The story
Le Temps des Cerises, at Rue des Brasseurs 22 in Namur, is a Belgian brasserie in the old town that earned a Gault&Millau score of 12 for 2026. The kitchen works with regional produce and long-standing Belgian dishes, served in a room that has been a fixture of the local dining scene for decades.
Dominique "Dodo" Renson, a former forester who became a chef, has built the menu around the produce of the Namur region. The seasonal card changes about every two months, so regulars find new plates beside their old favourites. Local producers supply much of what reaches the table.
The house specialty is pig's snout with Sambre et Meuse sauce, a creamy tarragon and tomato sauce from the area. Snails cooked Namur-style, a gratinéed ham knuckle and cassolette namuroise made with peket also appear on the menu. Lunch runs as three courses for around 29 euros, and midday regulars return for it.
The tables are dressed in gingham, and the walls carry the signatures of actors, musicians and other visitors who stopped in while passing through Namur. Wine is chosen with care, and the aperitif to try is Florange, a house drink flavoured with citrus and spices.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
The storefront is red, the tablecloths are gingham, the produce is often locally sourced, the walls are scrawled with the autographs of stars who’ve popped in for a bite while passing through Namur, and the ambiance ebbs and flows depending on boss Dominique Renson’s mood. For the past 36 years, he’s been giving traditional Lyonnaise bouchons a run for their money, with dishes like: Beuzet Gros Gris snails served Namur-style braised in beer or veal sweetbreads with morel mushrooms, two wonderfully sauce-y starters topped with a pastry croustade that sure sent us into a tizzy; followed by a 300-gram Irish rib-eye steak served with the local specialty sauce Sambre et Meuse (a creamy tarragon and tomato sauce), a side of fries cooked in beef fat, plus homemade mayo; or – unless you prefer pig’s snout, the house specialty, if that floats your boat – humongous knuckle of ham, so perfectly cooked it could bring a tear to your eye, served with a Bister mustard sauce as an epitaph; and a baba au rhum with Malaga raisin ice cream that promised to be “epic” – but despite our best efforts, our bellies were full. Lovers of vegetables and moderate portions, walk on by. // Idoine Gérard
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