My hometown Lier is small, but has a few really nice restaurants and places to eat. My favourite place to eat is … our house, because my husband is a really good amateur chef. As I think he wouldn’t appreciate people randomly popping by for dinner, I will give you my favourite alternatives.
Café Refuge
For lunch, my favourite is Café Refuge. Their croque monsieur is great as well as their bagels. In the evening it’s the ideal bar if you want to talk to your friends. The music is great and varies a lot, but it’s not too loud: jazz, oldies, rock … They have a good selection of beer and tea.
- Café Refuge, Zimmerplein 12, Lier
Annaloro
One of my absolute favourite places is the Italian restaurant Annaloro. I am not the only one who’s excessively fond of this place. Reservations are best made beforehand. It’s a small place in a small street. You dine in the living room and the kitchen is in the middle. I just love chef Maurizio Annaloro: always friendly, passionate, prepares heavenly food, never shouts at his staff … The first time we were there, we were chatting with him about the food on our plate as we were sitting next to the kitchen.
All his starters are amazing: the carpaccio, the mixed plate … He had us discover the great Sicilian cheese Provolone. The main courses often vary, but they are always delicious. Last time I had a gorgeous tagliatelle with asparagus and pancetta. Make sure you try the excellent homemade limoncello!
- Annaloro, Bril 17, Lier
Cuzina
A restaurant we discovered only last year, is Cuzina. If the weather is nice this is the place you want to go to. They have a really nice backyard which perfectly suits the Mediterranean food they serve . Think tajines, a dropdead gorgeous Ceasar salad … If the weather is nice and you want to sit outside, make sure you make a reservation.
- Cuzina, Berlaarsestraat 34, Lier
De Comeet
If you’re up for tapas, go to De Comeet. The owners call them wapas. I just adore them: zuccini with tzatziki, albondigas, jamon croquets, calamares … The rest of the menu is okay (though sometimes too peppery for me), but the tapas are excellent. When the weather is nice and not too hot, it’s really lovely to sit outside.
- De Comeet, Florent Van Cauwenberghstraat 16-18, Lier
Het Concept
Het Concept is a Stone Grill place I like a lot. The quality of the meat is excellent as well as the seasoning you are supposed to use. You can choose between beef, poultry and mixed meat. They also offer a vegetarian variant. Fish is an option as well, but you have to call beforehand to order that.
- Het Concept, Frederik Peltzerstraat 30, Lier
Petit Cuistot
My absolute favourite place to dine in Lier, is Petit Cuistot. It isn’t cheap, but I never got anything I didn’t like there. There’s more: chef Nils Proost (who was one of the Young Chefs selected by Visit Flanders (discover the other ones, it’s in Dutch though)) once made a dessert that blew me away. As I make a lot of desserts myself, that doesn’t happen very often. But his cake with citrus fruits accompanied by bergamot ice cream and a few other things was to die for.
It’s a great place to spend the evening: not too many people, a really cosy interior and a very friendly staff. The chef usually intoduces the menu himself and asks you afterwards whether you liked it. This personal touch is something I appreciate a lot.
The wine selection is awesome. One of the founders of the place is sommelier Willem Van den Broeck, who won several national and international awards. Currenty he’s working at the Danish restaurant Noma, but he still gives advise abou the wine.
- Petit Cuistot, Antwerpsestraat 146, Lier
