Dear brunch-lovers, If you are looking for something trendy but easy-going, Garage à Manger is a great option for you. Here is my list of convincing arguments: - A fixed brunch formula (25 euro) is perfectly lazy for your Sunday. All you have to do is to navigate from one fragrant dish/steaming pot to another, while listening to the chef murmuring the names of the ingredients; - You eat responsibly: the ingredients are seasonable and local. The chef keeps food simple but elegant. So apart from a great eating experience you leave the place with a couple of new ideas to extend your own cooking horizons; - Even though 'garage' is not the most appetizing place you can think of, the setting of the restaurant is very well-turned. The room is big and spacy, but random objects you have all around, clutter it up in a very cosy way. You feel intimate although the place is very busy; - And last but not least, Garage à Manger is connected to a quaint second-hand bookstore called Pêle-Mêle, where you can pay a visit before or straight after your brunch. Kill two birds with one stone - treat your body & mind equally well! read more

The place is great and the idea overall good On delivery... not so much... The seating is surreal. If you don't book, you might not get a seat... and it's not easy changing seats, as the shifts are usually full. On the food side... not my favourite... sweets are ok, the savouries... well... I utterly hated the carrots with cinnamon. Eggs are odd to get, there is a specific protocol and though the "walking through the kitchen" concept is fun, most dishes available are a bit odd... The drinks policy is 2, one warm and one cold, though water is refillable. I do miss things like fruit salad, varieties of eggs, pancakes, cake, avocado, bacon and so on... read more

The best lunch place in the area !! Seriously, this place is really awesome. Great interior, great food and good beer selection ! It used to be a garage (I suppose ?!?) and they turned it now into a lunch place. They used second hand furniture and even the plates are old vintages one. The decoration is really cool. What I like about the place is that it is very easy-going. You can just go and have a coffee with your kids, work a bit, have a bite, etc. The food is also very good. There is only one menu a day, and it changes everyday. You can pick the small or the big menu ( 2 or 3 courses). Everything is organic and fresh - and you taste it. It's an open kitchen so you see them cooking. They have local brussels beer and they know what they're talking about. The restaurant is connected to a second had bookstore "Pele Mele". So it's fits perfectly the concept. Best thing about the place: it's not expensive at all !!! I will go every time I am in Belgium :) read more

Garage à Manger - Belgian Near Me - Ixelles, BRU

So we had no idea what the hell we were walking into. This place has a very unique concept that it employs. With that said--it'd be great if the employees didn't seem so perturbed when people come in for the first time...not really knowing what's going on. So--benefit from my knowledge. ;) Essentially, you have walked into a "home" concept. There are tons of beautiful seating arrangements sprinkled throughout the concrete interior that's been warmed up with family pictures, cupboards full of glass china, family style tables that seat 12, 2 & 4 tops as well. You can also find a van chopped in half with seating inside, as well as a coffee table surrounded by a couch on one side and chairs in the other. So, pick your preference (or wait to be seated...I really can't tell what they expect you to do. My friend and I fumbled around the entrance while employees walked by us for about 3-4 minutes without acknowledging us or directing us to seat ourselves...so I have no idea what you are suppose to do.) Basically, if you select all you can eat buffet style (18€), you grab your plate and head to the kitchen where food has been laid out in the style familiar to what you'd find at a family meal or potluck at your mom's home. Plates of vegetarian options (salad, friend polenta fries --each with delicious dressings/sauces), various creamy veggie salads, and super smooth soup in huge pots are at your fingertips for choosing. They also have a vat of super soft boiled eggs that the chef who is meandering around and serving guests--will crack into a small bowl for you, and then too with a cheese foam. And if you eat meat, he will cut up some rare meat for you and top it with a lovely pesto... And at the end of your meal, you can choose from cheesecake, chocolate ganache fudge, rice pudding.... Vegetarians can easily eat here and get full. I recommend coming here for a unique experience. The staff eventually warms up but aren't immediately accommodating. I do want to say that the man who was clearly in charge of meal prep in the kitchen was SO lovely, and warm and took such care and pride in how he served the food he was conjuring. read more

Garage à Manger - Belgian Near Me - Ixelles, BRU

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This is not a place for kids: despite the fact that the salle was close to empty, the owner couldn't refrain himself from yelling at my children twice while we were having tea. They are not supposed to totter around- he said, rather rudely- but to sit quietly. So good for a place advertised as a family venue. Avoid it! P.S. I had the extremely bad idea of going back for brunch (and it will certainly be the last one): we booked for 16 but once there one girl said she was only having a tea because she had a stomach bug. "Well, you will pay 16 brunches anyway, since that's what you booked for". Excuse me????? 15 clients and you dare even think something like that? As I said before, in any other country this place would have already closed its doors. Service is clearly their last worry. Which is the first one, I still wonder. read more

This place is pretty neat, I love the set up, very open design, with couches for more the casual people who have a drink as well as table for serious eaters. On Sundays, I've seen/read/heard that they serve up a mean brunch but this time I was just in for a drink to catch up with friends. They serve basic warm drinks but quite a selection of wines (there is a whole board with different wines listed). As others have mentioned (and thanks for saying so as I choose this location based on this info), this place is great for kids too. There is plenty of room for them to play around a bit while you eat/drink. There is enough room for the strollers as well and they even have high chairs for the kids to use as well. Only thing missing are changing tables in the bathrooms.... I'll have to stop in one day to check out the brunch and report back on that! Staff are friendly enough and do speak English.... read more

I had heard about this "new" place in town from several sources and... it was about time to try it out. Great brunch spot, very family friendly (it was full of babies) and very spacious. The kids can play around and you don't have to worry about them. The brunch formula is a 25 EUR à volonté buffet (18EUR if you contain yourself to one passage only) with sweet and salty, including croissants, muesli, meats, beans, vegetables and poached eggs. Freshly pressed orange juice and warm drink included. Yummi. And you can always end or start your weekend with browsing in Pele-Mele, the best second hand books, dvds, cds, games, etc you have in Brussels. Ah! I almost forgot: the design/deco is great! Vintage with style. read more

It's a very nice place: the decor is quite vintage, we can see the kitchen, the waiter was very nice and food was exquisite.They use very good products. I highly recommand this place. read more

Sunday Brunch - this place is top of the bunch. Lively atmosphere with kid friendly spaces AND some of the best cuisine to be matched with some of the best dressed in town. Two words: Stylish and delicious. read more

Very nice brunch place, good options of food. Quiet and a good environment. Appreciated the fact you can see the preparation of the food. Nice design. read more

After hearing wonderful comments from friends, I've finally tried their brunch last weekend. I was extremely disappointed and a bit embarrassed for taking my friends there. As southern's we appreciate the quality and simplicity of food, even if it is a cool place with an hipster concept, this is not what you expect from an all you can eat buffet at such a price! Very poor choice both on sweet and salty. There were no fruits at all (nor fresh nor nuts), no choice of cheeses and charcuterie, not enough salads, cakes, etc. The service was slow, and they make you book shifts (11h-13h or 13h till 15h) that could make sense from a commercial point of view, but if you book the 13h shift you might till have to wait. Not sure if you have to be lucky, if something changed in the meantime, or where all the 5 star comments come from.. read more

I love the look of the place: open spaces, not too many tables inside and space for kids to run around, and a space to relax and hang out. Love the vintage plates. Certainly appealing in presentation and decor. A big bonus is also the fact they've got an open kitchen. Food-wise I thought some of the starters were truly delicious. The main dish was solid, good, though a tad overpriced (the area is increasingly hyped). Dessert is nothing special. All in all a fine place, though not quite among my very favourites. read more

Been here twice now, and I will definitely be going back. Garage a Manger is a really cool spot. The food tastes like my Moms cooking, I love it. Its not fancy or extravagant. The interior is big and designy, and connected to Pele Mele, though I have yet to go there. read more

it is a nice place but very crowded if you go there after 13h on the weekends. I read some of the negative reviews below. Well, I had only nice experience there but I am not surprised to read such reviews especially in Belgium. I had similar experiences in other places here. Otherwise, it is not true that they serve only formule brunch in the weekends - you can also order a la carte read more

I have tried the place more than once and despite the good location and the nice interiors, I will avoid it in future. Food is not so good (there was chicken once and it was pretty gristly, coffee is awful, it is quite overpriced and a couple of times I found the staff very rude, especially if you have kids. There are for sure better restaurants and bars in the area. read more

Called and was told they don't do reservations for less than 6, but was given one anyway.Got there and the first thing the hostess said was 'We don't take reservations for 4 people,' I explained that her colleague had given us the reservation. She said she wouldn't have given us a reservation and said she was telling us so that we won't be surprised next time. Even after her sour attitude, we were excited to try the buffet brunch, which unfortunately consisted of very little. Not worth €25. As it was the weekend we couldn't order off the menu which left my vegetarian husband without much choice of what he could eat. A cool concept and space, but badly executed, with rude staff and crying babies everywhere. We won't be back. read more

Very good ambient, but not a great aeration aystem. We left smelling of....everything.

Garage a manger is a nice place in a cozy neighbourhood. The interior (especially with the cravan for kids to read and play) is special. We went there for an afternoon tea with kids. To my surprise, the restaurant asks 6 euro for a brownie. Complete rip-off in my view and contradictory to their self-promotion as family friendly place. read more