City guide
The definitive Belgian beer bar. Moeder Lambic Fontainas carries 50 rotating taps of Belgium's finest lambic, gueuze, saison, and abbey ales alongside an encyclopedic bottle list that extends to 300 references. The tasting notes on the menu are actually useful. The staff knowledge is exceptional without being intimidating. This is the bar that converts first-time visitors to Belgian beer culture permanently. The original Saint-Gilles location on Parvis de Saint-Gilles offers a more neighbourhood feel.
Where to drink
The UNESCO-listed Grand Place and its surrounding pedestrian streets hold Brussels's most photographed bar addresses. The Rue des Bouchers and the Ilot Sacre carry grand cafe terraces that have been serving beer and moul
The Art Nouveau commune south of the pentagon holds some of Brussels's most atmospheric bar interiors. The Parvis de Saint-Gilles square concentrates 9 bars within a single block, and on warm evenings the entire square b
The largest and most varied commune in Brussels runs the full bar spectrum from student dive bars around Place Flagey to serious cocktail bars on Chaussee de Waterloo. The Flagey lake area is one of the city's finest out
The European Parliament neighbourhood around Rond-Point Schuman holds a weekday after-work bar culture driven by the 33,000 EU employees who work within a half-kilometre radius. The bars here are reliable and busy from 5
The antique market neighbourhood on the slope below the Palais de Justice operates with a quiet confidence that the more tourist-facing Grand Place area lacks. The wine bars and chocolate shops alternate along Rue de la
The canal-side districts north and west of the Grand Place have emerged over the past decade as Brussels's most exciting bar development zone. Tour et Taxis, the converted early 20th-century customs depot, holds a food m
Explore →Bars are chosen from public information: the bar's own menus and listings, press coverage and reader reviews. Hours, prices and door policies change, so confirm them with the bar before you go. Read our full methodology and editorial standards, or meet the editors behind the reviews.