in Antwerpen – Belgium
On the Amerikalei, one of Antwerp’s grand nineteenth‑century boulevards, Ciro’s occupies a stretch of the Zuid district long associated with culture, bourgeois life, and continuity. This is a neighbourhood shaped by institutions rather than trends: galleries, museums, and cafés that have outlived generations. Within walking distance of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts and the broad avenues linking the historic centre to the city’s southern quarters, Ciro’s feels less like a destination restaurant and more like a fixed point in Antwerp’s urban memory.
Founded in 1962 by Albert De Herdt, a former Belgian international football player, Ciro’s quickly established itself as a household name. While ownership changed over the decades, the restaurant never pursued reinvention for its own sake. A significant transition came in 2010, when Gene Haesaerts took over, guiding the house for more than ten years before retiring. Rather than selling the concept or rebranding the space, he entrusted Ciro’s to two long‑time collaborators who knew its rhythms intimately. The result is not a “new” Ciro’s, but a continuation—an increasingly rare quality in contemporary dining.
That sense of continuity is immediately tangible. Stepping inside, it feels as though time has slowed, if not momentarily stood still. The room carries the unmistakable atmosphere of a classic brasserie: polished surfaces, familiar gestures, and the low hum of conversation that sometimes swells into cheerful noise. This is not a hushed temple of gastronomy, but a living restaurant, where the presence of other guests is part of the experience. The occasional loud table is not a flaw; it is part of the charm.
The kitchen today is led by chef Claude Sondag, whose career has been shaped less by headline‑grabbing openings than by long-term commitment. He represents a generation of chefs formed within established houses, where mastery is built gradually and quietly. Having been closely involved with Ciro’s for years before officially taking the helm, Sondag understands the restaurant not as a concept to be interpreted, but as a legacy to be upheld. His cooking reflects that ethos: precise, generous, and unapologetically focused on flavour.
Nowhere is this clearer than in the opening ritual of the meal. Tomato soup with meatballs arrives not in a minimalist bowl, but in the kind of white soup plate one might associate with a grandmother’s dining cupboard. Shortly after, a silver soup tureen is presented, from which the soup is ladled at the table. The gesture is theatrical in the most understated way. The soup itself is powerful and deeply flavoured—exactly as tomato soup should be. When the plate is empty, the offer of a second serving comes naturally, almost instinctively. Such generosity feels increasingly rare.
The main course continues in the same vein. A large cut of steak is served, cooked just shy of what one might call saignant, but not yet à point—a doneness that will please many. The optional pepper sauce is a highlight in its own right: rich, assertive, and unmistakably peppery. It tastes of pepper, not cream with a suggestion of spice, a distinction that too many kitchens have forgotten. This is classical brasserie cooking executed with confidence, not irony.
Dessert brings another quiet reminder of how things used to be done. The café glacé is not reduced to a single, bland scoop of mocha ice cream, but served as a generous coupe filled with ice cream that carries a pronounced, pleasantly bitter coffee flavour. It is indulgent without being cloying, and firmly rooted in tradition rather than reinterpretation.
Behind the scenes and in the dining room, Sabine Huyssen ensures that service mirrors the kitchen’s values. Having worked closely with the previous owner, she brings both continuity and a personal touch to the front of house. Together with Sondag, she embodies a model of stewardship rather than authorship. At Ciro’s, knowledge is not replaced; it is handed over.
Ciro’s does not chase novelty, nor does it attempt to modernise its identity to meet external expectations. Instead, it remains proudly committed to the kitchen of yesterday, where flavour takes precedence over fashion. In a dining landscape increasingly driven by reinvention and reinvention alone, Ciro’s stands as a reminder that tradition, when carefully maintained, can be not only relevant but deeply satisfying.
For those willing to embrace the lively atmosphere of a true brasserie and the comfort of time‑honoured cooking, Ciro’s offers something quietly extraordinary: a meal that feels anchored, assured, and unmistakably itself.
Chef: Claude Sondag
Date of visit: March 15th 2026
Website: https://www.ciros.be/
Michelin: Bib Gourmand
Gault & Millau: 13.5
