"Nicolas Scheidt's surprise tasting menu fills a former Saint-Gilles butcher's shop — book it for an intimate, no-choices date."
La Buvette occupies a former butcher's shop on the Chaussée d'Alsemberg in Saint-Gilles, and it has kept the original polished wood, tiled walls and steel meat hooks rather than hiding them. Chef Nicolas Scheidt, who is from Alsace, runs a single surprise set menu — there is no à la carte — and the kitchen is listed in the 2025 MICHELIN Guide Belgium. The format is built for two people who want to be led: six courses at €49, or a longer nine at €64.
Nicolas Scheidt cooks seasonally and instinctively, swinging between Japanese-leaning combinations and the more traditional flavours of his native Alsace. Sauces and reductions carry the plates, and the meal ends on a signature chocolate tart that regulars come back for. Because the menu is a single surprise sequence, the kitchen leans on whatever the market gives it that week. For a more classical Brussels fine-dining counterpoint, compare it with Comme Chez Soi, or with the tasting precision of Bon Bon.
The room is small, low-lit and full of character — the bones of the old shop give it an Art Deco warmth that no remodel could fake. Tables are close, the mood is convivial rather than hushed, and the open kitchen keeps the pace personal. It seats only a couple of dozen, so booking is essential. Browse the rest of the Brussels dining guide for more rooms like it.
A surprise menu removes the menu-ordering anxiety of a first date, and the tight, characterful room keeps conversation close. It works just as well for an anniversary or for solo dining at a quiet table.
Not for big groups, fussy eaters, or anyone who wants to choose their own dishes — it is one surprise set menu, take it or leave it.
La Buvette is run by chef Nicolas Scheidt, originally from Alsace, who cooks a single surprise tasting menu that swings between Japanese-inflected and classic French flavours.
La Buvette serves one surprise set menu: six courses for about €49 or nine courses for about €64. There is no à la carte option.
La Buvette is at Chaussée d'Alsemberg 108 in Saint-Gilles (the Albert area), in a converted former butcher's shop.
Yes. La Buvette is listed in the 2025 MICHELIN Guide Belgium and is also covered by Gault&Millau.
The menu changes weekly, but the chocolate tart that closes the meal is the dish regulars return for.
Reserve direct or through your concierge; the set menu changes weekly.
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Our editors rank every Brussels table by the occasion it actually fits — from boardroom closes to quiet first dates — not just by neighbourhood or star count.
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