taste of belgium - over the rhine

good but not great. i have no complaints but i can't rave about this place either - it's just okay. the waffles don't actually taste asgoodas they look but they're alright. went for sunday brunch and the service was fine. the 'chicken and waffle' is literally a piece of chicken and a waffle on the side with a tiny bit of salad - sort of weird for breakfast but maybe some folks like that. i've had better but i wouldn't say "no" if someone offered to take me here again.

tried a couple of times for breakfast and coffee, reallygoodplace for omelette and waffles.goodportion sizes, liked their waffles especially the ricotta cream one. their oatmeal cookies were good, wish they had them without the icing

we had dinner here and while our dinner was great, the dessert waffle was definitely the highlight. i would go back for that any day. friendly staff and agoodbelgian beer selection. and i love that they take reservations

taste of belgium boasts waffles done right so it seemed to be the ideal breakfast spot. the decor had the brick walls and tiled floor characteristic of over-the-rhine eateries. we were seated and greeted but a waiter with a definite chip (unfortunately not chocolate) on his shoulder. he was efficient but far from welcoming. i ordered a decent americano and the mcwaffle, a breakfast sandwich containing egg, bacon, cheese and served with a side of maple syrup. the waffle itself was far from the fluffy batter you might bake up at the free hampton breakfast. it was much denser and more filling. it flirted with dryness but was helped by the syrup. the combination of everything made for agoodbut not remarkable bite that was a lot sweeter than the service.

food- 3.5/5 guyz

service- 3/5 guyz

vibe- 3/5 guyz

total- 9.5/15 guyz

i have been eating the famous liege waffles served here for a long time, usually at the findlay market stand, and they are really, really good.  today i decided to try a few other goodies behind the glass at the service counter.  the macarons lookedgoodas always, with all the festive colors, but i decide don an iced oatmeal and a blueberry crunch cookie bar. 

honestly, they were both very good, but even at 2.50 each quite a bit pricey for their size and heft.  of the two, i preferred the deeply satisfying iced oatmeal. 

i hope to try one of the tarts next time

consistentlygoodfood and service

try these:
brunch burger
stoemp
waffles & chicken
goetta hash

they servegoodespresso and lattes as well.  parking is a bit hard as are most places in otr.

this place is so unique, nothing else like it in cincinnati. i am a beer geek and this is my favorite place to try beers. any true beer lover knows the importance and reputation of belgian beer. i just freak out when i see all these varieties on tap. i am so used to only having them in bottles.  the quality of this type of beer is second to none and the flavors and experience of drinking belgian style beer is delightful. so, i really respect this place for providing the massive amount of choices for international and local beers.  so they have the alcohol and atmosphere nailed. the food follows suit as well. they have a reallygoodwaffle. it isgoodalone or with the other dishes they offer it with. fried chicken, sandwiches, burgers, all made with waffles. it sounds crazy, but its so good. they also have the best pastry case i have seen locally. this place always makes me happy. i have not tried everything they have, but nearly everything i have tried has been unique and delicious. also the brunch here is better than most breakfast places i have tried. the waffle sandwiches and french toast are superb to most of the typical places offerings. i am ready for the norwood store to open since i live in hyde park. hurry up taste of belgium! last time i went i had a waffle with bananas and nutella. i now think of it on a daily basis. damn, i forgot to mention their fries, so good.

no sunday brunch!. went to the restaurant today, very busy and loud. long wait for food. some of the food that arrived did not arrive as ordered but not sent back because of the long wait. this could be agoodplace to eat but they need to work on pleasing their customers. the waitress we had seemed to be irritated about the order being wrong. would not recommend coming here with a large group.

maybe breakfast and lunch are better. went last night after dinner at a tavola, which is great btw. we were looking for a cool dessert. after all, there is a thousand great things you can do with waffles for dessert. the place was only half full at 6 which was surprising. we were seated quickly and the staff was attentive and friendly. the dessert menu was very limited. the one smore waffle was tepid at best when we got it. we were told all the waffles are made in the morning and then they just warm them up. i am not a chef, but if i owned a waffle place and had all those waffle irons, i would make them fresh. the marshmallow was cold and had a burned butane flavor to it. all in all we were not impressed. looking at the menu it seemed a bit pricey comapared to other places in the area. i have had their waffles at the market. there they were fresh and cheaper.goodluck to them though. we love to see the comeback otr is making.

my bottom line is that this is a verygoodoption for brunch and looks like it’s certainly worth a try for dinner, too. i look forward to spending an evening trying out jean-francois’ dinner menu and writing a review on that as well.

good food,goodbeer, but just don't get sucked into the waiting game of death. we were given a 45min wait. checking back they added an extra hour. embarrasing when entertaining out of town guests. they should really just take reservations like a normal civilized restaurant instead of jerking people around. if only their service lived up to the food. i never had to deal with this in belgium.


-----03 mar, 2013-----

good food,goodbeer, but just don't get sucked into the waiting game. we were given a 45min wait. checking back they added an extra hour. they should really just take reservations like a normal civilized restaurant instead of jerking people around. if only their device lived up to the food.

chicken and waffles...sounds like it shouldnt work but it does. four of us dined on a busy tuesday evening, we had a great evening, relaxed butgoodservice, chilled atmosphere and great food. the menu was limited but everything we had was excellent. i had the chicken and waffles and really enjoyed the sweet and hot flavor which really worked well together. hubby had the burger, very tasty, he enjoyed the goats cheese and shallots together. our friends had the endive salad and cheese croquettes, they had both lived in belguim and said they were very authentic. i had the panty dropper and strawberry fields cocktails, they were so good, a little expensive at 9 bucks but i enjoyed them. really enjoyed the evening we will be back.

yummy coffee with baileys. had banana and nutella waffle,goodchoice

great staff. we did not eat but sat at the bar for a few beers. great bartender. she gave us some samples, very knowledgeable. just a very relaxinggoodtime. we will be back for some eats next time around.

good food,goodservice. up until recently, i hadn't actually planned on going to taste of belgium bistro. i had tried their waffles at findlay market and didn't care for them a whole lot. however, some fellow foodies at the dog park i go to had highly recommended taste of belgium bistro so i figured that i'd give it a shot.
service was excellent. food came out in a reasonable time frame and the manager came over to check on us a few times.
the beer selection is fantastic. i'm not much of a connoisseur when it comes to beer so i just kind of randomly picked one - the chimay, and i liked it. it was very sweet and it came in it's own little goblet shaped glass. in fact, a lot of the beers they have on tap have their own glasses, which is a neat detail.
for our entrees, i ended up getting the "am-ber-gaire" (hamburger) and my girlfriend got the waffle n’ chicken. the burger was properly seasoned, cooked as i ordered, had a nice sweet roll type bun, and the ingredients on top (goat cheese, bacon, shallots) tasted great. the fries that came with it were okay (a bit on the soft side for me), but i really loved the accompanying chipotle mayo. my girlfriend found the waffle n' chicken to be very good. i'm not as much of a breakfast fan (hence the hamburger), so i defer to her judgment concerning breakfast items. the waffle was great and i think part of what made it as such was that it had syrup on it. this was what i was missing when i tried the waffle at findlay market. i guess perhaps the idea that waffles and syrup go together is so ingrained in me that i just can't enjoy a waffle by itself. either way, agooddish, and one that neither of us had tried before.
overall, i really enjoyed my experience at taste of belgium. if i lived in the area i'd probably come here regularly. the restaurant itself is chic and trendy, the staff was friendly, and the food was good. i would recommend to others and it is worth a bit of a drive to go to.