BXL Zoute

Stopped by due to post-​shopping spree hunger pains. It seems like a good idea. It was open and well lit. We were seated in the back and there was a futbol game on the TVs… most of the patrons were seated at the bar and cheering noisily… this didn’t bother me as it added to the fun and lighthearted atmosphere. The restaurant was opened and let in a lot of light and fresh air, which is perfect because of the summer breeze.
I ordered the Croque Madame. It was regular, nothing to write home about. The fries and side salad that came with it also wasn’t amazing. Two of my friends ordered the Croque Hawaiien and those were more unique. I split half of mine Croque Madame with half of one of the Croque Hawaiiens. Though I have to admit, I wasn’t a fan of the sweet taste. It was actually kind of weird and but it did bring out some of the taste of the ham that was kind of bland in the Croque Madame.
The service was subpar… but then again, it could have been the fact that patrons and servers alike were glued to the TVs. I ran out of water three times (the cups were really, really small) and had to keep asking for water and it was hard to get our waitresses’ attention each time. Once, she put up her finger to make me wait while she took a cigarette break (wtf). Our ketchup bottle also ran out midway through and she forgot to get us another one after we asked her the first time.
On a side note, when we asked for extra break and butter we were given a second helping, no stinginess to be seen. That was nice… but we were a party of four and she only gave us two pats of butter lol. All in all, I wouldn’t come back here. The food wasn’t good enough to offset the bad service.

We came in here thinking that the COPA America game might be on here which it was but all we got was loud and obnoxious people and music. Service wasn’t all too great the food was okay, though I don’t recommend the Belgian Meatballs. To the people in the comments saying this is a good sports watching bar are wrong you can’t hear a thing.

I really liked this restaurant and the food when I first came here, but my feelings changed when my friends, boyfriend, and I came here for my birthday dinner in March.
We made reservations ahead of time and told the restaurant it was a birthday dinner, so I was hoping we would at least have a nicer seating area, but nope. As soon as we arrived, they were putting our tables (they put two separate tables together) together which was right by the entrance. It was a little uncomfortable and also the people that were sitting in the back of the tables were uncomfortable, because the restaurant staff would squish behind their seats. I wished they gave us better seats in the back, but I guess they didn’t care it was someone’s birthday.
There’s a hostess/​woman that was there during my first visit that was taking our orders at my dinner and she was more ruder to us than last time. I didn’t like the way she acted towards us at all and she wasn’t speaking clearly, so it was a little difficult to understand her.
Since it was a group of 8 – 10 people we all ordered different dishes so I didn’t try everything, but here’s what I did try:
Marineres Mussels (white wine. garlic, onion, and celery) — I ordered these mussels to share with my boyfriend and a few friends. These mussels were okay, not the best I’ve had.
Saumon Roti (roasted salmon with leeks and potatoes with red wine sauce) — my boyfriend ordered this for his entrée. It looked kind of plain and definitely not filling. I shared some of my food with my boyfriend, afraid he wasn’t full off his dish.
Carbonnades Flamandes (Sirloin tips and Leffe brown stew with fries) — the waitress said this was a very popular menu item and pretty good, so I decided to give it a shot. Honestly, I wasn’t a huge fan of the brown stew and it was a little too salty. The highlight of this dish was actually the fries because they were really crispy and crunchy.
My friends didn’t seem too thrilled with some of the food at BXL. I’ve tried the food before, so I thought it was on point in some instances. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy my birthday dinner too much at BXL mostly because we got sat in pretty crappy seats and felt disconnected from the other table. Word of advice: if you plan on having a birthday dinner here in the future, ask for better seats.

Been here twice already and it’s always a great treat! Both times we were seated promptly for weekday dinners. The staff are friendly and will happily help with menu recommendations. But I came for mussels and fries! Both are so tasty. The pot of mussels are nicely flavored and quite large. I can’t imagine coming for AYCE days. The regular orders already stuff me up. For appetizers, I loved the steak tartare. Nothing like raw beef seasoned perfectly. With every meal, I get a bottle or two of the Magners Pear. It’s so light and slightly sweet. Perfect complement to my mussels.

BXL Zoute is a nice restaurant, dimly lit perfect for a date. The inside seating has a whole row for parties of two and there is a large table in the rear for a bigger party. There’s also outdoor seating, which can fill up quickly in the warmer months.
We decided on seating inside the restaurant. On a Thursday evening, did not have a reservation and luckily got a table. Ordered the Steak Tartare that came with frites on the side. The steak tartare was topped with a raw egg in the traditional presentation of the dish. There were fresh red onions and capers to mix in as well. The beef tasted fresh. This dish went well with the complimentary bread served at the table that was multigrain and white variety.
Also decided to order a Plate of cheese and charcuterie. Had Terrine Maison (similar to to a pâté), Prosciutto (dry-​cured ham), Bresaola (air dried, salted beef), Gouda, Brie priced at 5 for $ 20. Alternatively you can choose any 3 for $ 14. There are craisins, walnuts, and cornichons included as well with the platter to accompany the offerings.
The Belgian beer selection is extensive and tried the Cuvee BXL, their house brew by Ommegang plus a Duvel Single. These beers paired nicely with the cheese. For dessert, ordered the Mousse Au Chocolat (chocolate mousse) that was served cold. It was topped with strawberries and whipped cream. Not an entire necessity to order a dessert, but this is a good option if you want something on the lighter side.
The service was excellent throughout the evening. Even as the restaurant filled up, I didn’t feel like we were overlooked. I would definitely return given my dinner experience.

I can’t believe I haven’t written a review of this place.
It was days before Halloween in 2013 that I visited BXL with friends. We were on our way to The Rocking Dead concert and stopped by for dinner. Of course, my friend and I were dressed as zombies. You can’t find many fine dining restaurants fully decked out with Halloween decorations, and the host was most welcoming when he saw the 2 of us. The restaurant was packed, and luckily our other friends were already seated and waiting.
I ordered the Bone Marrow with toast points as a starter and the Moules Frites. The bone marrow was delicious; hot and flavorful. Delicious with the caramelized onions. The mussels were tender and I couldn’t stop sopping up the delicious sauce with their rustic bread.
Ambience was great, noise level average to a bit loud. Will come back again!

Very interesting food and cultural experience. The steak tartar will come out like ground beef, but make no mistake, tastes great! It was recommended to eat with a raw egg mixed in, but one of us decided to drink the raw egg, so there goes that.
To note, the place is known for mussels and a host of drinks. There are a few different flavors for the mussels, we tried the tomato basil and the more traditional white wine. Both are very tasty, the tomato basil had a bolder hit while the white wine was the more orthodox blend of salt.
The beer menu… too large to describe. Will definitely be back for happy hour.
P. S. The restaurant has a full bar, but no cocktail menu. The waitress highlighted that they could make any cocktail you’ll like, but be prepared to tell her what kind of liquor you want, the juice, how many ice cubes, the customization can go on and on. If you’re a fan of turning your cocktail into a personal arts and crafts projects, have a go at it. If you’re with a date, avoid the embarrassment and gun for the beer.

Food was great and service was on par! My friend and I ordered the pot of Marinires mussels, the BXL croque, and the carbonara pasta.
My goodness, the pot of mussels was bigger than I thought and it was so delicious! The only complaint was that the mussels were kinda tiny (compared to the ones I had at the 51^st St location), but it was still a lot.
The pasta and proscuitto grilled cheese sandwich were also amazing and I think we may have ordered a lil too much for 2 people. But it was so worth blowing up our bellies for.

Pretty satisfying… I’ll just say that my lunch mate is picky when it comes to mussels but he loved the ones we had here, so there’s that…
They serve «big» food here (mostly with excellent fries) so don’t order as much food as we did. Besides the mussels, we also had the bitterballen (croquetes) which were tasty, the croque madame which was *really* prepared well, and the Carbonnades Flammandes which was basic, but excellent.
I think I’d say that about all the food we had. We weren’t blown away by the creativity of the food, but we really appreciate classics done well.
The ambiance was OK if not a little disjointed (sports bar, but with a homey European feel, etc.) and service OK (could’ve warned us that fries come with everything). But given the good value and good food we’d definitely return.

Stayed around the corner from BXL so I checked out their menu and picked it as I saw they had moules and frites. It was not very crowded on a Tuesday night and I was seated right away. I started with a Leffe Brown, served in the correct glass but a little too cold for a Belgian beer.
I ordered Moules Marinières at the recommendation of my waitress. For $ 22 I got plenty of both mussels and frites that it could have easily served two people if paired with an appetizer or side. The mussels themselves were quite good albiet a little salty. I had quite a few unopened ones but since I had more than enough to eat alone it was no big deal. I did have one that tasted really fishy but for the most part, very good. Having said that, having lived in Amsterdam for awhile, these were nowhere near as good as what you get «in season» in Belgium or Holland but for NYC, in winter, they hit the spot! I’ll keep BXL Zoute in mind for my next visit to the city.

Found this place thanks to Unilocal,looking for dinner nearby.
The environment here is warm and intimate. The staff is great and attentive. The food is amazing.
We ordered the bone marrow appetizer after reading about it in other reviews, and because I wanted to try something different. It was phenomenal. And the portions were plenty.
We also got the steak tartare, served with an egg. It was fresh, light, and tasty.
To finish the meal, we got the fries and mussels with the bacon cream sauce. We were so full, but couldn’t leave any left on the plate.
All that with 2 beers was extremely reasonably priced for dinner with such fine ingredients in NYC.
I can’t wait until I get to go back.

Just stumbled upon this place last week and had a great time! The staff was super friendly and made some great drink recommendations.
Try a beer flight — 5 for $ 15!

Yummmm mussels. I’ve been here a few times for happy hour/​dinner and recently I finally got the chance to try their AYCE mussels. They no longer advertise it so you have to ask for it (generally it’s Sunday and Monday). The cost for all you can eat mussels is $ 25 and that includes a bowl of fries, a stella and all the mussels you could dream of. They have several broths for their mussels and some are better than others. I also got the chance to try their other foods on the menu and some I highly recommend. Here they are:
Toast Cannibal: Raw beef tartar on toast. One of my favorite dishes from here.
Grand-​Mere: slices of thick bacon in the broth. That’s all you need to know
Provencale: What I generally get with my mussels. Lighter than the other broths but still full of flavor
Mariniere: A very prominent white wine taste if you’re into that.
All in all, I love this place and that’s why I continue coming here. However, I can tell that the days they do AYCE mussels, the broth seems to lack a bit of flavor. I don’t blame them since they probably just make huge batches of the mussels at once. Therefore, come during their other days and try their mussels alongside with their other dishes as well.

Last weekend, our top priority was to find outdoor seating for brunch. When it’s 65 and sunny in December, you sit outside in NYC. Period.
A quick Unilocal search generated this place. Since we’re both Belgian food fans and the place looked cute, we walked over. And what an outstanding choice! This restaurant was one of the highlights of my trip to NYC.
We were told to expect a tolerable wait (about 30 minutes, I believe) and that we could sit at the bar in the interim. Our bartender was SO friendly, nice, made great recs, and each brew came with its own special glass. Not to mention, the beer list was quite extensive!
When our table was ready, we moved outside. Since it was in the shade, I did put my coat back on at one point… but only because I’m always cold. There were a handful of tables out front and the area was decorated adorably for the holidays.
Our server was very sweet and our food arrived pretty quickly. I ordered the cheeseburger, which came with some greens and fries. The fries were delicious and the burger was cooked a perfect medium with just the right amount of pink.
Definitely stop by here if you like Belgian brews/​beer in general. If not, you’re sure to at least love their food and hospitality!

This was such a good find! Thanks to Unilocal for an awesome brunch! My friend and I were in the area and starving, and we were looking for a good brunch option with outdoor seating because of the unseasonably warm weather. Well, we found the right place! There was a 20 mm wait for a table outside so we started off at the bar with some delicious Belgian Beers. My favorite thing was not only did they have an awesome beer section but that they also served the beer in a decorative little glass from the brewery itself… so cute! I had a Casendonk Tripel, and my friend had a cherry flavored beer which she loved.
We then moved outside to our table. Even though there wasn’t sunny, it was still so nice to be able to sit outside in December! The menu had a lot of delicious options but I ended up going with the croque tomate. It’s actually not on the menu, but if you’re vegetarian you should definitely ask for it! It’s basically a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich, and I added an egg to it (they didn’t even charge me extra, yay!). Anyway, it was some of the most delectable cheese I’ve had in a long time! And it came with fries and a salad, so you don’t even have to choose to be healthy or not! I was so stuffed, but I powered through and finished my plate. I will definitely be back soon!

I came in on a Monday night for the ayce mussels. They don’t advertise this on the menu, so be sure to ask if you are unsure if they are doing ayce that night. It’s usually ayce Sundays and Mondays. I arrived around 6pm for a party of two, and we were immediately seated as the place was pretty empty.
We both ordered the ayce mussels for about $ 25. The ayce also comes with a bowl of fries and a beer, so that is a big plus. We ordered two bowls of mussels to start, and managed to get through 7 buckets in total. The mussels had a lot of taste with my favorite being the Thai flavor. The mussels are smaller than the usual large size, but just as delicious.
We were so stuffed after 7 buckets of mussels. The price point isn’t too bad considering it was seafood and ayce, but I think I would get more bang for my buck elsewhere.

Came back here for a Sunday Lunch (10÷18÷15)!
It was actually quite empty when we walked in.
PROS:
— MUSIC was pretty good this time but someone sure likes the oldies as most of the song was from the 90s and older.
— THAILANDAISE MUSSELS (Coconut milk, lemon grass, curry) — Yummy! Very filling and its a great dish to share. We had an order of fries and when cleared the mussels and the soup was left, we used the fries to dip up some of the delicious broth. 4.5 STARS
— FRENCH ONION SOUP — Loved the French onion soup! Especially the layer of cheese on top! It was like heaven.
CONS:
PASTA CARBONARA — the pasta was topped with some pieces of bacon but this dish was horrible. I would not recommend getting this especially since it was $ 16. First of all the cream sauce was bad. Sauce was super thick and congealed on to the spaghetti. Second, it did not taste good. Even the bacon couldn’t save this dish.

Actually had a great time here. The receptionist was a bit sassy but I kind of like that. It’s a long restaurant so it’s nice in the back. Unfortunately, at night, the fluorescent parking garage sign sheds some unpleasant light into the restaurant.
Prices are extremely reasonable. Had a giant bowl of mussels with delicious sauce at the bottom that we literally scooped out at the end. Also tried bone marrow, which was great. So much fatty marrow with the crispy baguette slices. Loved it.

This place has a great vibe. It’s on the smaller side but not crowded. I got drinks at the bar and the service was attentive and friendly. They have a great selection of beer. I ended up waiting for my friend for a while to come and no one was rude to kick me out of my seat. They also had a chill playlist
My friend got the burger and fries. Although I didn’t get anything, I picked at her fries and they were good.

I feel like I’m in Brussels again! Lovely spot to sit outside and people watch with good food to boot.
The menu is very traditional. We had some Belgian beers: Gulden Draak and Leffe Blonde that perfectly paired with the food to come.
For a starter we ordered a full order of the Moules Frites Thailandaise which were flavorful, plump mussels steamed in coconut milk, Thai herbs, and curry. They were tender, clean, and very fresh tasting.
I had the steak tartare and it was delicious. My date had the lamb burger and it was cooked perfectly medium rare with a nice char on it. Both were great mains for a beautiful breezy summer night.
The frites that came with every dish were light and crispy. This is a must for any Belgian place. We had so much but we just couldn’t stop eating it.
This is a great place for a casual meal, a date night, or quick dinner. The service was delightful with an air of European charm; A place I would keep coming back to.