The best bars and cafés Antwerpen 6

Next to the cathedral, this tavern-restaurant is located in authentic 15th century cellars. Classical music plays in the background as you sit around large, friendly tables or in nooks and crannies. A leap of several centuries back in time! You can go there for a drink (the menu has 25 draught beers, more than 100 bottles and good wines), or for lunch or dinner. Either tapas to share, or traditional Flemish dishes modernized, such as rabbit with prunes in bacon with Westmalle Dubbel Trappist beer.

Born of crowdfunding, the Company set up its tanks in 2017 in the Het Eilandje district, the oldest port area. ABC prides itself on being Antwerp's only independent brewery. Respectful of the environment, it focuses on all re-use possibilities and uses 100% green electricity. The brewery produces Seef, a blond, cloudy beer whose origins date back to the ^16th century. Come and taste it on site among the vats. You can also eat here!

Very nice to watch soccer games and sip a good brown Guiness in this typical Irish pub. To make matters worse, it offers concerts every Friday and Saturday night (covers by a local band...). All the sporting events are broadcasted on the 12 screens and followed by numerous regulars. The pub offers 9 types of draught beers and more than 50 whiskeys. Ideal to taste good Belgian and Irish craft beers and don't forget to taste the delicious Irish dishes including the "fabulous Irish Breakfast"

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!

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.

Welcome to a beer-lover's paradise! Over seven hundred beers await you in this establishment, which has been going strong since 1979. Some are simply impossible to find anywhere else, and some bottles are over thirty years old... The most daring, or true fans, will venture to taste the famous EKU 28, also known as Kulminator 28, one of the strongest beers in the world (28°), to which this place owes its name. For a long time, this was the only Belgian brewery to import this strong beverage... A true institution.

Just a stone's throw from the Museum of Fine Arts, this pleasant place to visit day and night is very popular with the people of Antwerp. It's named after the American painter Edward Hopper, who used to sketch atmospheres like this one. The clientele is young, a little arty, very hype, and there are regular jazz concerts every Sunday and Monday evening. The café opens its terrace as soon as the weather permits, on the pedestrian cobblestones and under a large, shady tree; the setting is perfect for leafing through a newspaper.

A small brown café by the docks, popular with locals and employees alike, perfect for mingling with the Antwerp locals. In the morning, you can enjoy a breakfast of croissants, while in the late afternoon, you'll appreciate the intimate atmosphere for a cup of coffee or tea. In the evening, the focus is on beer, with the region's finest malts. There's also a terrace in summer, and a glass roof if the weather turns nasty, as well as a pétanque court to stretch out afternoons with friends when the sun comes out.

It's true that Belgium isn't a country where the sun often makes an appointment. And the specialty here is beer, of course! But there are a few Belgian wines produced in these regions. Still in their infancy, some small producers are beginning to make a name for themselves. In this bar with its large, welcoming wooden trays, you can enjoy a glass generously filled with a Belgian cru, from the most charming to the most audacious. The bar also sells bottles to take away: a great gift idea for a change from chocolate!

This Zomerbar is one of the projects of the TimeCircus art collective. Set along the quays of the old port, in old Red Star Lines installations, Bar Paniek is much more than just an entertainment venue. With its salvaged furnishings and a slightly haphazard feel that goes well with this hangar, you'll feel right at home, and the lovely selection of beers from independent breweries and the view over the water all contribute to this! As an artistic collective, the hangar hosts exhibitions, organic markets and flea markets. Foodtrucks also stop by.

This bar offers a rich menu of 90 types of beer, in a setting decorated, of course, with objects evoking... beer. Dozens of different mugs hang from the ceiling, the mere sight of which triggers the thirst. The place is very popular with students from the nearby university and their professors... The outdoor courtyard is also a great place to sip a cool suds around a convivial table. Special mention for the Black Tripel Malheur, but also the Tripel Karmeliet and Chimay Triple on draught.

This bar-brewery is decorated with numerous brewery objects. A kitsch atmosphere that will delight fans of authentic troquets, with a marbled checkerboard floor and a bar with antique wood panelling. The small outdoor terrace is also a good option when the weather's nice and on market days especially, when the street atmosphere is very lively. There's a choice of some forty beers on the menu, including Arsenaaltje, specially crafted by De Koninck Brewery. Suggested beers are featured every month. The choice is yours!

A friendly café (near the market on Sundays) where you can enjoy a soup, a sandwich on the go (prepared with quality ingredients) or a sweet tart to accompany your afternoon coffee. Good coffees, smoothies and cocktails are also on the menu. The hipster population is young and relaxed, and the décor is vintage. Banquettes with cosy cushions in some corners, lots of light throughout. Nice terrace on sunny days, calm and relaxed atmosphere. Popular weekend brunch.

Like a New York-style coffee shop, this trendy espresso bar offers a range of carefully selected coffees from all over the world (Ethiopia, Costa Rica, Brazil, Colombia...). The young, passionate owners decided to work with a nearby artisan roaster to roast the selected beans. Located just behind the Grand Place, it's a pleasure to settle in for a break. Also sandwiches with artisan breads, homemade cakes and breakfasts.

A micro-bar like a little piece of Argentina, with the same Latin good humor, and a pretty, colorful facade. The interior is tiny: a few stools, a shelf with imported products, especially mate. We lean in close to our neighbors to share a few empanadas and Quilmes beers, which flow freely in the evening, just like the cocktails. It's a great way to bond. But it's in summer that the bar gets lively, the terrace spreads out on the sidewalk and the outdoor sound transforms the street into an impromptu open-air party.

It's been a few years already for this "place to beer" which, as its name suggests, is dedicated to beer. With 333 bottled beers and 33 draught beers, Bier Central even ranks among the best national references. It's hard to choose, or maybe you'll have to make several rounds! But in addition to the 366 beers (one for every day of the year), they offer typical Belgian cuisine such as moules-frites with a local beer, Flemish-style carbonnade with beer, homemade shrimp croquettes..

In former warehouses, just a few minutes' walk from MAS, you'll find a waterside oasis, the Sommar, one of Antwerp's many zomerbars and one of the most successful with its chic touch. The space is immense, with views of the Scheldt and the cranes of the old port facilities. On one side we have the restaurant (different restaurateurs come and go during the summer) and on the other a lively mega-bar. Here, you can relax on a sofa or deckchair and toast the setting sun, before dancing until closing time... and continuing elsewhere.

A long counter, subdued lighting, shelves filled with spirits and other concoctions, a back space with deep chesterfields - this is the setting at Dogma, a cocktail bar in the heart of downtown. There's a hint of speakeasy about the place, but it's not hidden. The bar's creations, led by award-winning mixologist Didier Van den Broeck, change with the seasons, but they're always surprising (like the Aix-en-Provence with... goat's cheese). Let yourself be guided by the staff or the description (fruity, tiki, long...) and enjoy!

The atmosphere is always lively in this multicultural bar, where you can move to the sound of soul, groove and Afro music. Concerts are held regularly, the place is very busy and rather hip, fun & cool. Some evenings feature neo-soul, r'n'b, hip-hop, funk and house DJ sets, while others are dedicated to the African rhythms of the moment (Congolese rumba, kizomba, bongo flava, coupé-décalé...), so you can dance the night away! And it's not unusual for the party to go on until dawn. Excellent cocktails are also available.