Bavet

It’s nice when things are simple. Especially when you’re out with friends and you just want a nice meal in a cozy setting before kicking off the night. At Bavet, that’s exactly what you will get. You don’t need to dress up and you don’t need to choose between a zillion meals. At Bavet, they’ve specialized in the second best spaghetti in the world. That is after your grandmothers’ of course.

Bavet has several locations in both Brussels and other Belgian cities like Antwerp, Ghent, Leuven and Bruges. We went to the one located on a corner of Place-Sainte-Catherine. As we entered, we were welcomed by a friendly multilingual staff member (it must be one of the rare places where they’re fluent in Dutch) who asked us where we wanted to sit. There is a cozy outdoor terrace that can be heated and is a great place to observe the annual Christmas market while eating, but today we preferred staying inside, so we were sat at a nice table by the window. The indoor seating area felt a bit like an old living room thanks to the large vintage chandelier, the wooden furniture and the lovely mosaic-tiled floor. The overall vibe is still very hip and trendy though, mainly thanks to the industrial bricks and witty accents like the eye-catching caption against the wall: ‘We are not responsible for stains on your shirt.’

At Bavet, they know that eating pasta isn’t always a romantic affair. It can be a messy business, so that’s why every customer receives a bib to prevent stains.

Not only the casual setting steers clear of Italian clichés, also the spaghetti is truly Belgian, prepared according to a well-preserved recipe. And you better be hungry, because the portions are huge. You can chose between the mouse-, dog- and horse-sized portion. My grandmother would say ‘there’s never too much food, because it will prevent you from feeling hungry in the future’. I feel Bavet has adopted the same mindset.

The format of the menu is approached in an original way too. Instead of a boring piece of paper, the menu is printed on an LP and its cover.

We ordered the Veatball Sensation as a shared starter. These are veggie balls in tomato sauce with so much flavor that even my meat-loving partner had to acknowledge that they were delicious.

I opted for a dog-size portion of the Holy Grail, which is the typical Belgian spaghetti topped off with bacon, onion crush, parmesan and sriracha. My partner opted to create his own spaghetti, which you can do by picking the type of spaghetti, the sauce and the various toppings from a list in the menu. Both were delicious and full of flavor. When I’m writing this, my mouth is actually still watering. The portions were huge, which made it a real struggle to finish it all. Luckily, we received the leftovers to take home.

Although I was tempted by the desserts (which they refer to as ‘happy endings’), it was impossible to take in more food. I’ll have to try the cheesecake next time.

All in all, it’s a great casual place right in the center of Brussels for a tasty spaghetti with friends – without making stains on your shirt. Make sure you’re hungry though!

Practical information

• We went to Bavet on Place Sainte-Catherine 1
• It is also possible to order spaghetti for takeaway or delivery at home
• More information on the Bavet website

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