The best bars and cafés Belgium

The Greenlab is a real gin bar opened by Sophie Barrière and Leslie Moreau. Not far from the world record with more than 150 gins, the staff gives good advice and proposes a seasonal cocktail menu. The syrups and infusions are made in-house. The bar organizes events related to the cocktail world (Brussels Cocktail Week...). It is possible to privatize the mezzanine of 30 places. You can also take advantage of the snack bar in collaboration with the cheese factory La Fruitière, with sausages from the market, small vegetarian snacks...

Immanquable, in the middle of this great crossroads and in front of the Albert metro station! Despite that, you could almost play a game of tennis on the terrace, considering its size! The red chairs and the sign in big colored letters make you want to approach: good idea, you feel good inside too. Everything is planned to spend a pleasant moment, especially in the morning since the rising sun floods the terrace and the room with its rays... when it appears. Various drinks menu, from coffee to cocktails and catering all day long.

A stylish house, two teeming floors, taffeta drapes and a lively atmosphere. There's always something going on, and it's the trendy resto-bar from noon to midnight. Contemporary decor, a trendy clientele and French-Belgian brasserie cuisine make this one of the city's places to be, even if unfortunately the quality of the plates isn't the same as it used to be. The cocktails and oysters are always recommendable. Take a look at the toilets - they're worth the trip!

Behind this charming façade, we discovered this nugget: Julie's House. The comings and goings of regulars and tourists prove the success of this patisserie and tea house. Here, a wide selection of colorful pies, muffins and cupcakes entice visitors behind glass at teatime. You can order them to take away, or enjoy them on site, on the terrace or in the room on the mezzanine floor. Delicious breakfasts are also available in the morning. Everything is cute, appetizing and colorful: you'll love it!

The wine bar (Enoteca) is the natural extension of the restaurant (Osteria) and grocery store (Negozio). This friendly address has made a name for itself with its selection of excellent vintages from the Botte region, a number of tables offering simple, tasty cuisine from the same origins, and the opening of a boutique-tasting room next door. Excellent Italian products (charcuterie, cheeses, various types of pasta...) not often found in Brussels, unique tastings and a perfectly harmonious atmosphere. An address for epicureans, yes!

For four decades, this has been the most unusual meeting place in the vicinity of the Grand Place. A death chamber, dressed all in black, as it should be, with real coffins serving as tables. This bar, far from being morbid, was first frequented by the youth of Brussels, then by tourists who have made this very special place one of their favourite haunts. People come here to drink a beer or famous house cocktails such as the Virgin's Elixir or the Demon's Sperm. To be done once, for the "pleasure" of drinking from a skull.

On this perpendicular to the Promenade Albert ^Ier, this café is an institution. This English-style pub is packed every night. It has to be said that it offers no less than three hundred types of beer, including sixteen on draught. The Tripel Karmeliet is a delight! You can also try one of the fifty gins on the menu. You'll also appreciate the brewery-style snacks available, which you'll be happy to select with an aperitif.

A real festive institution in Tournai, Le Bouchon is a cult for the passion it puts into beer more than for the number of labels on the menu. Local or artisanal breweries are honored, from Hainaut or elsewhere: Cazeau, Dupont, Dubuisson, de la Senne, Boon, Cantillon... A beer is more specifically highlighted each week. A small stage allows various musical groups to perform in an indescribable good mood.

Art Nouveau takes center stage in this handsome 1902 Saint-Gilles building. Brown woodwork banquettes, a central wrought-iron staircase and a colorful glass roof bathe the premises in shimmering light. And everywhere, the plant arabesques so characteristic of the Horta style. There are no arabesques on the menu, but a number of fine Belgian specialties, including moules-frites, waterzooi, carbonnades and a number of pastas, including a good bolo, as well as classic brasserie titles that we love to find again, before a number of desserts with Belgian accents too.

Fifty beers to choose from and a selection of small snacks. The restaurant is not the strongest point of the house, but one rarely goes there just to eat! La Lunette opened its doors in 1853. Its name does not refer to any eye problem... or stomach problem, but to a one-litre glass designed for beer (although the less adventurous can fill it with mineral water). This is another must-see in the beer-eating folklore, dear to the students, and which seems to please the tourists as well.

A few steps from the Grand-Place, this café seems to have remained intact since the 1900s. One meets here a flock of regulars. At noon, you can pick from the small menu to have a quick lunch (sandwiches, salads, daily specials...), and the rest of the time you can enjoy the good Belgian beers. As its name indicates, the atmosphere of this small establishment is warm, friendly, so much so that this nice café is sometimes overwhelmed with customers looking for an authentic setting that represents so well the conviviality of the Tournaisiens!

Tam-Tam is a tiki bar with a tropical atmosphere, and with exotic, caliente or sexotic cocktails some would say. Because in this long list, most of the cocktails on the menu are forbidden to under 18s: the Maousse Costo (very loaded!) or the Erotiques for example. There are also the Déjantés du Tam-Tam and in those, we like the Nana (rum and pineapple juice, served in a fresh pineapple). As a good tiki, the Tam-Tam serves a lot of compositions based on good rum and offers a neat bamboo decoration with tropical plants, to warm up in winter.

Le Coq is this little café near the Bourse that has the look of a village bar. In the great tradition of the stamcafés (these popular cafés where you come as you are to be quiet, to meet friends or to make new ones), Le Coq with its old counter, its tired benches and its wooden furniture welcomes you with open arms. A mixed clientele (old people, young people, people who have just left the office), often Dutch-speaking, meet there for a beer. But which one? The menu is long! Not to mention the beers of the month.

With more than 300 beers (kegs or bottles), Barnabeer is the bistro in the centre of Namur with the widest range of beers. More than 50 Belgian breweries are represented, which is almost a record. The microbreweries have the lion's share and all the available Trappist beers are present. In this former tax office, everything reminds us of the love for hops. A typical old café setting has been recreated, including enamel plates. Monthly zythology workshops led by a professional zythologist.

Located on the Grand-Place, this famous bruincafé is anything but a tourist hangout! With its atmosphere, beer brand advertisements on the walls, old stove, wooden benches and many regulars of all ages lined up at the counter, it's hard to find anything more typical. A plunge into the heart of real Antwerp, one of the best-known establishments in the Metropolis, perhaps the oldest (^14th century) and twenty beers on the menu. Only twenty... but that's not the whole story!

Bar (enough frequented by gay community) and coffee shop.

The Maison des Huit Heures is one of the last monuments of socialism, and the source of many workers' demands, notably the fight for the 3-8 system: 8 hours of work, 8 hours of leisure, 8 hours of rest. It's a must to go there at market time on Sunday mornings, when a colourful population rubs shoulders. You'll be happy to sit down with strangers and chat. CTS scotch is invariably drunk by the cask. Curious non-union members will also find something to their liking here, with the attractive XXL-format photos of Charleroi.

A well-known coffee in Hasselt for its 500 à la carte beers. There's a lot of atmosphere on the weekend.

Welcome to the coffee house run by Ken, the barista and owner. It's a bit like the trendy café of Oostduinkerke. The decor is all white walls, wooden tables, blue-green velvet chairs and antiques... a little Scandinavian, but with marine touches reminiscent of its location in a seaside resort. Atop a bookcase, a pair of Ken dolls watch over customers who come in for a very good coffee, breakfast, toast or bagel. Enough to fill your stomach before heading to the beach at the end of the avenue.

One of the oldest gay bars of the city. Cafe Strange attracts a clientele almost exclusively male and rather mature. Barbecues held during the summer season estivale.

While there's no shortage of gay bars in Brussels, there's less of a shortage of lesbian bars. The Crazy Circle, opened by Axelle and Laïla, is the only one specifically geared towards lesbian women (without neglecting the queer public, LGTQIA+ and their allies). The owners' goal? To make their clientele feel comfortable and free from judgment. Although only open two nights a week, the agenda is packed with current events, with a strong emphasis on all things feminist: quizzes, open stage, karaoqueer, DJ-sets, Rainbow baby soccer...

Ivan Corbisier, who already has a successful career as a wine merchant behind him, has taken over this wine bar and dining cellar. You'll find a fine assortment of bottles, including organic and natural wines, but you'll also appreciate the super-casual bar feel, with large armchairs to better enjoy your glass and high tables perfect for sharing generous boards of cheese and charcuterie. What's more, you can enjoy oysters that arrive every week straight from Brittany. Concerts and tastings are regularly organized.

Just a few steps from the Théâtre de la Place, the Randaxhe is a typical Outremeuse café and a veritable neighborhood institution. The house was built in 1896 and the café dates back to 1917, making it over a century old! Furnished in the old-fashioned style (the decor has remained unchanged since 1969), the interior exudes an atmosphere reminiscent of Simenon's novels. When the weather's fine, the huge, beautiful terrace is always packed with locals, tourists and artists from Liège. Several beers are available on draught, including the famous CTS scotch.

Founded in the Middle Ages, it is now a place of worship and a historic site. Surrounded by magnificent gardens, the abbey offers a peaceful and serene atmosphere. Visitors can admire the church's Gothic architecture and explore the abbey's various rooms. Visitors can also take advantage of the souvenir store, where they can buy local products and religious objects. Bonne-Espérance Abbey is a must-see for lovers of history and spirituality.

The atmosphere is festive and sometimes a little crazy, with an old-fashioned café decor, wooden tables and stools, and enamel plates that evoke beer. One of the 70 beers on the menu is highlighted every month. A must-visit establishment in the upper town for a good froth, alone or to share, as the "social" beers (75 cl) are well represented. Local cuisine on Thursday lunchtimes and themed evenings once a month, including some small acoustic concerts. Nice terrace in summer.

Le Miroir is the typical local café-restaurant, far from the city centre. Some of the dishes on the menu are beer-based. At the bar, all the main labels are present and a little more, such as the Triple Karmeliet on tap, the Malheur range or the Lindemans. Or new ones, like the very local Slutte. For the anti-hops (there are some left, that we never managed to convert...), the wine list is also interesting! Or a sangria on the terrace when the weather is fine, one of those that you should only drink one glass of!

Jean-Pierre Bazan is some busy fellow. When he's not resupplying restaurateurs, he holds court for worshipers in what looks like a secret WW2 time black market operation. Don't make any mistake. He knows a thing or two about wine, with long time personal connections in the Languedoc-Roussillon, as evidenced by the numerous selections from that blessed part of France. He keeps his prices at zero inflation level (red Bordeaux range from 8 to 20 €), and trust him with his promotions for your every day pleasure. The rest of the world is not forgotten in Jean-Pierre's little planete, because it's nice to be curious. Easy to find, behind the place Flagey "paquebot".

At Ratin-Tôt, we drink more than 90 different beers, most of which are Belgian. You can sit at the counter, take a seat in a unique setting or enjoy the view from the terrace in a relaxed and local atmosphere. The oldest estaminet in Namur (1616!), one of the oldest in Belgium, reminds us of the splendor of yesteryear. Local curiosity, its owner David Rouyer does not hesitate to tell that in season, it happens that tourists pass the head inside "just to see" this address impossible to circumvent. Do him a favor, have a beer!

The temple of Namur football fans, with a big screen at the back of the room and a TV above the bar to enjoy the exploits of the stars of the game. Here, you can watch solid third halves, replay the matches of the region's clubs, meet players and coaches, transfer on occasion or take the time to smell the temperature on the terrace, opposite the Jambes station. The owner, Zoran Bojovic, the most Namurian of the Montenegrins, is also an emblematic figure of UR Namur. His son, Petar, also played for the Blackbirds.

The café is known mainly for its Friday evening blues concerts, but it has an interesting selection of beers too and is now an accredited Orval ambassador. Celis Blanche is available on draught and bottled beers include Gouden Carolus, Sint Bernardus and even XX Bitter. Bar snacks and light meals are served.

This small rustic house stands in front of a quiet pond bordered by tall trees, in the middle of the woods surrounding the old abbey of Saint-Denis. The owner has composed a nice list of special beers: Moinette, Chimay and Orval are present and of course, the St-Feuillien, including the Triple on the barrel. Very busy, especially on weekends, there are also fishermen, who have renamed the place "Les Joyeux Asticots", after their company. Table on a beautiful outdoor terrace to enjoy the sun.

250-strong beer list and decor featuring tankards, beer glasses and old posters advertising beer. Anyone ordering the beer of the month is offered a second glass free of charge. This is a very busy café and it has a little quirk too: if you choose a beer that is served in a "valuable" glass, you will be asked to hand over your shoes as a deposit for the glass!

To say that this is a trendy brasserie would be an understatement. The Art Nouveau decor and atmosphere are very pleasant and the terrace offers free observation of the spectacle of passers-by on the square. But the main motivation for a visit remains the menu. The beer menu for the numerous references (90 beers, seven of which are on draught, even Maes Pils for those who suffer from agueusia...) and the food menu to enjoy a good brewery cuisine. Wi-fi available.

A good place to try the local specialities - gueuze, kriek and, in high season, lambic. Very nice terrace looking out on to the Pajottenland countryside.