Matonge's new temple of XXL noodles 🍜

Updated on August 31, 2026 by Pierre

Usually, we walk past without stopping… the line spills onto the sidewalk and we never have the patience to wait. We noticed it when we tested the Ratz Located right across the street… But this time, when we went for brunch in the area, we found the square completely empty of any crowds… It had just opened. The opportunity was too good to pass up. La Taverne de Zhao, this Parisian eatery that became a cult favorite in Brussels for its two-meter-long hand-pulled noodles, has finally crossed the border and set up its steaming bowls on Rue Saint-Boniface, in the heart of Matonge, for its very first Belgian location.

Saint-Boniface, the small cosmopolitan heart of Matonge

If you're not yet familiar with this corner of Ixelles, you should definitely make time for it. Place Saint-Boniface, pedestrianized since 2020, is an island of Art Nouveau facades nestled between Rue de la Paix and Rue Ernest Solvay, with its church as a backdrop and its terraces spilling onto the cobblestones as soon as the first rays of sunshine appear. People have always come here for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, fostered by its location in the heart of Matonge, and for the impressive number of restaurants that have sprung up over the years, from traditional Lyonnais bistros to Korean eateries. It's in this vibrant culinary scene that La Taverne de Zhao has chosen to set up shop.

A Parisian institution that crosses the border

The story begins in 2011 near the Canal Saint-Martin, where the Zhao group gradually built its reputation around a simple promise: authentic Chinese cuisine, generous, unpretentious, and above all, affordable. After a dozen Parisian locations, including Bastille, Opéra, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and Ménilmontant, the group chose Brussels for its first foray outside France, opening on Rue Saint-Boniface in June 2025.

Canteen atmosphere and hastily prepared noodles

Let's be honest, the decor (despite the red ceiling) isn't exactly Instagram-worthy. It's small, a bit chaotic, and you're seated elbow to elbow with your table neighbors. We actually preferred to sit on the terrace: the inside is noisy, between the sounds of the open kitchen and the tables of people slurping their noodles without a care in the world, whereas outside you can enjoy the relative calm of the square while still experiencing the lively atmosphere of the neighborhood. It's precisely in this cheerful chaos that the charm of the place lies, and this is also what the online reviews repeatedly confirm: the generous portions and the speed of service are praised more for the ambiance than for the setting, even on a busy night with only seven covers.

The house specialty is homemade noodles and pasta, offered in about ten different varieties. We personally fell for the spinach, tomato, and beef pasta (€13,8): tender green noodles topped with scrambled eggs with tomato and braised beef in the house's secret sauce, with fresh cabbage, all seasoned with soy sauce, black vinegar, and chili oil, then sprinkled with chives, spices, and cilantro. A generous and comforting bowl, the kind you finish down to the last drop of sauce.

For starters, we tried the golden vegetarian ravioli (€6,5 for six), crispy on the outside, filled with a mixture of cabbage, carrot, black mushroom, soy, and peas, and served with pea shoots, julienned leek, white sesame seeds, balsamic vinegar, and homemade chili oil. A lovely balance between crunchy and tender, a far cry from the somewhat bland steamed ravioli you find elsewhere.

For the sweet note, we opted for black sesame ice cream accompanied by an egg shortbread, a typical dessert that pleasantly changes from the traditional doughnuts or sticky rice often found at the end of a Chinese meal.

If online reviews are to be believed, the menu still holds other gems: the famous Biang Biang noodles Hand-pulled in front of customers, there's a halal chicken version, a cold cucumber variation for hot evenings, bao buns with a flaky texture, crispy fried chicken, and even cold rice noodles liangpi-style, rather rare on Brussels menus. Enough to justify several visits.

A tip if you want to avoid the queue, several regulars confirm this: go at opening time or after 20:45 pm, the service runs quickly but the place is small and the wait can quickly become long at peak times.

Zhao's Tavern Rue Saint-Boniface 34, 1050 Ixelles Open every day, Monday to Friday from 12pm to 14:30pm and from 18pm to 22:30pm, weekends continuously from 12pm to 22:30pm.