Must-see nightlife in Belgium

  • Bocadero

    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…

  • Cafe Beveren

    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…

  • Buchbar

    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…

  • La Vie est Belge

    Wallonia

    On top of the usual beers and cocktails, this celebration of liquid Belgium pours Walloon pékèts (gin, sometimes flavoured), fruit-wine tasters and…

  • Biochi Tea Lounge

    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…

  • La Cour St-Jean

    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…

  • ’t Brugs Beertje

    Bruges

    Legendary throughout Bruges, Belgium and beyond for its hundreds of Belgian brews, this cosy bruin café (brown cafe) is filled with old advertising…

  • Normo

    Antwerp

    Distressed brick walls, merrily battered tiles and mismatched chairs provide the atmosphere while friendly, bearded baristas fix faultless coffees,…

  • La Petite Fontaine

    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…

  • Brasserie Dubuisson

    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…

  • Cafe Hanekeef

    Northeast Belgium

    Retaining its traditional patterned floor tiles and beamed ceiling, Mechelen’s ‘oldest pub’ is ideal for low-key beery conversations with newspaper…

  • Noir Koffiebar

    Leuven

    This gently bohemian barista-bar makes work-of-art espressos and flat whites on a La Marzocco machine.

  • SweetB

    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.

  • Rose Red

    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…

  • Ma Façon

    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…

  • Wijnbar Kloosterstraat 15

    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…

  • Le Royal

    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…

  • Peak Beer

    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…

  • Bon Bon Jour & Nuit

    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…

  • Le Petit Pressoir

    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…

  • Chez Miss Miaouw

    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…

  • Bar Leon

    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…

  • La Terrasse

    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…

  • Plaza Real

    Antwerp

    On an otherwise typical Borgerhout street, this brilliantly unpretentious shop-room pub is owned by Klaas Janzoons of Antwerp indie-band dEUS.

  • Merveilleux Tearoom

    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…

  • Ô Bar'Hik

    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…

  • ’t Dreupelkot

    Ghent

    A traditional jenever (gin) bar, serving 100 Belgian concoctions – including the owner's homemade prune and raisin versions – and one north French…

  • De Republiek

    Bruges

    Set around a courtyard comprising characterful brick buildings, this big buzzing space is super-popular with Bruggelingen (Bruges locals). DJs hit the…

  • Délirium Café

    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…

  • Café-brouwerij Nieuwhuys

    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…

  • ’t Poatersgat

    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…

  • Boulevard du Rhum

    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…

  • Spirito Brussels

    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…

  • Beer Capital

    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…

  • Het Bruggenhuis

    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…

  • De Brouwzaele

    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…

  • Du Phare

    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…

  • ’t Klein Venetie

    Bruges

    Don’t miss the superb canal view from outside this popular café. With the belfry towering above a perfect gaggle of medieval house-fronts, the view is…

  • Patine

    Antwerp

    This appealing wisteria-fronted street-terrace wine bistro and bar offers a good wine list along with an all-day menu of pastries, quiches, pastas, salads…

  • Joey's bvba

    Bruges

    These days Joey’s is run by Stevie, who performs with local band Cajun Moon; consequently, this dark, intimate bar is a gathering spot for Bruges’ musos…

    • placement: fullWidth
    • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
    • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [300, 250], [320, 50], [1, 1],
    • targeting:
      {
        "position": "superzone"
      }

More destinations you need to see