Name: Mendo
Address: Rue du Bailli 90, Ixelles, Belgium, Brussels, BE
Telephone: +3202 770 76 66

The story

Mendo Brussels: Handcrafted Ramen and Careful Attention

The Kitchen and Its Philosophy

Mendo Brussels brings a focused approach to Japanese cuisine near the church of the Holy Trinity in Ixelles. The name translates to care or attention, a principle that guides every step inside this dedicated kitchen. After perfecting his techniques across the archipelago, the chef applies that same precision when pulling noodles by hand. Those fresh strands drop directly into steaming bowls prepared with deliberate speed.

Signature Bowls and Accompaniments

The Kurogoma stands out as a concentrated umami experience built around free-range chicken broth. Golden handmade noodles arrive swimming alongside roasted pork belly, marinated vegetables, and a jammy soft-boiled egg. A dark sauce blending black sesame, ginger, and garlic ties the components together. Plant-based diners prefer the warming bowl featuring roasted pumpkin and earthy mushrooms, while sweet tooth visitors often finish with hand-folded gyozas or homemade matcha ice cream.

Room and Setting

Ordinary metal stools line the counter, creating a relaxed environment that keeps the focus squarely on the food. The straightforward layout allows guests to watch the preparation without distraction. That unassuming staging matches the Le Fooding recognition awarded to this Ixelles location. Diners settle in quickly while the steam rises from each freshly assembled plate.

Recognition

Awards & accolades

2026

Le Fooding

Listed

Details

At a glance

Le Fooding 2026 — Listed

Cuisines Japanese

History

On the record

2026

Le Fooding — Listed

In the name of the noodles, and of the broth, and of the super sharp toppings, ramen! A mere hop, skip and a chopstick away from the church of the Holy Trinity sits the temple of Mendo – “care” or “attention” in Japanese. Two vital virtues that the chef (who perfected his art on the archipelago) applies when pulling out his homemade noodles by hand, before dunking them in smoking hot bowls of ramen soup, made in all kinds of versions. We plonk our bums on one of the ordinary-looking metal stools, before tsuru-tsuru-ing the Kurogoma, which is a pure umami bomb of flavor with its rich, free-range, corn-fed chicken broth from which golden noodles emerge, topped with pata negra chasu (a slice of roasted pork belly), marinated veg and half a jammy soft-boiled egg, all doused in a “secret sauce” with a black sesame, ginger and garlic base. What else? There’s the comforting vegetarian option featuring roasted pumpkin and mushrooms, to slurp up to your heart’s content before the “dessert” makes a late arrival, in the guise of some tasty gyozas delicately folded by hand like origami – these things take time, obviously! All the same, those with a sweet tooth will still prefer ordering a scoop of homemade matcha ice cream. // Joséphine Espe

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Established

Location

Find us

Rue du Bailli 90, Ixelles, Belgium
Brussels, Belgium
+3202 770 76 66