The Belgians often claim that their cuisine is better than that of their near neighbours, the…read moreFrench, and they spend a lot of effort in imitating it. The attempts to out-do the French involve devices such as rich sauces and overworked presentation. At Azzurra we have the unseemly spectacle of Belgian cuisine imitating French cuisine imitating Italian cuisine (if you know what I mean). Accordingly, pasta dishes are drowned in cream or passatta, and pizza (bought-in frozen bases) are laden with too many garnishes. Carte dishes masquerade as Italian in name only: for example, Belgians love croquettes; here, they were constructed partly of Parmesan cheese and topped off with a cream sauce, and entitled 'Crocchette al Parmigiano', an imaginary Italian dish that exists only in the minds of Belgian Chefs. Starters were around 10euro, mains 20euro, and neither were worth half the price. I was as disappointed as I might have been, had I tuned into Poirot on the TV and found Hercule wearing a beret and hooped shirt whilst trying to sing Nessun Dorma.

From the owner: Pizzas au feu de bois, cuisine italienne mettant en valeur les produits du terroir.read more

We waited here for over an hour during a mild heatwave in Brussels, and it did not disappoint. This…read moreis yet another spot that we loved so much we came back a second time! The place is a family run restaurant, and we had amazing service and food. The pasta was fresh and the variety a plus - but the best pasta on the menu by far is the truffle mushroom pasta. I'm salivating just thinking about it! Make a reservation if possible as the place gets busy!

I emailed the restaurant to make a reservation about two weeks beforehand, and I'm so glad I did…read morebecause they didn't have any availability for the time that I wanted, even on a Monday night. When we got to the restaurant, we were seated outside promptly. Our waiter was really nice and explained the menu to us. I don't usually like salads, but I felt like I needed some greens after eating heavy Belgian food. We decided to go with the mixed salad with ham, and I'm so glad we did! This salad deserves 5 stars honestly. The dressing was amazing, and the ham added a nice salty touch. For pastas, we got the spaghetti with spicy Calabrian sausage and burrata and the ravioli with osso buco. The pastas were definitely cooked al dente - I preferred the spaghetti. The ravioli had good flavor, but it was sitting in so much oil that I couldn't eat too many. It was a solid meal overall, but I didn't think the pastas were anything life-changing. Great place if you're craving some Italian food though!

Awesome Truffle Ravioli.. Very Fresh.. One of the must visit restaurants in Antwerpen City…read more.. Anyone who appreciates good authentic Italian cuisine should go to this restaurant..

Very very good Italian authentic cuisine for people who are used to eat real good Italian food…read more!!!!!! My favorite Italian restaurant!! Very nice servers, always smiling. The restaurant is renewed since a few months, and all the tables are nicely spread: great privacy. A great terrace too.

From the owner: At Ristorante Taormina, you experience the real taste of homemade cuisine executed with care for…read morethe founding traditions of Italian gastronomy. So we cook our pizzas in a traditional wood-fired stone oven to preserve the authentic taste of real Italian pizza. Our pasta is as well produced in house by our artisans just like our desserts and ice cream which are realised in our dedicated workshop. We believe in traditional craftsmanship as a vision for the future where you will always be aware of what is served, with no secrets.