Notice : About half of the Japanese restaurants in Brussels do not have Japanese chefs (but Chinese ones usually). This is generally not a good sign, quality-wise. Even Japanese-managed restaurants tend to be of lower than the average standard compared to Japan (in every respect : food, decoration and service). Good sushi and sashimi in particular tend to be difficult to find. Contrarily to Japan, restaurants are not specialised in one kind of food (e.g. tempura), which means that the chef may be good for some dishes, but bad for others. This also means that service is much slower than in Japan, as the chef only starts cooking after taking the orders. For all these reasons, you should be careful when selecting a place to eat. We have tried to evaluate the most well-known restaurants for you, with a combined European and Japanese team.
Food : reputedly the best Japanese restaurant in Brussels, although expensive
Atmosphere : one of the few actually nice Japanese restaurant in Brussels
Service : OVERALL RATING :
Japanese management : yes
Sakura
Address : rue du Pont de la Carpe, 1
Telephone : 02/502.43.65
Closing day : none
Food : Atmosphere : Service :
Japanese management : no
L'Herbe Rouge
Address : rue des Minimes, 34
Telephone : 02/512.48.34
Closing day : Monday
Food : Atmosphere : Service :
Japanese management : no
Kabuki
Address : rue du Marché aux Poulets, 32
Telephone : 02/218.86.96
Closing day : none
Food : Atmosphere : Service :
Japanese management : no
Sushi World
Address : rue des Cultes, 5
Telephone : 02/223.23.22
Closing day : Sunday
Food : => disappointing taste; the rice of the sushi isn't appropriate, they served a bowl of rice with sushi menus (!), there is no miso soup nor green tea.
Atmosphere : => very modern, pink-and-white decoration; good ambiance music (although not Japanese)
Service : => friendly, fast and efficient
OVERALL RATING :
Food : => good sushi, but avoid the rest of the menu
Atmosphere : => apart from the nice townhouse, the management couldn't have done less to accomodate their guests
Service : => Not very friendly nor attentive, even for Japanese speakers.
OVERALL RATING :
Food : => vast menu, good for both sushi and fried dishes (tempura, kaki-furai...)
Atmosphere : => no-frill pine wood decoration
Service : => attentive, bilingual French-Japanese
OVERALL RATING :
Food : good quality sashimi, although the octopus I had wan't so good.
Atmosphere : => typical Japanese "shitamachi" atmosphere, with sushi bar ; unfortunately overcrowded and noisy at lunchtime.
Service : => bad-tempered and unfriendly waitress, although service is fast, even expeditious.
OVERALL RATING :
Japanese management : yes
Hamashin
Address : chaussée d'Ixelles, 272
Telephone : 02/640.56.82
Closing day : Sunday, Wednesday noon
Food : Atmosphere : Service : OVERALL RATING :
Japanese management : yes
Chez Oki (Franco-Japanese Fusion)
Address : rue Lesbroussart, 62
Telephone : 02/644.45.76
Closing day : Saturday noon, Sunday, Monday noon
Food : => from foie gras sushi to gyukatsu, everything is sublime. Try the 30 € course.
Atmosphere : => modern and pleasant setting with a zen garden within the restaurant.
Service : => fast and attentive service; bilingual French-Japanese.
OVERALL RATING :
Japanese management : yes
Nonbei Daigaku
Address : avenue Adolphe Buyl, 31
Telephone : 02/649.2149
Closing day : Sunday, Monday, and holidays
Food : => good assortment of everyday Japanese dishes, but the sushi aren't the best in town.
Atmosphere : => pleasant and quiet atmosphere in an early-20th century townhouse. Don't miss the Japanese-style "gadget toilet" with heated seat and electric bidet !
Service : => not really attentive staff - you must shout to get their attention.
OVERALL RATING :
Japanese management : yes
Miyuki
Address : boulevard Général Jacques, 68
Telephone : 02/646.79.53
Closing day : Sunday, Monday noon
Food : => huge menu covering all the common Japanese cuisine ; excellent deluxe sushi menu
Atmosphere : => in a Brussels townhouse with garden, but could be better.
Service : => not very attentive, quite slow, but friendly and bilingual French-Japanese.
OVERALL RATING :
Japanese management : yes
Kamo
Address : avenue des saisons, 123
Telephone : 02/648.78.48
Closing day : Sunday
Food : => good overall, but too small portions (you may need to order 2 dishes in order to be full) ; limited choice in the menu ; the sushi leave a bit to be desired.
Atmosphere : => sober and modern ; nicer than the average Japanese restaurant in Brussels, but the tables are small, there is not much space between tables, and the place is usually packed.
Service : => nothing about which to complain, but nothing to deserve 5 stars.
OVERALL RATING :
Japanese management : yes
Kushi-tei of Kyoto
Address : rue Lesbroussart ,118
Telephone : 02/646.48.15
Closing day : Saturday noon, Sunday
Food : Atmosphere : Service :
Japanese management :
Kyoto Sushi Bar
Address : rue Defacqz, 7
Telephone : 02/223.19.99
Closing day : Sunday noon, Monday
Food : Atmosphere : Service :
Japanese management :
Yamato (Ramen)
Address : rue Francart, 11
Telephone : 02/502.28.93
Closing day : Sunday, Monday
Food : the best (and only real) ramen in town ; good even by exigent Japanese standards
Atmosphere : typical Japanese-style noodle bar, but long queues of people waiting behind eating customers
Service : as expected for this kind of place
OVERALL RATING : OVERALL RATING :
Food : varied menu, with some dishes harder to find elsewhere (e.g. katsudon) ; maybe the best non Japanese-owned Japanese restaurant in Brussels
Atmosphere : spacious, with a few big teppanyaki tables in addition to the regular tables ; terrace on sunny days
Service : nothing to complain about
OVERALL RATING :
Food : not really authentic, but reasonable
Atmosphere : spacious restaurant with a more Japanese atmosphere than many others in Brussels, though nothing to fuss about
Service : attentive and friendly
OVERALL RATING :
Japanese management : no
Yakitori
Address : chaussée de Boondael, 353
Telephone : 02/640.86.59
Closing day : Saturday noon, Sunday
Food : Atmosphere : Service :
Japanese management :
Hana / Hau Kang (Korean-Japanese)
Address : rue Saint Boniface, 21
Telephone : 02/502.52.41
Closing day : Sunday
Food : all the Korean classics (bibimbab, bulgogi...), but also sushi and ramen.
Atmosphere : typical Korean decoration ; more effort has been made than in most of Brussels' Japanese restaurants
Service : nothing to complain about
OVERALL RATING :
Japanese management : no (Korean)
Etterbeek (1040)
Espace Sushi
Address : chaussée de Wavre, 325
Telephone : 02/644.25.62
Closing day : Saturday noon, Sunday, Monday evening, holidays
Food : Atmosphere : Service :
Japanese management : no
Sushi
Address : avenue des Celtes, 30
Telephone : 02/734.39.45
Closing day : Saturday noon, Sunday
Food : => tasty and good value, but lacks variety, and not very Japanese in the presentation. Their green tea is in fact "houji-cha".
Atmosphere : => set in an old cafe; not bad but nothing to fuss about.
Service : => kind and polite, but a bit slow.
OVERALL RATING :
Japanese management : no
Momotaro
Address : avenue d'Auderghem, 106
Telephone : 02/734.06.64
Closing day : Sunday
Food : Atmosphere : Service :
Japanese management : no
Woluwe-Saint-Pierre (1150)
Chamu / Kobo Sushi
Address : rue au Bois, 226
Telephone : 02/763.00.06
Closing day : Monday (take-away only on Saturday and Sunday)
Food : place specialising in sushi, which they do well
Atmosphere : unpretentious and a bit dark, but reminds of what could be found in Japan
Service : friendly, but communication may be difficult if one doesn't speak Japanese
OVERALL RATING :
Closing day : Sundays, Mondays and holidays (other days, open only at lunchtime. from 11am to 3pm)
Food : : excellent bento, sushi and other Japanese specialities
Atmosphere : take-away only
Service : aimed at the Japanese community (menu in Japanese only)
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reputedly the best Japanese restaurant in Brussels, although expensive
one of the few actually nice Japanese restaurant in Brussels
=> disappointing taste; the rice of the sushi isn't appropriate, they served a bowl of rice with sushi menus (!), there is no miso soup nor green tea.
=> very modern, pink-and-white decoration; good ambiance music (although not Japanese)
=> Not very friendly nor attentive, even for Japanese speakers.
=> bad-tempered and unfriendly waitress, although service is fast, even expeditious.