Restaurant in Brussels, Belgium
Formal seafood near the palace. Book it.
L'Écailler du Palais Royal is Brussels' most consistent Classical seafood table at the €€€ tier — Michelin Plate in 2024 and 2025, ranked in OAD's top 500 Classical restaurants in Europe. Book it for a seafood-focused occasion dinner when you want formal service and kitchen-led progression without the €€€€ price ceiling of Comme chez Soi.
If you are planning a seafood-focused dinner in Brussels that sits firmly in the formal end of the €€€ range without crossing into the four-symbol territory of the city's grandest tables, L'Écailler du Palais Royal is the reservation to make. It suits couples marking an occasion, food-focused travellers who want structured, kitchen-driven cooking rather than a brasserie spread, and anyone who finds themselves near the Palais Royal wanting something more considered than the tourist-facing options on nearby Grand Place. The Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025, combined with a top-500 Opinionated About Dining Classical in Europe ranking, signals consistent execution rather than a single good season.
Rue Bodenbroek runs quietly alongside the Palais Royal, and the address signals the register of the place before you step inside. Classical Brussels dining rooms at this level tend toward formal arrangements — white linen, structured table spacing, and a presentation aesthetic where the plate is the visual centrepiece. At L'Écailler, the emphasis falls on the seafood itself: the visual cue of a well-composed fish or shellfish dish, the gleam of a chilled plateau de fruits de mer, or the clean geometry of a precisely cut fillet. This is not a room designed to distract you from the food. If you are coming from the broader Belgian fine-dining circuit , venues like Bozar Restaurant or Comme chez Soi , you will recognise the idiom immediately.
Chef Carlos Gallardo leads the kitchen, and the cooking sits within the Classical European tradition that OAD's ranking system specifically evaluates. Classical seafood at this level means technical precision applied to prime product: clean saucing, controlled cooking temperatures, and a menu architecture that moves deliberately from lighter preparations through to richer, more structured courses. The Michelin Plate designation , awarded consistently over two consecutive years , confirms cooking that meets the guide's threshold for quality without yet carrying a star. For the food-focused traveller who tracks these signals, that translates to serious intent with reliable delivery. If you are looking for the most technically ambitious seafood cooking in Belgium, venues like Zilte in Antwerp or Hof van Cleve in Kruishoutem carry Michelin stars and a different level of ambition. L'Écailler operates at a distinct register: classically grounded, produce-led, and consistent.
In the Classical European tradition, a meal at this category of seafood restaurant tends to follow a legible arc: cold shellfish or crudo work at the opening, followed by warmer preparations , possibly a bisque or a poached fish course , building toward a central piece involving a premium whole fish or a composed plate of crustacean. The structure rewards attention. Each course exists in relation to the one that follows, and the kitchen's choices about seasoning, acidity, and richness are cumulative decisions rather than isolated ones. This is the kind of meal where skipping a course to jump to the main would cost you the thread. Whether L'Écailler offers a formal tasting menu option or operates primarily à la carte is not confirmed in our current data , contact the restaurant directly before assuming one format or the other.
Brussels has a readable seafood hierarchy. At the casual end, De Noordzee operates as a standing seafood bar , no booking, low spend, high energy. La Belle Maraîchère and Le Vismet occupy the mid-formal tier: seated, full service, good product, without the Classical fine-dining register. L'Écailler sits above that tier. If you are deciding between L'Écailler and a trip to Antwerp for Zilte, the honest answer is that Zilte has greater technical ambition and a starred credential, but Brussels proximity and the Classical execution at L'Écailler make it the right call for most visitors who are not making a dedicated tasting-menu pilgrimage. For broader seafood inspiration beyond Belgium, Alici on the Amalfi Coast and Gambero Rosso in Marina di Gioiosa Ionica represent the Mediterranean end of the same tradition.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, meaning you are unlikely to need to plan weeks in advance for most dates. For weekend evenings or specific occasion nights, earlier contact is sensible. The phone number is not currently listed in our data , use the address (Rue Bodenbroek 18, 1000 Bruxelles) to locate contact details directly. The €€€ price range places this in the serious but not stratospheric tier for Brussels fine dining, below the €€€€ tables like Comme chez Soi or Vrijmoed in Gent. Google reviewer data , 4.4 across 367 reviews , reinforces the consistency signal from the professional recognition.
If L'Écailler does not match your format or occasion, the broader Belgian fine-dining circuit has strong options. Boury in Roeselare, Willem Hiele in Oudenburg, and d'Eugénie à Emilie in Baudour each represent different points on the modern Belgian cooking map. For city coverage beyond restaurants, see our Brussels hotels guide, Brussels bars guide, Brussels wineries guide, and Brussels experiences guide, or browse the full Brussels restaurants guide to compare the complete field.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| L'Écailler du Palais Royal | Seafood | €€€ | Easy |
| Comme chez Soi | French - Belgian, Classic Cuisine | €€€€ | Unknown |
| La Villa Lorraine by Yves Mattagne | Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Unknown |
| senzanome | Modern Italian, Italian | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Au Vieux Saint Martin | French Bistro, Belgian | €€€ | Unknown |
| Aux Armes de Bruxelles | Brasserie, Belgian | €€ | Unknown |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Dress formally. The Palais Royal address and €€€ price range signal a room where jeans and trainers will feel out of place. Think business formal or occasion dress as a baseline. This is not a venue where smart casual is the safe middle ground.
For a step down in formality at comparable spend, Au Vieux Saint Martin covers Belgian classics in a more relaxed register. Comme chez Soi is the choice if you want white-tablecloth prestige with a longer track record. For seafood at lower spend with no booking required, De Noordzee's standing bar is a different format entirely but worth knowing.
Booking is rated Easy, so you are unlikely to need weeks of lead time, but weekend evenings and special occasions are worth reserving in advance. The kitchen operates in the Classical European tradition under Chef Carlos Gallardo and holds a Michelin Plate (2025) alongside an OAD Classical in Europe ranking (#475, 2025). Come with a seafood focus — this is not a broad French bistro.
If classical seafood progression is the format you want, the structured arc from cold shellfish through to main courses is well-suited to this kitchen's approach. At €€€ pricing, it competes with Brussels alternatives that offer broader menus, so the tasting format makes most sense if seafood is specifically your priority for the evening.
Specific menu items are not documented in the venue record, so a firm recommendation here would be speculation. What is confirmed is a Classical European seafood focus under Chef Carlos Gallardo — ask the floor team what is in season on the night, which is standard practice at this category of restaurant.
Yes, provided the occasion suits a formal seafood dinner rather than a broader celebration menu. The Palais Royal address, €€€ pricing, and Michelin Plate recognition make the occasion framing work. For groups that want more flexibility in what they eat, Comme chez Soi or La Villa Lorraine by Yves Mattagne offer wider menus at a similar register.
At €€€, L'Écailler sits in the upper tier of Brussels dining without reaching the cost of a full Michelin-starred tasting menu. The OAD Classical in Europe ranking (#475, 2025) and consecutive Michelin Plates provide external validation that the kitchen delivers at this price point. If classical seafood is what you are specifically after in Brussels, the value case holds.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
