You can find Restaurant Diligence on the corner of the Hoogstraat with the Mallebergplaats. It is recently taken over. There used to be a lot of regular customers who came here for lunch. The new owners chose to open it at night. The kitchen is open until midnight, so even night birds can alight. The interior stayed the same, a lot of wood and a large bar with high chairs.
On the menu there are several traditional Belgian dishes. Stew with French fries, shrimp croquettes, filet américain, sole,… may be on the menu, but making them correct is another question.
Because we didn’t have that much time, we limited ourselves to two main courses. Annemieke was in the mood for Vol-au-vent en I chose a steak tartare. We both got a well-prepared plate. The Vol-au-vent was freshly made with lovely pieces of chicken, the balls were probably not homemade. My steak tartare was already prepared, on top there were capers, pickled vegetables and an anchovy fillet, that I didn’t find that fitting. The French fries and the mayonnaise were made according to the rules of the art. We both got the same salad.
We ended with a coffee and payed about €30 per person.
Restaurant Diligence is ideal for a quick bite or before/after a concert or a night out, the dishes and the prices are correct, the service ok. Because of its location, it’s a place where a lot of tourists pass by, they won’t be betrayed. The Belgian kitchen may be more prominent by changing the nuts by a piece of toast with filet américain, meat and fish salad, or pieces of brawn. So they can show everybody what our kitchen looks like right from the start.
Restaurant Diligence
Hoogstraat 5
8000 Brugge
050/33 16 60
