Hopefully Brussels has some of the best specialty beer bars in Europe, but if you prefer an exotic cocktail, there is an equally great option. So get ready to try the local amber nectar, made in the Trappist monasteries of Belgium, and the craft beers. You probably know Leffe, famous all over the world, but if you are new to the game, try the lambic and krieks (typical sweet Flemish beers). But be careful; Some of these beers are 8.5% or 9%, so drink wisely. Most of the bars here are open until the wee hours of the morning, but check the opening hours first if you are on a special trip.
01
of 14
A la Becasse
Direction
Rue de Tabora 11, 1000 Brussels, BélgicaGet directions
Telephone
+32 2 511 00 06
Web
Visit the website
Close to the Grand Place, but hidden in a narrow passage, ‘The Lark’ is the place for a different experience. Waiters, dressed like monks, serve pitchers of beer while you sit at long tables. It is a nice bar, always full of people but extremely friendly. Talk to your neighbors about the relative merits of what you’re drinking, but be sure to try jeune lambic blanche white beer.
02
of 14
Sudden Death
Direction
Rue Montagne aux Herbes Potagère 7, 1000 Brussels, BélgicaGet directions
Telephone
+32 2 513 13 18
Web
Visit the website
This splendid and ornate bar called ‘Sudden Death’ is always busy. Opened in 1928, it received its peculiar name after a game of dice that regulars played in a previous bar. It’s still in the same family with the fourth-generation Vossens serving beers from Trappist offerings to lavish Geuze and Lambic beers. But you really should go to the Lambic White Mort Subite at least once. After a few beers, you will really appreciate the dramatic and theatrical songs of one of the regulars of the past, the Belgian singer and actor, Jacques Brel, and you might even start singing.
03
of 14
The Image of Our Lady
Direction
Rue du Marché Aux Herbes 8, 1000 Brussels, BélgicaGet directions
Telephone
+32497 91 54 15
Web
Visit the website
Another bar that is off the beaten path on Impasse des Cadeaux, this atmospheric and old-fashioned establishment is a stark contrast to the huge bars in central Brussels. Dark oak beams on the ceilings; Brass lamps and old lead windows cast a soft light on the handful of tables and chairs, and old photographs decorate the walls. The long-awaited list of great beers from the most popular breweries is on the blackboards. This is where the locals come for a drink with friends in a pub that takes you back to old Brussels, which is fine until you have to use the outside bathroom.
04
of 14
Chez Mother Lambic
Direction
Place Fontainas 8, 1000 Brussels, BélgicaGet directions
Telephone
+32 2 503 60 68
Web
Visit the website
With 42 beers on tap, plus a large variety of bottled beers, this is another beer lover’s dream. The original branch, opened in the 1980s, is far from the Grand Place hidden behind St Gilles town hall in this increasingly cool area. With its black and white tile floor, wood and brick walls, and the most impressive range of beer handles for the draft variety, this is a pleasant stop where you will find more locals than tourists, which is a refreshing change from the scene. town.
05
of 14
Mother Lambic Fontainas
Direction
Place Fontainas 8, 1000 Brussels, BélgicaGet directions
Telephone
+32 2 503 60 68
Web
Visit the website
Bars
4.7
The second branch, closer to the Grand-Place in Place Fontainas, is much more comfortable than many other bars in the center of Brussels. With its table seating and well-spaced tables and chairs along the bare brick walls that are decorated with moody black-and-white photographs, it has a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Strings of hops and beer bottles you’ve probably never heard of decorate the bar, where the skilled staff grabs a glass hanging overhead and quickly pours their beer. On a warm summer day or night, you can sit outside on the sidewalk and watch the world go by. Beer mats are covetable.
06
of 14
The coffin
Direction
Rue des Harengs 10-12, 1000 Brussels, BélgicaGet directions
Telephone
+32497 12 45 65
Belgians have a strange sense of humor that you will find here in ‘The Coffin’, which opened in 1974 after The Exorcist terrorized us all. In the dark bar, where red lights bathe visitors in the appropriate color, beers are served in skull-shaped mugs on tables made of coffins under a ceiling of hanging skeletons. It’s fun, if a little weird, and certainly different.
10-12 Rue des Harengs
07
of 14
The Courbeau
Direction
Rue Saint-Michel 18, 1000 Brussels, BélgicaGet directions
Telephone
+32 2 219 52 46
Web
Visit the website
The Raven is for night owls, if the pun is allowed. This loud and busy bar a bit out of the way has some great beers for the serious drinker, including those beautiful fruit beers that seem so tasty and so deadly at 5% alcohol and up. If you are really serious, forget the 25cl or 33cl glasses and go for the ‘Chevalier’ that comes in a huge glass.
08
of 14
Goupil Le Fol
Direction
Rue de la Violette 22, 1000 Brussels, BélgicaGet directions
Telephone
+32 2 511 13 96
Web
Visit the website
Narrow or cozy depending on your point of view (and if you’ve grabbed a decent-sized table), this charming bar takes you back to a more peaceful past. Order a local beer or splash a whiskey. Couches line the walls; soft lights give everyone a chance to look good; Old French songs that were the stuff of seduction sound softly in the background. There are Wuflitzers, posters, flags, and books on occasional tables scattered everywhere. It’s a small slice of nostalgia in a busy modern world.
09
of 14
Green lab
Direction
Avenue Louise 520, 1000 Brussels, BélgicaGet directions
Telephone
+32 475 36 54 85
Web
Visit the website
At the other end of posh and wealthy Avenue Louise, Green Lab is a bit off the beaten path, but worth the detour. They call their decor a mix of industrial and steampunk, which is a pretty accurate description for the design, with its metal seats and chairs and large pipes snaking through the place. Go here for the beer, but more for the famous cocktails, the huge gin selections (around 250 of them), and the absinthe. Once banned, as it used to drive the drinker crazy, today absinthe is all the rage. Green Lab is fun, large (on three levels), inevitably loud given the metallic decor… and green.
10
of 14
The Golden Paper Flower
Direction
Rue des Alexiens 55, 1000 Brussels, BélgicaGet directions
Telephone
+32 2 511 16 59
Web
Visit the website
Once the great meeting place for surrealists, including René Magritte, who held an exhibition here before he became famous, the popular staminet is the place for a traditional drink in a traditional setting. Dark wood furniture, enigmatic writings on the walls (‘Everyone is entitled to 24 hours of freedom a day’), the strange antlers hanging from the ceiling, an open fire, horses galore, and a lot of kitsch has made this ancient. Convent in a paradise for the eccentric, or thirsty: it has a great list of beers.
eleven
of 14
The English Pharmacy
Direction
Coudenberg 66, 1000 Brussels, BélgicaGet directions
Telephone
+32 489 56 07 36
Web
Visit the website
I couldn’t ask for a more respectable location than the ‘English Pharmacy’. It is in Coudenberg, the artistic area of Brussels, near the Museum of Fine Arts. What was once the place to go for medicine is now the place to go for the best cocktails served in a large space by seasoned mixologists who will also invent something special for you if you ask. In addition to weird artifacts like bird skeletons and weird jars of stuff in formaldehyde (it’s best not to look too closely at them), La Pharmacie Anglaise has comfortable chairs, chandeliers, wooden decor, and two tiers to take care of the inevitably congregating crowds. here. You can reserve a table in advance.
12
of 14
Lord Byron
Direction
Rue des Chartreux 8, 1000 Brussels, BélgicaGet directions
Telephone
+32 474 35 06 83
Lord Byron may not look like much from the outside, but this intimate little bar is a true local favorite, and worth tracking down. It’s where Barry Jenkins wrote much of the script for the award-winning 2017 film Moonlight . The friendly staff fit into the modern atmosphere of this quiet street facing the busy Place Saint-Géry. Lord Byron is known for his great cocktails, distributed by owner Bajram (don’t worry, just call him Byron), great atmosphere, and antique furniture.
Location: 8 Rue des Chartreux
13
of 14
Monk bar
Direction
Rue Sainte-Catherine 42, 1000 Brussels, BélgicaGet directions
Telephone
+32 2 511 75 11
Web
Visit the website
Head to Sainte-Catherine, one of Brussels’ hip areas, and then take a seat at Monk Bar, which often gets buzzing on weekend nights. It looks like the part with its wooden decor, the beer list on the chalkboard, and the mirrors hanging on the walls. It also offers live music and rocks until 3 or 4 in the morning on a weekend.
14
of 14
Poechenellekelder
Direction
Rue du Chêne 5, 1000 Brussels, BélgicaGet directions
Telephone
+32 2 511 92 62
Web
Visit the website
You can’t get much more touristy in Brussels than in the Mannekin Pis area: that strange statue of a boy who pees and is always surrounded by visitors with cameras. So you would expect the Poechenellekelder to be a tourist trap. But don’t be discouraged! Head down the stairs to the ‘Puppet Cellar’ to enjoy a good selection of beers while enjoying a collection of puppets that would be very happy in any theater.
