Six visit Ghent in April 2026

View of Bierhuis / Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant from Vleeshuisbrug

On Sunday 26 April, six friends from West Berkshire arrived at Gent-Dampoort station on a direct train from Antwerpen-Centraal after a three day trip, described in a Six visit Antwerp post.

After checking in at our nearby hotel, we walked down Dampoortstraat and Steendam to become the first customers of the day at Gentse Gruut Brouwerij Taproom.

Gentse Gruut Brouwerij Taproom

Inside, there have been some changes to the layout at Gentse Gruut Brouwerij Taproom since Tim's previous visit in June 2017.

The bar is now on the opposite wall and the large painting of many people has been moved from the Steendam end to above the bar. The brewery uses gruit, a mixture of herbs, as an alternative to hops.

L to R: Jeff, Mike, Rich, Pat & Tommy

After some walking on a sunny day, the group's consensus was that Gruut Wit and Gruut Blond were pleasantly refreshing. 

Le Bal Infernal

Le Bal Infernal - Used Book Cafe, Kammerstraat 6

Leaving Gruut, we continued along Steendam to reach the Sunday market stalls by St James' church that had started packing up.

We were too early to visit Trollekelder so enjoyed our first beer at Le Bal Infernal nearby.

There are two levels with a ceiling high wall of used books available for exchange near the entrance. On a slightly higher level further inside there's more seating and a small bar for ordering coffee, beer and snacks. Four draught beers and 15 bottled beers are listed in the menu with several Super 8 and Tongerlo branded beers from Brouwerij Haacht.

Korenlei on left bank of the Leie                                                                              Gravensteen

Later on, after a lunch break and a walk along Korenlei towards Gravensteen castle we noticed that Het Waterhuis van Bierkant looked busy (top photo) so we continued along Kraanlei before turning right towards St James' church and recrossing the Leie on Zuivelbrug. 

Trollekelder

Trollekelder (closed), with two tall windows, earlier on Sunday

By now, Trollekelder was open and we found a table inside, up a few steps and near the front windows.

There's a large painting on the wall opposite the bar that was visible from our table.

Looking up, you can see through an opening to the upper floor.

There's a long beer menu with all options maintained online and accessible from a QR code. Looking at the first two categories, Op't vat (draught) lists 14 beers and Gentse Bieren (local) lists 17 bottles. You can surely find a beer you like here but Pat was disappointed that the cider list only included two Somersby ciders.

Tim's choices here were (draught) Trollebier Blond brewed by Brouwerij van Steenberge and Ter Dolen Tripel which is typically sweet. Note that Kwak was served in the traditional coachman's glass in a wooden holder. Our helpful barman did not ask for a shoe in exchange for a Kwak and suggested holding the wooden handle to drink from the glass.

We set off again back over Zuivelbrug intending to visit Cafe Folklore. On the way we passed 't Klokhuys Brasserie at and a wisteria covered house in Drongenhof. Unfortunately, there was a sign on the door of Cafe Folklore advising that the beer cafe only opens on the first and third Friday / Saturday / Sunday of each month and this was the fourth Sunday. Heading back towards the river Leie via Plotersgracht we went to Aba-jour instead.

Aba-jour

The entrance to Aba-jour at Oudburg 20 leads to a passage before you reach the stylish art deco style brasserie that overlooks the river.

We had hoped for a river view but these tables are reserved for diners so we took a table opposite the bar instead. The bar has a line of ten bar stools in matching art deco style.

Our view also included an elegant 1930s-era large graphic panel of two women in contrasting bathing costumes holding a white ladder.

The printed menu lists eight draught beers, seven local beers and bottles from six Trappist breweries  amongst other categories.

Tim chose draught Saison Voisin from Brasserie des Legendes but was disappointed to find it more sour than expected.

Leaving around 7.30pm, we set off in search of a less upmarket place for a meal.

We passed Cafe de Welkom near the junction of Oudburg and Drongenhof but this is simply a taproom for Gent's Dok Brewing Co without catering. 

Amadeus Gent 1

Returning to Plotersgracht we noticed Amadeus Gent 1 and ventured inside. We were greeted and shown to a free table.

From here we could admire the decor that includes stained glass, mirrors, bric-a-brac and a wall of books.

It was busy inside but our orders were soon taken and for our last night in Belgium we all enjoyed substantial meals that were reasonably priced. Tim's steak with peppercorn sauce was perfectly cooked and served with a baked potato and salad. The limited beer menu includes Westmalle Dubbel and Tripel (above), Tripel Karmeliet, Delirium Tremens and Red, Leffe Blond.

Four of our group were also tempted and intrigued by the three layered Irish Coffee served in a glass together with a Biscoff biscuit. 

There are branches of the restaurant chain in Antwerp and Brussels.

Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant

Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant

By 10pm, the crowds had gone from the streets and we had no difficulty finding a good table at Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant. 

There is an impressive bound beer menu and we asked the barman to give us a bit more time to study it before taking our order which was professionally served. The draught page (left) includes three exclusive beers at the top. The Abbey beer page warns that they are not Trappist beers and that the abbeys may not exist! There is also the reminder that payment is per table and not per person. There is also a page for beers from Ghent's Brouwerij Artevelde.

Tim's final beers in Ghent were draught Brouwerij Huyghe Paranoia (IPA) dry-hopped with Citra and Mosaic and a bottle of Ter Dolen Armand, dry-hopped with Cascade and named after the co-founder of the brewery Armand Desplenter.

Jeff had previously set us a task of choosing eight 'Desert Island Discs' and we had a good time taking turns in rounds to present our choices and say a few words about them.

Perhaps it's not surprising that we are friends when we all enjoy beer, music, travel and can cope with spending four full days together!

After midnight, it was time to leave and walk back to the hotel just as the Waterhuis was about to close.

Some bars close even later on a Sunday night in Ghent.

Passing near St James' church again we noticed that it was busy at Afsnis at a quarter past midnight. A bar to visit on another trip perhaps!