Mechelen 2026

You will find a concentration of cafe bars around Mechelen's historic Grote Markt which is overlooked by Saint Rumbold's tower. On the last two days of a Belgian trip during the May 2026 heatwave, Makadam was the only one that Tim and Meg visited.

Several cafe bars in other parts of Mechelen were also visited though! Mechelen is easy to reach by train with two stations on the main railway line between Brussels and Antwerp. However, some trains do not stop at Mechelen-Nekkerspoel.

Makadam

Makadam is the arrowed cafe bar on the north side of the Grote Markt with the 'Martha Sexy Blond' sponsored sunshades. (NB Martha Tripel is the beer's new name).

Special beers in bottles or cans are listed on a blackboard and there is a smaller board, near the entrance, listing draught beers.

The printed beer menu lists about 80 bottled beers including several from local and smaller brewers.

Tim chose Brasserie de la Senne Wadesda #9, a Tripel Saison limited release from the Specials board.

Café De Hanekeef

Located at Keizerstraat 8, Mechelen's oldest beer cafe has been serving drinks since 1886. There is a strong rooster theme at Café de Hanekeef which takes it's name from the baskets that they were carried away in from a nearby market.
After climbing the steps to enter the cafe, one of the first things to notice is the old wooden tip-up seats along one wall that may have come from an old cinema.

The decorative floor tiles and a traditional wooden 'spaarkas' with numbered slots, once used for savings, on the far wall are also featured in the above photos.

At a quiet moment on a sunny Monday afternoon it was possible to get a photo of the traditional dark wood bar and bar back with its tidy glasses and unintentionally, a portrait of our hospitable host. A 2024 Café Society post by Cliff Lucas for Belgian Smaak features several superior photos of De Hanekeef and its decor.

The beer menu lists six bottles from Het Anker brewery including Maneblusser (€3.90) and Gouden Carolus Whisky Infused (€5.90).

We liked the local character of De Hanekeef and returned more than once, after a first visit on Monday afternoon, to try a variety of beers from the menu (above). A lesser known beer on the list is Vossen met de Meynen Soixante-Neuf (top right photo above).

De Vleeshalle

De Vleeshalle (Meat market hall) opened in 1881 and closed in 1967. The building was renovated in 1992 and is now a 'culinary hotspot in the heart of Mechelen' with a collection of food outlets offering dishes from various countries.

A central bar serves nine draught beers, nine bottled beers and five no / low alcohol beers.

Pictured above is a Vleeshalle Tripel from the bar with Kibbeling (fish nuggets) from NØR and curly potato fries from another food stall. There are many seating options in different areas of the hall.

De Gouden Vis

Previously visited and featured in a March 2019 Mechelen Meander post, De Gouden Vis is an Art Nouveau beer cafe with a terrace overlooking the river Dijle from the north side. It is located at Nauwstraat 7, just west of Grootbrug (big bridge).

The terrace was crowded on a warm Tuesday evening but there was plenty of space inside with a view towards the river. From the Mechelse Bieren section of the combined mat / menu (below), Bruur (above) is brewed for Collectif Malunés, a contemporary circus company, by Circus Brouwerij.

Bruur cost €5.20 for a 33cl bottle. De Gouden Vis is an essential beer cafe to visit in Mechelen. 

Dijlepad floating footpath - view from east end near Fonteinbrug

The Dijlepad is a floating footpath on the south side of the river Dijle between Grootbrug and Fonteinbrug, near Kruidtuin (Botanical Gardens). Taking this path from Grootbrug to an exit before Fonteinbrug (e.g. 't Plein) gives a quick and interesting route from De Gouden Vis to Kafee Zapoi.

Kafee Zapoi

Kafee Zapoi is located about 100 metres west of Fonteinbrug, at Onze-Lieve-Vrouwestraat 117. 
(Between Kafee Zapoi and Nagelmackers Bank (111), there is a gated entrance to a passage which leads to the Dijlepad).

Visited on Monday and Tuesday night, there was dim lighting. It's popular with a younger set and likely to be busy at weekends. There are several nice touches like candles and fresh flowers on the traditional wooden tables.

The decor is interesting and includes a gramophone and stained glass. The beer menu includes beers from Brouwcompagnie Rolling Hills based in Oudenaarde. Tim liked Treeple Chase (Steeple) Belgian Tripel 'a ride with the wind in your hare' (above) fermented with Saison yeast and Wildebeest (6% ABV, NEIPA, below) 'your next world trip in a glass'.

As well as Rolling Hills Pils, there are also three Het Anker beers on draught: Maneblusser, Gouden Carolus Tripel and Gouden Carolus Classic.

Het Anker Brasserie

It was a relief to find a table in the shade outside the Het Anker Brasserie on a sunny Tuesday. Here you can also enjoy the sights and smells of an active brewery while drinking a beer brewed on the site like Het Anker Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor (33cl bottle, €4.50, above). On a quiet day like this, the table service can be highly recommended.

Tour guide Marc De Knijf - 23/3/2019

To see inside the brewery you can take a tour or read a previous blog post about a tour in March 2019 which includes photos from inside the brewery.

Het Anker Maneblusser from the brewery shop served at home

Branded glasses and beers listed in the Brasserie menu can also be purchased in the brewery shop to take away at reasonable prices.

The menu includes canned beers e.g. Battelaar, from the linked Batteliek microbrewery, 3 km away. 

Sint-Beggastraat & Fonteinstraatje

A visit to Het Anker brewery &/or brasserie can easily be combined with a leisurely walk around the historic streets of the Groot Begijnhof and Klein Begijnhof and the baroque Begijnhofkerk which are next to the brewery.

Cafe Tilt

Jack Anderton posted a great review of Cafe Tilt on The European Bar Guide after a visit in 2019.

Located outside the inner ring road and on the south west side of the straight Kanaal Leuven-Dijle, pedestrians will find plenty of interesting Belgian suburban houses of interest in the vicinity of this Lokaal / Pub / Club.

When we arrived at Cafe Tilt on (Bank Holiday) Monday at 4.15 pm, a cyclist was outside organising luggage after the local cycling club had returned from a weekend trip to the Netherlands.

Inside, we were lucky to find two free stools at the far end of the bar as Cafe Tilt was otherwise full. One end of the bar has a football theme and the other is about cycling. It is the base for WTC Tilt -Wielertoeristenclub Tilt v.z.w. Mechelen. There are cups and trophies above the bar. 

After a walk here in the sunshine the cool 33cl glass of Maes Pils (€3.10) was just what we needed. There were no language problems here as the bar lady who served us has relatives in Wigan. There was a lively atmosphere inside and it's great when a pub has a strong following based on shared interests that include socialising at the local. 

VerToi

Vrijbroekpark is a little further out from central Mechelen. May is a good time to visit the park with its oversized deck chair, attractive landscape, trees, flowers and herbs.

VerToi is a purpose built brasserie near the edge of the park with fine views and plenty of outdoor space.

A delightful spot to enjoy a cold draught Omer Vander Ghinste Bockor Pilsner on a hot day and the service included a charming smile.

Postscript

Unfortunately we did not have an opportunity to visit Het Maanlicht as it was closed when we passed after visiting Het Anker Brasserie on Tuesday afternoon so we revisited De Hanekeef.