CHERRY HILL, NJ — Before you try the Belgian waffle joint that's coming soon to Cherry Hill, here's what you should know: they're not for breakfast, you can eat them by hand, and they might be the best waffles you've ever had, according to La Liégeoise's owner.
La Liégeoise will center around Liège (pronounced "leej") waffles, a Belgian street food. Instead of liquid batter, they're made from yeast dough with Belgian pearl sugar that caramelizes. The end result is a flavorful, handheld treat.
It's not to be confused with the Brussels-style waffle that's taken the Belgian waffle name in the United States.
"It's eaten plain by itself," said Lucian Eyen, La Liégeoise's head of U.S. operations. "You don't need anything on it. You don't need syrup or anything. That's the primary way it's eaten in Belgium on the streets."
La Liégeoise will be located at 1871 Marlton Pike, Suite 8. It will soft launch on Sunday before March 15's grand opening.
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Eyen's friend, a Belgium native who lives in the south of France, launched a Liège waffle business about a decade ago. There are now has about 15 La Liégeoise locations throughout France, Eyen told Patch.
Eyen's family lives in London, but he's been a U.S. resident for more than 25 years. He's been determined to make Liége waffles a success on this side of the pond, but he faced some obstacles in his initial efforts.
First, Eyen opened a Liège waffle kiosk at Cherry Hill Mall. It was an immediate success, he says, but then came Kono Pizza — a business selling pizza-in-a-cone that opened a kiosk in the mall in 2015.
The mall pushed the waffle vendor into the food court, only to replace it with a different eatery a few months later, Eyen says. He moved operations to Deptford Mall but grew tired of the instability of mall stands, so he closed it down.
Meanwhile, Eyen's friend was opening locations around France and started franchising, later rebranding the business as La Liégeoise.
"I visited Bordeaux, France, last year, saw the locations and discussed what we wanted to do with the plan," Eyen said. "We agreed on a partnership to bring it back to the U.S. and here I am."
At the Cherry Hill eatery, the waffles will have customizable toppings, from Nutella to fruit to ice cream, the latter of which will be made in-house. Unique waffle variations, such as waffle hot dogs, waffle sandwiches and waffle tapas — mini waffles with savory toppings.
They will also serve espresso coffee, smoothies and more.
Once it opens, La Liégeoise will also have a trailer available for private events and festivals. He ultimately hopes to open a few locations and then begin franchising in the U.S.
Although the concept may be new to most Americans, Eyen has no doubt they'll love the concept.
"You can smell the stuff from a mile away," Eyen said. "You'll pull over to taste it and think 'this is the best waffle I've ever had.' Everyone who tries it says the same thing."