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Belgo Centraal London

Belgo Centraal London

3 5  Reviews

Belgian in London - Covent Garden
50 Earlham Street , Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9LJ
+44 (0) 20 7813 2233
http://www.belgo-restaurants.com

Belgo is a chain of restaurants with a Belgian influence serving over 20 different brands of beer as well as mussels and chips with regular special offers. You are advised to book well in advance. This branch boasts mussels and lobster as its specialities. It also has two separate rooms that can be used for private parties of up to 35 people upon request.
Tags: bar, beer, belgian, Belgian beer, covent garden, fun, private parties: up to 35 guests, salads, vegetarian dishes


Belgo Centraal London Reviews


Vege...vegeta....what? - I'm writing to address the 'vegetarian dishes' tag Belgo Centraal somehow acquired. It's only vegetarian-friendly in the sense that they do have ...some... vegetarian food available. Specifically, out of a long two page menu, the veggie dishes Belgo has are:

2 salads
1 soup
1 pasta dish
1 plate of cheese croquettes
Some random veggie sides

This isn't really going to be enough for most modern vegetarians, who usually aren't food pariahs and fourth class citizens when eating out. Especially in London, we're spoiled for choice. So while my rocket/goat cheese/walnut salad (the only veggie dish on the lunch special) was unquestionably delicious, I absolutely wouldn't propose an outing to Belgo Centraal for the vegetarian cuisine. And unless your veggie friends will settle for fried food, pasta, or salad while you dig into your piles of succulent, fragrant mussels, or gorgeous looking roast beef, then perhaps consider taking your whole lunch party somewhere else.

Of course, if you want salad, Belgo Centraal is perfect.  
Tags: good chips, salads, skimpy vegetarian food, subterranean

Rating  3

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Meer and Bussels all around! - I was first taken to Belgo with a friend who said ‘you’ve got to go at least once – it’s a pretty sweet place’. Boy was he ever right: Back when the elevator was still working, you were taken into a steel-cage industrial elevator into a basement, where you’d be forgiven for half expecting prisoners shackled to the walls, or angry Germans sitting behind desks, barking orders into world-war part deux style telephones. I always imagined it to be a little bit like ‘ze bunker’ in ‘allo ‘allo, where Herr Flick conducts his business.

Despite the tasteless anti-teutonic sentiments (I can get away with it, I’m part German), the place is pretty awesome: You sit on long, no-frills tables in Oktoberfest style, you’ve got a beer list the length of your arm (although if you’re really up for trying a lot of tasty beers, I’d recommend The Lowlander in Drury Lane, less than 4 minutes walk away from Belgo, instead), and a simple, yet effective menu.

I’ve been at Belgo about ten times since. The frequency of my visits is a testament more to its simple yet effective service and its vicinity to my office rather than the tastiness of its food, but to be honest, you can’t go wrong with Belgo either. Half a kilo of mussles with chips and a pint of beer sets you back six quid fifty, which is about as good as a simple shellfish lunch goes in this part of town.

I would wax lyrical about the food if it hadn’t been so damn simple: Take mussles, steam with spices, serve chips with plenty of mayonnaise, pour beer in glass – but I keep going back for the atmosphere – there’s always lively discussions going on everywhere.

Service is generally quick, which is great for lunch-o-clock feeding frenzies, and there’s something to be said for waiters with thick polish accents dressed as 1600’s Belgian monks.

Belgo is a mightily confused mixed metaphor, but I can’t find a single good reason not to recommend people to bounce over for lunch – so hereby, my warmest recommendation in the ‘cheap and cheerful’ category.
  
Tags: beer, mussels, shellfish

Rating  5

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A place for lager lovers - Probably it’s the only place in town which has the beer menu longer than the food menu, and it makes Belgo Centraal a great place for a friends’ date.

The best time of the day to visit Belgo Centraal will be at around 5.30pm to 6pm on weekdays. Not only you can avoid the massive queue, but also you can order from the ‘Beat the Clock’ menu (available Mon-Friday 5pm-6.30pm), which means you only have to pay the price of the time you order. (i.e. If you order at 6pm, then you'll have to pay £6 for your meal) There are 5 options on the 'Beat The Clock' menu – 1/2 kilo of moules mariniere traditionnelle, half roasted chicken, pork and leek sausages, grilled goat cheese served with roast vegetables, or a mushroom tart. The food is served with a glass of free drink (soft drinks/lager/house wine). We ordered mussels and we all agreed that it tasted really good! My friends ordered the fruity flavoured lager for their drinks, and they found the banana, coconut and the passion fruit flavoured one lovely.

Even if you’ve missed the ‘Beat the Clock’ hours, the price from the a la carte menu is not too bad - £11.95 for 1 kilo of moules mariniere traditionnelle, and £12.95 for other flavours such as green thai, curry and provincale, serve with fries. The homemade dessert is a lovely finishing touch for the evening. The Apple Crumble (£4.25) is amazing, and my friends’ Crème Brulee (£4.50) and chocolate waffles (£4.50) are just as delicious.

Although the portion of the food is not huge, but it is still enough to fill you up since the mussels are served with a generous amount of fries. The only let down is that there is hardly any waiter/waitress around if you need something. It’s also hard to draw their attention as the environment is rather dim. Some people are annoyed when they have to pay for the 12.5% service charge when they check the bill. The seating is quite squashed, too. However, it is still a good place for the people who love beer, plus the food is delicious yet not overpriced.  
Tags: belgian, belgian beer, mussels

Rating  3

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Good for a Group - this was a really fun evening out. It is a massive hall of people making a mess of themselves eating Muscles in various different sauces, and a huge selection of Belgium beers (all ver high % alcohol)

the Waiters are all dressed as Monks and the bar where you have to wait for your table to be called, can only be described as a cage.

not a posh evening out, but for £12 for a kilo of muscles who is complaining?  
Tags: beer, covent garden, fun, muscles

Rating  3

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How would you like yours? - I go to Belgo on average once a month for a lunch with my friends. I suppose its location is an even distance from all of our offices. But another thing I like about it is that we can turn lunch into a little hideaway. Even during the day, the only source of light is artificial which gives it a certain atmosphere of being lost in time.
I like most of the mussle dishes. There is a great variety from classic to green thai.
Try tiger prawns for entree, they are fantastic.
If you are less of a seafood enthusiast, go for chicken or steak, which looked and smelled quite good.
Everything is served with chips. Quite unnecessary, in my opinion, as portions are large and fill you up just fine.
They also serve great belgian beers.
The service is good when its not too busy, otherwise you might have to wait awhile before your first course arrives. I heard that booking is a must for dinners. however you would always a get a table during lunch time.  
Tags: belgian

Rating  4

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