Some encounters span decades. I met Joe Harika when he was barely ten years old and his father, Elie, was already running La Châtelaine du Liban. Back then, I was organising, together with Bruno Bayet, the Fiesta Latina, which he had launched on Place du Châtelain. Suffice to say the neighbourhood and its restaurateurs are familiar to me. What a pleasure, all these years later, to find Joe at the helm of his own projects, while carrying on the family adventure!
For Les Branchés de la capitale, we head to Ralph, one of those new Brussels addresses where getting a table is becoming a real challenge, such is its success. The capital’s beautiful people seem to have made it their meeting place: well-known and recognised personalities, influencers, Instagrammers, entrepreneurs and regulars of fashionable spots. This whole little world gathers there around a fine bottle, in an atmosphere where you come as much to see as to be seen.
With its open kitchen cooking over a wood fire, its grill in the middle of the dining room, its remarkable wine selection and its convivial atmosphere, Ralph quickly found its place among the capital’s trendiest addresses. Meet a restaurateur who has clearly inherited his father’s entrepreneurial fibre.
A family affair
Carl De Moncharline: Joe, I knew you as a kid, when your father was already running La Châtelaine du Liban. To start with, remind me a little of your origins and your journey.
Joe Harika: We are 100% Lebanese! My father, Elie, arrived in Belgium in 1976. I still work in the family businesses, notably at La Châtelaine du Liban, while developing other establishments.
Do you go back to Lebanon regularly?
Fairly rarely, unfortunately. It is not always the right time to go.
Let’s talk about Ralph. What possessed you to open a new restaurant at a time when the Brussels hospitality sector is going through a particularly difficult period?
At first, we simply wanted to take a small space to do takeaway. We had found a place and started the works. Then, right in the middle of the construction site, we said to ourselves: no, in the end, we want to make a real restaurant! So we changed everything, started over and decided to create a place that simply brings together all the things we love. Without thinking too much about costs, turnover or the number of people we would need to hire. We practically didn’t look at the numbers!
It is perhaps easier when you grew up in the restaurant business and already benefit from the experience of a well-established family house?
Above all, we wanted to do things the way we like them, do them well and offer something people would enjoy. We focused first on the restaurant we wanted to create, before worrying about the figures.
Ralph, a Lebanese restaurant? Not at all!
Precisely, what is Ralph’s Lebanese touch?
There is absolutely none, apart from us! We wanted to offer good dishes, plates to share, generous portions, good wine and a friendly team. Quite simply the things we like to find ourselves when we go out to a restaurant.
And why did you choose the name Ralph?
It is my brother’s first name.
Does he work with you?
Not yet! But we hope he will join us one day. Family is important to us, and it would be a real pleasure to continue this adventure together.
Wine, a true passion
Let’s talk about wine, because you have an excellent sommelier. I had already come across Arnaud at Miss Rose back in the day. What is his background?
Arnaud studied wine in Beaune, France. He arrived in Belgium a few years ago and notably worked at Amen before joining us. He put together our entire wine list.
I noticed a fine selection, particularly in biodynamics, with a balance between great houses and more confidential discoveries.
We work a lot with biodynamic wines, but we do not offer natural wines. We favour fairly traditional wines, made with great care. Today we have around 80 references, but our goal is to reach 200 to 220 references within the next two or three months. As soon as we discover new suppliers or interesting cuvées, we enrich our cellar. We also have a clientele that particularly appreciates wine. Some come specifically for it.
What I appreciated about Arnaud is also his way of advising. He knows his wines, knows how to explain them, but never tries to force a sale.
That is exactly what we are looking for. There are many sommeliers who try to push customers towards certain bottles. Personally, I don’t like that. The role of a good sommelier is to share knowledge, to advise and to make people want to discover.
The wood fire at the heart of the restaurant
Let’s come to the kitchen. The meat is particularly remarkable at your place. What is your secret?
First, we buy all our meats directly in France, at Rungis. We get a delivery once a week and we look above all for consistent quality. I find that some Belgian suppliers do not always offer the expected quality relative to the prices charged. So we preferred to source our products directly from France.
Does that also allow you to offer better prices?
Not necessarily. We buy, for example, certain rib steaks at 58 euros per kilo. We don’t make huge margins on meat, but we insist on offering an irreproachable product. Then, everything is in the mastery of the cooking. A good piece of meat, perfectly grilled over a wood fire and above all left to rest long enough before being served. That is where the whole secret lies.
Ralph’s great particularity is this open kitchen and this grill installed right in the middle of the dining room.
Exactly. We cook over a wood fire, with a grill that occupies a central place in the restaurant. At first, we didn’t particularly want to open a meat restaurant. But things happened naturally. Customers started coming, then coming back for our grilled meats. We also offer fish and we would like to develop that part of our menu further. Fish grilled over a wood fire is something we absolutely love.
But in Brussels, meat seems to be more successful?
That’s true. We are not by the sea and people come to us more spontaneously to eat meat. But we work hard to introduce our fish.
Saturday lunch, another way to have lunch
Ralph has already been open for eight months. And clearly, the customers are there!
Yes, it is going rather well. We are open in the evening, from Tuesday to Saturday, as well as Saturday lunchtime, where we offer a slightly special formula. We call it the Saturday Lunch. Each week, we showcase a specific product: a whole turbot, chicken, pork… The idea is to offer beautiful, generous pieces, to share.
At a fixed price?
No, the price depends on the product. Obviously, a whole turbot doesn’t cost the same as a chicken! We announce the menu on our social networks and we also talk about it to customers who come to dinner during the week. Some already book their table based on what we will offer the following Saturday.
A team that makes all the difference
Since the beginning of our conversation, you constantly use the word “we”. Who is hiding behind this we?
The whole restaurant team! It has been the same since our opening, by the way. There is Arnaud, who takes care of the wines, our kitchen team and notably Eli, our grillardin, who is responsible for the meats and their selection. He already knows a large part of our clientele. It is important for us to work with a stable team, where everyone knows their trade and maintains a real relationship with the customers.
Finally, if you had to give me three good reasons to come to Ralph, what would they be?
The team, the wine and the meat!
And the Saturday fish, all the same!
Obviously! We definitely intend to develop it further.
A family story that keeps being written
Leaving Joe, I think back to the kid I knew several decades ago, in the Châtelain neighbourhood. Today, here he is at the helm of an address that attracts all of Brussels, with its wood-fire grill, its ever-growing cellar, its loyal team and its generous plates.
Ralph is also a fine illustration of this new generation of restaurateurs who, without denying their roots, invent their own universe. Here, no Lebanese cuisine, but another way of welcoming people, with that generosity which is decidedly a family affair.
And I cannot help but spare a thought for his father, Elie, whom I have known for so many years. What a pleasure to see how much his children have flourished in the trade to which he devoted a large part of his life. That is also the success of a fine house: passing on a passion and watching the next generation give it a new impetus.
As for Ralph, Joe’s brother, we do hope he will end up joining the adventure. After all, a restaurant that bears your first name is already quite an invitation!
About this interview
Interview conducted by Carl De Moncharline, on 29 September 2026 in Brussels, with the help of Plaud for recording and transcription, then artificial intelligence tools for editorial formatting. Our editorial team fully embraces the use of these technologies: they save time and render the exchanges with greater fidelity. The remarks have been reorganised and slightly rephrased to facilitate reading, without any intention of altering their meaning. Artificial intelligence remains a tool in the service of the journalist, not a substitute for human encounter.
Ralph Brussels — Practical information
Rue du Châtelain 10, 1050 Ixelles — Mediterranean cooking over fire. Dinner Tuesday to Saturday; also open Saturday lunchtime. Reservations: www.ralphbrussels.com
