Belgian Beer Cafe Canberra

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  9     

The Belgian Beer Cafe in Kingston changed owner a couple of months ago and from pretty awful it changed into pretty awesome. Great food, very friendly staff and good beers, and compared to the rest of Canberra's eating out, good value for money.

Nov 02, 2010 

3.5 Below Average

Food  6      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  2     

Utterly awful service. We were extremely disappointed, after having had positive experiences at the Belgian Beer Cafe at The Rocks (Sydney). But after half of our table had ordered dinner, we were told that the kitchen was 'fully backed up' and couldn't take any more orders. So the remaining members of our group had to wait about an hour before they could even order their dinner.

This level of service was just shocking, given that the cafe was not even at capacity. And it was a Saturday night, so the cafe should have expected a reasonable number of customers. Value was quite poor and the dishes were of highly variable quality. Some dishes were just dripping in oil and effectively inedible.

Feb 21, 2010 

3 Below Average

Food  2      Ambience  7      Service  2      Value  1     

I hear you Meagan_P - my recent visit to the Belgian Beer Cafe will also be my last. I have been there several times of late and the service has been absolutely appalling and the food, what food, as well. The first two times we went there for a late lunch on Sunday and both timesthey had closed the kitchen an hour early because they "had been so busy". The second time they didn't have any beers on tap either, which, when you are a beer cafe, is pretty crucial.

I finally did get some food when we went there on Friday night, it took forever for someone to take our order then to get served (we waited over an hour) and my chicken parma was overcooked (dry) and unexciting and even the chips tasted like woodchip. The best part of all was the price, an incredible $21.50 for essentially pub grub that was total rubbish! The beers are expensive and frankly, there are many better alternatives in Canberra for the money. Don't bother!

May 31, 2009 

5.8 Average

Food  6      Ambience  8      Service  4      Value  5     

The last time I went to the Belgium Beer Cafe was the last. We waited forever for table service and even longer for our lunch to arrive. The service was dismal and the waiters seemed to routinely forget there were people dining al fresco because they rarely came out to us. The food was ok but I don't drink beer so I wasn't sold at all.

Apr 18, 2009 

2.8 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  4      Service  4      Value  1     

Good location, good ambience, good beer, not very good and very over priced food. I had read the menu on the restaurant's website before heading there. The menu online is totally misleading and needs to be updated, the actual prices are higher than stated online ($10 per main on average) and the actual menu far more limited. There were about 5 mains on offer, starting at about $26.50 (!) and two of them were already unavailable at 6 pm on a Saturday night.

I ordered the chicken dish (my third choice after the two that had run out) which was ok, but didn't seem to reflect what was on the menu, where was the asparagus? There was also no sign of the all day menu which is also on the website. eer was very nice. Worth a visit but don't bother eating.

Nov 30, 2008 

6.3 Average

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  3      Value  5     

The Canberra branch of the franchise (or group?). You're here for the imported Belgian beer, not the food. Trappist beers such as Chimay and Orval made by genuine Trappist monks in Belgian monasteries (it's true!) and the other full flavoured and very alcoholic fare from the many other Belgian breweries.

The Place: Great decor, great location in Kingston. Almost feel like I'm back in the Ardennes until the raucous Aussie accents bring me back to Canberra! Service- hmmmm...well, every time I've been here, they are always packed so they're very busy but overall it's very slow if you're sitting and wanting to eat. Go to the bar yourself rather than order from a passing waiter.

The Food: This is the annoying bit. The great beer is also expensive ($12 a stubbie for some) so the food used to be cheap to make up for it, cheap, but fantastic. The steamed Mussels are delicious with a huge serve and a selection of sauces, the Belgian style chips with aioli a real treat, and the other dishes suitably "Belgian" and well done by the chef and staff.

These days, the food prices have risen alarmingly to what are actually regular prices for a Kingston restaurant, but when combined with the pricey beers make for a big bill. (I just re-read that, and I think it makes sense!)

Overall, recommended in Canberra if I may be so bold, just bring your wallet of you want to sample the beers. (Designated driver a must!)

Nov 15, 2008