Dining out: Top winter pop-up restaurants in Belgium
Take your pick from heated chalets, ski cabins, glass pods or Mongolian yurts when venturing outdoors to one of these winter pop-ups in Belgium. All offering a variety of Alpine-inspire fare, festive tipples and a toasty warm experience, it’s best to
Take your pick from heated chalets, ski cabins, glass pods or Mongolian yurts when venturing outdoors to one of these winter pop-ups in Belgium.
All offering a variety of Alpine-inspire fare, festive tipples and a toasty warm experience, it’s best to work up a healthy appetite first!
BRUSSELS
The Secret Chalet - La Chaloupe d’Or
Cosy winter dining is guaranteed at this brasserie’s seasonal chalet in the medieval Grand Place. Enjoy a selection of raclette and fondue dishes and a Swiss alp-themed atmosphere. The Helvetica cheeses are supplied by master cheese man Julien Hazard and the alpine specialities are served with charcuterie and other traditional accompaniments. On the wine menu are French and Alsatian suggestions, as well as chill-busting liqueurs. Open at lunchtime for two dinner services, combine the gourmet experience with a whirl around the Christmas market. Grand Place 24
The rooftop winter chalet of the Grand Casino Brussels Viage serves as a refuge from the city’s bustling Christmas festivities. Its lofty location and mountain hut decor all add to the retreat experience, while the melted cheese-centred menu is sure to ward off the blues along with the live DJ sets and after-ski vibe. Take your pick from fondue, tartiflette, diots, raclette and other seasonal specialities. The drinks menu features crisp Sayoyard and sparkling wines as well as tempting winter cocktails that can even be sipped on a fur-seated swing installed on the terrace. The interior section of the chalet is heated, while an outdoor area boasts 180° views. Until 5 January, Boulevard Anspach 30
There’s just a few nights remaining to enjoy this exclusive champagne bar perched on the 25th floor of the four-star hotel. A collaboration between Moët & Chandon and the chic Val d’Isère ski resort, it ensures a luxurious and tranquil escapade. Listen to gentle Christmas music in the background, admire the city lights, sip some bubbles, nibble on platters of mountain fare and get tucked into a board game for an ultimate holiday treat. Until 23 December, Boulevard de Waterloo 38
WALLONIA
For its winter gourmet experience, this excellent address proposes Savoyard raclette or meat-based fondue Bourguignonne. While the chalet seats 26 people, there’s also two igloos for private bookings. These heated cabins, festooned with pretty lights, are perfect for a spot of night sky watching and have space for between four and 12 diners. Chemin de l’Herbe 32, Chaumont-Gistoux (Walloon Brabant)
Les Télécabines du Chant d’Eole
The popular brasserie set in the award-winning wine domain – which also boasts the Michelin-starred L’Imperatif restaurant – has extended its gastronomic offering. Alongside a charming Christmas market, visitors can sit back and enjoy fondue or raclette evenings from inside ski cabins. These colourful capsules seat up to eight people. While the menu is cheese orientated (fondue and raclette), the wine pairings are naturally from the adjacent vineyard. Until 29 December, Domaine du Chant d’Eole, Grand Route 58, Quévy (Hainaut)
Les Serres d’hiver – Domaine de Béronsart
A grandiose greenhouse palace, this pop-up is a festive beacon for locals as well as diners from further afield. It proposes a two-course menu with a choice of Savoyard fondue, entrecote, tartiflette or Sayoyard burger for mains. Live music accompanies the crowds on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, while Sunday brunch is a convivial affair. The forested domain also serves a Christmas day brunch and traditional choucroute on New Year’s day. Until 23 February, Rue Des Carrières 7, Gesves (Namur province)
Ski cabins serve as chic dining spaces in this mountain bistro where Swiss specialities reign. Raclette, fondue and tartiflette all include some top cheese varieties, and aperitif sharing boards offer even more of the country’s speciality dishes, such as croquettes, carpaccio, soup and melted camembert. The cabins seat eight, but larger groups can also be catered for in the winter refuge. Until 30 March, Avenue Reine Astrid 92, La Hulpe (Walloon Brabant)
FLANDERS
Dine with a difference in a yurt with a choice of two castle locations: Lozer Castle in Kruizem or Belvedere Castle in Wijnegem. The Mohican concept takes place in cosy, Mongolian-inspired tents and the food is all cooked on open fires. Hyper seasonal, with local foraged ingredients taking pride of place, a five-course ‘Into the Wild’ menu includes pairing wines and drinks. For each visit to the site, the restaurant plants a new tree in the ‘Mohican’ forest. Lozer Kasteel: Kasteelstraat 36, Kruisem (East Flander)s; Kasteel Belvédère, Broekstraat 13, Wijnegem (Antwerp province)
This pop-up winter gourmet and fondue restaurant invites diners to cook their own dishes on Ofyr gas fire appliances. Take your pick from meat, fish or vegetables and then finish off the experience with a cheese fondue atop the cooking pot. The setting on the banks of the E10 lake is an additional attraction. A winter lounge bar is ideal if you just want to pop in for a warming drink or snack after a bracing walk. Until 2 February, Elzendreef 30, Schoten (Antwerp province)
Why not enjoy a winter barbecue? That’s the concept of this sophisticated outdoor dining option boasting a beautiful castle and nature setting. The pop-up restaurant, consisting of 20 individual domes for two to six people, is decorated with thousands of sparkling lights. Choose between meat, fish and vegetarian options and start cooking on individual barbecues. Kasteel Meylandt, Meylandt 20, Heusden-Zolder (Limburg)
Glass House on the Lake - Terland
This beach restaurant with a difference lies in the picturesque Terland national park. The bar and restaurant proposes drinks, aperitifs and a five-course winter barbecue - prepared on an Ofyr fire bowl. Themed evenings include live music on Thursday and Saturday and jazz on Friday, while brunch is popular on Sundays. Nationaal Parklaan 1, Dilsen-Stokkem (Limburg)
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