#264 – Nice tapas dinner, somewhat strange combinations, Madonna, Ghent

restaurant review #264 – This review is from a restaurant visit to Madonna a couple of months ago at the beginning of 2020, just before the lockdown measures due to the COVID19 pandemic started.

Madonna is a vegetarian restaurant in the city center of Ghent, near the Sint-Michiels church.
We were here on a weekday for dinner. The restaurant room is spacious, and is old-style with lots of wood on the walls and a high ceiling. A rather dark atmosphere. Wooden chairs (not so comfy).

Madonna, Gent (photo from an earlier visit to Ghent – Sept 2019)

sign on pavement, Madonna, Gent (photo from an earlier visit to Ghent – Sept 2019)

The tapas menu (21€ pp) is the only option (next to that you can choose some small appetizers like olives or nuts, and desserts).
It was said to be no problem to veganize the tapas menu (see photo of menu).

tapas menu of that evening, Madonna, Gent

The 7 courses followed swiftly. No long waits. This is what we had:

Our drinks (homemade lemnoade 4,5€ pp), and pumpkin creme with saffron and sumak, and marinated olives (5€) Madonna, Gent

rice ball with aramé and sesame, Madonna, Gent

red cabbage with spelt and miso, Madonna, Gent

sourdoughbread with parsnip and white bean cream and kale, Madonna, Gent

polenta, carrot and orange; fried potato in white winesaus and bell pepper; onion stuffed with oat, salsify and buck’s-horn plantain, Madonna, Gent

For dessert we shared the parsnip, qumquat and hazelnut crumble (6€).

parsnip, qumquat and hazelnut crumble, Madonna, Gent

Some of the food combinations and flavours were a bit strange (e.g. the large pieces of red cabbage in miso or the parsnip in the dessert, not really my cup of tea) and most of the dishes were cold dishes. Some more warm dishes (especially in winter time) would be nice.

Service was friendly, maybe somewhat reserved and keeping it to the strict minimum.

The restaurant room is on ground floor and is accessible. No accessible toilet. Toilets could use some renovation (working, but very old-school).

interior, Madonna, Gent

Toilets at Madonna, Gent. Why do I include a pic of the toilet? Read about it HERE.

logo of restaurant, Madonna, Gent

All in all: we had a nice dinner for a reasonable price (21 euro/pp for the tapas dinner; the parsnip dessert was 6€ and steep though). Relaxed. Some strange food combinations, but would love to give it another go to try out other creations.

Madonna, location

Poel 7
9000 Gent

0497/16.10.85

website: no website

This review is from before a visit before the lockdown, so please be aware that the setting, menu, etc may have changed meanwhile.

Looking for restaurants?
See my lists of restaurants where vegans are welcome in the menu section of The Bruges vegan! List restaurants in Bruges and outside Bruges.