Liège
The name of this gorgeous-smelling little shop-cafe is very apt, with its teapots, marmalades, strainers, tea cosies and around 350 types of tea. Little…
Must-see nightlife in Belgium
Wallonia
Facing the waterfront, this buzzing new artisanal microbrewery makes its own perfectly balanced brews, and also serves up quality seasonal beers from…
Antwerp
Amid the cranes of the old harbour area, Bocadero is an area of sand and deckchairs backed by a series of bars and food stands (no cover charge; beer from…
Antwerp
The very antithesis of Antwerp style, this unforgettable little café chantant is dominated by the city's last remaining 1930s Decap dance organ, a…
Antwerp
This quiet, cosy cafe with a mini-bookshop section feels like a neighbourhood home away from home, with excellent coffee (from €2.50), cakes, simple…
Wallonia
On top of the usual beers and cocktails, this celebration of liquid Belgium pours Walloon pékèts (gin, sometimes flavoured), fruit-wine tasters and…
Antwerp
If you just want a cuppa go elsewhere. This place is for tea connoisseurs who want to savour rare Chinese brews like Wild Purple or En Shuy Lu in an…
Liège
In the heart of the youth-jammed nightlife zone, this popular little pub has genuinely ancient rough-stone walls painted lugubrious red and black, all a…
Bruges
Legendary throughout Bruges, Belgium and beyond for its hundreds of Belgian brews, this cosy bruin café (brown cafe) is filled with old advertising…
Antwerp
Distressed brick walls, merrily battered tiles and mismatched chairs provide the atmosphere while friendly, bearded baristas fix faultless coffees,…
The Ardennes
The best value of Achouffe's three beer-tasting options (galopin 120mL taster glasses €1.70 to €1.90), historic La Petite Fontaine has a large roadside…
Wallonia
Wallonia's oldest brewery, Dubuisson sits on the N50 2km outside Pipaix. Its bar-brasserie offers several of its tasty beers on tap, of which the best…
Northeast Belgium
Retaining its traditional patterned floor tiles and beamed ceiling, Mechelen’s ‘oldest pub’ is ideal for low-key beery conversations with newspaper…
Leuven
This gently bohemian barista-bar makes work-of-art espressos and flat whites on a La Marzocco machine.
Northeast Belgium
Be it for top-quality flat whites, a slow- or cold-brew coffee, dirty chai or black mojitos, SweetB is Mechelen's magnet for quality caffeine fixes.
Bruges
Outstanding beers from 50 of the best breweries in Belgium, served by charming and informative staff in this pink-hued and rose-scattered bar. There are…
Antwerp
It's only open 10 hours a week, but this place is a ridiculously atmospheric spot for an afternoon glass of wine, facing onto the courtyard of the 16th…
Northeast Belgium
With artistically glazed earthenware cups and hefty unvarnished wooden bench tables, Ma Façon is part gin bar, part crockery store, but predominantly a…
Antwerp
Within Antwerpen-Centraal, it's well worth climbing the stairs for at least a quick peep inside this station buffet, a workaday affair set incongruously…
The Ardennes
Founded in 2018, this flashy, glass-walled brewery-restaurant has a sizeable cafe-restaurant whose open terrace offers sweeping forest-framed views. Their…
Northeast Belgium
Imagine that you're the French painter Toulouse-Lautrec as you sip a range of absinthes (from €6.75) sitting between Mucha panels and an art nouveau…
Liège
Freshly made smoothies and fresh juices (from €3.50) are the central offerings of this adorable little cafe, which turns vegan eatery during meal times…
Namur
Feline lovers converge on this cheery two-room cafe a short stroll from the waterfront. Half-a-dozen cats have the run of the place, watching (or more…
Brussels
Handy for the Cinquantenaire, this wood-panelled classic café has a tree-shaded terrace and makes an ideal refreshment stop after a hard day’s museuming…
Antwerp
Backing onto a park and sandpit-playground, ever-busy Leon is the ultimate locals' local, shape-shifting its way from family afternoon haunt via early…
Antwerp
On an otherwise typical Borgerhout street, this brilliantly unpretentious shop-room pub is owned by Klaas Janzoons of Antwerp indie-band dEUS.
Bruges
An elegant marble-floored tearoom on a cobbled passage near the Markt. Coffee comes with a dainty homemade biscuit and sometimes a little glass of…
Wallonia
For an alternative to the rowdy drinking holes on nearby Marché aux Herbes, this cosy wine bar is the perfect antidote. With a focus on France, Spain and…
Bruges
Set around a courtyard comprising characterful brick buildings, this big buzzing space is super-popular with Bruggelingen (Bruges locals). DJs hit the…
West Flanders
In Woesten, about 8km northeast of Poperinge and the same distance northwest of Ypres, Deca Brewery is one of the only places you're likely to be able to…
Ghent
A traditional jenever (gin) bar, serving 100 Belgian concoctions – including the owner's homemade prune and raisin versions – and one north French…
Northeast Belgium
This 1636 brick house in central Hoegaarden has been converted into a brilliantly pitched, jazz-toned pub-café that produces three of its own mellow beers…
Brussels
This café's barrel tables, beer-tray ceilings and over 2000 world beers were already impressive. Now they’ve added a rum garden, a tap house and the…
Bruges
Look carefully for the concealed hole in the wall and follow the staircase down into this cross-vaulted cellar glowing with ethereal white lights and…
Namur
This atmospheric, low-lit drinking space serves up some of Namur's best cocktails. The vibe is classy but not pretentious – just right for lingering over…
Brussels
The name refers to the former function of the building: an Anglican church. The decor is still very much intact, but it's now lit gorgeously in shades of…
Leuven
When it opened, the Capital claimed to offer the world's widest beer range, with over 2000 brews. That has been trimmed a little since, but it's still so…
Northwest Belgium
This picture-perfect rural tavern seems to have stepped straight out of an ethnographic museum. Seats spill out canal-side with rural views along the…
Ghent
Local gents unwind with newspapers, and grannies lunch on shrimp croquettes in this low-key classic café set in a triangular former brewery house. A giant…
Bruges
Tucked into the remains of one of Bruges’ original town gates, this off-the-beaten-track tavern is best known for its live blues and jazz sessions – check…
