Hashtag Burgers

“I like hashtags because they look like waffles.” It makes sense, right? Situated on rue Pletinckx, a new restaurant by the name Hashtag pays tribute to this Belgian delicacy in a very original way. It’s at the same time a very Belgian place and a beautiful hipster gem. If you love waffles and fries, or both combined, Hashtag is your place to be.

Somewhere in between a fast food place and a restaurant, Hashtag revisited the concept of plain hamburgers by giving them a very Belgian touch. Instead of bread, the burgers come wrapped in Belgian waffles. Yes, you read that right. They’ve even developed a unique recipe for the dough that contains a minimal amount of sugar, yet stays close to the classical sweet waffle.

As for the burgers, the options are:

• Belgian (with the chef’s sauce, Belgian cheese, fried chicken, red onions and salad)
• American (with barbecue sauce, cheddar, bacon, fried chicken, pulled chicken, fried onions, tomatoes and salad)
• Indian (with curry yogurt sauce, tandoori fried chicken, curcuma and mango chutney)
• British (with pistachio tartare, fried codfish, fresh herbs, pickles and salad)
• Italian (with basil mayo, fried chicken, mozzarella, rucola, sundried tomatoes and olive tapenade).

Optionally, you can combine these with a portion of fries, which equally come in different flavors. Pay attention to the correct terminology on their Belgian fries menu ;-) (much appreciated!)

• Original (authentic Belgian fries)
• Cheesy (Belgian fries topped with melted cheese)
• Beefstew (Belgian fries topped with homemade beefstew)
• Chiliconcarne (Belgian fries topped with chili con carne, jalapenos and cilantro)

They also have a brunch menu which is very unique. Never before have I heard of waffles & salmon, waffles & eggs, or waffles & granola… but I’d love to try some day!

As all the recipes sound very original and equally tasty, we had a hard time to pick only one. In the end I went for the American and my partner for the Belgian. We were served a beautiful platter filled with colors (and calories, but ssssshhhht). The waffles looked great and came with a personal name tag.

Another surprise hid inside our waffle burgers: although the dough looks normal on the outside, the waffles were respectively pink and blue on the inside. That’s definitely a first!

The colorful food definitely matches the high Instagram factor of the place. It’s beautifully designed with large bright windows, pink walls and a small vertical garden. If you want to get that perfect Instagram photo, aim for the bench by the window which features the catchy hashtag slogan on the wall. Share your best photo on Instagram using the hashtag #ilovehashtagwaffles and you get a chance to win a brunch for two.

Practical information

• Address: Rue Pletinckx 55, 1000 Brussels
• More information on the Hashtag Brussels website
• The burgers cost 9,50 to 11,50 EUR whereas the fries are between 3 and 5 EUR, meaning a full menu without drinks will set you back around 15 EUR. The portions are large and filling, so make sure you’re hungry if you decide to order fries.

Comments

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