And then there is Al Fresco, the brand new terrace of the Amigo hotel, which makes you want to extend the aperitif from the first sip of Hugo Spritz. Nestled behind the elegant facade of the Bocconi, the Italian restaurant of the Brussels five -star hotel, Al Fresco promises to be one of the most chic and confidential spots this summer.
This green gem is not the fruit of chance: it is signed Piet Blankaert, a name that is tilt in the world of landscaped design. It has been more than forty years since the architect has transformed our relationships with nature, between minimalist Japanese gardens, poetic urban terraces and vast public landscapes. Here, a stone’s throw from the Grand-Place, he imagined a garden like a scenography, a cozy decor that evolves with daylight, conversations, and the level of glasses that are slowly empty.
Dense foliage, Tuscan jasmine that embalges as soon as you push the door, elegant camellias and climbing plants that isolate from the hubbub of the city center: Al Fresco succeeds in this little miracle of creating intimacy in the heart of Brussels. We are outside, but we feel almost elsewhere. In Milan, maybe? Or in a Paolo Sorrentino film, Belgian version.
Spritz, Cicchetti and discussions with friends
In any case, the inspiration comes from Italy, and more precisely from the sacred ritual of the Aperitivo. This moment suspended between the end of the work and the start of the evening, where you do not look (yet) its watch, but where you take an accomplice eye to the card. In Al Fresco, we command an Hugo, an Americano or a well-dosed negroni, and we peck cicchetti-these small bites halfway between Spanish tapas and Venetian antipasto. Yes, we can stay there for hours. No, it doesn’t matter.
The Carte d’Al Fresco.
Everything is served in elegant dishes, and plates, like cocktails, are to be shared … or not. Here, we don’t judge anyone. The service is up to the place: professional, warm, but never stowed.
© Presses – Gabriel Lilyvre
What also makes the charm of Al Fresco is that it does not jump out. You have to know. Access is by the Bocconi, the emblematic Italian address of the hotel, or by the cozy interior of the Amigo. No large light sign or instagrammable neon – and so much the better. The place is based on discretion, and it works. We meet hotel customers, couples in urban escapade mode, some regulars in the neighborhood … and now, you.
It is this atmosphere that is both exclusive and relaxed that gives the terrace its identity. An elegant parenthesis, without fuss, in a city which sometimes has trouble offering external addresses both trendy and quiet.
Open all summer (if time allows)
Al Fresco opened its doors on June 20, and intends to vibrate the Brussels aperitifs until the end of the summer. The terrace is open in the afternoons and evenings, and can also be privatized for more confidential events. Note: even if the terrace remains well hidden, it is already starting to be talked about. Better to book if you want to make a place in the sun – or to the scented shade of green trellis.
We are not going to lie: in the center of Brussels, the atmosphere sweet life is sometimes difficult to find. This is precisely what makes Al Fresco so nice. It is a garden suspended in time, a place designed to make the end of the day last, a perfect mix between beautiful and good.
Do we secretly hope that this garden remains a little secret? Of course. But we also know that a good spot, it is shared. So we leave you the address, provided you don’t get it too much.
Al fresco – terrasse du bocconi, hôtel friend
Rue de l’Amigo 1-3, 1000 Brussels
Open daily, from June to September (depending on the weather)
© Presses – Gabriel Lilyvre
