Les propriétaires ont changés et ça n'a plus rien d'un italien. La cuisines est faite de réchauffé et les assiettes si t mal présentées. Le service est amical mais totalement amateur. C'était une bonne adresse, ce n'en est clairement plus une. Dommage. read more

If you really want to guarantee a spot for dinner here, make a reservation ahead of time, but to be honest, I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here. I'd only come here if I couldn't find anything else to eat - I prefer Fin de Siecle across the street for more traditional Belgian food (it's a no-reservation, wait-in-line kind of place). We ended up here because we had eaten at Fin de Siecle already the night before, and the restaurant we wanted to go to was full, so this was one of few options to dine at on a Sunday evening. The service here was interminably slow - it took them almost 20 min to get me a table. I didn't have a reservation, so I was fine waiting, but when you tell me 5 minutes or 2 minutes a handful of times, it's just better to tell me that it's a 15-20 minute wait for a table. It worked out fine because my fiance had to go find an ATM to get cash, since this place doesn't take credit cards. We thought this place was more Mediterranean (per Yelp's categorisation) but it was more Italian than anything else, with Spanish tapas and some Italian starters / antipasti. They have a lot of "world tapas" and the menu had a lot of different options of varying cuisines, but this place seemed to just make a lot of things on the mediocre side instead of making fewer things that taste great. On the tapas side they have bruschetta, fried bacalao fritters, patatas bravas, fried calamari, crostini. They have 7 salad options to pick from, which is definitely nice to find in a restaurant in Brussels, where most of the choices on the menu revolve around potatoes and meat. They have about 10-12 choices for pasta dishes, Belgian dishes, meat, and fish. You should be able to find something to eat on this menu since it's fairly varied. Bruschetta (6,50€) - We were starving by the time we sat down, so we got an appetizer - they have 2 bruschetta dishes, the smaller one at 6,50€ has tomatoes, parmesan cheese, basil, and anchovies, and just one piece of bread, and the larger version is almost double in price and has 2 pieces of bread and includes shrimp scampi and garlic. The bruschetta was fine (we got the smaller one) - not mind blowing, but not worth the price. There were a lot of tomatoes and the parmesan cheese was good but the bread was just okay and didn't seem particularly fresh. Salade Publico (15,90€) - This salad had a really huge piece of grilled salmon on top of shredded cabbage and iceberg lettuce, and had some fried calamari and bacalao / cod fritters. The salmon was farm-raised and overly plump, and slightly overcooked. The lettuce/cabbage was fine, but would have preferred mixed greens. The fried calamari and deep fried cod fritters didn't seem very fresh and seemed previously frozen and very-much mass-produced like it came out of a big bag from the freezer. We wanted salad, so this was at least decently healthy and satisfied what we wanted, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get this salad again. Ravioli Publico (15,20€) - These raviolis had meat inside, and topped with brown mushrooms, some parma ham, and a cream-sauce. There were maybe 10-12 pieces of ravioli on the plate, just FYI for those of you who are used to ordering ravioli and getting 5 pieces and then sit there hungry for the rest of dinner. The other pasta dishes looked bigger to me, and I wished I had gotten the orecchiette instead. The pasta was fine but didn't taste particularly fresh. I've had similar tasting pasta from the grocery store in the refrigerated section. I don't think I'd get this again if I came back. The service was not super - they took a long time to bring us wine after we ordered (and forgot my glass and then charged us for an extra one when I asked for my wine -- glad we checked the bill!) and were slow at taking orders / bringing food. Maybe they were super busy, but they just seemed short-staffed on waiters/cooks. They also didn't bring us the complimentary bread all the other tables seemed to get. They don't take credit cards, so plan accordingly. I wouldn't come back here unless there was nothing else open around here. The food was just mediocre for the price, and the service was subpar. It was okay - I'd give it between around 2.5 stars, maybe 3 if I was feeling generous. There are better restaurants in Brussels. read more

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Friendly staff that speaks English. Accepts credit cards. Ordered the bruschetta, scampi, and ribeye -- all well made and tasty. Located along a pedestrian street with tables outside and inside, and lots of people watching. read more

Publico - Bruschetta - Mediterranean Near Me - Brussels, BRU

I went in here for a late lunch one rainy afternoon. Thanks Yelp for the great recommendation! I didn't want a lot to eat since I knew I would be having a fairly large dinner, so I ordered Croquettes de Fromage Artisanales, Salade & Persil Frit and a lovely glass of Bodega Lozano Anoranza (a tempranillo). Let me say - if you have never had a cheese croquette do so in Belgium. It is so much better than anything I have ever had in the States! The light salad with just a little bit of fried parsley was a really nice touch and rounded out the entire plate of food. It was the perfect amount for me. I did have to try the bread they gave me (I did try to resist, but I could not). Delicious. The service was incredibly friendly. I finished the meal off with a very lovely spot of coffee (my husband will be proud of me - I didn't put anything in it). I certainly didn't get tired early. My only regret was not being able to take all my co-workers here. That will have to wait until the next trip. read more

Was in Brussels for a few days and this place was so close to where we were staying. It's in the city centre which is pretty convenient for tourists but a bit away from the crowd which makes it even more authentic and better. They serve complimentary olives coated in olive oil and some seasoning - the best kind of olives I have had and I am not a fan of olives. It was six of us. For food we had steak, chicken ravioli, beef stew, mushroom gnocchi and a burger. Appetizers that we ordered were potato bravas, calamari and bruschetta with anchovies. All of us loved and enjoyed everything we ordered. The service was pretty good. Our server was helpful and really nice. read more

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I guess I only write reviews for places I really like but thanks Yelp for helping us find this place! The food was excellent- I had the ravioli which is apparently their biggest seller and I was not disappointed. Great flavour and extremely generous portions- I was stuffed at the end of the meal. My table also had the vol au vent and a vegetarian penne and both also loved their meals. The real highlight of the night was our server Francois. He was funny and took great care of our table. If you visit here I hope you too get to have the Francois experience. read more

Publico - The ravioli dish - Mediterranean Near Me - Brussels, BRU

I brought my family of 6 from Madison, Wisconsin USA. To this restaurant tonight. It's was an amazing meal. I enjoyed the Cannoli with Chicken and mushroom, It was amazing, I believe it was made with truffle mushrooms. My kids enjoyed the spaghetti with meatballs. All was homemade. My wife ordered the salmon and thought it was good. I highly recommend this place, the chef is very talented. read more

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This was suggested by by someone know. Walked in & it was busy. BUT the wait was worth it!!! My wife ordered the Orecchiette, and she swears this was the best pasta she ever had in her life!! The kitchen is clearly visible for the whole restaurant's view, and it is IMMACULATELY CLEAN!! It cleaner than most brand new restaurant. There is only 1 chef but he is brilliant and a genius!!! I ordered the Stoemp, didn't know what that was but loved it!! If you're really hungry I'd recommend that. They don't take cards so bring cash. There so much competition on the location but there good does stand out. We went to a place across the street for lunch the next day but the taste was not great. Publico was AWESOME that we went back for seconds during our 4 day stay in Brussels. The staff was very friendly and the service was impeccable. My only question is, why the hell does this place not have any Michelin stars???????? As for the price, dinner for 2 with appetizers, entree, bottled H20, Beer all ended up with 37 Euros. What a deal!! 5 Star Quality for .001 cost!!! Trust me, you'll be hungry for seconds if you're not full. Just you arrive starving just order the Stoemp. Disclosure: Stoemp is only for the hungry. :-P read more

Publico - Orecchiette-The best pasta in the world - Mediterranean Near Me - Brussels, BRU

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I was nearby and Yelp gave it 4 stars. The reviews were mixed but with the best rating and within a quick walk, I figured I'd give it a try. I had the shrimp tagliatelle and it was delicious. The server was more than attentive and I wasn't disappointed. The seating outside is nice, and it isnt crazy crowded with people passing by. People watching but without feeling crowded into your meal like other places around. read more

Publico - Dinner outside Publico - Mediterranean Near Me - Brussels, BRU

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Really loved this place. We were given a table at the window. The servers went out of their way to make us comfortable. Started with the feta appy, then I had the penne with scarmorza (cheese). It was done perfectly. Portion was just enough. And tasty! My daughter had the spaghetti with meatballs. She loved it. We ended with the server bringing us lemoncello. Thanks! We will definitely be back!! read more

I wish I liked this restaurant more than I did. There's decent seating indoors and outdoors and quite a large menu. It was hard to decide what to order, so maybe I ordered the wrong thing? I had the Publico Salad, and the description seemed appetizing, but I was underwhelmed when the food actually came. It was essentially iceberg lettuce, a few slices of tomato and super thinly cut cucumber, and a few pieces of onion-ringed calamari, cod balls, and a tiny piece of salmon. As the most expensive salad on the menu, I was expecting more than what I could basically find in the grocery store packaged salads. If anything, I would order the cod balls just by themselves (found in the warm tapas section of the menu) because they were really good! Just not enough to make up for the entire salad. Perhaps stick with the warm entrees like the pastas and tapas. On the bright side, they do serve complimentary bread and have free wifi-- no password needed! (but they do not serve tap water whatsoever... boo.) read more

Publico - Publico salad -- meh. - Mediterranean Near Me - Brussels, BRU

Lovely place. Great variety and quality of food at a reasonable price. The staff was accommodating and nice. An excellent option for an easy dinner in town. I tried the bolognaise spaghetti, which were properly cooked and the sauce was on point. Another time I had the steak with chips, which was properly medium rare and tender. Maybe the portion could have been a little bigger. Overall, I recommend it. read more

Asked for tap water, sold bottled water. In USA we dont pay for tap water. Not offered more bread after the 1st 2 pieces. Food is amazing, only wish service rised to the same level! read more

I tried this restaurant for the first time with some friends. It's small and modern. We arrived for an early dinner. The food was fantastic. It was fresh and exactly as described in the menu. Can't wait to go again. The hot goat cheese salad is outstanding! read more

Nice place overall, and as a fellow reviewer posted earlier, they kinda only speak French, not English (but the waiter seemed to understand what we said in English, just chose to reply in French nonetheless); still, we felt taken care of and not at all out of place. Menu ranges from 6.50ish for tapas, around 10 - 15 main regular dishes and 20+ for the local specialties. We were served seasoned olives, brown bread (delicious) and butter as soon as we were seated, and it was not charged, so that's a nice welcoming gesture. We were seated right by the Cuisine, so it was nice seeing the chef prepping the food and the dishes, lots of care is put both on the cooking an on the plate assembly and decoration. Portions are overall good, but the fried calamari my wife ordered had exactly 5 rings of the poor mollusk on top of a big salad. Not really what we expected. The beers (relatively cheap) were not at all cold, and although for my Trappist it didn't matter much, it meant bad news for my wife's Hoegaarden, whose glass is supposed to be frosty and beer cold - not happening. 3 beers, 2 entrees, 2 main dishes (pasta and Carbonnade) amounted to 48€. Not cheap, but good for what we got. Good food, good ambiance, good service, but please do cool your beers, you already seem to care for your wines so well :) read more

Publico - Gorgonzola bites - Mediterranean Near Me - Brussels, BRU

Food was very honest, service truly exceptional. Great atmosphere, nicely decorated. Definitely not a tourist trap. Respekt!!! read more

Publico - Carbonade à la flamande - Mediterranean Near Me - Brussels, BRU

Great interior, nice stuff and delicious food. Loved it. Ordered tuna steak and house wine, recommend this place.

This is a difficult rewiew to write. I found the reviews and photos so tempting that I had to go and check it out. I made a resevation (good idea) and we arrived with high expectations. Francois greeted us like we family although I had never been there before. Let's start with the positive. They have some nice wines. The menu is diverse enough. And the presentation is very nice. The ratatouille with goat cheese is excellent. The neutral. The first impression was of the tattered menu. Fresh printed paper even with a stain or crease would improve the image. The presentation could be improved by decreasing the amount of sauce on the plate. White space is more appetizing. The negative. The quality of the tuna cut was below par. Spend a euro or two more and you can get a higher price gladly. This place is great if you have the right expectaion going in. It's friendly and better than average food. But, with a little attention to the details and a conscious effort this place could have all the ingredients necessary to take it to the next level. I'd like to be there when it happens. read more

So it happens that this restaurant was almost next door to the place where I was studying Dutch for a while in the city center of Brussels. I used to finish class around 9:30 pm and who wants to start cooking at that time of the night? I went few times to Publico and tried different dishes every time and I was never disappointed. The restaurant is small but at that time there was always a spot free and the staff was nice and quite adapting. I never understood the idea of the TV showing Fashion TV all the time... Prices I would say they are quite good for the area. They have a full bar too. read more

I went there twice and I must admit I had been disappointed both times given the review on yelp. Staff helpful and I can tell there is efforts put in the dishes but either I didn't find them tasty or it was cold. Maybe it was bad luck read more

Publico - Magret de canard - Mediterranean Near Me - Brussels, BRU

Really delicious Mediterranean food in the heart of Brussels. It's just outside of the main "touristy" areas, so you don't have to fight the tourist crowds... that isn't to say the place is empty, because it wasn't while I was there! I was a little thrown off when I opened the door to be greeted by a thick dark black curtain. And with the way the door opens and closes, you have to step in and close it before you can open the curtain, leaving you in complete darkness for a few moments. But once you peel back the curtain, you'll find a bright, warm, and inviting restaurant waiting! Started with the bruschetta and had the orecchiette as my main with a Leffe blonde to wash it down. Service was attentive (which seems is rare around here) and friendly. They also have quite a few tapas, so it would be perfect for a light bite and a drink with some friends. It's CASH ONLY so make sure you have some with you! read more

Night 1 One of the highlights on our 2 day stop-over in Brussels. After being turned away for late night dining from so many places, this spot welcomed us with open arms. We were starving walking the streets of Brussels. Delicious. The drinks were strong and delicious. Our server was helpful. The only thing to be aware of, is that it's cash only. There was a semi-private party going on and our server politely asked us if it was ok to play music louder. We were down! Night 2 Our friend randomly chose a spot to eat at. It happened to be this place again. After great service we were fine with it...we just tried something new to eat. We did late night dining again. Welcomed us again. This time we had Sam as a server. She was AMAZING! They kept the drinks and lemoncello shots coming. They were so hospitable and wonderful to us. Looking forward to visiting this spot again read more

Decent Italian food that we enjoyed out on the small roadside terrace. Beer was not served as it should, unfortunately, but the pasta's were delicious especially my spinach-ricotta ravioli in gorgonzola sauce. read more

I think this more leans to 3.5 stars, but my general rule of thumb is - if i want to go back to a place for sure, I rate it to the higher star. It was a decent meal but I'm not in a rush to go back. The bar seating area is a bit crowded as the dining tables are almost right behind you. This doesn't pose a huge problem for me, but a little more space would be nice. My meatball tapas were OK - they weren't bad by any means, but I didn't fall in love. I really enjoyed the calamari - the quality was small, but the quality was great. Compared to American calamari, this tasted real/fresh. The squid was meaty and the batter was excellent. I had a local Belgian beer, which as usual was good. I am still baffled that in Belgium water is so expensive and after paying 4.50euro for my water in a glass bottle, I couldn't leave the restaurant with it because they have to return the bottles. Maybe not the restaurants issue but a Belgian thing. meh. Note - they don't accept credit cards, instead you will walk down a few streets with a server to another restaurant to make the transaction. I liked that the option was available since I didn't notice the lack of credit card support until after I ordered, but I hope this is only a temporary thing... read more

Food is excellent. Atmosphere is great. Steak on rocket lettuce is good if you'd like a beef fix. read more

My husband and I were wandering around Brussels looking for a place to eat delicious local staples. We stumbled upon Publico because their menu prices were very reasonable (in comparison to many restaurants in Brussels) and the locale peaked our curiosity from outside. We walked into the place and were told that all tables had been fully booked. As we were walking out, however, the manager provided us seating near the bar and even provided us complimentary champagne for the inconvenience. We ordered the Brusselse dagstoemp and the Vol au vent. Both tasted absolutely fantastic. One had sausage and mashed potatoes, the other grilled chicken with pomme fritte and a salad. I highly recommend this place for the traveler and troubadour alike for delicious eats! Make sure you book a table in advance. read more

Publico - My first Belgian dish, I loved it! - Mediterranean Near Me - Brussels, BRU

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Publico was a nice break from the traditional Belgian Fare. The ambiance is very cool and my husband and I both enjoyed our meals. Note: they only take cash (like quite a few places we found throughout Belgium). read more

Good beer selection, great food. Friendly servers & bartenders. I had the spaghetti which was great! They give each table a bowl of olives which were very yummy. It's definitely a local spot, not touristy. We sat at the bar because it was so busy! read more

Have been in Brussels for two days after a few in Amsterdam, and we were looking for a lighter meal that wasn't so touristy, but welcoming to us at the same time. We found Publico on a whim. Well, we didn't end up eating super light but the options were there! My girlfriend got the spaghetti bolo while I got the scampi bruschetta. Both were great. Beer selection is good especially for an out-of-towner. Some familiar names like Leffe and Duvel on top of some different stuff. Bartender had fun with us trying to ask her things in French and was patient with us. Would recommend to anyone visiting! read more

Highlight of my meal was my beer. My wife ordered the tuna steak with potatoes and salad. I ordered the shrimp scampi with broccoli. Both were tasteless. My broccoli was horribly overcooked, and the shrimp was mildly overcooked. We both had to salt our food to give it some flavor. In spite of what one of the earlier posters indicated, they only accept cash, so luckily we had enough cash on us. Perhaps we were expecting too much going to a Mediterranean restaurant in Brussels, but if that is what you advertised then that is what you ought to deliver. We are giving this, charitably, two stars because the service was very nice, atmosphere was nice, and I suppose it's possible that the chef was not at his best tonight. read more

Delicious meal with wonderful staff! Came with a group of seven and everyone enjoyed their meals.

This was a disappointment. Based on the reviews here, my expectations were pretty high, maybe that's one of the reasons I didn't like it at all. (I give a lot of credence to Yelp reviews, they're usually correct) The service was VERY slow, and we had to flail our arms violently just to get the attention of the waiters. The food that came was... OK. It certainly didn't leave an impression. read more

Today Publico lost customers. Normally the food is great and especially the service is outstanding: very friendly, not shy for a conversation with the customers and expert in what's on the menu. However, today what had to be a good ending of the year with the family turned into a disaster. The service was bad with very long waiting time, grilled cheese equivalent to supermarket quality, truffles that more looked like champignons, the hanging steak being very chewy and I would rather have my fries at a "frietkot" than at Publico. All in all, I'm not coming back. read more

Great atmosphere but unfortunately that was not matched by the flavor of the food. Fairly small and cozy with attentive service. The food just seemed to lack proper balance of flavor - wanted to like it but just fell short. read more

A fantastic place with delicious food, a great atmosphere, and wonderful (and hilarious) staff. A friend and I were very surprised and delighted with our dinner experience. Make sure you bring cash as credit cards are not accepted. read more

Yelp! didn't steer us wrong on Publico. Great food, great service.....definitely returning on our next trip to Bruxelles! Try the risotto, the grilled salmon, and the scampi bruschetta! And don't miss out in the homemade tiramisu topped with a physalis. I didn't know what physalis was until this meal....hope they sell it in the states! read more

Melvin was our server/ bartender. He was amazing and very helpful!... speaking 6 different languages!! Food was great, drinks were great and cheers to Melvin! read more

The evening started out perfect as we were greeted by Francios who was super friendly and very accomdating. The meal and atmosphere were great as we left and paid we were greeted by Francois again and he shook our hand as we left. I wish we could stay in Brussels another night so we can dine here again. read more

So wonderful and delicious! We had a wonderful visit to Publico on a rainy night in Brussels. We had incredible service and just loved the food. Good wine and beer selection, we sat for a few hours enjoying ourselves and our server even brought out some amaretto for us to enjoy before we went back into the cold. Couldn't recommend more highly. read more

THIS PLACE IS MAGICAL. The manager Francois is literally the best person I have ever met, and his vibes will literally have you walking out of here a better person. The food, atmosphere, and service is exceptional, and the experience at this restaurant is next level, truly transformative. Get the Ratatouille for a starter- it's amazing! read more