The service, even thought there were only 7 tables in the whole restaurant, was very bad. The food is NOT as described. We have had meals here before and it was not as awful and expensive. Avoid. read more

An exceptional dining experience. A true food experience. Everything was perfectly cooked. The chef is a true genius and the wait staff welcome you with knowledge, care and wonderful ideas. We ate there two nights in a row - a true salute to the chef and team read more

We had trouble at this restaurant from the moment we stepped inside. Our waitress did not seem to understand French or English. That's odd for a restaurant in a tourist area. The lunch menu was unclear in differentiating appetizers from main selections. I ordered the herring and my wife ordered the shrimp croquettes with the 2 specified vegetable sides. They both apparently were appetizers though the croquettes stated two vegetables would be served. Vegetables were a small tablespoon each, one being fried parsley. Neither the herring nor the croquettes were good tasting and can not be recommended. When we went to pay we were told they don't take credit cards. I tried to give her cash and she wouldn't take that either. I went out to another register and that person ignored me. We were waving our cash around to see who would take it. Finally an employee pointed to a far register. We paid and left. This was by far the worst meal of this trip. read more

Delicious and fresh!! The best mussels and turbot we have ever had!! A little difficult to find the entrance as you have to walk through the fish market and chef doesn't really direct you to the waitstaff. The waitstaff works hard and all together. If your from America skip the shrimp croquettes they are delicious but made with bay shrimp not the big shrimp we are use too. Wonderful experience, would go again!! read more

Conde Nast Traveller named Den Gouden Karpel the best mussels in Bruges (http://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/25-reasons-to-go-to-bruges) which is what brought me to them and I was not disappointed! I came on a Friday afternoon around 12:30pm for lunch and it was very quiet; only a couple other tables occupied. It has kind of a classy-casual vibe; very clean, elegant chairs, white table cloths, etc. I found the waitresses to be very sweet and knowledgeable. They seemed serious at first, but they're just being professional. I noticed a table of Japanese businessmen who ordered lobster, and the waitress put bibs on them - that's service! To drink I had a glass of their house white, a Luc Pirlet chardonnay that was so tasty I had to get a second glass. To eat, I ordered the mussels (obvi) in white wine sauce. All mussel orders come with a plate of fries which you can get with mayo on the side. I know the whole mayo-on-fries thing is weird in the USA, but it's like their version of ketchup and the combo is freakin' delicious. Oh, and I was very appreciative that one of the waitresses taught me how to properly eat mussels. I had been using a fork and spoon to dig them out, but she informed me that it's much easier to use my hands and the mussel shells themselves to dig out the meat. *mindblown* read more

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Nice setting next to the Fishmarket with a Michelin plate award. Apparently, the restaurant has been run by the same family for 3 generations. The setting is clean Scandinavian-Japanese. The food was good but not spectacular. I had the mussels, which were good but perhaps it was too early in the season and not what might be expected for Belgium. Still, great atmosphere and reasonable to try. read more

Den Gouden Karpel , Restaurant - Restaurants Near Me - Bruges, VWV

Yum! Went for lunch, came back for dinner. Had a delicious cod fillet at lunch, but was also tempted by a fish chowder-soup dish, so I came back and had it. I recall some shaved fennel, and a pale green color, which was new to me. Mmmm, was it good. At lunch I sat outside in a patio bordered by other restaurants' outdoor seating. it was a beautiful sunny afternoon, and I lucked out. All the restaurants serve the local beer which is tasty, and I chose this restaurant because it seemed they were serious about fish. Oh yes... (visited August 11, 2011) read more

Wonderful seafood restaurant near the Brugges fishmarket. Enjoyed a delicious lunch of dove with lobster bisque and mussels on a gorgeous day. read more

Beware! If you want a pompous dining experience and to be treated with disrespect go here. If not there are many other great restaurants in the very near vicinity that serve great food in a friendly atmosphere. read more

Terrible service. We were the first table seated outside about 6:30 on a Tuesday evening. All the tables filled up outside and we were the last to get our food. Waited about an hour and a half. I don't like seafood so I ordered steak medium. It was like shoe leather and could barely swallow it without choking as I couldn't get it chewed. So if you do decide to go here make sure everyone wants fish. My husband had a bouillabaisse but I was so aggravated that I didn't even care what he thought about his meal. The salad that came with the steak was some disgusting looking yellow lettuce with a couple of tomatoes on it. Would never recommend this place and will be sure to tell The Duke's Palace they need to think about this again before recommending it to a guest. read more

I made a reservation for this restaurant and was looking forward to dinner. When we arrived the man who greeted us was brusque and really unfriendly. We proceeded to order dinner and the woman who was taking our order said we could not stay if two of the three of us were only ordering lobster soup which was thirteen thirty euros the third of us was ordering a smoked eel entree. We were asked very quickly to leave. We were dressed nicely and acted with our normal good manners. So for not spending enough money we were hustled out! I am seventy years old and have NEVER in my life been treated this way before! CAE read more

Don't go near this place. We made a reservation in the afternoon and arrived in the evening for dinner. When it came time to order, two in our party wanted lobster bisque and bread (17 Euros or about $22 USD each). Before any more orders could be taken, the manager arrived; she appeared to be in a rage. She ordered us to pay for our drinking water and to leave immediately. I am not kidding; this is exactly what happened. It should be noted that we were well-dressed, quiet, and polite, and that none of us had ever been kicked out of a restaurant before. She repeatedly said that she did not intend to "waste a table for soup." Evidently there was a minimum order that we had not met, even though no minimum was posted and we were not warned when we made the reservation. During our painfully long (paying for our water, getting our coats returned, etc.) eviction, the manager furiously harangued us about a Michelin rating, about our poor performance as customers, and how we should never return and we should tell our hotels to send no more of its customers to the restaurant. She made the process as painful as possible, for no discernible reason and without even a passing pretense of courtesy. Her actions cast a shadow over an otherwise most pleasant visit to Bruges. We dined at a superb restaurant less than half a block away, but the evening and indeed the rest of our visit was unhappily tainted by this bizarre, grotesquely avaricious, and emotionally toxic establishment. read more