mussels, and the Belgian cafe, hit all the right spots. I loved the laid back ambience of the space, we are both lovers of live music, and to discover that there was live music, was an added bonus, the musicians were excellent, playing the exact music to entertain the crowds, and a couple of people actually got up to dance. Marcella is an absolute treasure, and she was very engaging, the rest of the waiting staff, were friendly and always had a smile on their faces, for all our visits. An excellent venue, excellent food, and definitely a special place.

Written 9 September 2021

Dill

United Kingdom6 contributions

The worst seafood experience ever at pretty high prices! Beware!

Aug 2020 • none

I'm not the kind of person who would usually write bad reviews unless it's terrible. I honestly don't know where to start... I understand that it was because of covid19, we had to order and pay online at least 48 hours before our booking time, to be able to secure our table. It was pricier than any mid-range restaurant but I thought it would be worth it as long as we have that "yummy Eastbourne seafood". We had oysters as our starters, they almost didn't have any meat on them, it was almost like eating a thin layer of dry oyster. I know that it might be just unlucky that they bought bad or cheap oysters, but in restaurant business, you check your food before serving, and if they are bad you simply don't serve them. My friend had Crab and Giant Prawns Chowder with Saffron Potatoes as a starter which was £12. That was a tiny bowl of supposedly crab chowder with 2 normal size prawns in it. It didn't taste like crab at all. My main was Mix Seafood Mussels (mix seafood, cream, scallop and chowder stock) which was £22.50. All of the seafood in my bowl was overcooked, the chowder tasted like water, there was neither enough cream nor any flavour. There were 3 scallops in my main dish and none of them was edible. We had chips as our side dishes. They were oily, overcooked and had black rotten bits in them. When we complained, our waitress was kind and she informed the kitchen about it. Then she came back and said the chef was apologising about our experience, but to be honest, nothing really was done about it. They didn't care at all I take it. We paid almost £100 just for the food for 3 of us and more for the drinks on top of it. We ended up going to another restaurant afterwards to be able to eat something nice. It was hands down the worst restaurant experience ever!

Written 17 August 2020

Bluebellplasnewydd

Cardiff2043 contributions

Fabulous views

May 2021 • none

This place does not look that great from outside but it is well worth a visit. Not really a cafe but more a bar with food, particularly tapas. However they brew their own beer which must not be missed. Sit outside if you can, overlooking the sea and pier, with views of life passing by. The prawn, duck and fries tapas together with oysters and goat cheese toast provided a meal for 2. All enjoyable but particularly the prawns and fries. The staff are well organised, helpful and friendly and this makes you want to return.The bill fro 2 with tapas and beer was £27.

Written 11 May 2021

Andeel L

London87 contributions

No substitute for the real thing

Aug 2022 • none

As other reviews have stated, this is probably more of a pub than a restaurant and indeed it is quite a laid back venue, just the right thing for dining solo. They have some tables outside which offer excellent views of the pier. Surely the main reason to visit this place is the moules et frites, in my case the Italian variety. I have experienced moules et frites at a lovely restaurant in Brussels so I use that as a comparator and doing so The Belgian Café comes off very much second best. The mussels themselves offer little flesh and were rather tasteless – perhaps they were out of season. They are at least served in the traditional Belgian manner – with steamed vegetables, e.g. celery. The accompanying frites are too thin and crunchy – only good for dipping in the watery broth that comes with the mussels. It’s a good idea to provide bread to scoop up the broth although some butter to accompany the bread would be a good idea. The service was mostly good – although I did notice one of the female waitresses was a little condescending in her attitude towards me but the meal was served quickly. Elsewhere the toilets are rather basic and this is the sort of place where you pay upfront before the meal is served, or at least that’s what they wanted from me. At least it’s quite good value for money for this sort of food.

Written 22 August 2022

travelbloggeres

Madrid3244 contributions

Extremely slow service.

Jun 2021 • family

Extremely slow service. Locations is good, menu is ok … but the had only half of the menu so … not too much choices apart of mussels. Drinks came fast but food was delayed around 45mins …

Written 18 July 2021

PetuniaHornbag

23 contributions

Lovely Seafood Platters

Jul 2022 • couples

Went on a whim tonight and so glad I did . It has a lovely laid back atmosphere but the attention and friendliness of the staff really made the night. They were very welcoming, knowledgeable and attentive without being over bearing. We ordered the large Seafood platter and it was a delight . So fresh, tasty and good portions . Drinks were reasonably priced and they have an exceptional beer/ale menu. Lovely decor and openly LGBTQA friendly . I have a mussel allergy which must seem weird for someone going to a restaurant which relies so heavily on mussels as their specialty but I was made to feel at home, reassured and welcomed . Will definitely be back .

Written 3 July 2022

Babul M

London5 contributions

Fantastic pub

Sept 2020 • family

Enjoyed a fantastic meal of oysters Dover Sole and Chocolate Mousse with Trippel craft Belgian beer at this very friendly beach front cafe bar. The manager on duty Marcela from Brazil was very hospitable and made the entire experience very memorable. We sampled all their outstanding craft beers. I even went back the next morning to take away two bottles of the wonderful Belgian Trippel draught beer To take away. Highly recommended place to visit.

Written 25 September 2020

RFS29

Isle of Sheppey85 contributions

Excellent menu and a great selection of beers.

Oct 2021 • friends

This cafe was listed on a promotional leaflet and was a short walk from our hotel. 4 of us visited on a Thursday night and found the atmosphere and ambience very welcoming. We all had different choices of food from fish and chips to tapas. My wife was unable to eat all her choices from the tapas menu so I helped her (as one would). The macaroni cheese with chorizo was glorious. It was the tapas that I wanted to go back for. One of the highlights of the bar was the draft beers. At least 10 different beers available all brewed onsite, if you go there you must try the tasting board, when served the server talks you through each beer and even recommends the order in which to drink them. We went back on our final night with 4 other friends who weren’t to sure the menu appealed to them, they never left and enjoyed the whole evening. If you are in Eastbourne The Belgian Cafe is a must. Thank you for a wonderful couple of evenings.

Written 28 October 2021

Jan B

Eastbourne64 contributions

A good find

Jun 2021 • friends

What a good find in sunny Eastbourne smack bang on the seafront by the carpet gardens. The food was delicious. Three of us shared 4 tapas starters and then followed them up with mussels for two of us and a whole crab for the third member of our party. What a treat! The food came with frites and bread. So delicious. We saw homemade burgers being served on another table and they too looked appetising. There were specials on the board and if you like seafood, look no further To be honest we were very sceptical before we went but have now found a good go to place. The service, efficiency, knowledge and friendliness of the staff was second to none. A must try place.

Written 24 June 2021

Matt Winterburn

Wallington2 contributions

Great service, friendly staff

Aug 2021 • family

Excellent service . We visited on a Monday evening and the food overall was high quality, we had ordered two of the craft beers and weren’t happy with the taste and the bar staff were very quick to offer an alternative drink free of charge! The tapas / main dishes were really tasty and the desserts were great. Nice family run establishment would recommend.

Written 16 August 2021

SJEB64

London46 contributions

Look past the tired frontage - this is a gem.

Sept 2021 • couples

We nearly didn’t come in, the restaurant looks so tatty from outside, but we were so glad we did. We enjoyed some of the freshest, best cooked mussels we’ve ever had. The Thai green mussels are pretty hot (the waiting staff checked we were ok with that when we ordered, which was kind) and the house recipe mussels were garlicky and creamy. Super chips and very fresh baguettes finished it all off, as did the beer brewed on site. Staff were attentive and friendly.

Written 20 September 2021

Neil

1 contribution

Food, drinks and service was perfect 10/10

Apr 2021 • friends

Visited Eastbourne with a friend and came to The Belgian Mussle cafe during the day for some cocktails which were made by a friendly bar man who was an expert in the art of making cocktails. Juggling bottles of spirits and pouring the drinks from way above his head. We were very impressed. In the evening we sat outside and ordered mussels, chips and bread and the Belgian waffle for dessert. The mussels were the best I have ever eaten in my life, and the sauce was perfect. We also had a baileys hot chocolate with the dessert which left us very full but it was so worth it. The service was 10/10 the whole way through. I would definitely recommend.

Written 23 April 2021

Thomas M

Offenbach7146 contributions

Excellent, Individual Independent Brewery Tap

Oct 2021 • none

This is a great place to get a taste of Belgian-style beers in Eastbourne, five minutes from Eastbourne Pier. A micro pub/independent brewery, the core of available beers is brewed right on the premises. Lovely interior, a small outside seating area to the front, a small but topical menu (specialty: mussels) of small dishes, tapas and pub classics. Plus the wonderful, extremely welcoming staff. They'll let you have a taste of any beer before ordering; these people are really into their brewery project. I went there during "happy hour" - by accident - every pint for just UKP3. And well worth it. A great place to relax and unwind. Thumbs way, way up!