Situated in the restaurant ring that surrounds the main square in Mechelen guarantees great views…read moreof the square and church tower from the outdoor seating area Equally comfortable I the indoor seating area should it be rainy, windy, snowing, cold or just normal European weather. The entree was shrimp in a broth which was ok For the main there was a whole fish, kind of looked like a flounder in that it was a flat fish so I guess a Flemish flounder caught off the coast of Flanders. The fish was cooked perfectly simply falling off the bone with ease and tasted very nice. Not a huge seafood fan myself but the food was very good and matched well with a local beer

This place is a must eat when in the market in Mechlen. If you are wondering which place to go to…read moreeat just save yourself some time and go here. Service is awesome even for tourists.

Wah! First review in English, hello Mechelen!…read more De Thein Gheboden marked a page of scribbled confusion in my travel notebook. I wouldn't and couldn't dare pronounce the name and was unable put my finger on the style of food served. From my limited experience of all that is Belgian cuisine, I wouldn't call it traditional. The menu was surprisingly meat heavy with many dishes covered in one type of gravy or another. I relied on the confused translations of friends, noting their struggles to explain some sauces and methods. Looking for a safe bet, I opted for a shrimp curry. Appeasing but not filling -- only 10 little prawns, with nothing else to accompany them in the curry, minus some garnish. There was no rice brought our nor any other device to soak up the flavorful sauce. This was a bit curious to me as the menu wasn't al la carte. I stole a few bites of the salmon dish. It was far less perplexing -- perfectly cooked with a creamy white dill sauce to accompany it. Fries are your typical Belgian compliment to most meals. Unfortunately, there was nothing complementary about the sad bowl of taters served at our table. They came out thick cut, soggy and unappetizing (side note: I ended up idly dunking them in my curry as my eyes started glazing over at the end of the night) . I would have asked for a fresh batch but our waiter was neither here nor there. Service was slow and extremely casual. They didn't rush our group out after we were finished and even offered us some complimentary limoncello to sip. The restaurant was a beautiful blend of modern style with rustic adornments. Exposed brick, iron fixtures with walls lined with giant comfy couches. When the conversation invariably kept straying from English, I quietly sat there staring at the walls wondering how many times the interior has taken a major overhaul. I estimated the building to be at least 250 years old. Non smokers, be warned -- there's a giant smoking section of the restaurant encased in glass. You'd think you wouldn't really be bothered with the smell, however, it's not fully sealed and folks like to stand there with the door open chatting. Ugh.

Very nice atmosphere good value for money. People are always friendly but I miss Lena.read more

I'm from Great-Britain, a friend of mine told me about this place and how good it is. He…read morerecommended i'd try it for myself. I took a vacation just to try this place and I've no regret at all. It was a very nice experience overall, so I ordered a steak with fries and mayonaise. As appetizer I took a cheese croquette, these were two pieces and they were quiet big. The meals overall tasted incredibly good. The service was very kind and fast. The bill also was not even as much as I thought it would be. So I'm very happy that my friend told about this place. Thomas Vonck

We sat upstairs and it was nice and quite. Then a party on 20 men came in. We got our order in…read morefast. House white French wine a hit at 6$ a generous glass. Then you get a little snack of a salmon mousse that was really tasty and unexpected. Nice touch. Wife had small sole fishes. Once we figured out how to filet them they were tasty. I had sea bass. Very well prepared with the best asparagus I've ever had. Nice dining experience. Good wait staff. They all helped each other look after the larger party as well as the small tables. Will go back. Patio looked nice for warmer weather.

I was one of their first weekly customers, came back this 2016 summer and was mire than…read moredisappointed. First impression: summer, Friday, all terraces full around 8pm, not here... The waiter did his best to avoid us and we didn't get a menu after 15'; being quite hungry we left, they didn't even notice. No wonder, but a shame in a town that has so few good resto's anyway. Another one down the drain?

Excellent craft beer bar! Great to enjoy a beer out on the terrace on the Grote Markt or in the…read moretrendy and cozy interior. Lots of very good beers on tap, and staff that will help you pick a good choice! Every Flemish town needs a place like this!

Updated: Honoloeloe has changed its name to "Makadam"…read more A top-notch little beer bar on Grote Markt in Mechelen. This place has a nice modern vibe to it and the staff are very friendly. The owners of this bar are true beer enthusiasts and they are focusing on great Belgian beer. The Count was impressed with level of beer knowledge displayed by the owner. They had quite a few premium Belgian bottles, plus some nice beers on tap though the tap count was low at four lines. I sampled a deliciously refreshing cherry La Chouffe and tried some other offerings that were recommended. The Belgians are warming up to hoppy beers now it would seem, and I saw quite a few IPA styles now being produced by Belgian breweries. But The Count was in search of something special this time. Something not normally available at most Belgian bars. This was an episode of "Raiders of the Lost Beer". And The Count was in search of the ever-elusive Westvleteren beer, which is considered to be among the best beer in the world. This is not an easy beer to find even for Belgians. You really need to know someone Flemish who knows their beer. Fortunately, The Count knows many Flemish! Still, this superb beer can elude even Belgian beer snobs due to limited supply and high demand. After relaying the mission to the barkeep (and demonstrating our shared commitment to fine beer), he assured us he could score some of the elusive brew. He said he was connected. I won't lie. We were skeptical. Talk is cheap. But we had such a good time at Makadam (formerly Honoloeloe) that we decided to see if he could actually come through for us. We came back the next evening, ready to rib him gently for failing the mission. No shame though as many have failed to secure Westvleteren despite the best of intentions. Much to our surprise - and delight - he was a true Indiana Beer Jones! He had scored some Westvleteren 8 and some Westvleteren 12! And it was delicious and quite a treat to have this rare beer. Mind you - it didn't come cheap, since this fellow had to drive to get it and work some connections. But it was a great gift that he did this for us and showed that this bar is SERIOUS about Belgian beer. It was worth the price. So thank you Makadam! I will be back. And you are now on The Count's list of favorite beer bars around the world. If you are in Mechelen, and want to try the very best beer that Belgium has to offer, you would be remiss in not stopping by Makadam to have a beer or two...or three. It's a great place. Don't miss it. Life is too short and the beer is too good.