Au Repos des Chasseurs
- his story through History -
since 1683
Once upon a time, at the Sonian Forest's edge
Watermael Boitsfort
Some places defy time. Addresses that have witnessed the passing of reigns, wars, revolutions and culinary fashions, yet remain, stubbornly, like witnesses of stone and timber at the edge of the same forest path. Au Repos des Chasseurs, in Watermael-Boitsfort, is one of them.
Imagine yourself in 1683. Louis XIV reigns over Versailles, the Siege of Vienna has just repelled the Ottomans, and at the southern gates of Brussels, in the embrace of oaks and beeches of the Sonian Forest, a building rises to welcome those who will long be called the masters of these lands: the Duke’s huntsmen.
- 13th century -
Boitsfort, seat of the ducal hunt
To understand Au Repos des Chasseurs, we must travel back to the heart of the Middle Ages, when Boitsfort was still a tiny hamlet nestled against the Woluwe river, under the protective shadow of the great Dukes of Brabant.
Around the middle of the 13th century, these princes decided to transfer their hunting administration from Leuven to the Sonian Forest. Boitsfort becomes, for several centuries, the seat of the Grand Huntsman. Over a hundred hounds found refuge here. The village grew, literally, in the shadow of hunting horns.
“In 1282, Duke John I, the victor of Woeringen, had a chapel built near the ducal castle in honour of Saint Hubert, patron of hunters. Boitsfort rang throughout feudal Europe as the name of a hunting capital”
- Chronicles of the Dukes of Brabant -
- 1683 -
The birth of a legendary inn
It is in 1683 — a date that archives hold precious — that the establishment takes on the form that gives it its identity as an inn. The Terhulpen road had been connected, two years earlier, to the road to Waterloo. Hunters return from the forest hungry, soaked with autumn rain. They need a roof, a table, a fire.
Au Repos des Chasseurs is born of this immemorial need: that of the man returning from the woods who seeks warmth and sustenance. The name could not be more explicit. Here, one rests. Here, one eats. Here, one drinks.
International travel platforms record the establishment with a construction year of 1683, making it one of the oldest hospitality venues still operating in the Brussels region — with over 340 years of continuous history at the same address.
- 18th century -
Under the Habsbourgs
and Ferraris map
The 18th century sees the Sonian Forest change its face. Joachim Zinner methodically transforms it into an almost pure beech forest — those cathedral-like hêtraies that today enjoy international fame. The Ferraris Map immortalises Boitsfort in its forest clearing.
The Ferraris Map, drawn up in the 1770s, immortalises the village of Boitsfort in its forest clearing. The establishment is visible on it, an unmissable stopping point on the road leading from Brussels to La Hulpe. The inn then fed a colourful clientele: wealthy Brussels bourgeois, foresters, monks from Rouge-Cloître and Groenendael. Eels from the Woluwe found their way — au vert — into the cooking pots.
- 19th century -
Belgium is born,
an institution is forged
In 1830, Belgium is born. Leopold II, the builder-king, lays out the Boulevard du Souverain and opens up Boitsfort to the wider world once and for all. The Boitsfort Racecourse takes shape in the forest clearing. Brusselers flock there on Sundays. And the inn, by now a hotel-restaurant, expands to welcome this new bourgeois clientele — people who love the forest, as long as it comes with comfort.
- 20th century -
Boitsfort, a haven of great artists
In the 20th century, Paul Delvaux, André Franquin and Hergé settle in Watermael-Boitsfort. In 1997, Au Repos des Chasseurs expands with its 11 hotel rooms and banquet halls. Hunting trophies adorn the walls. Marble and rattan give the main dining room — already — the feel of an Italian-style brasserie that will long define its character.
- September 2025 -
A new page is being written
After two years of extensive renovations (2024-2025), Au Repos des Chasseurs reopens its doors in September 2025. Passionate new management takes the helm. The interior has been entirely reimagined, blending contemporary elegance with forest-inspired warmth.
Today, Chef Adrien Schurgers showcases all his talent with a generous and expertly crafted bistronomic menu, where brasserie classics are paired with refined execution.
“A completely reimagined space, blending contemporary elegance and forest inspiration, in homage to its history. Each area invites nature to enter, for an authentic experience at the heart of the heritage of Watermael-Boitsfort.”
Three hundred and forty years later, the fire still burns
There are places that time cannot kill. Au Repos des Chasseurs is one of them. Since the hunting horns of the Dukes of Brabant echoed in the Soignes, since the first foresters set their muddy boots on the stone slabs, since generations of Brussels residents have celebrated their joys there — this establishment has continued to burn its flame, stubbornly, at the corner of Charle-Albert Avenue.
Today, with its large terrace seating 120, its 11 hotel rooms on the edge of the forest, its five reception halls accommodating up to 350 guests, its Burgundy fondues and pierrades, its cocktails and fine whiskeys — Au Repos des Chasseurs writes a new chapter in its long history every evening.
