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.

Brussels Jazz Weekend 2026

The back of the Omer stage at Place de la Bourse

On a visit to Brussels in June 2025, Tim noticed an out of date leaflet about Brussels Jazz Weekend. This was a good reason to plan a visit to Brussels for 22-24 May 2026, for the next annual festival.

Place de la Bourse

With three outdoor stages and 28 indoor stages it is possible to listen to live music without needing to buy a wristband thanks to sponsorship by Lotto, Omer, Citadines and others.

There's a risk of being handed a free large glass of chilled Omer traditional blond at an event. Tim and Meg were unable to avoid this at Billie on Sunday! 

The 2026 programme features jazz music in the widest possible sense, including blues, salsa, 'Belgicana', gypsy, hip-hop and neo-soul.

The adapted BRUJAZZWKND map above shows stages visited (red) as well as other bars visited (pink) or noted (lilac) that were not involved with the festival.

Le Cambridge

Staying near Brussel-Noord station, the first beer cafe we walked to, after arriving on Friday afternoon, was Le Cambridge at Rue de Malines, 37.

The laminated menu includes a good beer range with local options like Taras Boulba and Zinnebir in bottles.

Tim chose draught Mystic Krieken for his first beer of the day. Features to admire at this beer cafe include the pale wood bar, tables and bentwood chairs. The floor features traditional tiles in three colours.

Le Coq

A previous visit to Le Coq at Rue Auguste Orts 14, in June 2023 had not impressed Tim but as one of the BRUJAZZWKND indoor venues, near Place de la Bourse, it was time for a return visit.

On a hot day, most customers were outside and the deep interior was not busy. A table between the entrance and the bar was convenient for a chance to see the various blackboards with beer suggestions.

The laminated beer menu warns 'No cards' and features several Brussels Beer Project bottles. Tim chose Westmalle Duo, a guest draught reasonably priced at €4 for 25cl. Meg was offered a choice of tea bags from a wooden display box to add to her glass mug of hot water (€2.50). Reggae music was playing which suited the weather. Tim now understands why Le Coq is a favourite Brussels beer bar for many.

C-RHYMS was Friday's lively first act on the Omer stage in the Place de la Bourse. This was the hip-hop strand of jazz with some breakdancing.

After C-RHYMS memorable set, we moved to nearby Les Halles Saint-Gery where a soundcheck was in progress for Big Dave & The Dutchmen, the first of The Busker Blues Sessions. Super 8 Flandrien from the bar reinforced it's impression as one of Tim's Belgian favourite beers. 

Cafe Bizon

James Stevenson, Tim's Brussels-based friend, had recommended Cafe Bizon. On Friday evening, we found a table inside, near the entrance before the start of Friday's set by Bruno Deneckere & Kathleen Vandenhoudt (Sharing the Blues - Duo) as part of BRUJAZZWKND. With an Americana style, their music has been described as 'Belgicana' but the songs are in English.

The central bar leaves only limited seating space at high tables on either side but there are more tables upstairs. Tim liked Cuvée Devillé by Den Herberg (6.2% ABV, €5) which has been described as an 'Orval clone' and is fermented with Brettanomyces yeast.

Cafe Bizon has traditional furniture, exposed brick walls and a beamed ceiling where gig tickets are pinned up, reinforcing the beer cafe's reputation as a live music venue. 

We also met up with James here on Saturday, at 4pm opening time, after his visit to the annual Etterbeek Medieval Market.

 

Later on Saturday, James led us to nearby Beer Capital, Boulevard Anspach 89, which has multiple screens for sporting events. On another hot day, the Happy Hour offer of 50cl Jupiler for €3 or 50cl Stella Artois for €3 was appealing. 

James also pointed out that The Big Game, also near the Bourse, has the same offer. These bars may be busy when World Cup football matches etc are screened!

Barbeton

The Le Corbusier inspired concrete bar was the main reason for a visit to Barbeton, Rue Antoine Dansaert 114, on Saturday.

A review in The Bulletin mentions that the bar opened in 2012 as a Frédéric Nicolay project.

For the first beer on a hot Saturday, Stella Artois seemed appropriate, especially as the beer menu was rather limited.

Earlier, we had passed Au Derby (formerly Au Daringman, closed until 3pm) and Au Laboreur (open), both on Rue de Flandre.

A visit to Quai Au Foin / Hooikai, the filled in 'Hay Wharf' of the old Port of Brussels, allowed a close look at the Wim Delvoye sculpture 'Concrete Truck' (2013).

As well as public artworks, Brussels is also a good city to find street art and we passed two examples before reaching Barbeton.

Billie

Formerly Cafe Monk, the brown cafe reopened in 2024 as Billie after refurbishment and with a house IPA brewed by Belgoo in the south of Brussels.

Belgoo Blomekei and Saisonneke Extra were also available on draught when we visited.

Glomeris - Citadines Stage, Place St Catherine - Friday 22/5/2026

At Rue Sainte-Catherine 42, it's near the BRUJAZZWKND Citadines outdoor stage at Place St Catherine and opposite De Noordzee / Mer du Noord, busy with fish eating customers.

We visited Billie several times over the weekend and it became a favourite Brussels bar. It was nice to be able to order at the bar. The BRUJAZZWKND performance we enjoyed here was by Trikosis (Sunday 3pm, soundcheck in photo above), a band from the Netherlands who describe their style as 'East European traditional music arranged in a crazy trikoway and own gipsyklezmerstyle songs'.

The long bar looks good at night with coloured shelves and overhead globe lights.

In the daytime it's easier to appreciate the marble topped bar, the traditional bar furniture and floor tiles.

L'Archiduc

Near the Bourse, at Rue Antoine Dansaert 6, L'Archiduc is 'Brussels' Iconic Art Deco Bar' founded in 1937.

Listed as number 1 in BRUJAZZWKND indoor venues, we arrived after the start of Sunday's 5pm session with Belmondo - Maillard Duo but a few seats were still available at balcony level. The latest album by the French jazz musicians Thierry Maillard (piano) and Stéphane Belmondo (Flugel Horn) is QR CODE 2.

There is a small bar downstairs and table service.

The short beer list includes a range of beer styles and includes the rarely available dark Trappist Westvleteren 12 (€16). Art Deco and Jazz enthusiasts should obviously visit this bar when in Brussels.

A l'Imaige Nostre-Dame

Between the Bourse and the Grand Place, it was nice to see an blackboard on Rue du Marche aux Herbes at the entrance to the gated alley, with an ornamental metal arch and sign, which leads to A l'Imaige Nostre-Dame, indicating that the historic Estaminet had reopened after a period of closure. 

On our visit, at opening time on Sunday (12 noon), we were greeted by Martin who explained the history of the building, originally a place of detention with prisoners kept in the cellar who would offer prayers to an image of 'Our Lady'. The Estaminet was founded in 1884 in a building that dates back to 1682.

Martin mentioned that the property had been redecorated and suggested we had a look at the two rooms upstairs.

The oppportunity was also taken to take photos downstairs before more customers arrived. Orval was Tim's choice for the first beer of the day.

As with L'Archiduc, premium prices e.g. Orval €6.80 can be justified for the special surroundings and service. Only the music playing (e.g. Eurovision 2026 winner - Bangaranga) struck the wrong note here!

À la Bécasse, Rue de Tabora 11, only 50 metres away, has a similar gated alley for access and is also recommended for special surroundings and service.

Poechenellekelder, GIST and La Fleur en Papier Dore

Marco Mezquida Trio - Lotto Stage, Grand Place - Saturday 23/5/2026

Three special bars (noted for puppets, craft beer and historic decor respectively) near the Manneken Pis fountain can be easily be visited sequentially and this was how we spent Saturday evening, after listening to part of a BRUJAZZWKND performance in the Grand Place.

L to R: Poechenellekelder,  GIST,  La Fleur en Papier Dore

All three bars have been featured in previous Brussels posts on the Beer Europe blog e.g.

Brussels - June 2025

A night in Brussels

Brussels - Revisits - June 2024

Please refer to one or more of these previous posts for more details and photos.

All three bars are recommended and the tradition of a Lasagne meal on a visit to Poechenellekelder was maintained!

One final brasserie to mention is Le Corbeau which we walked past late on Friday night returning to the hotel near  Brussel-Noord. Previously visited in daytime, it is featured in a June 2024 blog post and is one more establishment due a return visit.