How does a dinner service unfold at Chez Clément?

Question

Lorenzo Eeman · Accepted Answer

Dinner at Brasserie Chez Clément runs from 19:00 to 22:30, seven days a week. The arc follows the classic Belgian brasserie pattern: arrival, table seating, ordering, three courses, coffee and bill. On Thursdays, the evening rolls into the signature « Thursday disco nights ».

The brasserie opens its dinner service every evening at 19:00 across the main room, the glass conservatory and the bar. Tables are typically held for the booked arrival time, with a courtesy buffer; from a guest's point of view, the smooth pattern is to arrive within five to fifteen minutes of the booked slot. On a typical weekday evening, you are greeted at the bar, walked to your table by the host, presented with the menu, and asked about an aperitif. From there, the rhythm is leisurely: the team is happy for you to take your time over a starter, a main, dessert, wine and coffee.

The kitchen, run by chef Vincent Frédéric De Laloy since 1996 with a brigade of thirty-two, operates on an all-house-made philosophy. Plates are prepared to order rather than batched, which means the cadence between courses is slightly slower than at a fast-casual restaurant and considerably more relaxed than at a Michelin-starred place that times the chef's seven-course narrative to the minute. The result is a rhythm in which conversation has room to develop, a key part of why dinner here regularly lasts ninety to one hundred and twenty minutes for a two-person table.

On Thursday evenings, the dinner service segues into the famous « Thursday disco nights », a weekly tradition launched under the fourth generation (France Clément, from the mid-1990s onwards). After dinner, the music takes a different turn, a DJ adds another energy, and the bar carries the evening forward until 01:00. Friday and Saturday dinners run longer and more festive than Sunday to Wednesday. The bar continues to serve drinks continuously throughout, between and after restaurant services.

For a romantic dinner, requesting the conservatory at booking time is a good move: it is the room where the current owners Marie and Gilles Verleyen were themselves married. For a business dinner with several international guests, mentioning languages helps the team allocate accordingly. For a birthday, the team can welcome a personalised cake or a candle moment, coordinate at booking. The bill is presented at the end of the meal on request, payable by Visa, Mastercard, Bancontact or cash, with service included by law.

Stage	Timing (indicative)	Detail
Service opens	19:00	Doors open, bar already running
Arrival	Within 5 à 15 min of booked slot	Welcome, cloakroom, seating
Aperitif	0 à 15 min	At the bar or at the table
Starter	~15 à 35 min	House-made, plated to order
Main course	~35 à 65 min	Classic brasserie cooking
Dessert / cheese	~65 à 90 min	Coffee available alongside
Bill	~90 à 120 min	Service included by law
Thursday extension	Until 01:00	Thursday disco nights with DJ
Last orders kitchen	22:30	Bar continues to 01:00