Restaurant in Ixelles, Belgium
Solid Michelin-noted Italian at mid-range prices.
A Michelin Plate Italian in Ixelles that punches above its €€ price point. The kitchen runs fish and meat-led modern Italian cooking with real ambition and consistent execution — confirmed by 528 Google reviews at 4.3. Book for a special occasion or a date when you want quality without the formality or cost of a starred room.
If you're choosing between Racines and Osteria Bolognese for Italian in Ixelles, the decision comes down to what you want from the meal. Osteria Bolognese leans into comfort and tradition; Racines pitches itself as Italian with a modern edge. For a special occasion or a dinner where you want some culinary ambition behind the plate, Racines is the more interesting choice at the same price tier. For a relaxed, no-fuss bowl of pasta, the other direction may serve you better. At €€ pricing with a Michelin Plate (2025), Racines offers real value for the level of cooking on the table.
Racines sits on Chaussée d'Ixelles, one of the neighbourhood's main arteries, at number 353. The Michelin Plate recognition it earned in 2025 signals a kitchen that is cooking with care and consistency, even if it hasn't reached the star tier. That distinction matters when you're deciding how seriously to take the menu: a Plate means Michelin's inspectors found good cooking here, not just an acceptable neighbourhood spot.
The room carries the kind of energy you'd expect from a confident local restaurant that knows its audience. The atmosphere skews warm rather than hushed, with enough ambient noise to make conversation feel natural without having to raise your voice. This makes Racines a workable choice for a date or a relaxed celebratory dinner where you want the evening to feel alive rather than reverential. If you're after the formal stillness of a higher-end tasting room, look instead toward Kamo up the price ladder, or further afield at a venue like Boury in Roeselare or Zilte in Antwerp for a genuinely ceremonial experience.
The cuisine is Italian, but the kitchen applies a modern sensibility to its compositions. Dishes are built around fish and meat as primary elements, with vegetables playing a supporting rather than leading role. Michelin's own note on the venue flags this directly: the Italian tradition's strength in well-seasoned, simply executed vegetable dishes is underrepresented here, despite the ingredients being available. If you're dining with someone who eats exclusively plant-based, Racines is not your leading option. Humus x Hortense handles that far more thoughtfully, though at a higher price point.
Enthusiasm in the kitchen is evident in the Michelin commentary, which specifically calls out the positive momentum the restaurant has built. That word, enthusiasm, is worth holding onto when framing your expectations. This is not a kitchen coasting on formula. The modern twist on Italian cooking here reads as genuine curiosity rather than trend-chasing, and that translates into a progression through the meal that holds interest from start to finish.
For a special occasion at this price level in Ixelles, Racines is one of the more defensible bookings you can make. The Michelin Plate anchors the quality argument, the €€ pricing keeps it accessible, and the 4.3 rating across 528 Google reviews confirms that the kitchen delivers consistently, not just on inspectors' nights. That volume of reviews at that rating is a practical signal: enough people have eaten here to make the score meaningful.
Italian restaurants operating in a similar register elsewhere in the world, such as cenci in Kyoto or the formally acclaimed 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong, demonstrate what the cuisine can achieve when ambition and precision align. Racines operates at a different scale and price point, but the Michelin recognition places it in a conversation about intent and execution that those comparisons make useful. Within Belgium, the distance between a Plate and a star is instructive: restaurants like Hof van Cleve and Willem Hiele represent what sustained ambition looks like at the leading of the Belgian table. Racines is not competing there, but knowing that context helps calibrate what you're getting.
For completeness on the Ixelles Italian front, Fico and Ricciocapriccio are both worth knowing about if your plans don't firm up. Each covers different ground within the neighbourhood's Italian offering, and our full Ixelles restaurants guide maps the category properly if you want to compare before committing.
Booking at Racines is direct. With an easy booking difficulty rating, you don't need to plan weeks in advance the way you would for a harder table elsewhere in the Belgian dining scene, such as at Bozar Restaurant in Brussels or d'Eugénie à Emilie in Baudour. That accessibility is part of the case for Racines: the quality-to-effort ratio is good.
For a special occasion, a mid-week evening tends to give you a more attentive experience at restaurants in this category, when the room is full but not under the same pressure as a Friday or Saturday service. If atmosphere matters to you and you want the room humming rather than quiet, weekends will deliver more energy. Either timing works at Racines given its consistent track record, but mid-week is the better call if the meal itself is the priority over the social scene around you.
If you're planning a broader evening in Ixelles, our Ixelles bars guide and Ixelles experiences guide are useful companions. The neighbourhood has enough going on before and after dinner to make a full evening easy to construct without leaving the area.
| Detail | Racines | Osteria Bolognese | Le Tournant | Savage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuisine | Italian (modern) | Italian (traditional) | Home Cooking | Organic |
| Price tier | €€ | €€ | €€ | €€ |
| Michelin recognition | Plate (2025) | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Google rating | 4.3 (528 reviews) | — | — | , |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Easy | Moderate | Easy |
| Special occasion suitability | Yes | Casual | Casual | Casual |
| Vegetable-forward option | Limited | Limited | Moderate | Strong |
For hotels nearby, see our Ixelles hotels guide. For wine options in the area, our Ixelles wineries guide covers what's available.
The menu at Racines is built around fish and meat as the main event, so lean into that. Vegetable-forward dishes are not the kitchen's strength here , Michelin's own commentary on the restaurant notes this gap directly. Order around the protein-led dishes and you'll be working with what the kitchen does leading. If you want specific dish recommendations, check the current menu at the restaurant directly, as Pearl does not fabricate dish details.
At €€ pricing with a Michelin Plate, the tasting format at Racines represents good value for the level of cooking. The kitchen has genuine ambition and consistent execution, as both the Michelin recognition and the 4.3 Google rating across 528 reviews confirm. It's worth it for a special occasion or if you want a structured progression through the meal rather than ordering à la carte. If you want something more elaborate and are willing to pay more, Kamo at €€€ is the next step up in Ixelles.
Racines is a reasonable solo option in Ixelles at the €€ level. The room has enough ambient energy to make solo dining feel comfortable rather than exposed, and the booking is easy enough that last-minute plans work. For solo diners who want a counter experience with more interaction, the format at a place like Kamo may suit better. For a direct solo dinner with good cooking and no ceremony, Racines is a solid choice.
Yes, within the €€ bracket in Ixelles, Racines is one of the better calls for a celebration or date. The Michelin Plate gives the meal a sense of occasion without the formality or price of a starred room. The atmosphere is warm and energetic enough to feel celebratory. If you need more ceremony, you'd need to go to a different price tier or leave the neighbourhood entirely, toward somewhere like Boury or Zilte.
Bar seating details for Racines are not confirmed in Pearl's data. Given the €€ neighbourhood Italian format, bar seating is possible but not guaranteed. Contact the restaurant directly to confirm. If bar dining is a priority, that's worth asking when you book.
At €€ with a 2025 Michelin Plate and a 4.3 Google rating from over 500 reviews, Racines delivers clear value. You're getting Michelin-acknowledged cooking at a price point that doesn't require a special budget. The main caveat is that the vegetable side of the menu is underdeveloped relative to the Italian tradition , if that matters to you, factor it in. Against peers at the same price in Ixelles, including Osteria Bolognese and Le Tournant, Racines has the clearest external quality signal.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Racines | Italian | Racines continues to grow positively! Italian with a modern twist, always tasteful and above all with a lot of enthusiasm. Dishes do have fish or meat as a basis, vegetables have a more supporting role. We miss the strong assets of the Italian kitchen where simple, well seasoned vegetable creations are standard. The products are available, why not put some on the menu?; Michelin Plate (2025) | Easy | — |
| Kamo | Japanese | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Humus x Hortense | Creative | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Le Tournant | Home Cooking | Unknown | — | |
| Osteria Bolognese | Italian | Unknown | — | |
| Savage | Organic | Unknown | — |
How Racines stacks up against the competition.
The kitchen builds dishes around fish or meat as the primary focus, with vegetables in a supporting role. The Michelin Plate recognition in 2025 points to the meat and fish preparations as the strongest bets. Reviewers have noted that vegetable-forward options are limited, so if a plant-based plate is what you're after, manage expectations or consider Humus x Hortense instead.
Racines sits in the €€ price range, which keeps the stakes relatively low for a Michelin Plate venue. At that price point, a tasting format can deliver good value if you want to work through the kitchen's range. That said, specific tasting menu details are not confirmed in the available record, so verify the current format when booking.
At €€ pricing with an easy booking difficulty, Racines is a low-friction choice for a solo meal. The modern Italian format works for a single diner who wants a proper sit-down rather than a quick bite. Nothing in the venue profile suggests a counter or bar-seat setup, so expect a standard table booking.
The 2025 Michelin Plate gives Racines enough credibility to work for a birthday or anniversary dinner, especially at €€ where the bill won't cause anxiety. For a higher-stakes occasion where theatre and formality matter more, Kamo or Le Tournant would raise the ceiling. Racines is the right call when you want a genuine, quality meal without the full ceremony.
Bar or counter seating is not documented for Racines. check the venue's official channels via Chaussée d'Ixelles 353 to confirm seating options before arriving and expecting a walk-in bar spot.
At €€, Racines is a fair trade for a Michelin Plate-recognised modern Italian in Ixelles. The cooking shows consistent enthusiasm and quality in its meat and fish dishes. The one honest caveat: if you want a kitchen that also delivers on vegetables with the same confidence, Racines falls short there — the Michelin notes flag it directly. For pure value on protein-led Italian, it delivers.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
