Leuven - Spring 2024

For a three night visit in March 2024, we stayed at the historic Hotel Industrie which is well located close to Leuven railway and bus stations.

The city's best beer cafe bars are within easy walking distance and, on Saturdays, a visit to Hof ten Dormaal farmhouse brewery is possible with a choice of bus routes followed by a flat walk. Over this stay, Tim enjoyed showing Meg some of his favourite places, previously featured in posts on this blog, including: 

Metafoor (on Parijsstraat, a street down from Oudemarkt, passed by a couple of times until we found it uncrowded on a Sunday lunchtime); 

De Blauwe Kater (on a corner of Vismarkt, blues music on Mondays (live) and on the sound system at other times); 

STUK Cafe (occasional live music events in a spacious high ceilinged room with big windows);

and Hof ten Dormaal farmhouse brewery (cosy taproom for their own bottled beers and the chance to meet brewer Jef Janssens);

Establishments visited for the first time on this trip and recommended are: Brasserie Gambrinus; MALZ and Het Strand.

Brasserie Gambrinus

On Grote Markt, facing the cathedral and near the Gothic town hall (included in photo above), Brasserie Gambrinus has an interesting history explained in Regula Ysewijn's book Belgian Cafe Culture. Originally named 'Au Duc de Brabant' with the appearance of a Viennese brasserie, it was renamed in 1896 when the family Van Mechelen bought it. With Germanic decorative themes, the precious interior of Gambrinus survived WWI and moved to a building commissioned in 1932.

We visited on Friday and were directed to one of the few free tables. It is closed on Sundays. While female staff serve beer and wash glasses behind the bar, male staff with starched overalls stand in front of the bar and deal with customers both inside and on the seats outside.

MALZ

Situated just across the bridge over the river Dyle, on the corner of Brusselsestraat and picturesque Predikherenstraat, is MALZ, a newcomer since my previous visit to Leuven.

The Craft Beer bar and shop has 12 taps for draught beers from Belgium and beyond, including Anspach & Hobday London Black.

There is also a wide selection of bottles and cans including a large range of cider and mead.

The bar was busy when we visited on a Saturday night. The hard seating is set around standard height tables and there are high stools at the bar. Locally produced meats and cheeses can be served.

Het Strand

On Sunday night we dined at Het Strand, an informal bar / vegetarian restaurant hidden away in the new Vesalius development with ZED cinema off Tiensestraat, which runs south east from the city centre. 

Located above street level, there are windows on two sides of the long space with plenty of green plants.

A blackboard at the far end lists a short selection of dishes with an international slant.

Tim enjoyed his Taiwanese noodle soup!

The long bar offers five beers on tap and 26 bottled or canned beers including several from Brussels Beer Project.