Belga

We went here for Brunch based on Michael Bauer’s Review.
Got there at 11am right when they open, in fact there was about 10 – 15 people already waiting when we got there at 10:55 and by 11 am sharp there was about 25 people waiting outside.
We got a table — but due to the large influx of people, there was a wait for water and our food order (in fact the people to our left (who were seated 1 minute before us got their food before we even got to order. But no biggie — it wasn’t that long. I ordered the pork schnitzel and my husband got the Croque Madame. The Madame was eh — so so, and nothing special. The schnitzel was quite good though the eggs on top were under-​done — a fair bit of the white was unset and still clear. BUT given the choice I will prefer underdone eggs over hard eggs any day. We also ordered a side of crispy potatoes, the small potatoes that were cut in half were the best and truly crispy, the whole (baby) potatoes were nothing special.
The bill was $ 40 (not including tax and tip).

Popped on on a rainy day for lunch without a reservation. No problem, but a good thing I got there early because by the time I left it was packed.
Had ½ dozen oysters (very fresh) and the mussels plus an excellent glass of Zinfandel.
Lovely and knowledgeable service from the waitress. Can’t say the same about the underlings who bring the food. The guy who served me the oysters was so incomprehensible (even after I had him repeat himself twice) that I had to call someone over to tell me what kind they were.
Nevertheless a very pleasant experience. Would come back if I were in the neighborhood and would not hesitate to recommend.

Came here for Restaurant Week with a group of French visitors, who were excited to try a Belgian restaurant in the city. Heavy dishes with Belgian names but without the authenticity («This is a carbonade???») left our guests disappointed. Luckily, the sausage board, the desserts, and the beer menu saved the meal. We also enjoyed our waitress, who was fantastic at helping us navigate the drink menu — her recommendations were spot-​on.

I’m seriously disappointed that they took my favorite dish off the menu!!! No more duck? Why?! The duck was fantastic. Without it, it’s just another restaurant on Union street. The bar is still good but I’m a lot less inclined to go there now.

Ive had four really great experiences at Belga since it opened and figured it was finally time for a proper review. Brought to you by the same team that owns Beretta, Delarosa, Super Duper, etc., it’s clear that they are industry pros. The space is large, open and lively. With a communal table that runs parallel to the main bar, you can usually find an open seat.
If you’re a fan of beer, this is your spot as they have tons of Belgian beers by the bottle and a solid tap list. I happen to love the «Kopstoot» which is a beer and shot pairing. My favorite is the tequila and Grand Cru Sour Beer, it’s amazing! The spirits line up is as equally impressive and lots of Amari to finish a primarily «meat driven» menu.
I’d recommend starting with the small charcuterie board because the terrines are redic. Also impressive: the flatbread, sausage platter, and mussels! Don’t miss the mussels and make sure to get some french fries too. On that thought, these french fries might be top 3 in San Francisco. Yum.
Ok, you can tell I’m a fan. Keep it going Belga!

Came here for brunch on a Saturday and overall the food and ambience was great! We were seated pretty quickly, but we were also there at 11am which is right when they open. I had the eggs Benedict with a cup of coffee and both were good. My friends got the flatbread and butternut squash tartine and both were also good! Service was excellent.

im so happy to have tried this spot! the food is pretty legit!
came here for restaurant week last night — but the menu selections were subpar and didnt feature like the signature belga dishes (SAUSAGES HELLO?!) so we decided to order just from the regular menu. we shared: fries (delish and so crunchy HELLLO curry ketchup), arctic char toast with cream cheese capers and red onion (light and refreshing and great flavor), flatbread with mushrooms burrata and shaved brussels, the currywurst, and roasted cauliflower. honestly it was all good, though probably wouldnt get the flatbread again — it was a bit dry. i thought the currywurst was better than hogwash and rosamunde. different — but nicely done!
washed everything down with the cote du rhone — paired nicely!

I wouldn’t necessarily say this is a vegetarian’s nightmare because the options they do have without meat are great– just very few of them. But then again this place isn’t directed toward that demographic. More options would just get me in there more often.
I have been here a few times and the servers are always super friendly and the atmosphere is great for any age.
Recommend:
Brunch–
Tartine
Waffles
Dinner–
Beets salad
Flatbread without meat
Mashed potatoes

Good spot for hang outs with girl friends. Not overly crowded but still feels lively.
Order:
Frites
Belgian beignets
Tartine toast with winter squash, honey truffle, and burrata
Focaccia was ok
Pork spätzle was really good with runny eye
Charcuterie platters are nice

I had a great experience here for Saturday brunch with my brother! Here’s what I love about it:
–Great atmosphere
–Great, attentive service
–Great menu. I had a salad and a side of bacon (gotta balance everything out, ya know?), and my brother had chicken confit hash. Everything was delicious.
–Delicious, nice tea — they serve loose leaf tea in a pot.
–Great drink menu with interesting cocktails, and even a couple of nonalcoholic mixed drinks
–It was easy to get a reservation the night before on OpenTable
–Nice bathrooms
I enjoyed the whole experience! I will be back for sure.

Not quite sure why the ratings at Belga aren’t higher. I absolutely loved my meal! My boyfriend and I decided to make our own tapas by ordering a bunch of appetizers and the steak, which was cooked perfectly. Wonderful setting for a date with its beautiful interior, candle lighting, and menu selection. Service was also good; no complaints.
Overall, 5-​stars for a 5-​star experience.

I would say this restaurant deserves 4.5 stars but I’m going to round up. Beautiful interior, relaxed setting, upscale but unpretentious at the same time. Came here for a friend’s birthday dinner with a party of 10 and made a reservation ahead of time. I liked the fact that they were not uptight about reservations (no credit card requirement, no cancellation fee, etc.), which is just what we wanted because we all know how people (or maybe just yuppies) struggle with commitment issues these days.
We were seated in the back room that was a lot more private at a long table right in front of the fireplace. It was absolutely stunning, and very cozy. I ordered the whole trout (high recommended) but didn’t like the fact that I couldn’t switch out the potatoes. I ended up having to pay a bit extra to get brussels sprouts instead, which unfortunately were no that great (kinda soggy). I also ordered the winter squash tartine, which was delicious. Definitely need to get that. Everyone else’s food also looked very good.
The service, on the other hand, was good, but not great. They weren’t attentive as I would have liked for a big party (where I’m sure they automatically added gratuity to the bill), such as filling up the water, checking up on us, etc. but it was a busy Saturday night so I totally understand. The waitress messed up my order slightly but fixed it with no problem. She was also nice enough to do separate transactions for all of us, which was a BIG HELP.
Overall, everyone was very pleased with the experience and we had a great time with no trouble. The venue itself is beautiful, food is great, service was quite good — everything went smoothly and we all left happy.

Came here on New Year’s Eve! Got a table for 4 after 9pm. Easy street parking, easy to find right on corner. Staff friendly. Full bar a lot of counter space to wait. Drink menu: a lot of beer and size choices! Dinner service was ok. Guess the waiter didn’t really want to be there. Food was great, served hot, plates and platter hot. No bread so be ready to order the first course of dry roasted mussels served on a piping hot cast iron pan. Pork chop was cooked MR as requested. Roasted Brussels with spatzel. Was heavily flavored with mustard. Beef stew with veggies was a good entrée along with butter lettuce cup. If hungry it’s worth the wait. Menu choices should satisfy most.
One item we didn’t get was the sausage platter, 4 large sausages served on a wooden board probably could serve up 4 adults easily… Dessert was ok…

Ok.
This place is relatively new — replacing that old french place that was always empty. Its big and spacious inside — could be a really great location for the right offering.
The food left us less than super impressed — though the sausage plate and the pizza were pretty good.
It was pretty busy — lots of people hanging out at the bar and a good mix of ages /​backgrounds /​outfits.

Our group of friends had one of our latest dinner clubs here and were pleasantly surprised. None of us had been here before and we didn’t know what to expect. The beer selection here was amazing and I had some great ones I had never had before.
We all shared the frites (ok, two order of them) and we really liked them along with the dipping sauces. We also had the olives and croquettes which we all enjoyed. My buddy and I shared the sausage plate which was soo good. The charcuterie plate looked really good too so if you’re into meat then this is your place.
We had to bail before everyone had dessert but we had a great experience and would totally return.

I’ve been finding it quite hard to give any 5 star Restaruant reviews in SF lately. Well, Belga changed that. Everything was absolutely top notch tonight when I came here with my ultra «foodie» and wine loving uncle while he was in town. The ambiance, food and service was top notch. We split a few meat boards, oysters, flat bread, German dishes I forgot the name of and much more as my uncle has eyes way bigger than his stomach :) we also had a few great red and white wines along with the macaroon-​like ice cream dessert. Everything was OUTSTANDING! Our waitress was the cute girl with short curled brunette with blonde on the ends of her hair. She was so attentive, warm and friendly. What a great addition to the neighborhood. Can’t wait to be back.

Having lived in Brussels for almost a year and visited France many times, I know it’s hard to recreate this type of food in the states. Had this place bookmarked for awhile and decided to give it a try especially since I just got back from France and miss the food so much.
Sat outside on a nice SF night, the service was good. Asked about the sour beer since never heard of it before. The waitress brought out a sample but I couldn’t get over the vinegar taste. Yuk. Decided on a Pilsner and some frites to start. Cooked perfectly but just lacked any flavor. Which seems to be the theme. Also ordered the croquettes, mussels and the duck. Mussels were nothing like you would get in Belgium. I know I know how can you compare American mussels to Belgiums but just not worth it. The duck on the other hand was cooked perfectly and tasted delicious.
Don’t think I will return but do recommend the duck. Quack quack.

Yeah on mussels, we had them 2 of the three ways, roasted and steamed, both tasty. Boudin Blanc and Boudin noir, house made, best I have ever had.
But the Noise!!! Just way too loud.
David gave us great service.

The old Café Des Amis spot that is hot and new.
Was having a bad week and needed a special meal to get over the Day before Hump Day. 3.5 stars.
Arrived on time for 7:15pm reservation, but saw that there were still a few tables empty. Perhaps it was because it was a Tuesday night. But by the time we started eating, the place was packed and of course loud, as many reviews have indicated.
Food/​Drinks– asparagus salad with sauce gribiche: light and refreshing, enjoyed it a lot; pan-​fried mussels with shallots, garlic, and chives: huge bowl, really tasty and the sauce was sooo good to dip bread with, wish it came with more bread but I think you can request for bread; frites with three dipping sauces of house made ketchup, curry ketchup, and garlic aioli: solid and non-​greasy, sauces were good; grilled broccoli with anchovy butter: crispy broccoli was a bit bland but he salty anchovy made up for it, small dish probably won’t order again; blood sausage: very large and plump and sweet! How? Interesting flavor but a bit too sweet for me, texture was a bit crumbly, but that goes for many blood sausages where grain is used in them. I couldn’t fit dessert. Beer (forget which one was ordered, sorry) was tasty and served in a nice glass.
Ambiance/​décor– loud, but I expected it to be since it has a French bistro feel. I didn’t notice much changed from the former restaurant, overall looks similar to me. Wide open space with bar (many people were hanging out at the bar area when we checked in) and a few outside tables available. Located on corner of the block with large windows so you can people/​street watch if sitting in that area.
Service/​staff– waitstaff were friendly, overall friendlier than the former restaurant’s. Our waiter took our order wrong. A waitress brought over fried cod instead of frites and we told her that we didn’t order that, that we ordered frites. She started to edge away then walked back and said «this is fried fish». Ummm yeah we know! So we kindly told her again «we didn’t order that». Then she finally walked away. Should I be offended that she didn’t think we knew what cod was?!? Five-​ten minutes later frites were brought over to U.S. By different staff and later our waiter came by and apologized, said his fat fingers pushed the ‘fish’ instead of ‘frites’ in the ordering process because they are next to each other. Rest of our orders were accurate and no more strange exchanges with staff.
Overall, food is good and portions are quite large for this type of restaurant in my opinion. Recommend coming with a couple other people to be able to try more items, as we were too full to have dessert and I saw that the Belgium waffle looked divine. The sausage board consists of four different big sausages! I was not especially Wow’ed by this first dining experience here (except for waitress thinking we didn’t know cod is fish heh), but their menu is solid and for the times when you want a more casual atmosphere where you can talk loudly with your company.

WOHOO! I finally have a reason to go to the Marina… That means it’s GOOD!
I can’t tell you how happy I am that Belga is in town. I mean, Café Des Amis needed to go, I’m sorry. Belga is an upgrade by all accounts. Let me get down to the brass tacks:
1. SERVICE.
I’ll say it loud and proud. I’m a SNOOOOBBBB! Oh kay! I’ll admit that I showed up a bit late (~10 minutes) for my reservation. Totally my fault but the hostess was just super understanding and seated my party of two right away.
2. AMBIANCE:
A hoppin brasserie that’s casual-​chic, I’d say.
3. FOOD
Excellent. Belgian inspired (as you can infer from the name). Lots of carbalicious plates to share. Everything for me was a fave.
*Frites with garlic aioli: you GOTTA do it!
**Bibb lettuce salad, breakfast radish, chevre & champagne vinaigrette: REFRESHING
**Flatbread with squash blossoms: PUHLEEZE GET THIS WHILE IT’S IN SEASON!
***Cauliflower side: IF YOU LOVE CAULIFLOWER, YOU’LL LERVE IT AFTER THIS DISH.
*****Wood fire carrots: MY EYES WENT 20:20
4. BEER
I’m not a beer-​lady but I wanted to try a little something. When in Rome, you know.
And why not? TASTINGS ARE AVAILABLE! But who needs a tasting when Ryan Murphy, the owner of the Bar Program, makes stellar reccos. And he NAILED IT! I tried a nice grapefruity + hoppy selection that wasn’t overwhelming and didn’t even make me bloated!
Marina? Hmmm… Belga, I’ll do it again!