By Brussels Bourse

View of the Bourse from interior of Falstaff

The streets around Brussels neoclassical style Bourse are now pedestrianised. As well as Belle Epoque brasseries there are nearby alleyways leading to traditional bars. The Bourse itself is now the home of Belgian Beer World with a rooftop terrace and Beerlab bar which may require a ticket to access.

Brasseries

Falstaff

Dating from 1903, Le Falstaff is situated south-west of the Bourse at Rue Henri Maus 19. The interior is laid with matching tables and chairs. 

There are many mirrors and art nouveau style features including the design of the front windows that overlook the Bourse.

At lunchtime on Monday 10 March, 2025, Falstaff was very quiet and a lone waiter eventually served a 33cl glass of Hoegaarden Blanche with an unrequested lemon slice together with a complimentary bowl of sweet popcorn (€5.50). 

Luckily my reply had been 'small' to his earlier question of normal or small! 

A full menu is served and the beer menu also includes draught Jupiler Pils, Leffe Blond & Brun and Belle-Vue Kriek Classique. All draught beers are available in 50cl and 1 litre measures as well as 'small'. Bottles of Trappist beer are competitively priced e.g Westmalle €4.50, Chimay Bleue €4.80 and Orval €4.80 (March 2025).

Natural light reaches the back of the large room through stained glass windows.

A visit to the toilets downstairs reveals three traditional full height white ceramic urinals and various posters for live music events.

Le Cirio

Founded in 1886, with redesigned decor from 1909, Le Cirio is situated north-east of the Bourse at Rue de la Bourse / Beursstraat 18.

Our group visited on a sunny Friday lunchtime - 7 March 2025. A reasonably priced full menu is available but as we were only visiting for a beer, our waiter directed us to a table in the back part of the large room. Curved mirrors line the walls above bench seating with high backed chairs to match the wooden tables.

Our beer order was mainly bottled Westmalle beers. Westmalle Dubbel, Tripel and Extra were all priced at €4.70 (March 2025). The draught beers include Maes Pils, Blanche du Bruges, Grimbergen Dubbel and Leffe Blonde.

A visit to the toilets will reveal a bank of three full height white ceramic urinals that have served male customers well over the years.

Although Le Falstaff and Le Cirio are very close, unless you are especially interested in comparing their styles immediately, there is an argument for visiting them on different days to gain a better overall experience as the beer range in both is rather limited.

A La Mort Subite

Galeries Royale Saint Hubert

Some distance from the Bourse and approachable via the pedestrianised Rue du Marche au Herbes and the covered arcades of Galeries Royale Saint Hubert, A La Mort Subite can be found at Rue Montagne aux Herbes Potageres 7. Theodore Vossen founded A La Mort Subite in 1928 and gave his brewery the same name.

With a more interesting beer range, a visit here combined well with our previous visit to Le Cirio that had been followed by an al fresco lunch of Belgian beer and frites from Friterie Patatak, Rue de la Bourse 34.

A narrower room than at Falstaff or Le Cirio, but just as deep and again featuring bench seating against the walls with mirrors above.

Memories of unsympathetic waiters were forgotten when our waiter approached in a friendly manner eager to advise us in our chosen language. The menu includes Gueuze sur Lie and Lambic Gueuze but my choice was draught Lambic Blanche (€6.30). Trappist bottles are expensive here e.g. Orval €7.50. As at other bars, the menu specifies that only a single bill will be issued for each table.

Alleyway bars

Sadly, two of the long established alleyway bars near the Bourse and just off Rue du Marche aux Herbes have closed. These traditional small bars: A l'Imaige Nostre-Dame and Au Bon Vieux Temps are found in Impasse des Cadeaux and Impasse Saint-Nicholas respectively. A 2024 blog post features Au Bon Vieux Temps.

A la Becasse

Near the Bourse and in an alley at Rue de Tabora 11, A la Becasse was visited by our group before Le Cirio. The date over the door is 1877. The bird with a long beak in the images is a woodcock.

We picked a table near the bar at the end of the room which has wood panelling on the walls, windows with stained glass, floor tiles, bench seating against walls, high backed chairs and attractive wooden tables with curved edges. The draught beers served in jugs are Timmermans Lambic Doux and Lambic Blanche. I enjoyed a bottle of Timmermans Kriek Lambicus.

Toone & Delirium Cafe etc

We passed (Theatre Royale de) Toone and Delirium Cafe while walking to / from the Bourse. 

Toone, established 1830, has regular puppet theatre shows and also has a bar. It can be approached from an alleyway off Pt Rue des Bouchers at Impasse Schuddeveld 6. 

Delirium Cafe and related bars are in Impasse de la Fidelite which is off Rue des Boucheurs, a pedestrian road with many restaurants that also crosses Galeries Royale Saint Hubert at its midpoint. 

Impasse de la Fidelite is also the location for Jeanneke Pis, a female version of the more famous Mannekin Pis water feature.