Restaurant review: Rascal’s Café

Rue de Savoie 34, 1060 Saint-Gilles

What’s good? Rascal’s has plenty of fare to satisfy hungry expats — and whomever else might be strange enough to want to eat British food. Think everything from Scotch eggs to cooked breakfasts to Welsh rarebit to beans on toast. The fish and chips were the most authentic I’ve had in Brussels, and the scones were fresh and tasty.

What’s not? The less said about the fry-up, the better. For other menu items, Rascal’s strength is also its weakness — some of the food is just too gourmet to be properly British. No one’s getting chopped herbs on their scrambled eggs in a real greasy spoon.

Vibe: It’s all Formica and lino, gingham curtains and squeezy bottles of ketchup. If you’re British, you’ll finally get a taste of what our Spanish or Italian friends experience having their working-class food culture repackaged and sold to hipsters abroad for triple the price.

Who’s picking up the check? This is the kind of place you can take your Leave-voting parents when they visit, although after forking out €15 to €20 for a fry-up it might not improve their opinion of foreigners. Brunch for two set us back €45.

Spotted: The star guest: An elderly and overweight corgi ambling past the terrace on its afternoon walk. Almost enough to make you patriotic. 

Insider tip: For a pedantic U.K. cheat sheet on what’s not quite right: streaky bacon; hot frothed milk for the tea instead of cold; and whipped cream with the scones instead of clotted. Now you can bring a date there and impress with your knowledge of a frankly underappreciated global cuisine.

Fun fact: Legendary Irishwoman Sinéad O’Connor features prominently in the U.K -themed décor. Sorry in advance to any Irish customers. 

How to get there: Rascal’s is a stone’s throw from Saint-Gilles’ elegant town hall, in a neighborhood populated by hipster mainstays like Lambic breweries and board game cafés. If you hit the prison you’ve gone too far.

Review published on  May 30, 2024. Illustration by Dato Parulava/POLITICO