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Did the job

4 Posted on 04 / 05 / 2013

It took a while to get to from the centre, but was worth a bit of a trek at least once. Lovely decor, inviting buffet. Slightly stressy staff, which was ironic given the omnipresent Buddhist theme! A bit of an emotional rollercoaster ride, as the buffet was at first glance promising; then it was revealed that none of the more exciting-looking options were vegan; then it turned out the simple-looking salads and seasoned hot vegetables were bursting with exceptional flavour and left one filling well-fed after just one smallish plate. I didn't think any of the desserts (a large selection of tarts and cakes) would be vegan, but one was, and my oh my. That apple tart was something else. Desserts were strictly restricted to one per person, otherwise I would have taken one or two portions with me for breakfast! I found the atmosphere overall not terribly relaxing, perhaps the staff were having a bad day, and the fact I was sitting on my own in a high traffic area (watching people bump into the spiral staircase) probably didn't help. But I went there looking for food I could eat that would make me feel satisfied, and I found it.

Pros: Delicious, flavoursome, healthy food, Reasonable price, Very pleasant decor and soothing music
Cons: Far from the centre, Stressy staff (that night), Ovo-lacto options envy!

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Lovely food in a great atmosphere

4 Posted on 01 / 27 / 2013

I really enjoyed my dining experience at Dolma and would happily return.

It is a very colourful, homely restaurant, with warm wooden flooring and an interesting selection of world photography on the walls. The buffet selection is towards the front with most of the seating in a slightly raised area at the back. It was actually very busy as we went on a Saturday night but it wasn't loud and there was atmospheric lighting.

The restaurant is buffet only - Eur 18 for lunch and 22 for dinner. Considering that you can eat starters, mains and a dessert for this, I think the price is reasonable. If you are not hungry and only want a starter or dessert, you can choose something from their a la carte menu.

The buffet menu is available online in advance. There is soup (which the manager said is always vegan) with seeded bread. Last night, it was a vegetable soup which was nice and light. The salads included dolmades, lambs lettuce, bean salad, and a few which weren't vegan (radish salad, cabbage salad). For mains, I ate tofu in a sweet and creamy sauce, rice and chickpea stew, steamed vegetables and a slice of tofu and lentil loaf (all delicious). My non vegan friend also ate the other mains including a mushroom and butternut squash dish, and tempeh dish.

My only grumble was with the dessert: There was only one vegan dessert (a fruit compote with rice cream/milk) which was good but I think needed a little more sweetness. I would have ordinarily been happy with this elsewhere but in my opinion, it wasn't as tempting as the 5 non-vegan desserts on offer (apple tart, vanilla and chocolate cake, chestnut and chocolate cake etc.) My friend loved the vanilla and chocolate cake.

We also shared a carafe of lovely, organic white wine.

Pros: Atmosphere, Tasty food

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Key veg' restaurant in Brussels

4 Posted on 01 / 06 / 2013

Known by all the vegetarians in Brussels, it's a must.
Menu changes everyday and I have never beeen desappointed. They always have salads, soups and warm dishes.Always nicely spiced and delicious. Price include one desert as well. It's quite expensive (22 euros for dinner) but it's worth it... especially if you can eat a lot.
It's one place I can take my non-vegetarians friends knowing they will like it, and even ask to go back!

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"Decent"

3 Posted on 04 / 18 / 2012

The idea of Dolma was a lot more exciting than the food itself. An all you can eat vegetarian buffet with Belgian/French flavors was something my wife and I thought sounded like a good evening, but when we went the first night of our trip we were told we'd need reservations, so we ended up making reservations for the next night while there. Dolma is not cheap, but it is all you can eat (but how much will you really end up eating?), so I guess that's to be expected.
The food wasn't bad. There was quiche and other French-influenced dishes, but it wasn't the best vegetarian dinner you can get in Brussels. However, the neighborhood has plenty of bars around to start (or end) the evening, and the restaurant itself is very nice.

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Great option for vegans

5 Posted on 07 / 15 / 2011

We went to Dolma during the last week of May and we found there to be plenty of vegan options in Dolma's daily buffet. We let the manager know that we were vegan and he pointed out all the vegan dishes, which that day, were the majority on offer. We had a choice of 5 salads and 5 hot dishes as well as 2 desserts. Everything was well prepared and tasty.

Pros: helpful staff, wide variety of dishes, good desserts
Cons: closes in July

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One of my favorite restaurants

5 Posted on 04 / 05 / 2011

Having grown up in Belgium, I've had many occasions to eat in this restaurant and it never failed me! It's rather cheap (even cheaper for lunch) and the food is always good!
I've brought numerous friends here including very big meat eaters who were usually quite skeptical when I told them it was a vegetarian restaurant. Well, ALL of them wanted to go back.
I usually like the concept of all-you-can-eat buffets and this one really is the best I've had so far. It includes salads, soups, different sorts of rice (and such), hot dishes and dessert. Know that you won't be limited for the actual buffet but are allowed only one dessert. But well... You'll have eaten so much already that the dessert will only be pure indulgence.
There used to be a small "a la carte" menu but I don't know if it's still the case.
Note that most things are not vegan.

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nice place - buffet, limited vegan options

3 Posted on 02 / 27 / 2011

Great place for vegetarians! nice buffet (hot and cold plates), changing daily.
Choice for vegans is often limited though, although Dolma now always posts the menu on FB and website so you can check in advance how many options are vegan.
Organic food shop next door.
Very friendly people.
Is a bit out of the way if you are only visiting the city center (15 minutes walk from from subway station Porte de Namur).

Pros: buffet - choice, friendly
Cons: limited vegan options, location

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Not good for vegans

2 Posted on 02 / 17 / 2011

I went to this place in February 2011, and it was quite a disappointment. Except for roasted potatoes there were no warm vegan options, and the salad bar was also limited for vegans. There were two vegan desserts though, but this didn't make up for it. I recommend checking the menu online before you go as they now also state which options are vegan. On the plus side the staff was very friendly, and the store next door is pretty good.

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Home!

4 Posted on 09 / 12 / 2010

never tried the restaurant but I go to the shop 2 or 3 times a week;
Why I like Dolma:
- delicious fresh fuits and vegetables
- plenty of choice
- the atmosphere
- the prices are affordable
- open till 8pm
- the location (near Place Flagey... and above all, near my own place -lucky me!!!!!!!!!!!)

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Worth the walk

3 Posted on 09 / 28 / 2009

Despite being a fast 15+ minute walk from the nearest Metro station (we'd advise you to hop on a bus heading south down Chaussee d'Ixelle) it was worth it. Good selection of fresh raw and cooked foods in lunch buffet, vegan options (which were the majority of those on offer) helpfully pointed out by staff, although no vegan desserts sadly. But what of that? - we were stuffed to the gills after a piled high plateful of the savouries each. Fuel for the long walk back ... uphill this time.

Pros: Tasty food, Interesting decor, Helpful staff
Cons: No vegan desserts, Long way from Metro

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Eat as much as you can!

4 Posted on 01 / 08 / 2009

Dolma is a nice place with friendly service and cool customers. The day I happenned to eat there nearly everything on the menu was vegan, so I was rather happy. It might seem a bit expensive at first, but considering that you can eat as much as you want it is really not so bad. I was quite hungry when I got there so I had three platefulls of delicious stuff and was very happy. The only minus is the desert: they were able to make a milk- and sugarfree cake but not eliminate the eggs. In fact they seemed quite determined that it was impossible to make a tart or a cake without using eggs. I'm thinking of sending them some of my vegan recipes...
In a word: even without the desert it was worth it and I'd surely go back for some more.

Pros: vegan friendly, good food, all you can eat buffet
Cons: expensive in the evening, no vegan desert options

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Nice buffet, but expensive

3 Posted on 11 / 30 / 2007

Dolma's buffet is simple, but tasty, with a few vegan options. Their salads are fresh, and their rice and cabbage dishes are wonderful. I just wish they had at least one main-course vegan dish; most of them seemed to be lacto-vegetarian. Also, there were no vegan desserts. Service is friendly and our waiter spoke English, wish helped. The decor is quiet and cute. Lunch buffet is 15 euros (US$21), and for dinner it's 18 euros (US$25), both of which seem extremely high, given the simplicity of the food and that it's a buffet. But pure vegetarian and vegan options are limited in Brussels, so they can afford to charge that much.

Pros: Taste, Service, Simplicity
Cons: Expensive, Few vegan main dishes

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Dolma, Brussels

4 Posted on 05 / 28 / 2007

1 price self serve Buffet style restaurant on Brussels Southern side. Accessed via a health food shop of the same name. There were no restaurant tables free when I went so I was given a place to eat in the bar (as were lots of others). This turned out to be very handy for the buffet. English spoken by staff very helpful in explaining to me what was suitable for vegan veggies (lots). Good value if you are looking to seriously feed up. Tasty food. The other customers were also very pleasant. Well worth a visit.

Pros: Vegen veggie options, tasty, Tasty food, self serve
Cons: Not the most central