Brussels - June 2026

 

Grand Place, Brussels

It was another hot sunny day in Belgium on Sunday 21 June, the day we travelled from Antwerp to Brussels by train.

After checking in at our various hotels in Brussels, our group of five met up again near the Bourse.

Arriving first, Tim took advantage of 50cl Stella Artois for €3.50 at The Big Game sports bar.

The deep interior is lined with TV screens showing sports including World Cup football. Loud music at the back made a table near the entrance preferable. Keith was next to arrive and finding the noise too much, went to a nearby bar where there was a pavement table free. Around 5.30pm the red rope closing the stairs, near the entrance to The Big Game, was removed. There is a large room upstairs which also has screens for sports.

The many draught and bottled beers at Beer Capital Brussels are listed on the Untappd App.

Richard and Simon would soon join Keith and Tim at their pavement table outside this sister sports bar to The Big Game which Tim had first visited during Brussels Jazz Weekend in May 2026.

View from Beer Capital Brussels, 89 Boulevard Anspach

Boulevard Anspach was once full of motor traffic but pedestrianisation with planters and trees has made it into a pleasant street with less noise, fumes and danger.

See the post in Beers 'n' Bites Brussels for further Beer Capital details and photos.

Poechenellekelder, near Mannekin Pis, is less than 500 metres from Beer Capital and we arrived here around 7.45pm.

Keith, Andrew, Richard and Simon - Poechenellekelder

Courtyard tables were busy but we found a good table inside, near the bar, surrounded by puppets.

The draught beer we all enjoyed here was Legends Harmony.

Brewed by Brasserie des Légendes near Ath (Wallonia), the Blonde beer has tropical notes and matches hot weather well. One of Tim's favourite beers on this trip. We also ordered meals of lasagne or spaghetti, a long established tradition for our group.

Another tradition is to visit nearby GIST immediately before or after Poechenellekelder.

Draught and bottled / canned beers available are listed on Untappd. Tim was happy to find IV Saison by Brasserie de Jandrain-Jandrenouille (Wallonia) available on draught, another favourite beer on this trip.

Anticlockwise from right: Andrew, Tim, Richard, Simon, Keith

For Andrew's selfie, we raised our arms to match the Jacques Brel statue in the background.

Unfortunately, the new tradition of a visit to nearby La Fleur en Papier Doré was not possible due to an unexpected closure.

Instead, we walked to A L'Imaige Nostre-Dame, crossing the Grand Place at 10.45pm (top photo), on the way. This historic estaminet, recently refurbished, is situated at the end of Impasse des Cadeaux, a narrow alley reached from a gated entrance on Rue du Marché aux Herbes. 

Richard (+Hapkin), Andrew, Simon (+Juicy Bloody Berry) & Keith

There is a small bar near the entrance and Tim's 50cl glass of draught Hapkin (€10.50) was a third favourite on this trip. The Belgium v Iran World Cup group match was shown on a single screen but football fans may have preferred to watch this on a bigger screen at home or in a sports bar. 

For more photos of A l'Imaige Nostre Dame and Poechenellekelder see the Brussels Jazz Weekend 2026 post.

Leaving after midnight, Tim's long walk north to a&o Brussel Centrum passed Theatre Royale de la Monnaie opera house and Brussels Nord railway station on the way.

Monday 22 June was another hot day. After checking out, a walk back to Brussels Nord station was only partly in the shade. However, there was shade inside the branch of Capri Coffee located on the outside slope down from the tower at the main Brussels Nord station entrance / exit. (Recommended for coffee and filled baguettes). With time to spare before the late morning rendezvous in Parc de Bruxelles, Tim walked towards the canal to look at an interesting building that he had read about. 

The Ferme des Boues / Modderhoeve (Sludge farm) is situated on the other side of Quai de Willebroeck from the narrow Parc Maximilien. The corner tower is at the junction with Quai de la Voirie which meets the canal. Its function has changed over the years and outer walls on the west and north sides of the block now feature large murals.

There is multilingual plaque describing the Corto Maltese mural based on the work of Hugo Pratt which covers all four sections of the west wall facing the canal.

On the north wall there's a commercial mural for the Kanal district and a floral mural by Mishel and Nicol Feldman, Ukrainian twin sisters, signed Sestry Feldman.

A four-stop ride on the Brussels Metro from Yser to Arts-Loi was the easiest route to reach Parc de Bruxelles with a pleasant walk from an entrance on Rue de la Loi past the fountain and length of the park to reach the Woodpecker kiosk.

Andrew, Keith, Richard and Simon had arrived first and found a table with bench seating. Tim was disappointed with his lemony Brasserie de la Senne Witz beer (€4.20) but it was refreshing.

Tim was able to persuade the group to visit Billie next, having enjoyed beers and live music there during Brussels Jazz Weekend in May.

We walked back through the park to Parc Metro station for a four-stop ride to Sainte-Catherine. The 'Happy Metro to You' artwork (1974) by Marc Mendelson, at the entrance to Parc Metro is colourful and eye-catching.

Keith, Richard, Andrew & Simon at Billie

Billie Brussels Bar & Bolo, Rue Sainte-Catherine 42, is about 300 metres from Sainte-Catherine Metro station and we found tables in a relatively cool spot, near an overhead fan, beyond the long bar. Keith was cooled further by his own personal fan. We appreciated the furniture, mirrors and lamps in this brown bar, previously named À la Couronne and latterly Monk.

Again today, Tim was disappointed with his chosen beer, a N-Zealand IPA version of Bouké brewed in Brussels by Belgoo Beer. This new beer had not yet been added to Untappd. However, it was refreshing and other Belgoo beers had been enjoyed here in May. 

For more photos of Billie see the Brussels Jazz Weekend 2026 post.

This was Tim's last beer in Belgium on this trip but the rest of the group had time to visit À La Mort Subite before catching later trains home.