Dining Out: Point Brugge in Pointe Breeze

Chef Kevin Hunninen of Point Brugge Cafe

If you haven't tried Point Brugge in Point Breeze ..... You just gotta!  Crowds of steady customers, often lining up to get in before the restaurant is even open, just can't be wrong.

What makes this neighborhood restaurant so successful? The location certainly doesn't hurt -- Point Brugge is in the heart of residential Point Breeze, with very few competing restaurants and no competing liquor licenses in the immediate vicinity. But while many diners live in the neighborhood, just as many don't.

The restaurant also prepares the kind of straightforward, flavorful food that demands merely an appetite -- no dress shoes or culinary dictionaries necessary. A combination of American and European flavors makes this restaurant both homey and out-of-the ordinary. The focus on Belgian beer helps cement this restaurant in diners' minds as a "Belgian bistro," and the Belgian dishes are the highlight of the menu.

Their "Moules", or mussels, are to die for and available in a generous appetizer portion (about one pound, $11) or in a larger size with frites (one and a half pounds, $17).  Rather than serving the mussels swimming in broth, their mussels are dressed in a choice of sauces:  A classic white wine sauce with garlic and light cream.  A red curry sauce with coconut creme, cilantro and lime. A zesty tomato-seafood broth with garlic and fresh herbs.

And their "frites" or fries?  Simply heaven.  Cut thin so that the crispy edges dominate and served with basil mayonnaise in the Belgian style.

So get on over to Point Brugge and prepare yourself to be wowed!

Point Brugge Cafe
Point Breeze
Metro Pittsburgh Real Estate