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Recommended Reviews - Mer du Nord
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The mussels will love on in my heart as some of the tastiest shit I've ever eaten. This food was amazing. Tear inducing. My friend just said "oh my god" after every bite and that feels like an adequate summation. We got fish soup, calamari, mussels, and shrimp coquettes. We ate every last thing. One of those meals you keep eating after you're full. Staff was super nice and helpful, they spoke English, even if the menu is completely is in French. Judging by the faces around us, everyone enjoyed everything they got. Yeah. 15/10 wish I'd gone here sooner so I could go again.
Loved this place! It's actually a seafood market, little restaurants right next to it, there is a small area where you order or you can sit indoors or there is an outdoor patio that is covered and with a pretty view! So many items on the menu but we went for the mussels, shrimp croquettes, and shrimp! With a glass of rose. Very reasonable priced and absolutely fresh and delicious!!
great place to get simple no frills seafood. Luckily our hotel wasn't too far away from this location, and we came here when it was raining. There are a few seats inside the restaurant, but more outside. They have umbrellas to cover from the sun and or rain. We ended up getting razor clams, fish stew and calamari. Everything was great tasting and it didn't break the bank. They cook your items in the open, next door and it didn't take too long to get the food. I also like how they had a section to get fresh seafood to bring home if you live close by and want to cook. If i'm back in Brussel, i'll come back here.
We came at around 6:00pm and were afraid that they would be out of food since it was so close to closing but luckily they still had food. You order food at the counter and they shout out your name for the order and bring it to your table. I love this casual kind of place We got the mussels and croquettes. The mussels were very fresh tasting and lightly seasoned. The croquettes were crispy on the outside and soft on the online. It went really well with the salad. Good balance I found the prices okay - not super affordable but not crazy expensive either. I would recommend you try this place out and I would definitely come back
Food: Their fish soup was good, but nothing really special about their flavors. Their oysters were okay, but I wouldn't come back for them unfortunately. Overall, decent fish but nothing amazing. Service: Very friendly and attentive staff. Ambiance: There's no seating inside so make sure to bring a jacket and/or layer up when it's cold!
When we arrived, we saw them cooking outside. There isn't much seating inside, but there was plenty outside. After ordering, we waited for them to call out our name. We ordered oysters, razor clams, and calamari. Everything was fresh and I especially enjoyed the razor clams.
I came here for mussels and they were cooked to order. So delicious. They had a smoky flavor and a complex veggie (zucchini) sauce. The mussel pieces were so tender. I was also very pleased that I did not get food poisoning, which is always a potential problem with mussels. These people know what they are doing! The ordering is not very obvious. You have to walk all the way over to where it says Osteria. There is a person inside who is taking food orders. Then you seat yourself outside and someone will eventually call out your name so you can get your food. The food comes in disposable bowls. I liked my dinner experience very much. You can people watch while you eat. If I lived here, I'd go every day. They had several entree choices on the menu and I heard the soup was good too.
This is the place to visit in Brussels for fresh seafood. Such a lively and fun atmosphere. The service is top notch with their friendly vibe as they announce your name so happily as they bring your order to your table. We love the food so much we came back the next day. The escargot soup was amazing (spicy)! Of course I also love the fish nuggets and calamari. My sis and sis in law loved the fish soup. Oh, when you leave a tip the entire staff thanks you in unison as they announce your name. Loved this place!
We ordered scampi, escargot, mussels, calamari and fish soup for a mid afternoon meal. Scampi and calamari included a salad side dish. And the dressing was so good! Scampi had 6 pcs, fyi. Escargot was a soup dish which i didnt expect, and spicy too. But it was good. My favorite among all the dishes we ordered. Fish soup was just ok. Something warm and comforting to beat the super cold weather. Mussels was another favorite. We spent €41.
This place is phenomenal! The lady taking orders was very friendly. There's plenty of seating outside, right next to a large church. The price was extremely reasonable for everything we ordered. I highly recommend!
One of our first meals here in Brussels and sure did not disappoint. As a seafood lover, this definitely hit the spot. Such a variety of shellfish to choose from. Even had grilled and fried options for those who are more weary on trying raw stuff. Everything we tried here was so fresh and so good. My faves have to be the razor clams and the mussels. But really can't go wrong with all the stuff in their menu
This restaurant was one of two at the top of our list when my wife and I visited Brussels. It was all we expected and more. We each had a serving of fish soup and shared some grilled shrimp. Both dishes were great. Big plus - the shells were totally removed from the shrimp when they were served to us - the way they are supposed to be served!!! Wonderful atmosphere eating outside in a lovely area of the city. We couldn't have asked for better.
After a long cold day..up and down the brussels streets.. The staff was helpful.. The fish soup and peppery escargot soup rock..must try.. I recommend .... ...
Came back another 2 times during our June trip to Brussels since my SO really wanted to try this place after I kept talking about how good it was on my February trip. The staff at the counter were friendly and helpful as before. We watched from across the way as the kitchen prepped our seafood, yelled out my name when it was ready and walked it over to our table. This time we got the razor clams and mackerel during both visits and those were our favorite. Razor clams were still the best we've eaten to date. Mackerel perfectly pan fried with skin that easily separated. The tartar like sauce was a great complement for the fish. The octopus was cooked nicely and served in a tomato sauce with chopped veggies. The calamari rings were crisp on the outside and tender inside, a good dish but portion seemed small. As usual a tasty serving of seafood at reasonable prices. read more
8 months ago
Thank you, Mer du Nord for giving me one of my favorite meals during a recent European trip. I'm a herring lover and I got to try both pickled herring and Dutch-style cured herring (the kind that you see people dip in chopped onions and dangle by the tail and eat with their head tilted back.) I loved them both, but since I was not sure I would ever get to try the Dutch style in my life-time and despite it being a bucket list food, I was so enormously grateful. Even more grateful because it tasted amazing. I plowed through more than one I must admit. I might never get to try it again so I had to get more than one. Don't judge me. LOL. Anyway, the lady that helped me once I had one of the pickled and one of the cured ones was very patient and very kind. She seemed genuinely interested in what I thought and listened to me as I gushed like a fan boy over their products. I will never forget that and I was very appreciative. The place is pretty close to central, downtown Brussels and it was nice to just go to a table out in a courtyard and enjoy one of the favorite things I had on that trip. It was awesome. read more
The mussels will love on in my heart as some of the tastiest shit I've ever eaten. This food was amazing. Tear inducing. My friend just said "oh my god" after every bite and that feels like an adequate summation. We got fish soup, calamari, mussels, and shrimp coquettes. We ate every last thing. One of those meals you keep eating after you're full. Staff was super nice and helpful, they spoke English, even if the menu is completely is in French. Judging by the faces around us, everyone enjoyed everything they got. Yeah. 15/10 wish I'd gone here sooner so I could go again. read more
2 years ago
Loved this place! It's actually a seafood market, little restaurants right next to it, there is a small area where you order or you can sit indoors or there is an outdoor patio that is covered and with a pretty view! So many items on the menu but we went for the mussels, shrimp croquettes, and shrimp! With a glass of rose. Very reasonable priced and absolutely fresh and delicious!! read more
great place to get simple no frills seafood. Luckily our hotel wasn't too far away from this location, and we came here when it was raining. There are a few seats inside the restaurant, but more outside. They have umbrellas to cover from the sun and or rain. We ended up getting razor clams, fish stew and calamari. Everything was great tasting and it didn't break the bank. They cook your items in the open, next door and it didn't take too long to get the food. I also like how they had a section to get fresh seafood to bring home if you live close by and want to cook. If i'm back in Brussel, i'll come back here. read more
3 years ago
We came at around 6:00pm and were afraid that they would be out of food since it was so close to closing but luckily they still had food. You order food at the counter and they shout out your name for the order and bring it to your table. I love this casual kind of place We got the mussels and croquettes. The mussels were very fresh tasting and lightly seasoned. The croquettes were crispy on the outside and soft on the online. It went really well with the salad. Good balance I found the prices okay - not super affordable but not crazy expensive either. I would recommend you try this place out and I would definitely come back read more
3 years ago
Food: Their fish soup was good, but nothing really special about their flavors. Their oysters were okay, but I wouldn't come back for them unfortunately. Overall, decent fish but nothing amazing. Service: Very friendly and attentive staff. Ambiance: There's no seating inside so make sure to bring a jacket and/or layer up when it's cold! read more
When we arrived, we saw them cooking outside. There isn't much seating inside, but there was plenty outside. After ordering, we waited for them to call out our name. We ordered oysters, razor clams, and calamari. Everything was fresh and I especially enjoyed the razor clams. read more
I came here for mussels and they were cooked to order. So delicious. They had a smoky flavor and a complex veggie (zucchini) sauce. The mussel pieces were so tender. I was also very pleased that I did not get food poisoning, which is always a potential problem with mussels. These people know what they are doing! The ordering is not very obvious. You have to walk all the way over to where it says Osteria. There is a person inside who is taking food orders. Then you seat yourself outside and someone will eventually call out your name so you can get your food. The food comes in disposable bowls. I liked my dinner experience very much. You can people watch while you eat. If I lived here, I'd go every day. They had several entree choices on the menu and I heard the soup was good too. read more
This is the place to visit in Brussels for fresh seafood. Such a lively and fun atmosphere. The service is top notch with their friendly vibe as they announce your name so happily as they bring your order to your table. We love the food so much we came back the next day. The escargot soup was amazing (spicy)! Of course I also love the fish nuggets and calamari. My sis and sis in law loved the fish soup. Oh, when you leave a tip the entire staff thanks you in unison as they announce your name. Loved this place! read more
2 years ago
We ordered scampi, escargot, mussels, calamari and fish soup for a mid afternoon meal. Scampi and calamari included a salad side dish. And the dressing was so good! Scampi had 6 pcs, fyi. Escargot was a soup dish which i didnt expect, and spicy too. But it was good. My favorite among all the dishes we ordered. Fish soup was just ok. Something warm and comforting to beat the super cold weather. Mussels was another favorite. We spent €41. read more
3 years ago
This place is phenomenal! The lady taking orders was very friendly. There's plenty of seating outside, right next to a large church. The price was extremely reasonable for everything we ordered. I highly recommend! read more
One of our first meals here in Brussels and sure did not disappoint. As a seafood lover, this definitely hit the spot. Such a variety of shellfish to choose from. Even had grilled and fried options for those who are more weary on trying raw stuff. Everything we tried here was so fresh and so good. My faves have to be the razor clams and the mussels. But really can't go wrong with all the stuff in their menu read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
This restaurant was one of two at the top of our list when my wife and I visited Brussels. It was all we expected and more. We each had a serving of fish soup and shared some grilled shrimp. Both dishes were great. Big plus - the shells were totally removed from the shrimp when they were served to us - the way they are supposed to be served!!! Wonderful atmosphere eating outside in a lovely area of the city. We couldn't have asked for better. read more
i was recommended to eat seafood in Belgium and boy was it the best recommendation ever!! Belgium in general didn't have a lot of yelp reviews for places; yet mer du nord had a ton. you best believe that it is like that for a reason. it was so good! definitely a highlight of my trip to this wonderful country! ordered: *escargot-broth is flavorful but a bit salty. the snails were chewy!! it was my first time having escargot so i am not quite sure if thats the way it should be as i do not have anything to compare it with. *mussels- this thing is SO good. very flavorful. so affordable for the amount of mussels. *a dozen oysters-so fresh. i am used to eating it with lemon, vinegar and tabasco. but honestly i didn't need any of it here. it was already freshly sweet and you can taste the freshness. i highly recommend it. if i was to come back to Belgium, i would totally come back. i highly recommend you to come here and indulge in their seafood! 2 thumbs up! tips: *located at a corner *they have a website/IG page *tons of outdoor seating area w umbrellas *accepts cash/card *restroom is also available. *staff are very friendly and nice read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
One of the best seafood I've had in my life! Everything was amazing! We loved it so much that we went back for more! The food tastes so fresh and it's seasoned to perfection. I highly recommend eating here! read more
Excellent affordable seafood place in Brussels! In the center of St. Catherine square- came in the middle of the day for lunch, and it was a gorgeous setting to be in. Lively, beautiful, with delicious seafood- what more could you ask for? For 2 people, we split ~4 dishes, a sampling of their offerings. It was a great portion- filling but not stuffed, and re-fueling for the rest of your day. Long clams with garlic sauce (5/5) These are the best clams I've ever had- they were tender, juicy, and full of the garlic flavor that was poured over them. They come in an order of 8- wish there were more! Fish soup (3.5/5) Had a lot of vegetables, but the fish was either broken up or to flakey to be substantial pieces. The broth was really tasty, but not enough fish in here! Served with a piece of toast and cheese to top your soup with. Grey shrimp croquettes (3.5/5) Was super excited to try these as they are one of Brussels' signature foods! They came in an order of 2, but that was plenty. The consistency of the shrimp inside is creamy- it's mixed with potato and a cream sauce. The outside was fried to perfection, but it was too sweet for my taste. I was expecting something more savory. Good to try though! Crab burger (5/5) Get this!! So delicious!! A fresh crab patty pan fried and served over a bed of microgreens on toasted wheat/grain bread with a light sauce. Everything about this was fresh and balanced. I want to eat this again! Grab your food from the guys at the counter after you order, and find a table to stand at. Enjoy yourself while you're here! read more
I was a little hesitant to eat here, as I live in Maine, where seafood is pretty much the best. Why would I go somewhere on vacation that serves something very similar to what I can get at home? Well, when we walked by and saw all of the people drinking champagne in the street and standing around the square eating tapas-style seafood, we kinda had to stop. As others have said in reviews before me, this was my best meal in Belgium. The seafood was obviously fresh, but it was also prepared very well, and I actually thought the price point was pretty good for Brussels (though others seem to disagree on that point). We only tried the fresh mussels and the famous fish stew, but if we didn't have a million other things to eat/drink that day we would have just stood there and tried the entire menu. I think a perfect day in Brussels would just be spent here, drinking cheap glasses of wine, eating seafood small plates and watching the world go by. Great spot! read more
7 years ago
This seafood place is absolutely amazing! We came to eat twice during our short 3 days visit in Brussels. A very casual fish market setting joint. You order whatever seafood you want and they cook/prepare right there at the store front for you. They have some tables (standing, no chair) across the street in front of the church. Everything we've tried was flavorful and delicious. We ordered the fried cod fish filet, shrimp croquettes, fried haddock (so good), garlic shrimps (yummy), razor clams (awesome). Even there was a lot of fried fishes but the batter was light and not heavy nor greasy. We enjoyed it so much that we went back the next day to have more and we also got to try the tiny fish which was sold out the day before. It's definitely a great street seafood you can find in Brussels! MUST TRY! read more
If you want a break from belgian fries, beer, and/or chocolate... Noordzee is where it's at! They serve fresh and delicious seafood. They are loved on TripAdvisor so my bf and I decided to try it! Thankfully there are two Noordzee locations in Brussels. This one is street-corner open-air stand-up fresh-seafood bar, St. Catherine. There are a lot of outdoor seating options! Their oysters were one of the best I've had in a long time. The oysters were pretty large, had a sweet taste to them, and had a mineral tasting finish, yuuuum. The oysters had a clean, thin, and silky texture to it. My bf and I ordered 1) half a dozen oysters 2) razor clams 3) croquettes and 4) fried tiny fish. Everything was so good, we didn't want our meal to end. Literally savored each bite! Razor clams were buttery and flavorful. Croquettes and fried fish were yummy as well! Our favorites were the oysters and razor clams, and we recommend trying those. If we ever visit Brussels again, we are definitely coming back here. Service was great. Couldn't read the menu but the man behind the counter spoke English and recommended items from an iPad that showed pictures of the menu items!! read more
3 years ago
9 years ago
This place is hard to miss during the hours it's open with the huge crowd congregating trying to order and then the people standing and eating across the street. It may look overwhelming and disorganized, however, there is some sort of order and the wait to order went by quite quickly. The servers are also very nice and took the time to show me what items they still had in stock even though there were people behind me trying to order. We got the razor clams, tomato fish soup, crab cake, and shrimp scampi. The razor clams were the highlight of the meal, but all of it was very fresh and good. The crab cake was actually not real blue crab like I had hoped and was made out of the artificial crab. But overall, I will definitely return to this place if I'm ever visiting again and will dream of the delicious razor clams until then. read more
I'll forever remember Mer du Nord as the first time I tried snails. Granted, I'm not a picky eater so I was actually actively looking for a restaurant that would offer them. I was backpacking through Belgium that weekend and stupidly didn't bring an umbrella. I walked to Mer du Nord because it had blue umbrellas above their standing tables, and I quickly found out it offered an array of seafood. I ordered escargot for 6 EUR, and it came in a medium-sized bowl filled with broth. The texture/briny flavor reminded me of whelk (sea snails), so I guess I was already familiar with escargot taste. I still look back at Mer du Nord with fondness. The escargot soup warmed me up after walking around in in the rain for half an hour, and eating it let me slow down and people-watch in downtown Brussels. If you have a bigger appetite, you can sit indoors and look at a bigger menu. read more
8 years ago
This place was one of my favorite part of being in Brussels. It was tough not to speak their language thankfully they have a staff that speaks a little bit of English. All their seafoods were freshly cooked upon order and it was cheap too except for their tiny water bottle that was pricey. I loved the taste and seasoning of all the fish and their soup. This place was the only restaurant that was packed and busy when we were in Brussels. You must eat here if you are in Brussels. read more
This was the highlight of our trip in brussels on 9.18.18. The food was delicious and cooked to perfection, a little pricey for a small bottle of water but everything was on point. It's a very unconventional set up. Stand table but no chairs but don't get turned off by it because the food was exceptional. I would love to comeback just to eat here all day. read more
Our Airbnb host recommended this place to get a taste of the "North Sea", so we decided to check it out. Order and pay for you food at the counter and then find a table to stand. Once the food is ready, they will call out your name and then you'll go get the food. Razor clams was my favorite dish here. I've only had it once at a high end restaurant so I was surprised and excited to find it here. Fish soup was second favorite dish. There was plenty of swordfish and the fish wasn't overcooked and easy to eat. Soup was well flavored and not too salty. Didn't intentionally order the fish burger since I was actually trying to order the fish balls. I thought the burger was alright, but nothing really special. Fried fish had a decent amount of batter although I do wish there was some more fish in it. Tastes good with the sauce and lemon. read more
Amazing place. Super fast service by extremely patient server. Despite the language barrier, he explained to the menu to my mother and me, showing us the day's haul of fish and other sea life. Not a cheap eat, but this place was our best meal in Belgium. Amazingly cooked seafood, good service.. the only thing I was slightly disappointed about was that there are no seats; everyone must stand to eat at their tables. Still, that didn't put a damper on our meal because of the good weather (all tables are outdoors under umbrellas) and the amazingly cooked food. I would suggest the croquettes! They're very flavorful and freshly fried. My favorite here is the razor clams; they're flavored with garlic and white wine... they're so good!!! If you find yourself in Brussels, trust that this will be your best meal here by far! There aren't as many good eats in Belgium as there might be in France or Germany, but this is one that's sure to gain your love! read more
5 years ago
Dropped by here on as a tourist during lunch on a weekday, and I simply love the ambiance. Employees out for lunch eating a meal at the counter, or lounging with friends in the outdoor seating on a sunny, brisk Spring day. There's a fresh seafood grocery counter, but the main activity during this time was selling delicious little plates of seafood, including some wonderful deep-fried things, and wine, and bread. I had some deep-fried seafood things; I don't remember exactly what they were, but it was lovely, and the soup was good as well. Wine was good also. Service was efficient; they were really busy but they handled the traffic well. read more
This restaurant literally blew me away. It is the only place I plan on going to lunch everyday I am in Brussels, Belgium. Well, at least a snack before our lunch at another restaurant. It's that good, trust me. I feel like on my Yelp I give restaurants a lot of five stars to encourage the businesses especially restaurants. I feel like I am generous and trying my best to point out the positives. I give a lot of restaurants five stars because of the combination of great service and good food. But this is a restaurant I would go to and give five stars if it was even the worst service of my life. Side note: I am not saying that this place has bad service. In fact, they have superb service. What I am trying to get at is that the food alone is worth five stars. I would give this place 10 stars if I could. My hubby and I ordered 8 oysters, white wine and smørrebrød. For all this food we paid about 30 euros. What a great deal for the quality of food were were served. The oysters were a perfect match with their house made vinegar and house made pickled onions. The oysters themselves are so fresh you can actually taste the ocean. There is not a hint of fishy smell and the oyster just glides off its beautiful shell. Well, I am going to be eating a ton of oysters while I'm here and I'm so excited! read more
I wouldn't say I am a big seafood person. I like seafood every once in a while, but honestly, this place totally converted me. Maybe I am a seafood person, or maybe I'm just a Mer du Nord person. Either way, I came here with my mom and aunt and we wanted to try mussels, but we weren't here during mussels season. No worries - we got the razor clams instead. We also got the fried calamari, soup of the day, and crab cake burger. Basically everything on the menu. It was so good, we were in Brussels for 24 hours and we came back for a second round. This place is amazing and you can smell the great food a block away. Totally worth a trip and I highly recommend. Seating can be sparse, and when it's rainy and cold it will be hard to find a seat indoors. However, I would eat this food under a dingy umbrella in the rain - that's how good and fresh the food is. read more
9 years ago
This may be a a tourist spot but after trying it, there is no denying it! This place delivers quality seafood in a casual atmosphere for decent prices. We came for an early lunch so I missed out on the oyster bar that opens at 12:30. Everything else was good to go! We got their famous fish soup which was a tomato base that was chunky full of vegetables and fish. It comes with unlimited bread. The fried prawns were huge and flavorful while the calamari was light and delicious. The grilled salmon stole the show, crisp on the outside and tender inside with a tasty herb sauce. What was most impressive was the presentation. All dishes had a small salad and lemon. Most places would throw it on a paper plate and call it good. Not here, with an attention to detail and a clean shop, you can taste the quality. It's standing room only so grab a table if you can and get ready to queue during their busy times. I'm so impressed I will be going again before I leave! read more
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More info about Mer du Nord
Rue Sainte-Catherine 45
Sint-Katelijnestraat 45
1000 Brussels
Belgium
Centre-Ville, Bruxelles
Directions
02 513 11 92
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http://vishandelnoordzee.be
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