Saturday 9 October 2010

Capolino, Place Jourdan, Brussels


For a traditional pizzeria, Capolino has a stylish red facade and a fairly funky, but smoky, adjoining bar. However, the restaurant itself has painted brick walls, a bland white floor and neat rows of closely-packed dark wooden tables, while the stereo plays tired pop classics, such as Cherish by Kool and the Gang. The very lengthy menu features a wide selection of pizzas for around €12, as well as salads, risottos, pasta, fish and meat dishes. The highlight of the reasonable sea food risotto (€13), which needs seasoning, are the juicy mussels, while the mixed-salad (€3.25) is fresh, large and well-dressed.  You can get a pint of well-chilled Jupiler beer for €5.5 or there are Italian wines available by the glass or the bottle. Service by the weary waiters in waist-coats can feel a bit overbearing. Unfortunately, Capolino, which can be half-empty on a weekday, really lacks atmosphere. 5/10