Brussels
Big windows and a 1920s and '30s charm make this intimate café a particularly relaxing place to read the newspapers (provided in several languages) by day…
Must-see nightlife in Belgium
Wallonia
David Frere, the friendly and award-winning barista behind this small cafe, serves up some of the best coffee in Wallonia. It's well worth stopping in for…
Wallonia
The best espresso in town is served up at this buzzing cafe south of the Grand Place. MoMA (which stands for Mons Manhattan) takes its inspiration from…
Brussels
A characterful and enjoyably down-at-heel art nouveau café, with geometric floor tiling, a handsome wooden bar, stained glass and vintage light fittings…
Namur
High in the citadel, this airy pavilion has eagle's-perch views across the Meuse and the woodlands that extend attractively into the distance. Vistas from…
Northeast Belgium
The bare boards of this youth favourite have a well-loved patina, the vine threatens to break chunks out of the verandah and the rear riverside terrace…
Brussels
At last count, Moeder was serving 46 artisanal beers. The setting is contemporary rather than old world: walls are bare brick and hung with photos, and…
Brussels
Despite facing Brussels’ kitsch central, this is a surprisingly appealing café full of genuine old puppets. It offers a great selection of fairly priced…
Namur
Just off the beaten track, Le Merle has all the elements of a good neighbourhood pub: an easy-going crowd, a superb beer selection and, most importantly,…
Brussels
This hip brasserie in a corner of the art deco Flagey ‘liner’ building is mellow by day, but the beats grow ever louder towards closing time. There's live…
Brussels
Welcome to the natural wine emporium, where legendary nights begin. Have a punk rosé, a glass of bubbly or a more rock-and-roll wine featured on the wall…
Brussels
Almost hidden down a body-wide alley-tunnel, the Bécasse has long rows of tables that give it a certain Bruegelesque quality, even though it’s ‘only’ been…
Brussels
Lovers of the green fairy will revel in absinthe shots (up to 89.9% alcohol!) and other botanical potions in this darkly dressed bar dedicated to Van Gogh…
Brussels
Chez Bobonne is all about Belgian beer. As well as brewing some decent stuff themselves, the team behind the project also brings in bottles from big names…
Brussels
Coffee geeks rejoice: this speciality espresso bar, which roasts its own beans, serves some of the best caffeine in the city. Among battered sofas,…
Brussels
Cocktail mixologists bewitch with their concoctions at this converted 19th-century town house above the Michelin-starred Rouge Tomate restaurant…
Antwerp
More than 200 types of jenever (gin; €3 to €20) are served in this timeless, bare-boards local café decorated with posters and enamel signs.
Brussels
A great bar to kick-start a night out, right in the centre of the vibrant Ste-Catherine area. The cosy atmosphere is enhanced by vintage items hanging on…
Brussels
With sleek bare bricks, exposed concrete and a beautiful tiled floor, this light-filled aperitivo bar also serves moreish snacks to soak up the booze. Try…
Brussels
Each summer, a series of guinguettes (temporary kiosks) pop up around the parks of Brussels. Shaded Guinguette Maurice is a lovely spot for cold beer,…
Antwerp
A great dance venue with a decent-sized yet still intimate dance floor. It's most famous for its Saturday male-only gay night. There's also Thursday…
Brussels
Amid surrounding trendiness, this refreshingly unpretentious corner bar still attracts crusty beer-nursing locals with unfeasibly long moustaches. Hurry…
Brussels
A cute Ste-Catherine club with a retro, burlesque feel, it hosts funk all-nighters and swing nights, plus garage and DJ sets.
Brussels
One of our favourite bars. Yes, those are inflated dried pigs’ bladders above your head.
The Ardennes
This small, cosy pub features elements of exposed brick and stonework amid cowhide wallpaper squares and enamel signboards. It serves a remarkable range…
Antwerp
Antwerp's new kid on the beer block is reincarnated Seef. To taste their full range of offerings (beers €3 to €3.50) head directly to their fashionably…
Northeast Belgium
Operational since 1471, Het Anker is one of Belgium's oldest and most celebrated breweries. Most days there's at least one brewery tour (€8, two beers and…
Northeast Belgium
This congenial, unthreateningly inclusive wine bar makes oenology accessible to novices by listing its ever-changing by-the-glass menu as a short series…
The Ardennes
Around 150m south of the Abbaye Notre Dame d'Orval gates is the monastery's own stylish if architecturally forgettable tavern. As well as ‘normal’ and…
Leuven
Coffeeshop, bar, restaurant and hip community meeting place all combine in the lovable little triangle of creativity that is Bar Stan, around 15 minutes'…
Antwerp
The decor is a mad mix of voodoo, Carribean, Pacific and Japanese elements and nine piranhas cruise in the centrepiece fish tank. The list of premium rums…
Northeast Belgium
If you're on a Belgian beer pilgrimage, it's hard to resist heading to Westmalle. The Westmalle Abbey monastic complex producing the famous Trappist brews…
The Ardennes
If you're determined to see inside a brewery while visiting Orval, head 1.5km southwest to the former railway station in Villers-devant-Orval where,…
The Ardennes
Look for the ghost mural when finding this central yet hidden delight just off Pl du Bronze. It serves Lupulus beer on draught and good coffee. In summer,…
Antwerp
This classic, high-ceilinged bar once provided after-sales refreshment to market fishmongers. Now it's the place to come for Antwerp's best-pulled pintje …
Northeast Belgium
Half working watermill-museum, half unpretentious brick-and-beam pub, Liermolen is a remarkably inexpensive drinking hole with Maes/Grimbergen beer from …
Liège
Brewery signs, high ceilings and the odd exposed beam contrast with a contemporary serving station, but the big draw here is the remarkable range of…
Northeast Belgium
Some 3km west of Sint-Truiden's centre in the suburban village of Wilderen, this reborn 1743 brewery-distillery has a splendid half-timbered barn-cafe and…
Antwerp
Roasting their own beans for some of Antwerp's finest fresh coffee (from €2), this effortlessly hip cafe is the hub of the 'new Zuid', with a sunny…
Antwerp
Tucked away on the ungentrified central edge of Borgerhout, on a square facing a lumpsome brick church, this bar is a gem of a neighbourhood local with…
