Entertainment in Flanders
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't Velootje
Push through the heavy, unmarked door and take care not to trip over old bikes, or whack your head on the kero lamps cluttering this tiny, darkened garage as you take a seat at a low wooden picnic table. Lieven De Vos has turned his bicycle workshop into an informal bar, of sorts - ask for a beer and Lieven will bring out whatever he selects; his opening hours are 'whenever I feel like opening until it closes down' (try after 21:00).
There are plans to expand the pub to accommodate Lieven's collection of antique bikes; the expansion is scheduled to be complete in 2010, Het Velootje's 25-year anniversary.
To find the pub, walk north along Oudburg until you see a pile of j…
reviewed
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Paeters Vaetje
On a bleak, rain-swept afternoon, there's no cosier spot to hole up than this snug bruin eetcafé ('brown eating café'), with glowing lamps illuminating its dark timber main room and upper-level mezzanine. Dishes are simple and inexpensive, and the beer selection choice.
reviewed
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Du Phare
Tucked into the remains of one of Bruges' original town gates, this off-the-beaten-track tavern serves up huge portions of couscous (and offers free bread, a rarity in Belgium). But Du Phare is best known for its live blues/jazz sessions - check the website for dates. Bus 4 stops out the front.
reviewed
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Vooruit
Everything from jazz to flamenco and book-readings to lectures takes place at this left-leaning performance, theatre, arts and cultural space. This impressive building, on the edge of the student quarter and close to the revamped Zuid district, was built in 1912 as a cultural centre for the Socialist Party and is worth a look in itself. Students congregate in the vast open-plan foyer bar for coffee or drinks; you can also get hot, wholesome meals for under around €8 between 12:30 and 15:00 and 18:00 to 20:30.
From the Korenmarkt it's about 1km, or take tram 41 to the stop 'Zuid' at Graaf van Vlaanderenplein.
reviewed
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Oud Arsenaal
This is one of the city's most congenial brown cafés, located on a pedestrianised street opposite the Grand Café Horta, in an area that has undergone massive regeneration in recent times. Popular with stallholders from the weekend Vogelmarkt and elderly locals during the week, it will be interesting to see if a pint-sized pub like this can hold out against the fashion nudge. Beers are among the cheapest in town and it's one of the few everyday pubs in Belgium to stock Westvleteren Trappist beer.
Catch it while it lasts.
reviewed
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De Roma
Antwerp's last old cinema and concert hall. It dates from 1928, and in the '70s was a popular venue for international artists - AC/DC, Lou Reed and James Brown all played here. Recently returned to life thanks to determined community effort, it now screens a varied line-up of off-beat films, Hollywood hits and kids' matinees. It's located east of Centraal Station in Borgerhout, a suburb that's chiefly home to Moroccan immigrants, and is rarely visited by tourists.
Tram 10 or 24 stops out the front.
reviewed
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Bar Tabac
Tiny bar that looks like it was plucked from an obscure village in rural France and plonked in 't Zuid. The odd thing is it has been going for years and is always packed. The décor's no more than a faded Michelin map and two old cigarette vending machines, plus a hotchpotch of old metal tables and chairs. In summer there's a terrace section for relaxing on crusty cinema seats; in winter everyone's jammed inside. 'Drunk Wednesdays' see beers going for around €1 and a DJ spinning tracks.
reviewed
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Red & Blue
Bills itself as 'the biggest gay disco in Benelux' (that is, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg). Saturdays attract hot-blooded gay boys from far and wide, while regular Café de Love parties are for lesbians 'and their male soul mates'. The website also links to the club's mixed-crowd fixtures, such as Studio 54, and We Love Thursdays. On Friday night it draws a mixed crowd to the sounds of house, techno, rap and soul.
reviewed
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Zuiderterras
Modern landmark café-restaurant located at the southern end of the riverside promenade. Designed by the city's eminent contemporary architect, bOb (sic) Van Reeth, it mixes black, white and metal, and the enormous plate-glass windows provide superb river views. In summer a terrace fans out onto the walkway and it makes a superb place to while away an hour or two watching Antwerpenaars wandering the quayside.
reviewed
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Bourlaschouwburg
Beautiful old theatre with a rounded façade topped by statues of nine muses, composers and writers. Built in the 1830s for the city's French-speaking elite by architect Pierre Bourla, it eventually fell into disuse and was on the brink of demolition only a decade or so ago. It's now home to Het Toneelhuis theatre company. This company also commonly plays at a second venue, Studio Tokio on Museumstraat in 't Zuid.
reviewed
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Casa Rosa
The 'Pink House' is an essential stop for gay and lesbian travellers to Ghent. The foyer bar attracts a mixed crowd, who can steer you to the latest hotspots. You'll also find a gay and lesbian information office (generally open business hours on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday), and stands with city maps listing nightlife options and various other gay- and lesbian-friendly establishments.
reviewed
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Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant
Staff with a true passion for beer serve over 140 brews in Waterhuis' cosy interior and on its sprawling riverside terrace. Exclusive house brews include a knock-out amber Klokke Roeland (11% alcohol and often drunk as a nightcap; with a limit of three per person) and a blonde Gandavum Dry Hopping (7.5% and quite possibly the best beer this author's ever tasted). Unmissable.
reviewed
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L'estaminet
With its weighty dark-timber beams, low lighting, fabulous scratchy background jazz and convivial clatter, this neighbourhood café scarcely seems to have changed since it opened in 1900. It's primarily a drinking spot but also serves time-honoured dishes like spaghetti bolognaise with a baked cheese crust. Summer sees its loyal following flow onto the front terrace.
reviewed
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Pelgrom
From the street you'd never guess it was here. But heading past a flickering open fire and down a narrow flight of stairs brings you into this cavernous cross-vaulted medieval cellar spanning several rooms, with long candlelit tables. If you're lucky you may catch the house magician; Pelgrom also serves 'medieval'-style feasts (around around €18 for a main).
reviewed
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Vlaamse Opera
A stunning building and a fitting place to hear a performance by the highly regarded Koninklijke Vlaamse Opera (Royal Flemish Opera). Built in 1907, the building's majestic façade is unfortunately diminished by the mirrored monstrosity built next to it in the 1960s. Still, the marbled interior is sumptuous and the quality of the performances superb.
reviewed
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Café d'Anvers
Well over a decade old and still going strong, this legendary club does funk and house, disco and soul in a refurbished church in the city's red-light district. Many of Belgium's top DJs started here, and more are breeding. Every Friday night in July and August the club puts on Free Vibes, free dance nights featuring new, resident and visiting DJs.
reviewed
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Mokabon
The pungent aroma of coffee pervades your senses at this unpretentious coffee bar, which roasts its beans on the premises. Locals from all walks of life gather around the original Art Deco timber bar for hot coffee as well as iced coffee frappés. You can also buy the house-blend beans (ground or unground) for around €14.20 per kilo.
reviewed
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De Republiek
Set around a courtyard, this big, buzzing space is a favourite with Bruggelingen (Bruges locals), located in the same smart premises as the art-house movie theatre, Cinema Lumière. DJs hit the decks on Friday and Saturday nights and there's also a great range of well-priced meals, including vegetarian options, available until midnight.
reviewed
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Hotsy Totsy
Iridescent striped wallpaper, velveteen booths and Ella Fitzgerald et al in the background make Hotsy Totsy a favourite haunt on any given night, but it's positively hopping during live sessions (usually at least Tuesdays and Thursdays; gigs are posted on the website). The rear room doubles as a de facto gallery space for local artists.
reviewed
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'T Poatersgat
Look carefully for the concealed hole in the wall and follow the staircase down into this cross-vaulted cellar glowing with ethereal pure-white lights and flickering candles. 'T Poatersgat (which translates from the local dialect as 'the Monk's Hole') has 120 Belgian beers on the menu, including a smashing selection of Trappists.
reviewed
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Café Hessenhuis
Popular café in the old Hessenhuis building, an historic 16th-century warehouse that was rediscovered by a group of artists in the 1950s and given a total makeover. The café's cool, modern interior attracts a trendy mixed clientele during the day, but evenings tend to be exclusively for gay men.
reviewed
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Trollekelder
Wide-eyed furry trolls peep out from unlikely places throughout this old stone-walled watering hole, such as from behind iron-barred cells in the cave-like cellar. Trollekelder manages to be atmospheric without being contrived, as evidenced by the devoted following drinking its blonde and dark Trollebier (troll beer).
reviewed
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Koninklijk Ballet van Vlaanderen
The Royal Flanders Ballet, founded in 1960, is the nation's only classical dance company. It moved to 't Eilandje in the late 1990s, and its impressive home - a purpose-built palatial grey building - harmonises perfectly with the area's maritime architecture. The ballet performs both here and at the Vlaamse Opera.
reviewed
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Herberg De Dulle Griet
One of Ghent's best-known beer pubs. Local brews include Guillotine (9.3%), Delirium Tremens (9.5% - watch out for pink elephants if you down too many of these) and the city's strongest beer, Piraat (10.5%). The tables are old kriek (cherry lambic beer) barrels and the beer list makes for solid reading.
reviewed
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De Muze
This venerable café winds over three wooden storeys separated by curtains of fairy-lights. Musos (mainly local) take to the stage from 22:00 Monday to Saturday and at 15:00 on Sunday, during which time drinks cost an extra around €0.50, with proceeds going to the performers. Gig schedules are posted on the door.
reviewed
