Brussels Entertainment

  1. À la Bécasse

    À la Bécasse has one hall with long rows of tables and good-hearted revelry reminiscent of the days of Breugel. Go for a jug of draught lambic.

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  2. À la Mort Subite

    Floor-to-ceiling square columns with brass hat racks, massive mirrors, varnished timber panelling and leather banquettes make this a sublime place to try the namesake 'mort subite' ('sudden death') gueuze. If this twice-fermented beer is too sour for your taste, order a kriek (cherry) or framboise (raspberry) version. Soak it up with old-school snacks like omelettes.

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  3. Actor's Studio

    This intimate three-screen cinema shows arthouse flicks and mainstream reruns, and has a tiny bar.

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  4. Ancienne Belgique

    AB's two auditoriums host a great range of gigs, especially rock, with both international and home-grown bands. There's a good on-site bar/restaurant that opens from (bookings essential).

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  5. Arcade du Cinquantenaire

    With drive-in theatres a thing of the past, Brussels has re-invented the genre in the magnificent setting of Arcade du Cinquantenaire. These highly successful summer-only drive-in screenings (all films in their original versions, with French and Flemish subtitles) are at (July) and (August) on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Tune your car's radio to 97.7 Mhz or, for those without wheels, pull up a chair and don headphones (included in entry price). Tickets are cheap.

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  6. Arenberg Galeries

    Remodelled Art Deco cinema located inside Galeries St Hubert. Foreign and art films are the staples, and once a month there's a sneak preview. The latter is designed to gauge the audience's reaction to new films - viewers have no idea what's on offer and must rate it at the end. You can be lucky to score a hit although a lot are art-house films that will never see the light of day.

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  7. Au Soleil

    This old clothes shop has been converted into a shabby-chic bar with good beats and surprisingly cheap drinks given its status as a favourite for posing in shades.

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  8. Bazaar

    Upstairs Bazaar is an over-the-top restaurant with flamboyant décor and international fare like ostrich in port wine. Downstairs, DJs spin rock, soul and funk in the vaulted former monastery cellar-turned-nightclub.

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  9. Beursschouwburg Café

    Brussels' Flemish youth love the big bold bar at their newly renovated theatre/concert hall. While not strictly speaking a club, by the wee small hours when everyone's moving it serves the same purpose, and is handily located smack in the centre of town.

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  10. Bizon

    Not only a great place to catch new and classic blues, but something of a specialist beer pub and jenever café too.

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  11. Bozar

    Designed by Victor Horta in 1928, this Art Deco venue (formerly the Palais des Beaux-Arts) is the HQ of Belgium's National Orchestra and the Philharmonic Society, and is internationally renowned for its acoustics. It also hosts art exhibits.

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  12. Brussels on Stage

    Last-minute discounted tickets for big shows are sold at this ticket service inside Galeries St Hubert.

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  13. Café Belga

    DJs hit the decks on Friday nights at this split-level Art Deco bar in the Flagey liner, with ad hoc music programming taking place other days, such as occasional Sunday jazz. The big picture windows, wooden deck-like interior and terrace all offer primo people-watching opportunities while you sip a Belga cocktail of vodka, Canada Dry and violet syrup.

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  14. Café de l'Autobus

    Old-timers' bar opposite Maison Antoine, the city's most famous friture . The owners don't mind if you demolish a cone of frites while downing a beer or two. On Sunday it's a breather for vendors from the Place Jourdan food market.

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  15. Caroline Music

    Music shop and ticket agency for contemporary live gigs, festivals and club nights.

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  16. Chez Marcel

    The more things change, the more they stay the same. This old-timer's bar is a bastion of the old Marolles spirit, serving up Cantillon gueuze, rib-sticking fare and atmosphere to spare.

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  17. Chez Moeder Lambic

    An institution. Behind windows plastered with beer stickers, this tattered, quirky old brown café is the ultimate beer spot in Brussels. Sample some of their hundreds of brews while flipping through the collection of dog-eared comics.

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  18. Cirque Royal

    Converted indoor circus is now a venue for dance, operetta and classical and contemporary music.

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  19. Conservatoire Royal de Musique

    One of the city's major classical music venues, although it's smaller than Bozar and hosts a more modest programme.

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  20. Daringman

    A laid-back neighbourhood pub where privileged young arts students mix it up with an older working class crowd - this is the place to head when you want to kick back with a Belgian brew and chat to some affable locals.

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  21. De Markten

    Spacious modern café that's a popular Flemish pit stop for shoppers trawling the nearby Rue Dansaert boutiques. In fine weather, pull up a chair at one of its tables on the tree-lined square across the road.

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  22. De Ultieme Hallucinatie

    For a drink or brasseries fare (like shrimps in white wine), stop by this bar. Built in 1850 in neoclassical style, it was transformed in 1904 into the wrought-iron-filled showpiece it remains today.

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  23. Dirty Dancing@Mirano

    Clued-in clubbers know the area for this place, where DJs include the likes of Cosy Mozzy and the atmosphere is electric. However, locals caution against walking through the poorly-lit streets late at night and advise catching a taxi instead.

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  24. Duke's

    Done out in outrageous kitsch (lots of velour) by Miguel Cancio Martins of Buddha Bar, Paris fame, this club inside the Royal Windsor Hôtel lures an over-30s crowd. Yes, that means '80s tracks play alongside more up-to-date tunes.

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  25. Église de St Jean et St Étienne aux Minimes

    Baroque church below the Palais de Justice is an immensely popular opera and classical venue with a sizable programme.

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