VanFoodies.com

After our dinner at Le Parisien, we wanted something sweet to end our evening of non-stop chatters. Someone suggested Nero Waffles and since I haven’t been, I was more than happy to oblige.

And they weren’t kidding about the long line-ups. It was 9:00pm on a Friday evening and we were lucky enough to get a table for 4 after just a 30-minute wait.

Food

The menu is pretty straightforward: Brussels or Liege waffles, then choose your toppings. Between the four of us we shared one of each kind so we could compare and pick out our favourite. For the Brussels waffle we went for Bresilienne. It had a scoop of vanilla ice cream along with caramel sauce and sprinkle of chopped hazelnut and loads of whipped cream. It looked really good! It was rich and creamy, but I thought the waffle was a bit too dry and crispy. It crumbled as we dug our knives in it, and while its description is “light and crispy”, I expected it to be softer in texture. MR and LW both have tried the Brussels waffle in the past and they both said their last experience was not as crispy. Maybe it got too busy and the waffle was in the maker for a few seconds longer?!

As for the Liege waffle we got the Fruity topping, which featured seasonal fruit including banana, strawberries, kiwi, blackberries, raspberries, and orange slices. They are really not shy about whipped cream because again, there was a generous serving of whipped cream on the waffle. It had the dense yet soft texture that authentic Liege should have, plus the sweetness from the sugared batter. It’s chewy but I did enjoy the bite that it had.

Based on the quality of these two waffles, I personally preferred the Liege waffle. Mmmm reminded me of the one I had with dark chocolate sauce in Brussels (pic below)!!

Service

Despite the volume of people at the little cafe, I have to commend them for keeping it up and pumping out waffles and coffees quickly. There were 3 people working the 2 waffle machines and managing the 22-seaters (including patio), which was not easy.

I also appreciate the fact that they care about the quality of product and would not let you order the wrong combo. We were going to order the Bresilienne on Liege but with their recommendation we chose the Brussels waffle instead.

Final Thoughts

Nero’s waffles are quite good but it’s a bit pricey (works out to be close to $10 each after tax) given its downtown location. Now that the weather has gotten nicer and days are longer I’m sure more people would be out later – while they’re good, I don’t know if I would wait much longer for them. I suppose you could order take out, but it wouldn’t taste the same.

Nero Belgian Waffle Bar
1703 Robson Street, Vancouver
778-712-0694
nerowaffles.ca