Eating Out in Luxembourg

Eating out is at the heart of socialising in Luxembourg. It’s loved by all — from casual teenagers tucking into pizzas to besuited bankers dining on a plat du jour.

While eating ‘al desko’ may be gaining in popularity, one or more hour lunches are still the done thing. In the evenings it’s obligatory to meet with friends, take your time over multiple courses and sample the wine list. Restaurants have one sitting so you can really savour your meal and catch up with your company.

Restaurants are everywhere; even the smallest village will usually have a restaurant or a good cafe providing sustenance to the locals. In fact, a great way to discover Luxembourg is to hop in a car and tuck into a gorgeous meal in a picturesque little village.

Cuisine

Luxembourgers have high standards when it comes to food, whether it’s a perfectly-spiced, medium-rare hamburger in a cafe or a three-course tasting menu at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Traditionally Luxembourgish cuisine is of the hearty, meat and potatoes variety. Try it either as originally prepared or in fusion with other cultures.

But there are plenty of other cuisines with restaurants everywhere, including Italian, Indian and Portuguese.

Lunchtime

If you’re working in Luxembourg you’ll probably get a pack of luncheon vouchers a month, known as cheque repas. Use these to pay for your meal in restaurants, cafes and even your groceries in some supermarkets.

Restaurants generally open 12am-3pm and offer a plat du jour (dish/menu of the day) for a discounted price alongside their a la carte menu.

Supermarkets in Luxembourg often have several restaurants or a food court where you can eat cheaply and well at lunchtime. If you’re in a hurry, bakeries carry a range of sandwiches and some butchers do sausages and hamburgers in rolls for takeaway.

Evenings

Restaurants in Luxembourg tend to open from 6pm to late and close once a week, usually Sunday or Monday. To avoid getting caught out, check their opening times before you head over.

It’s advisable to reserve a table on Friday and Saturday nights. Eating out is a popular way to catch up with mates and wind down after the work week.

Menus are sometimes in French and German only. So if you’re a beginner, bring a bilingual friend along, break out Google Translate or ask the waiter for help. The wine menu may be vast; if you’re not a wine buff a safe option is to order the house wine, which is usually good.

If you don’t fancy leaving the house, pop your address in Wedely or Foostix and order from restaurants online.

Wrapping it Up

With its hearty appetite and cultural melting pot of residents, Luxembourg has the quality and choice to satisfy even the pickiest gourmet. So go ahead and swap those sad, pre-packed sandwiches for long lunches with friends and colleagues.  Follow the lead of the locals and take three hour Sunday brunches with customary lashings of crement.

Your wallet and your waistline may curse you. But your soul with swell with gratitude!

Yvonne Reilly

Yvonne Reilly is a freelance copywriter and editor for hire. Her mission is to make boring business web copy and blogs sparkle. She loves working with businesses to plan and create high-quality content that attracts and converts their target audience. Raised in Dublin and Luxembourg, she considers herself a professional Eurobrat and spends her free time sniffing out travel deals. Contact Yvonne or visit her website for more information on her services and to view her portfolio.