The Legend of De Lunchbox: Four Heros, Four Santa Fé Burgers, and four Barbar beers

Once upon a time in Antwerp, where the Scheldt flows and the burgers are juicier than a soap opera plot twist, stood a little restaurant with a big heart and an even bigger burger: De Lunchbox.

This was not just any burger joint. No, my friends, this was the sacred temple of the Santa Fé burger, a place where burger dreams came true and calories didn’t count if you ate them with friends (science still pending).

Enter our fearless Vespa-riding foursome: Jommeke, Michke, Peke, and Joske. Picture four grown adults, each astride a Vespa, resembling a cross between the Italian Job and a lost parade of Belgian comic book characters.

Our mission? To conquer the Santa Fé burger in all its meaty glory, and to never, ever order the veggie version (out of principle, and also because we’re still not sure what it’s made of).

Lamb: Because Sometimes Cows Need a Day Off

At first, the Santa Fé was a beefy masterpiece: juicy, spicy, and capable of making grown men weep with joy (and always jalapeños).

Then came the revelation: lamb! The burger gods smiled, and we discovered that the lamb Santa Fé was not just good, it was “call-your-mother-and-tell-her-you-love-her” good.

Chicken: For the Brave, the Foolish, and Jommeke

Chicken? Only Jommeke dared, and he still claims it was “interesting,” which is Belgian for “I’ll stick to lamb next time.”

The Summer Terrace: Where Productivity Went to Die

For nearly a decade, De Lunchbox was our second home.

Winters saw us huddled around the big table inside, plotting world domination (or at least the next round of beers).

Summers, we basked on the terrace with cold Barbars in hand, occasionally glancing at our watches and deciding that, yes, work could wait another hour… or two… Sometimes we skipped work altogether, in the name of burger research and scientific advancement.

How to Get Your Favorite Beer on the Menu: Persistence, Charm, and Mild Harassment

Ah, Barbar beer. Our love affair began when it was crowned Beer of the Month at De Lunchbox. We ordered it so often that, when the month ended, the staff started hiding behind the counter whenever they saw us coming.

Eventually, they surrendered and bought Barbar just for us, even sneaking it onto the menu where it remained-a liquid monument to our persistence and questionable taste in lunchtime beverages.

The Great Disappearance: When De Lunchbox Pulled a Houdini

Then came the dark times: the covid crisis. De Lunchbox closed for vacation in August 2021 and, like a magician’s rabbit, never reappeared. To this day, we suspect they’re somewhere in Mexico, running a taco stand and laughing about the Belgians who drank all their Barbar.

In Loving Memory: De Lunchbox, Gone but Never Forgotten (Especially by Our Waistlines)

But the memories remain: the laughter, the burgers, the feeling of being so welcome that we half expected to find our own names on the chairs (and occasionally under the table, after too many Barbars).

De Lunchbox wasn’t just a restaurant. It was a state of mind. A delicious, slightly tipsy, burger-filled state of mind.

So here’s to De Lunchbox, the Santa Fé burger, and the four Vespa-riding lunatics who made it their mission to eat, drink, and occasionally forget to go back to work. May your buns always be fluffy, your lamb always tender, and your Barbar always cold.

P.S. If you want to relive the legend, check out the stories and nostalgia on their Facebook page (yes, that was still a thing back then) and Instagram page (yes, that was already a thing back then). Or just listen for the distant hum of four Vespas and the unmistakable sound of laughter echoing through Antwerp.