Brabant Bar & Cafe

Super neat find in our favorite South Park neighborhood. Took me back to 2009 and a visit to Brugges. We walked in and ordered at the bar (the only place you can order food, too, unfortunately). Pints were $ 4 at happy hour and the hot pretzel with mustard wasn’t much more. Perfect pairing! Rustic, intimate and pub like. South Park already feels like a step into a small European town; stepping into Brabant added to the experience. Will come back for dinner. Just wish we could have a server. That’s why the 4 stars.

I had been wanting to try this place for sometime. On saturday, we finally checked it out. It was the fiancé, his mom and me.
We came for lunch and started with the croquettes which were amazing! Probably the best thing we had! The fiancé tried a holiday beer, and I tried a cider. Although not super extensive, I liked the beer selection. For food, we tried the spinach salad, a reuben and the carbonade flamandeor shepherd’s pie style.
I wasn’t a fan of the carbonade flamandeor, but everyone else seemed to like it.
In terms of service, the girl at the bar as well as the guy bringing out the food were very nice.
We were told they were closing for good on 12÷31÷15 which is such a shame. I would have liked to visit again.

Bacon and a beer for $ 5, fish and chips, menorahs on Christmas, Belgian flags, poutine and steak nights, AND the best Belgian section of beer this side of the alps??? Add an awesome European monk bat and I need not say more.

Pretzels, brussel sprouts, and beer. Fun staff and atmosphere. Outside patio where you can hang out with your pups. or friends. Awesome for people watching as well.
And maybe if you drink enough… you can go next door and snag yourself a tattoo.

Beer is good. But don’t try to bring a slice of Pizza from next door and eat it on the patio… Apparently they don’t approve of that…
They should support the businesses around them but apparently they only want you to eat their food only.
Adam the manager told me it wasn’t code… it’s a health food hazard… Yeah yeah, yeah…
Be cool and you would have had me as a customer for life…

NOT happy with new process. Instead of being seated, your order taken by the wait staff and brought to you, you now go to the bar (where there is no designated area to stand to have your order taken), place your order, are handed a number to place on your table so somebody knows where to bring the food to.
I personally don’t like this change. When we went to have lunch one day and discovered this transition we immediately left and went somewhere else for lunch.

First time here and Adam quickly greeted me. New to the area and was check some places out. Saw this establishment and had to check it out! I had the Ruben sandwich and it was absolutely amazing! The fries were spectacular and I’m glad it! Service was quick and Adam was great! Thanks a lot! Great place!

I still love this place BUT me and my man haven’t been back in a couple months because he is unhappy that his fish & chips have been consistently shrinking. He is a big man and needs a hearty meal, their old portions suited him fine but it seems like each time we returned both the fish and chips portions got smaller and smaller. I understand times may be tough, but skimping on fries seems unnecessary. Last time we went the fries were served in a tiny ramekin dish, and to make it worse there was paper stuffed in the bottom! He left hungry, for sure.
So sad, because everything else is awesome :(I hope we meet again someday, Brabant!

…let’s keep it real I review and give stars when I am happy… but tonight is not the night. Here I am with a 60 dollar bill and very unhappy with the food. The boyfriend got the Baja burger that was so salty the burger is still on his plate. As for me I had the penne cheese pasta with a steak added. The steak was a very cheap grade and the pasta was not the best. Darn it the cheese plate was even worse with a bill of 70 bucks you would think someone would care… but no one ever came back to the table !

this review is long, long overdue.
the food & beer are delicious, there is no doubt in my mind about that. my issue with Brabant Bar & Café is their portion size to price ratio.
came here a few months ago with two of my friends. one of my friends sides more on the petite portion size of the scale; the other the complete opposite. he could finish off a Fred Flintstone sized steak and still be asking for seconds. you get the gist.
we decided to share the pretzels, brussels sprouts and meat and cheese plate. my one friend with the Fred Flintstone sized appetite ordered a soup as well.
we all enjoyed the food, but thought the portions were way too small in comparison to the price of the food. we all left dinner feeling hungry and unsatisfied. this was partially our fault, too. we should have ordered our own dishes or just shared one appetizer and one meal. however, we honestly thought that those three plates would be sufficient enough.
tl;dr: good food, weak portion sizes.

Just had food and drinks there. Beer was excellent.
I had two beers, three appetizers, and a $ 35 check. I would be happily accept the price of food if (1) my food didn’t come in a small bowl (small tapas portion) (2) the inside of the restaurant feels sticky and not clean (however, the décor was cool)
*A mini bowl of fries $ 7 (Potatoes do not cost that much! The app came with 20 precious fries!)
*A mini bowl of 8 brussel sprouts $ 8 ($ 1 each, how precious)
Scotch eggs were decent. I liked the spicy mustard very much. Service was alright. My overall thought of this place was that’s its over priced, especially appetizers. And it would be nice if they clean up the restaurant a bit. I can still feel the uncleanness through the dim lighting. They look like a hip, kinda crusty café on the inside but wanna charge high priced upscale food in tiny portions.

Just a peek inside this place looked awesome. European pub with castle-​like features. Belgian pubs are tough to come by in San Diego, so it was just our luck to stumble upon the only authentic one in town. I was first drawn to this place by pictures of their waffle bun burgers from burger week, but the rest of the menu looked decent enough to try.
We started off with the special surf and turf poutine to share. The creamy sauce was divine and I loved the shrimp, but the cheese was more melted and fondue-​like than curds. The shrimp & vegetable farro was a dish that could have been better had the farro been cooked slightly longer, but still good. My burger was actually pretty standard and nothing to write home about, but the novelty of the savory waffles as buns was too hard to pass up. They have a number of beers on draft and the Wednesday special included $ 3 beer for certain drafts. I wouldn’t say the food was amazing, but interesting enough to try. I would definitely return to try the many beers on tap.

This review is based on San Diego CityBeat $ 5 Burger Week. Brabant Bar & Café was the first of three places I tried for the special menu. After browsing the list, «waffle bun» caught my eye. I had to come here.
Though the featured burger itself was $ 5, getting it with either fries or a craft beer was $ 10. The server suggested putting it down as burger and beer, with fries as an added side for a cheaper bill. Fair, enough. I appreciated that thoughtful gesture.
The plate looked great when it came out; presentation showed effort. The beef patty was thick and more rounded than what I’m used to seeing, but it tasted good. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, then this burger is for you. The waffle and jam made the burger sweet. The fries were okay, I didn’t really taste what was awesome about twice fried fries, but it was a suitable side nonetheless. The craft beer selection was good and the bartender was helpful in recommending what would pair my needs best.
Though the interior décor has a nice old world feel to it, I decided to dine on the bench outside as it was a typically beautiful day in sunny San Diego. The building is hard to miss, but the business has a subtle presence with its neighboring tenants. This was the first time I’ve eaten in the South Park neighborhood. With places like Brabant, I hope to frequent it from now on.

CITYBEAT BURGERWEEK #4
First the bad… I’ve been to Belgium and have eaten several kilograms worth of tasty «Frites» at several places in Brussels and Bruges. That said, Brabant’s Frites are absolutely delicious for what they are, and even better in some cases, but I don’t think they are authentic Belgian Frites… sorry!
OK, with that negative tidbit done, I’ve been here a few times and the food here is awesome and delicious. This time, the Burger Week special was superb! $ 10 for a Waffle Burger, frites, and the waitress even included a craft beer (I think she forgot it wasn’t supposed to be with the BW special! ;)). I added a slice of Gruyère to the burger, which was worth more than the $ 1.50 I paid to upgrade. Waffles, Burgers, and Gruyère…3 of my favorite foods combined into one. I even came back again with my wife again, but the waitress this time knew the beer wasn’t part of the $ 10 deal. Either way, still worthy of my $ 10! :)
The other Belgium dishes are fantastic as well and reasonably priced. Love the Medievalish pub atmosphere and the friendly staff.

Okay. I think I’ve died and went to heaven… This is by far the best dinning experience in San diego for me to date. Everything is great! here…
Please take my word for it and come here ASAP… There is a beer bible, the flavors of the food are incredible… Impossible to make this at home.
Thank you and much respect to the chef and creator of this gem.

Either we caught them on a bad night, or the other Unilocalers who contributed to Brabant’s 4.5 star review are out of their minds.
Across the board, the flavor profile and general vibe of this spot can be summed up in one word: salty. Our table ordered the Brussels Sprouts, Fries, Shrimp and Vegetable Farro, Ribs, and Spaghetti. Everything was salty. If we only had adequate access to water/​cocktails this perhaps wouldn’t have been such a problem. However, the service is atrocious. We didn’t get our drinks until we were almost done with our starters, and I (after seeing them sit on the counter for 10 minutes) walked to the bar and got them myself. Our water awkwardly showed up for the first time when we received the check.
Though I’ll grant them that they were busy, no effort was made to apologize or make our experience better. Our waitress seemed genuinely disinterested in even being civil.
We are lucky enough to live in a city/​neighborhood with countless friendly and delicious dining options. I sincerely hope that Brabant takes the cue from its competitors and ups its game. Until it does, I’ll stay away.
It’s been brought to my attention that I ate at this restaurant during the South Park Walkabout, and they were «slammed.» Of course, I know when I ate at Barbant. However, I don’t generally accept the «we were busy» excuse as a fair cop out. If you are opened, and you are charging for your food, you should be courteous, kind and attentive.
I have eaten at many restaurants during busy periods/​festivals, and would not excuse any for sub par performance due to their popularity. I think of things this way: I have the luxury of being able to afford eating out often. Others are not so fortunate. If this was someone’s big night out, asking for the night off because you are busy should never fly.
I suspect Barbant also knew that the South Park Walkabout was yesterday evening. It’s owners could easily have scaled back the menu, or worked more servers. Either of these actions would have made it easier to pump out quality food and both would have improved the dining experience. Poor management decisions should never be used to justify mediocrity.

This was such a great find for dinner on a recent Saturday night! Before we trekked over to Whistle Stop the next block over, we had to fuel up on food before enjoying the rest of the evening with cocktails and dancing.
I’m so glad we tried out Brabant Bar & Café, service from Sydney was awesome and the food was pretty fantastic.
We don’t venture out to South Park often since we live nearly twenty miles away, but this is certainly a gem in the South Park neighborhood worth checking out.
Our party of three ordered a round of cocktails before we ordered a meat board of house cured meats and frites drizzled in cheese. OMG, so good!
I tried out the fish & chips while the two boys in our party tried out the steak & frites and the sausage dish. I enjoyed my fish & chips, but it was too much food for me to enjoy all on my own (good thing I had two hungry boys that helped me with it).
Overall, if we’re looking for a spot to dine at in the South Park neighborhood, I’d definitely recommend Brabant for good eats and great service.

I was in here about a month ago with a pretty large group of Out-​of-​Towners. The menu was a little more adventurous than some of my guests pallets but everyone actually really enjoyed their meals.
The manager Adam was very attentive to our table, in addition to our waiter.
We started off with the croquettes. We got the meat & the veggie. They were both good but i loved the Cauliflower one. So Yum with the dipping sauce.
I have never tried a Scotch Egg and we got one to share. It had a hard boiled center and a nice seasoned meat surrounded it.
I personally really liked the burger and fries. It wasn’t a huge portion, but was tasty.
My friend got the mussels and they were really good as well.
Their selection of beer is killer. They have a huge book that has all the types of beers they carry. I loved that the book had a breakdown of what different styles of beer are like. As I am still new to the Craft Beer LIfe, it”s nice to a have a little cheat sheet of beer knowledge.
The space is really intimate, several booths and a couple 6-​top tables throughout. There is a pinball machine in the back that my friends popped a few quarters into.
It’s a nice addition to the neighborhood, and I will be back again for a burger and some brews.

Actual rating 4.75.
One of my newest favorite places to eat in San Diego. If I wasn’t just visiting for a week I would be all over eating and drinking the menu, which is their take on Belgian cuisine. Owner spent some time in Belgium and wanted to introduce the concept of Belgian beers to an IPA-​friendly city. Considering that I don’t like IPAs, this is a godsend.
I recommended this place to a longtime friend who loves exploring new restaurants as much as I do. I heard about this place opening up as an announcement on SD Eater.
VENUE: The café resembles what a typical café in Belgium would look like. My friend thought that it had a rustic charm that would fit the South Park vibe. I agreed. My eyes were fixated on the large selection of beer bottles and glasses on top of the bar. True to the Belgian style, each beer has an accompanying glass with the logo marking the glass.
SERVICE: Could be a little more attentive. Dunno if it was because for the majority of the time we were the only two people eating at the restaurant. Our waiter was at times more focused on her cell phone, but was good when she was trying to serve us.
My friend and I got the Klokke Roeland, a Belgian Strong Dark ale. It is one of those beers that has a sweetness that I usually cannot taste in most beers yet with the 11% ABV it packs a punch. It’s slightly fruity and not very hoppy, which can be a deterrent for the IPA-​loving SD beer connoisseur. As I had to drive home afterwards I couldn’t finish my beer. True to the Belgian beer experience it is served in its own glass that looked like it could serve at least two bottles of standard sized beer.
My friend got their penne pasta and loved her dish.
I got their lamb sausage moules frites [$ 18] (mussels and fries, a typical Belgian dish). This dish is one of the best dishes I’ve had this year — literal example of love at first bite. The mussels were easy to open and the cream was already drenching the mussels even before they were out of their shell. Even with a standard fork I could get the mussels out, though a smaller fork made for taking out mussels was provided. The cream sauce was excellent — the wine flavor was very subtle, it was creamy yet not too heavy (like a lot of cream-​based sauce entrees are), a lot of the flavor came from the mild blue cheese and lamb sausage. Musslels were cooked thoroughly and were soft and chewy.
Fries are crisp when served. In the Belgian fashion they are served separately as the fries don’t hold well if they are served with the cream the mussels are served on. They have garlic aioli as an accompaniment, which is a light aioli — lighter than some of the aiolis served at Spanish restaurants. Surprisingly they do not serve mayo, the typical condiment of fries in Belgium.
Dessert consisted of their chocolate waffle terrine [$ 8] (Layers of Liege waffle sugar cookies, Belgian chocolate mousse and Belgian chocolate ganache topped with toasted almonds, served with Cuvee Jacobins citrus syrup). Both my friend and I got this cake and though I usually don’t order chocolate mousse as a dessert, I loved this cake. It contains chocolate but the cake is not overpowering with chocolate. Sugar cookie and waffle held up the cake. The citrus syrup was an excellent compliment to the cake and gave it a slight tart aftertaste that rounds up the smoothness of the mousse.
I’m very happy that I can finally get Belgian food if I ever come back home to visit for any reason. I really hope that this restaurant stays in business for a long time. Now to search for its equivalent in the Bay Area…

What a nice food and drink experience for a Tuesday night! The plan is that i was invited to Croce’s in Bankers Hill but when we arrived there was too noisy and did not feel like eating ‘that much’. Then I remembered this new place in South Park where Vagabond used to be, so I suggested trying it out, as my companion was thirsty for some Belgium beer… so there we went, beer galore, too much literature to read (very nice bison leather menu with the background and history of each beverage as well as pairing suggestions).
The restaurant was almost empty, which was very cool to be able to enjoy the company with very nice music selection. I felt like I was back in Europe visiting a bar in… Belgium! Very well achieved the look (my friend said was cool but a little bit ‘torture chamber’ for his taste:). I loved all those reddish pillows and the comfort, the nice tables where you can play chess if you want and the lamps and medieval looking chandelier. And, oh, those cute grandma style plates directly out from antique shops (I asked, there were too cute and each one different).
And, well, finally the food. After a nice lecture that animals are treating with respect and locally raised and home made… bring me that burger in that perfectly cut bun and those delicious croquettes! As usual, for the sake of the diet, we shared the food, but it was so good I was going to start a fight to get the last croquette on the plate. The aioli sauce was amazing, with the perfect garlic flavor. Loved everything.
Service was stellar, very friendly and natural, welcoming. Even they lend us a quarter so we could play flipper! I learned something new… I thought that Tintin taught me everything I need to know from Belgium, but actually did not know that for decades they were the #1 pinball nation in the world. A place totally worth many visits, even if you are not into beer, because the food is great.