We are so glad to have found this place when looking for brunch option this morning. We ordered little mixture of lunch and breakfast and who doesn't love oysters on a half-shell first thing in the morning! They were nice and fresh-served with a little butter mixture, and of course, lemon and Tabasco on the side for preference. The oysters were a little small, but they were a good try anyway. We also started with a basket of sourdough slices which came out toasted and hot. Next was the Boeuf Bourguignon was just delicious! They definitely slow cooked the beef as advertised. And also a Mediterraneenne omelette w/some added Gruyère-the egg alone was probably the best fluffy omelette I've ever had! Everything was cooked with delicacy and care in the quality of the ingredients. You definitely get the quality of food that the prices call for. We will definitely be back because it's good quality food, and pleasant vibe with good service! read more

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This is our first time at this location it has been a go to in Laguna for years. Mussels and frites are the must have and no one does better. Good service parking is on the street or in the small lot behind. Good beer list they do have some specials son week days . We order two pounds for two people ( this time we did have a lot of empty shells Overall great place to stop. To us this is a comfort food and you can site in the front to enjoy the open wall to the street . This is a small restaurant so you may want to call ahead read more

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Another great meal at Brussels Bistro. The unseasonably warm weather brought out lots of people strolling Del Mar this evening. So nice to sit next to the open windows and people watch while sipping a Belgian beer. Started off with the great French fries with ketchup and mayo on the side. Nice and crispy and cooked in beef tallow. Wife had the beef bourguignon and I had the meatballs in a sweet sauce. Both were great and served very hot in metal crocks. We both had leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. Thanks to excellent attentive service from server Brandon, who also recommended a nice Belgian non alcoholic beer I had not tried before. Cheers! read more

Brussels Bistro - Meatballs Liégeoise with Mashed Potatoes on side - Belgian Near Me - San Clemente, California

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We came for dinner on a Sunday and it was not busy at all. My family loved the food. It's full of comfort. You choose your entre and a side. read more

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We sat at the bar and were helped immediately. Servers were helpful and quick, food was delicious l, everything we ordered was so good. The cheese croquettes esp were a favorite of the table. read more

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Cute little spot. The food was great. Casual place to get drinks and grab a bite to eat. We actually came because of a craving for Belgian waffles. While that was a slight disappointment (it's not the Liege waffle we expected), everything else we ordered for dinner was on point. The cone of fries, a must. Mussels, well of course. The beef bourguignon was exceptional. Brussel sprout appetizer was a surprising delight. For dessert, the mousse is shareable. Service was friendly. Thet came by often to check in on us. Kid friendly as well. read more

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Had a nice brunch here on sunday. Service was pretty good though I had to ask for a water refill twice Ordered the mussels and the waffles with whip cream strawberries and syrup. Everything was quite tasty. Hubby loved the mussels. Prices area tad high but overall a nice meal here's read more

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Ambience 4.5/5 - it's quiet and casual, I prefer a place with some booths and more amber lighting but not bad! Boeuf Bourguignon- 5/5, a little salty but so very good. Piping hot and very filling Ratatouille-2/5, got it as my side for the boef bourguignon, it was mushy and pretty flavorless. Fries- 5/5, piping hot, crispy and large. Came with ketchup and aioli, the aioli just was mayo I think so that was pretty sub par but the fries themselves were good. Carbonara- my husband got this so I can't really rate it but it was good! Not your traditional carbonara, but good. Kids meatball- 5/5, very soft and flavorful! Came with fries. All in all, possibly a bit overpriced for the quality of some of the dishes but the menu is very good and I will be back! read more

Brussels Bistro - Boeuf Bourguignon- very good! A little salty but fantastic - Belgian Near Me - San Clemente, California

The atmosphere of this place is relaxing and allows fresh ocean air in through their large windows. On the weekends, they offer a brunch, plus their regular menu. I enjoyed the mushroom soup and a side house salad. The side salad had tomato wedges which can be a turnoff for some, but for me, I liked the juicy tomate. The mushroom soup came with a puff pastry which was nice to dip into the earthy soup. I'd get the soup again. My boyfriend ordered a Caesar salad, and it was a nice size. He wanted something refreshing so he was satisfied. Our waiter was good. She was patient since we took awhile to figure out what we wanted to order and she was great at answering our questions about the menu. read more

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Great experience all around: the food and service is 5 star. They even sang for our 1 year olds birthday. He was mesmerized. Mushroom soup so good! Beef Bourgeon 5 stars! Beet salad yummy! French fries holy moly! Chocolate mousse yum! Corey was our server he was wonderful. read more

Brussels Bistro - Belgian Near Me - San Clemente, California

From start to finish, our experience at Brussels Bistro was absolutely delightful. Our server Julian (very cute, not gonna lie), listened to our preferences before making his suggestions. Our son ordered the steak, while I ordered the fish and my husband ordered the restaurant's specialty - mussels! While waiting, we people-watched and noticed how so many of the patrons seemed familiar with the staff. We realized they were regulars. It was reassuring to see because it meant we picked a great place to celebrate my husband's birthday. The restaurant wasn't that huge but they truly optimized the space and made sure there was enough space between tables for private conservations as well as navigable footpaths. The vibe was chill, beachy and classy. We loved it! Our food was spectacular. Everything was cooked to perfection. The portions are huge! Be ready to take food home, regardless of your appetite. You get so much bang for your buck. Thanks to this restaurant and to Julian for making my husband feel so special on his birthday. They sent us a special chocolate mousse with a sparkler to mark the occasion. We were so grateful for that - it came at a time when he needed it. This restaurant has made us lifelong fans and we fully intend to visit them even if we live a good hour and change away. THAT'S how good the food and service are. read more

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Very yummy and great service. The mussels are delicious and it's a great atmosphere.

Phénomène! Un resto parfait français et belge. Tous les plats classiques préparé frais, du très bon service. Ça te met en Europe comme un TGV! Et une ambience provençal. Très spéciale! Mon nouveau restaurant favorite! Mon dieu! read more

Brussels Bistro - Le bar et l'ambience! - Belgian Near Me - San Clemente, California

My husband and I visited tonight and had a wonderful experience. We had meatballs, Caesar salad, dessert and wine. Everything tasted amazing and the portions were huge. Our server Jennifer was knowledgeable, efficient and very personable. Manager Max stopped by our table and made us feel very welcome. Also, the restaurant does a terrific job at celebrating birthdays with clapping and lighting. With an extensive menu and windows opening onto downtown, it is definitely worth a visit if you're in San Clemente. read more

We had a great evening at Brussels sitting outside on their indoor/outdoor patio. The decor is fun and chic, service is exactly what you want and food/drinks are perfect. The table shared the fries and Brussels as appetizers, then I shared food with my friend; the mushroom soup served in a crock with a puff pastry shell and the trout almondine. It was all wonderful and we will be back soon! read more

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Always wanted to try this place so I was excited to come here. Unfortunately, no one at our table really ordered any of the Belgium styled food today so I will definitely need to come back. Everyone wanted to eat somewhat light since we knew we were going to enjoy ice cream later and also because of the warmer temps we didn't want to eat anything too heavy. Our table ordered the Mediterranean salad with chicken, mushroom soup with puff pastry, Caesar salad and the bacon quiche with a side salad. Food and service was good but somewhat pricey based on the amount of food you are given. The base price for a salad was around $17 but by the time you add a protein it's an additional $10-$15 which is an expensive salad especially because the salad was not very big for $30. It seemed many of the menu items was ala carte. Even the omelettes didn't include a protein so by the time you add a protein for $5-$12 it is an expensive omelette. I would like to come back on a Tuesday for their mussels or try their happy hour menu. My overall rating is a 3.5 based on service and ambience but the food and value, based on what we ordered today was a 3. Based on other reviews maybe we just didn't order the right things so I would give it another try. read more

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Frequent Customer I love this place. The drinks are made well (spirit forward) and the food is great. The vibe is neighborhood yet elevated. We enjoy our date nights here very much. Try the mussels, bread, and martini, maybe not in that order. read more

The portions were substantial and the service was excellent (Thank you, Juan). We ordered the Roasted Salmon, Boeuf Bourguignon and three sides: Cassolette Veggies (a large portion of perfectly roasted vegetables), Asparagus (large stalks, perfectly cooked) and bread (crusty & crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside). The salmon was served on top of a coconut-based sauce and was flavorful, though the sauce was a little too "rich" (fatty) for my taste. The slow-cooked Boeuf was served in a pot containing well-over a typical serving and with many vegetables. Once again, it was flavorful, though a little too rich for my taste. A flight of Belgian beers complimented my meal. read more

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Brussels Bistro brings a slice of Belgium to the beach. Great food, ambience, service and tap list. I love me some Belgian beers and they have an impressive menu. I could come here just for the bar but luckily, I was hungry too. We ordered the bacon-wrapped Brie and 2 lbs of cream and garlic mussels with fries. De-freaking-licious. We left stuffed, satisfied and slightly wobbly on account of the aforementioned beers. I'd definitely go back. read more

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Food was amazing. I had lamb shank and it was falling off the bone. I also tried Rasberry beer and for non- beer drinker I absolutely loved it read more

Love the bistro! Located in the heart of SC on the main street, great atmosphere, delicious food and vibe. I must mention our fantastic server, Jennifer! Rarely do you find someone who is so welcoming, timely and knowledgeable. You won't be disappointed read more

Excellent food, wine, service and atmosphere! We wandered in for lunch and had a wonderful meal. Great vegetarian options. I had the veggie quiche and gratin potatoes which were both decadent and delicious, and the hubby had the avocado toast which was also very good. Wine & beer were also wonderful, and the service was excellent. The bartender was very helpful with beer selections too. Definitely recommend Brussels Bistro! read more

The world is too big to tell just one story. If you can't make it to Europe, come to Brussels to be transported. Love the Laguna Beach location and finally had chance to stop in while in town at San Clemente. Love the vibe and hostess is super sweet. Make reservations since it gets busy on weekends. I always start with escargot or the fresh oysters. I am such a fan that they offer the most variety of ways to have your bucket of mussels. Get a small or large order if you have the appetite to devour and eat it all without sharing like me. You can have the traditional garlic white wine sauce or have it with chorizo and make it spicy. I think green curry is best because it brings out such sweetness in the mussels. Pairs well with frrench fries and my flight of Belgium beers. Love the selection that you can choose from like Hoegaarden, a personal favorite, Chimay Gold, Duval and the Triple Karmeliet seen in my snapshot. If I didn't order the large bucket of mussels, boeuf bourguigon or pork shank was my other option. I was disappointed the salmon came out bland, lacking flavor. I do want to note, while the menu says gluten free, it truly is not. There is cross contamination so keep that in mind for the eaters with specialty needs. Travel is not about leaving home but leaving our habits. That's a lifestyle to strive for, so why not come here to start your adventure?!! read more

Brussels Bistro - Good things happen when you book flights... window seat or this flight of Belgium beer. - Belgian Near Me - San Clemente, California

Food was fresh and yummy. My first time having an eggs Benedict with veggies and savory toppings on a waffle, I was surprised how good it was! Drinks that came out looked really nice too. I'll have to try a different drink the next time I come. read more

Brussels Bistro - Belgian Near Me - San Clemente, California

Outstanding menu, excellent service and exceptional Belgian vibe!! We tried BB when they had first opened (PreCovid) and while the food was terrific the menu was mainly Mussels and Fries accompanied by Belgian beer. It has now expanded greatly and has a VERY wide variety of choices from Pastas to Pork Toast to Branzino and beyond. Very impressive - can't wait to go again soon. read more

Service- 5/5 Friendly and attentive Ambiance- 5/5 Cute and made me feel like I was in Europe again Food- 5/5 Mussels marnière are my favorite and they were super fresh! Wish they could find a way to keep the 2lbs hot... I asked to get 1 lb at a time but they said they couldn't do that Wine -5/5 They had a special Sancerre Sauvignon blanc and it was delicious! Perfect with the mussels! read more

Brussels Bistro - Mussels marnière Sancerre Sauvignon blanc - Belgian Near Me - San Clemente, California

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I am in absolute shock at the positive reviews of this place. One of the worse series of dishes I've ever seen at a restaurant. Gratin potatoes, burnt yet still refrigerator cold. Strange, lacking flavor, and clearly just reheated (though not enough). Raw carrots that make no sense on a beet salad that lacked flavors. Seabass that was cooked about an hour too long. Almost mush by the time it arrived. Easily the best thing on the table: The salmon in coconut milk wasn't bad. And the server was nice. (That said, the hostess lacked professionalism, ie, basic communication skills.) Summary: I won't be back. read more

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Ambiance is cute, parking is on the street but didn't have an issue on Monday night. The service was very very good, we had a nice waiter who was friendly & fast. As for the food, the Brussel sprouts were my favorite thing. I got the beef bourguignon on a bed of linguine and the flavor was good but some of the meat was very tough. My friend got the lamb special and it was okay. read more

Brussels Bistro - Beef Bourguignon - Belgian Near Me - San Clemente, California

Yummmmmmy! What a delicious French fries, Caesar Salad, Macaroni and cheese, Beef Bouillon, and Fettuccine! Family is happy! Service was excellent and ambiance was great! Couldn't be any happier to choose this place for a Saturday evening out! read more

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First time having Belgian food and it won't be my last! My favorite was the hearty boeuf bourguignon and their lamb shank off the special menu which was not gamey at all. They have a decent selections of Belgian imported beers that we enjoyed almost as much as the phenomenal service from the wonderful staff. read more

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Ever have one of those days where from the time you lift you head off the pillow life keeps throwing rocks at you. Well Yesterday was one of those days for me. We were celebrating mom's birthday and the restaurant that we made reservations at did not have her favorite dish, muscles. Wel. Since it was just the three of us, mom said let's find another restaurant. Okay So we walked accross the street to Brussels. Looked on the menu and mussels were right there! We were seated and our server was just amazing. Her took one look at me, knew i was having one of those challenging days and said "Honey, I got you covered" Took our order and asked who's birthday it was. I pointed to mom and without saying anything word. He just knew I was having a challenging day. Mom really really enjoyed her mussels. ( just heads up- Tuesdays are all you can eat mussels) The fries were perfect! The mushroom soup warmed the cockles of my heart! The ambiance was dazzling with a definite Brussels accent. read more

The wife and I were going to see a speaker at the San Clemente Community Center, so we went early to grab some food somewhere in downtown San Clemente. We decided on Brussels Bistro, as we had not been here in a while and we recalled having a good meal previous times. We did have a reservation, but since it was early, it was not a big deal getting a table. By the time we left, the tables were mostly full and it was starting to get loud. Not crazy, just people yapping and having fun. As we were looking at the menu, we ordered a couple of drinks. I had the white beer and the wife had some goofy sounding cocktail, like she likes to have. I put in an order for the cheese croquettes for us to munch on while choosing our meals. We have had their mussels in the past but this time we passed and went on to the mains. For me, it was the garlic shrimp appetizer as my main and some crusty bread for dippin'. The wife ordered the creamy chicken entree. This had a puff pastry under a creamy mushroom sauce with chicken. Her side was the mixed greens. I was satisfied with the shrimp and having the bread to dip into the garlic butter sauce was great. The wife liked her chicken dish and we split the mixed great salad. Nothing mind blowing, but very good and we will be coming back again. The service was very good, 4.5 stars. The 3 stars is based on the food only. Go. Eat Well. HAVE FUN!! read more

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First time to Brussels Bistro, really appreciated the authentic Belgian menu and amazing (hard to find) Belgian beer on tap. We had mussels, meat balls and a trout dish. This is quality food from an establishment that really cares. Our server was Jennifer and she was awesome. Plus she was uber knowledge about the subtleties between all the different beers and helped us navigate the menu. Also, she might be the nicest person in the world. We'll be back and see you next time Jennifer! read more

Everything went well...starting with getting a table when we walked in. One of our favorite restaurants in Laguna Beach so we wanted to meet our kids half way in San Clemente for lunch.. just love the mussels & their French fries are outstanding. Wanted more & more. Sara our server was a delight! Great ambiance + delicious food= wonderful experience. We need one in San Diego!! read more

I had the pleasure of visiting Brussels Bistro the other week, and it immediately became one of my favorite spots in the area. The restaurant is extremely charming, and the tables are smartly spaced so that you can comfortably hold a conversation, even during the more crowded hours. The staff was incredibly friendly, patient, and helpful; our party was in a snacky mood, so we pretty much ordered our appetizers one at a time. Despite our challenging ordering schedule, our food was always delivered promptly and warm. Now, onto the food. Brussels Bistro offers a rich set menu plus a rotating menu of specials that is displayed on chalkboards. Most everything we tried was delicious, but the standout item for me were the mussles and fries; we ordered a pound of the green curry mussles, and they make for the perfect starter to share. I would like to mention that the portions for most entrees are quite small with the notable exception of the pasta dishes, so if you're feeling particularly hungry, get some pasta! I tried their carbonara and it was a delight. Be sure to save some room for desserts! There are plenty of traditional desserts and also drinks to choose from. While the belgian waffles seem simple at first, these have a tastefully crispy crust and a soft, almost undercooked middle. Every bite was a treat, and it made for the perfect end to an incredible meal. I cannot gush enough about Brussels Bistro, and I look forward to my next visit. read more

This was my first visit to Brussels Bistro in San Clemente ( where parking is always a challenge). My party of six was warmly greeted and promptly seated at our reservation time. I like the layout and the vibe: open yet cozy, with a soothing color scheme and fun design throughout. I love the menu and drink selection as while it's Belgian based (as it should be) there's something for everyone. I had a couple of different Belgian beers, both very refreshing. We ordered Brussels sprouts and Belgian onion soup for appys; both were quite tasty although the soup was a little sweet. Our mains included mussels with fries, Belgian Mac and Cheese with ham, pasta Bolognese ( for those less adventurous in our party) crab cakes and Shrimp. All of the dishes were well presented and well made, but bread should come with mussels to sop up the delicious leftover broth. We were too full for dessert but there are good selections for next time. Lastly, service was terrific, with a special shoutout to our server, Julian. Noise level was moderate. I look forward to my next visit as it's well worth a return. read more

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We love this restaurant! Despite being a holiday weekend, we were able to get a same day reservation online. Our waiter, Julian, was friendly and very attentive. When I asked for Sancerre wine, he suggested a different version, and brought a generous tasting. We ordered Beef Bourguignon, which was FABULOUS! So tender, tasty, filled with carrots (cooked just right), pearl onions and rich gravy. Of course we had to order bread and butter to go with it; the bread was a small loaf of warm sourdough--delicious with the beef. I definitely recommend this beautiful restaurant! read more

Excellent service and excellent food. Great ambience definitely be coming back again. It's great for girls night. read more

5 of us went last Sunday. Our reservation was at 5:45pm; we didn't know they have daily Happy Hour until 6pm. Server was very nice to inform us and got the HH drinks order in. She explained the special very well. My favorite was the Escargot! Real escargot in shells, not frozen meat in fancy plate. lol. The only complaint is the table is a bit small for party of 5. read more

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The cheese croquettes were my favorite item and I enjoyed my happy hour trying different Belgium dishes! Staff was friendly and I will definitely be back for the brews read more

Brussels Bistro - One Flight Away - Belgian Near Me - San Clemente, California

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