Restaurant review #67 – Restaurant Réliva is one of our favourite places to go dining out in Bruges. It is not an all vegan restaurant, but one of the few places in Bruges where there’s standardly a vegan menu available.
We have been here several times over the years, which is quite often actually, since it only opened in 2012! I have already written three reviews of restaurant Réliva. You can find those reviews, with many more photos of the food, the interior, and also the terrace at the back here.

This review is from a visit in February 2016, when we were there with friends.
There is a 3 course vegan menu (35€) or you can choose from two vegan starters and three vegan main courses. We were glad to see the menu had changed since our last visits, and were eager to try out the new dishes!

For drinks I had a fresh vegetable juice 6€. Tonic was 2,50€. Our friends had a bottle of bio-vegan rosé, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo (25€). Good to see they have vegan labelled wine available, one of the few places in Bruges that we know of.
We started with some raw kale chips with spirulina (9€) for the four of us as a small appetizer. And then we were served a nice amuse gueule.

As a starter, we all chose the carpaccio of root vegetables, Jerusalem artichoke, vegan parmesan with argan oil, which was 16€. The other option was a “detox” soup from red beets, but we didn’t fancy a detox 😉

These were our main dishes:
– Oriental coconut curry with ‘forgotten vegetables’, lemon confit, buckwheat, 23€
– Raw vegetable noodles, spirulina pesto, vegan parmesan, turnip confit in garlic oil, 21€
– Quinoa stuffed portobello mushroom, tempeh, bean sauce with raw cacao, chipotle pepper, 25€

For dessert, we ordered the chocomousse, at this visit the only vegan dessert available (avocado mousse with cacao, maca and spirulina, 8€)

The dishes were all beautifully presented and tasted really good. Portions are big (and way too much for me, but Jim could handle it 😉 . It’s a pleasure to go dining out to a restaurant where the chef really makes an effort to create original and varied vegan dishes.

Réliva is a family run restaurant and service is very friendly. Atmposphere is relaxed and enjoyable. They are also very knowledgeable about ingredients and what vegan means and have picked up on suggestions over the years (eg about vegan bread, wine, cookie to go with the coffee, …) which can only be applauded! These are usually the kind of things that a lot of traditional restaurants do not take notice of.

About the prices. 35€ for the three course vegan menu is definitely good value for money. Be aware though, that when you go for three course à la carte, it does lift prices considerably (16 + 25 + 8 = 49€).But even so, it is one of the best places in Bruges – if not the best – for vegan dining!

EDIT: See several reviews HERE. Our last visit was beginning of 2017.
UPDATE Summer 2017: prices have increased, vegan options have decreased (only one vegan option), and strict and selective reservation policy (eg pay deposit to confirm reservation).
UPDATE 2022: Réliva is no longer serving vegan dishes, also not on request. So disappointing … 😦

Réliva, location
Goezeputstraat 6
8000 Brugge / Bruges

050/33.13.07

website: http://www.reliva.be

See our lists of restaurants where vegans are welcome in the menu section of The Bruges vegan! List restaurants in Bruges and around Bruges