Café Metropole

I spent four days in Brussels with my wife and daughter in July 2010, staying at Hotel Metropole, and while I was extremely satisfied with the hotel itself (accommodation services, desk, staff, etc.), I have the worst memories about the services offered by "Café Metropole" located at the entrance of the building, which I understand does not have any management connection with the hotel. The waiters were mannerless, even aggressive when we ordered coffee, bear and soda at 9:20 pm, shouting that the place would close within the next 10 minutes and offending us through gesture and words. (We found out later on that, actually, their working-hours were scheduled up to 10:00 pm during the summer-time.) And their day-manager, "Mr Lucien", encouraged their bad behavior. It is certainly a pity that such a wonderful location has been in the care of sub-urban hands.

This is a very pleasant turn-of-20th-century hotel and bar/cafe on the busiest commercial square in Bruxelles.

In 1912, the Belgian industrialist Ernest Solvay convened the first Conseil Solvay (Solvay Conference) here to discuss outstanding problems in physics and chemistry. Attendees included Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, and Henri Poincaré. Since then, virtually every European celebrity who has come through Bruxelles has stopped in, and for good reason. This is a beautiful place.

Great for an after-dinner coffee and pastry. But I'm not certain we would stay here anymore. The hotel is looking a bit tired.

A classic “grande cafe” with a beautiful, totally over the top interior. The prices aren’t as cheap as your normal cafe, but the waiters are wonderful, proper old-fashioned “service”.