Happy 2nd Birthday Belga San Francisco

For those of you that live in or near The Marina or Cow Hollow like me, you were probably sad to see Des Amis close (which was the sister restaurant to one of my favorite neighborhood spots Spruce). However, as they say “with every door that closes, another opens” whichĀ is exactly how I felt after experiencing Union Streetā€™s Belgian Hot Spot,Ā BelgaĀ which openedĀ two years ago today!

Aubrie Pick

Aubrie Pick

What is Belga and what makes it a hot spot? Belga is an incredibleĀ concept from Adriano Paganini of restaurants you probably know including Uno Dos Tacos, Beretta, Super Duper, Lolinda, and Delarosa amongst others.

Belga

Upon entering Belga youā€™ll experience a light, open, cool, casual feel. During my first visit when we arrived around 6:30pm the bar area was bustling, literally, no seat to be had at the bar or communal family style table. Ā This was also on a Tuesday night.Ā Kudos Belga that’s pretty impressive!

Belga

We were immediately seated and greeted with a warm welcome from our server. Ā  It was pretty apparent from the first minute sheĀ started rattling off the menu and the various beers on tap and by the bottle that this girl really knew her shit. Literally. She was reciting the specials and after asking what were the must tryā€™s she quickly responded theĀ Roast Chicken, the Mussels and the Beef Stew. Ā We followed her advice starting with Mussels and sharing Ā the amazing Carbonade Flemish Beer Stew and the Bavette Steak as our entrees.Ā 

Belga

Speaking of Beer, when Belga opened, they had over 60 bottles categorized by descriptors as Light, Hoppy, Funky, Fruity, Sour and Contemporary. There are an additional 10 on tap, a half-dozen ciders and a full bar menu with cocktails. I really had no idea what I was in store for with the extensive Belgian Beers and the selection and pairings were truly theĀ biggest surprise of the meal.Ā 

Belga

Starting off the meal with theĀ Belga Cocktail. Yummy!

Belga

Pan roasted Mussels, Whitbier, Shallots & Green Garlic

Belga

Throughout our meal, Ryan Murphy,Ā the Bar Manager kept sending over beers pairings with each dish. Although you may not expect it knowing how much I adore Wine,Ā I alsoĀ love beer. I guess itā€™s the Big 10 Midwestern girl in me. I quickly realized this was going to be more than just a yummy dinner, rather a fabulous meal withĀ perfectĀ beer pairings with each course. How fun!

Belga

TheĀ Pan Roasted MusselsĀ $15 paired perfectly with the Duvel Single (draft) Beer. This was the lightest of the by the glass beers and we immediately fell in love with it. It is similar to a Hoegarden or even an Allagesh White (my go to). The Musselā€™s were amazing. They had a spectacular broth with strong garlic flavors. The broth was so delicious I immediately asked for more bread as the minimal 2-3 pieces that comes with the Mussels is definitely, not enough for serious dipping in the to die forĀ Mussel Juice. Ā These Mussels were truly life changing. Even if you don’t love mussels (a group I thought I was a part of prior to experiencing Belga’s Mussels) these will make you a MusselĀ lover!Ā Ā 

Belga

After the Musselā€™s we moved onto our Entrees a Bar Steak au Poivre & Frites $19 Ā and the Carbonade Flemish Beer StewĀ $23. Between the two, I highly recommend the Beef Stew. The meat was beyond tender yet the vegetables werenā€™t mushy or overcooked (typically found in a stew with such soft, tender meat) rather, just perfect. We were both going crazy for this stew, literally licking the dish clean. The entrees were paired with The Rodenbach Grand Cru (draft in the small glass) followed by theĀ Grapefruit Sculpin Beer and theĀ Houblon Chouffe Beer. As each beer was introduced with the food, they seemedĀ to perfectly enhance the flavors of the dishes and the tastes of the beer.

Belga

The amazing Carbonade Flemish Beer StewĀ 

Belga

After concluding dinner we realized we were utterly stuffed so passed on dessert. Clearly this wasnā€™t going to fly as the team surprised us with some chocolates.Ā Both were delicious and the perfect pallet cleanser after our delicious Belga meal.

Emily,Ā The JetSetting FashionistaĀ and guest enjoyed a complimentary meal during this visit. However, EmilyĀ was not paid to write this post and only write posts or features about restaurants, wineries, hotels, products or destinations that she personally enjoys and proudly endorses and wants to share with her readers.Ā All opinions expressed are her own.

Restaurant interior pictures courtesy ofĀ Aubrie Pick

1 Response
  • github.com
    November 6, 2016

    What type of camera is that? That is definitely a decent top quality.

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