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.

Two other landmarks on the map are historic Brusselpoort and the contemporary Opsinjoor figure (Opsinjorke XXL), both above.

Lier, Flanders - 2024

Our group of friends was in Antwerp from 20-23 June primarily to support Beer Passion / Bierpassie Weekend in Groenplaats but we also had time to visit Lier and the Zimmer tower on the Friday, when it rained for most of the day.

The trip started with a short train journey from Antwerp's magnificent Central station - Antwerpen-Centraal. Lierre / Lier is well served by around five trains an hour from Antwerp, taking about 16 minutes and costing 3.60 euros for a single journey.

There were no buses running from the station on the outskirts to the centre of Lier due to road closures for the annual Lier Feest festival. Alternative routes to reach the Zimmer tower are to follow a wide tree-lined path that follows the base of the old city walls next to a river or to follow Antwerpsestraat to the Grote Markt and its imposing Stadhuis (Town hall).

Het Belofte Land

Having travelled by separate trains from Anwerp and routes from Lier station we met up inside Cafe Het Belofte Land at Begijnhofstraat 7.

Tim found Andrew, Richard and Simon in the raised level around a table in the furthest corner of the cafe. Lisbeth, looked after serving our beers and tempted us to order spaghetti dishes, which the cafe is known for, but it was too early in the day for us to have a meal.

Keen to try the first in the new Juicy range of beers from Mort Subite, Tim ordered Crime of Passion from the tap.

The others were drinking draught Hapkin 'a strong blond beer with subtle fruitiness', now brewed by Alken-Maes. Our second beer order was a mirror of the first order so we all enjoyed one of each.

Now dry, warm and refreshed we departed for a walk around the traditional cobbled streets of Lier's sizeable Begijnhof / Beguinage, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1998, with St Margaret's church as its centre. Thankfully the rain had eased by now.

The Zimmer tower, museum and cafe is located beyond the north east boundary of the Begijnhof. The astronomical Jubilee clock built by Louis Zimmer (1888-1970) with 13 different dials is on the tower's front facade. A visit to the museum and the inside of the tower is recommended (5 euros).

Sint-Gummarus

Sint-Gummarus has an enviable location, 100 metres at F. Timmermansplein 2, north east of the Zimmer tower and fronting onto the river with plenty of space for outside tables. 

There are ten draught beers and Tim took his glass of Cherry Chouffe to a table opposite the bar with many interesting signs, pictures and a league table on the wall. Perhaps the incongruous brightly coloured bar stool seats appeal to younger generations? 

Cafe In de Gloria Lier

Cafe In de Gloria Lier is located just around the next corner, near Hoogbrug, at Grote Markt 2. 

Tim rejoined the others at this high-ceilinged cafe and ordered a glass of Liefmans Peach beer (3.8% ABV). 

Decorated with bunting and inflatable devil fork in colours of the Belgian flag, presumably for Euro 2024, the permanent items on display in the cafe include an old clock and radio, a portrait of James Dean and a Bass Pale Ale mirror. 

Cafe Rene

Following a recommendation based on it's range of beers, Cafe Rene at Zimmerplein 11, was our final stop in Lier.

Inside the decor is contemporary with plenty of pale wood. 

Tim's beer choice here was Viswijf from Brouwerij Vissenberg, founded in 2013, now with an address in Vremde, between Antwerp and Lier. 

Now it was time for something to eat. It was nice to find that a Croque Monsieur is served on a plate with paper cups of mayonnaise, ketchup and small pickled onions.

Determined to save money on the ride back to Antwerp for the first evening of Bierpassie weekend in Groenplaats, Tim followed the tree-lined path to find a bus stop across the river and outside the centre.

This journey involved catching a bus part way and then changing onto a tram, both operated by De Lijn and only costing a single one hour charge of 1.70 euros on his 10-rittenkaart (10 rides ticket). 

With a delay on the tram due to a track issue, it would be some time later before Tim caught up with the others near the tent where Ben Vinken (seated right 'the original Belgian beer sommelier') is on hand to greet customers at Bierpassie Weekend.

Although senior in age to Richard and Simon, Tim was the junior of our group in terms of number of visits to Antwerp for Bierpassie Weekend. It was rewarding to hear that his proposal of a trip to Lier had been highly valued by all and that a return visit to the town was anticipated in future, hopefully on a dry day!