If you are looking for somewhere special for Christmas this year look no further than the fine city of Liege/Luik.
Its festive market must be one of the best not just in Belgium but the whole of Europe. It is so good there are, in fact, a few Xmas markets, not just one, scattered around the city.
You are sure of a great day out, sampling the best of Wallonian bonhomie at this special time of the year.
After spending fun time traipsing around the hundreds of stalls, ice rink, kids slope etc you may also have worked up quite an appetite.
And, equally, there can be no better place to sate your hunger than Cite Du Dragon, a culinary institution if ever there was.
Situated in the atmospheric and very pretty old quarter of Liege (very close to the wonderful cathedral), this magnificent Chinese restaurant has been going strong now for decades, a real achievement in the often volatile world of horeca. It has seen off the ravages of the pandemic and an economic crisis.
In a country full of, sometimes mediocre, Asian eating places, this is a particularly excellent restaurant, well worth the relatively straightforward excursion from Brussels.
Despite the explosion of Chinese restaurants everywhere in the intervening years, including fast food, low budget wok places, it’s still a cut above the rest.
It’s got a great fixed menu with the whole range of traditional dishes (fish, beef, chicken, pork). All are absolutely terrific but if there is a house speciality it is the Peking duck which, surely, does not come any better than here.
Unlike a lot of places which buy in the duck frozen ready made, here the duck is all prepared, fresh, on site.
It is a famous dish, of course, whose origins date back to the Song Dynasty and you really should try it as it is delicious. Another great option is the beef in a spicy sauce, among the favourites with the restaurant’s loyal customers.Des de porc a la sauce aigre-douce and poulet en beignets sauce aigre-douce are just two of a very nice choice of meat mains.
Particularly popular is the “eat-as-much-as-like” self service buffet which is available on Saturday nights. The buffet, featuring all the traditional Chinese favourites, is priced just €30 per person (drinks excluded). Great value for money.
There are numerous,differently named, fixed menus including the “Yang” menu, €32 pp, “Dragon” menu, €39pp and a degustation menu.
A 3-course full duck is also served along with a full piglet (this must be ordered a week in advance and is for 6-8 people).
If you are around at lunchtime from Monday to Friday there is also a special lunch menu at just €17pp consisting of a choice of starters and mains.
Like the very extensive menu, the restaurant is huge, seating over 120 people, and very much has what might be called an aquatic theme (fish are a Chinese symbol of good luck).There are well stocked fish tanks, plants and aquariums everywhere you look and it all lends itself to a particularly relaxing – and certainly different – setting than is normally found in restos in Belgium. Some of the fish are imported from the Far East and look out also for the splendid aquatic garden at the rear of the restaurant.
You could say that any visit here is something of an aquatic treat as well as a culinary one!
There is also a very good wine and drinks list, including a very good Chinese beer. If you are looking for a great spot for a business meeting it is worth bearing in mind this place also as a rooftop space (open during the summer) for such events.
The success of this lovely place over all these year though, has less to do with good fortune and more to do with a continued determination to serve the very best of Asian cuisine.
Its continued popularity is also very much down to the owner and her dedicated and hard working team who make a visit here so special, whether it is Christmas or any time of the year. They include staff members like Amine, who is actually from Morocco but knows his stuff when it comes to Chinese cuisine and guides you through the card . .. and all with a smile.
Before the resto opened and transformed to the “exotic” place it is today this used to be a meeting place for religious students. It is not an exaggeration to say that it now offers some heavenly food! This is a great family tradition that stretches back many years and, today, is being wonderfully maintained by its owners.
It is, surely, both the biggest and oldest resto in this excellent city.It is run by a Vietnamese-born lady whose sister (Liem) also runs a resto of the same name in Uccle, Brussels.
Chinese New Year is fast approaching (2026 has been designated the Year of the Horse) so, if you cannot make it for Xmas pencil in a visit here for that occasion.
Cite Du Dragon
rue Soeurs de Hasques 5, Liege
Tel: 04 223 1323
www.citedudragon.be
Other great places to go eat over the holidays here
