San Daniele

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Family Story, Four Decades in the Making

San Daniele was founded in 1983 by Antonio Spinelli and his wife in Ganshoren, where what began as a small family restaurant quietly grew into a reference point for Italian gastronomy in the Brussels area. Today, Antonio's son Franco Spinelli carries that legacy forward from a new address in Sint-Martens-Bodegem (Dilbeek), bringing the same spirit — and the same exacting standards — to a fresh chapter.

Franco's path to the stove was shaped by some of Belgium's most demanding kitchens: Michel Addons at the Hyatt, La Villa Lorraine during its three-star era, and De Bijgaarden. He is now a member of both the Académie Culinaire de France and the Federazione Italiana Cuochi — credentials that speak to a career built on rigour and craft. In the dining room, Stefano Spinelli ensures that the warmth of the welcome matches the precision on the plate.

This dedication to Italian cuisine earned San Daniele recognition from Gambero Rosso, the authoritative Italian food and wine guide, which awarded the restaurant a fork — a mark of quality that reflects both the kitchen's ambition and its consistency.

The Menu

The centrepiece is the five-course Menu Don Antonio, named in honour of the founder. It opens with a beef carpaccio in the style of Harry's Bar — artichoke, Parmesan, rocket — before moving to a bluefin tuna tartare with foie gras and candied lemon. A paccheri with mussel ragout, clams and monkfish follows, then slow-cooked veal fillet with confit celeriac, Rossini and wild mushrooms, closing with a local pear served alongside a Sacher biscuit and chocolate dolce mayonnaise. The menu is served per table at €130 per person.

À la carte, the Italian kitchen reveals its range: lightly smoked scallops with black truffle and Jerusalem artichoke emulsion, lobster ravioli with squid ink, tajarin with white or black truffle, sole San Daniele with grey shrimps and beurre blanc, and calves' liver prepared in the Venetian manner. Desserts include a vanilla panna cotta with passion fruit espuma and Amaretto sabayon, and a pineapple ravioli with liquorice crème brûlée and mascarpone.

A lunch formula is also available at €60 per person.

Setting and Services

The elegant dining room is designed for unhurried meals. A terrace opens in fine weather, and ample parking is available — a practical advantage for guests coming from across the Brussels region. For private occasions, Franco also works as a private chef on Sundays, Mondays and public holidays for groups of fifteen or more, bringing Italian gastronomy directly to the host's home.