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| The steps of Montagne de Bueren |
On our Wednesday visit, we reached the Saint-Lambert area after a long walk from our accommodation in Angleur stopping at Liege Guillemins station to buy a Le Tec bus / tram
multi-journey ticket.
(8 trips for €9.70. NB Fare increase on 1/2/2026: 6 trips for €13.40).
From there we crossed the River Meuse by pedestrian bridge to the island for a visit to the
Robert Doisneau photographic exhibition at
Museum La Boverie named after the island.
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| Photo of Georges Simenon by Robert Doisneau (1961) |
A power cut interrupted our visit and this also prevented any service at the
Madame Boverie sandwich bar inside the museum which serves local bottled beers.
Casa Ponton
After leaving, we walked north, recrossed the river Meuse and eventually found refreshment at
Casa Ponton.
On the corner of Rue de la Cité and En Neuvice, the busy cafe features tables with an inset chess / draughts board.
There is colourful artwork above the bar with the windows of Casa Ponton featuring in the central panel, a stylised aerial view of the street corner at night.
The industrial history of Liège is referenced with framed black and white photos on the walls. The black metal bar stools and the overhead ventilation system matches this theme and contrasts with the brown cafe style.
Tim enjoyed Badjawe Blonde for his first beer of the day at tea time for Meg. Soul classics were playing including tracks by Sam & Dave and Bob & Earl. Some customers had small dogs with them including one with a loud bark for its size.
Through the windows to the left of the bar you can see a cast iron
Montefiore drinking fountain and watch trams heading east from Saint-Lambert. La Batte, 150 metres to the east, by the river Meuse, is the nearest tram stop.
Heading north, away from the river Meuse, we resisted the temptation to buy a sweet Liège delicacy at 'La Petite Boutique' of
Une Gaufrette Saperlipopette at Rue des Mineurs 7.
Wild Lab Liège
Thirty metres east from the top of Rue des Mineurs and slighlty set back at Rue Hors-Château 14,
Wild Lab Liège was empty when we arrived at 5.15pm.
Following us inside, our host served us at the open bar. 11 of the 14 taps were connected. Tim's Cloud Drift, a 6% ABV Hazy IPA (€5.50 / 25cl), brewed by
DosKiwis at their site, between Girona and the Costa Brava, would be one of his favourite beers on this trip.
Staying with the same style, his next beer, spotted in a fridge, was Ochtendnevel (Morning mist), a collaborative beer brewed by
Kapsuul Beer Co (near Aalst) and La Source Beer Co. (Brussels). The 'drink in' price was €6.
The French hip hop style music sounded good with a decent sound system. Decor includes a high shelf of bottles and a display of hanging beer cans. There are blackboards with food options and event dates. The toilets are distinguished by male and female puppets suspended above. By the time we left at 6.45pm the bar was reasonably busy.
Wild Lab was the first stop on Jezza's September 2025 visit to Liège. His
@bonvoeux1 Bluesky post about the 'excellent place' includes 4 photos.
Sauvage
We found a table between the entrance and the bar. Service here was fast and attentive. A range of sour beers is available but Tim made the obvious choice of Curtius Classic as the bar is part of Brasserie {C}.
For an upmarket style place in an historic building, the €4 price seemed very reasonable.
We returned to the Montagne de Bueren on Thursday. Instead of walking up the steps we caught a Le TEC 38 bus from Place St-Lambert (Quai D) to Hospital de la Citadelle.
From there it was all downhill, passing the brutalist 14th Line Regiment monument before reaching the top of the steps.
Brasserie {C}
Entering Brasserie {C}, we looked in at the bar but were then directed to a restaurant area in a courtyard with a temporary covering and hot air blowers.
There was a sloping floor in this area and we could see the bar from our table.
The beer menu included the Sauvage range of sour beers. Tim enjoyed Brasserie {C} Smash Crush with cherry and raspberry flavours. €4.50 25cl.
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| Upstairs at Brasserie {C} |
Before leaving there was a chance to visit the two indoor rooms on ground and first floors which were warmer and quieter but had a little less character.
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Downstairs at Brasserie {C}
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It was 3pm when we left and the afternoon light was illuminating the steps at Montagne de Bueren.
Another Liège landmark earmarked for a visit was the Roger Lenertz sculpture of
Georges Simenon sitting on a bench at the Gare Léopold bus terminus near Place Saint Lambert. This was 600 metres away.
Naturally, the author of the Maigret novels is holding a pipe in his hand!
There is colourful artwork above the bar with the windows of Casa Ponton featuring in the central panel, a stylised aerial view of the street corner at night.
