leuven belgian beer cafe

the food is ok, nothing to jump up and down about since we're talking belgian pub and various mussel dishes with fries and aioli. the last time i ate here, the mussels were also overcooked.

the service is horrendous, though. the servers look like they're completely overwhelmed (even if there aren't that many people in the pub) and there's confusion as to who takes the order, who clears the plates, who brings the food, etc etc etc etc...

management really needs to take control of the situation and provide some training before unleashing their wild and bewildered staff onto the legions of rwc revelers because, really, the combinations of drunk rugby fans and freaked out waitstaff is like throwing a lit match into a tinderbox. in other words...funny.

the atmosphere is dark wood-paneled pub circa 1995.

the beers are delicious, though, and there's quite a nice selection of belgian brews. 2 stars for that.

just recently ate here and was extremely disappointed!. i had made my order very clear to have my toasted unbuttered and and no hollandaise on my eggs with a side of smoked salmon, well when i received my breakfast, my toast was dripping in butter and the eggs on top were smothered in hollandaise. the salmon was not smoked but pan fried and over cooked!
i unfortunately will not be returning due to this experience

excellent and yummy and good price....

had lunch there on a saturday. ordered a platter of spinach mussels and partner ordered the chicken salad.

the belgian bar chain in auckland and wellington had a good reputation for mussels but in this case the were terrible.

looked like the had been thrown on the platter, large chunks of spinach and cheese thrown on top and then zapped by the microwave.

barley edible - complained to the waiter who explained that the kitchen staff were new.refused to credit the meal.

chicken was ok.

overall good beer, poor food and could not recommend

dined here this afternoon and sampled one of their mussel dishes. we will return again very soon !!!!

2 fridays, 2 vastly different breakfast venues. the superiority of the overall dining experience at leuven makes kip’s café look like nothing short of dreadful.

whilst we had not booked a table at this traditionally popular downtown breakfast venue, the warm, courteous and highly professional staff had no trouble finding us seating for 6. upon taking our seats we were promptly asked if we would like to order drinks. after a short wait our coffees were brought out and were off a high standard. a well extracted espresso shot was coupled with milk stretched by someone who clearly knew what they were doing.

our breakfasts were brought out roughly 15 minutes after ordering. which considering the extremely busy state of the eatery this is a turnaround they can be proud off.

the meals themselves were not huge in size, but more than adequate when one considers the value for money. for a meagre $6.50 one would receive two belgian style hash browns, an evenly cooked poached egg, 2 solid rashers of bacon atop a slice of crunchy herb bread with the essential sautéed tomato. i question whether a cheaper cooked breakfast can be found in the greater wellington region.

in a nutshell, leuven has set the bar for the cooked breakfast. it is hard to fault any aspect of this well organised, efficient, and professional outfit.

food – 7.5 / 10

atmosphere - 7 / 10

service – 8.5 / 10

coffee – 8.5 / 10

overall - 8 / 10

great breakfasts here! our order came out once we'd finished our coffee's and we all enjoyed our meals.
my only gripe would be that we asked twice for water at our table and it never came....other than that, great place & great food.