Brussels
Nightlife - Brussels has a bustling nightlife
with numerous pubs, discos, and trendy bars. I would
start at the Grand Place that is lined with ornate
bars and estaminets (bar-restaurants) in the former
guildhouses that line the Grand Place square, restaurants
and coffee houses. You’ll find Belgian beers
in each one. After this, stroll on the winding ru
du Marche au Charbon, dotted with an endless number
of bars. Some other recommended districts are the
Sainte-Catherine and the Saint-Gery district –
both have the “trendy” bars and cafes.
If you want to listen to music, hit one of the Jazz
clubs or techno dance clubs like top club “Fuse”
Among the numerous pubs you will find, there are
few you should definitely check out – one I
went to called “Le Cercueil” located
right off of Grand Plaza on 12 rue des Harengs Grand
Place. It sported “coffins” as tables
and served beer in large skull mugs. You’ll
have to really look for the avenue and the sign –
as this place is easy to miss. When you walk inside,
you’ll walk down a long hallway painted-black
corridor that opens up into two adjoining rooms with
the bar on the right side. The beer menu is located
on the wall. What was even weirder & funnier was
that along with the coffin tables, skull mugs, black
walls, and dark eerie/Gothic atmosphere.
There’s even a bartender that looks like “Ica
bob Crain.” – like a skeleton. Spooky,
I actually thought he was a patron when he entered
– he was scaring the group of tourists at the
end coffin table for fun
La Fleur a Papier Dore In the 1920’s
this café was the haunt for the Belgian Surrealists
Cellebroersstraat / Rue des Alexiens, 53 - 1000 Brussels
L’Archiduc This absolutely
beautiful Jazz bar was opened in the 1940s; in the
1980s it was renovated into a famous Brussels nightspot.
Go to Bourse metro station.
The Wild Geese What a great place
to relax; you’ll find a mix of people from all
different countries. It’s also a favorite spot
of the Eurocrats for “after-work” drinking.
It is in Etterbeek. Tel +32 (0)2 230 1990
The Bank This Irish pub was once
a bank and the old safe deposit boxes still exist,
lining the walls of this pub. It is located right
near Avenue Louise and in an area where not many pubs
of this kind are found. And it’s not like many
Irish pubs that show sporting events on TV (thank
God!). It has casual atmosphere with all nationality
of patrons. Saturday often has live music and it can
be crowded.
Le Groupil le Fol This is a odd
Belgian restaurant and bar. It’s near the Manneken
Pis statue in Rue de la Violette (22) and it’s
like nothing you were ever in before – all nooks
and corners and stairs but has great Belgian beers.
The Fuse This is one of the best
disco bars in Brussels. It is in Rue de Blaes at no
208.
