Antwerp - revisits - June 2024

Simon, Andrew and Richard at Antwerpse Brouw Co (ABC)

On my eighth visit to Antwerp (Thursday 20 June to Sunday 23 June 2024) to allow a seventh visit to Beer Passion Weekend festival, there was time to revisit several favourite bars in addition to those visited for the first time (Antwerp first visits - June 2024).

This post will follow a top down order from the key in the rough map above starting with Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie taproom. The top photo shows Simon and Andrew both wearing their decades old Bierpassie Weekend t-shirts on Saturday 22 June. I joined them in the courtyard, seated near a wedding party, after my first visit to 't Licht der Dokken and the viewing tower at Red Star Line museum. 

When there was a rain shower we moved inside to a raised corner of the taproom near the fermentation vessels and a view of the bar. I enjoyed a 33cl glass of Cheerio!, a limited edition 8% abv Tripel beer aged on natural fruit (raspberries, blackberries and sweet cherries (5 euros).

At the end of this post, the chart above showing posts about previous visits to Antwerp bars, provides blog post weblinks for more photos and descriptions of all the bars revisited.

Bar Paniek

Enjoying a quayside location, Bar Paniek is in the corner of a warehouse building now used as a workshop housing a fascinating collection of industrial equipment and products.

Classic tunes playing here included All Along the Watchtower (Jimi Hendrix) and appropriately Sitting on the Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding).  

Curved staircases lead to a mezzanine level above the bar. Many tables have games boards on them and pinball and darts can be played. The basic toilet facilities are accessed from outside. 

Dr Beer

The next Saturday afternoon visit was to Dr. Beer where we met up again with (L to R) Jennie, Paul and Linda. There was a long table against the far wall, beyond the bar, where we could sit together.

One of the many distinctive features of this cosy bar is that 500ml measures of beer are served in clinical measuring jugs!

Tim's 500ml jug of Johannes De Weize II brewed by Dok Brewing Co (Gent), served from tap 6, cost 8.40 euros. We ordered some late lunchtime food here e.g Croque Monsieur. Andrew treated us to a taste of his hot edamame beans. Tim met Jeroen Peeters, the owner, on his March 2024 visit so was glad to have another chat with him before we left. Jeroen had explained that at busy times only a single bill for a group can be paid by card but on this occasion he was able to accept two separate payments to accommodate us.

Dr Beer is a verified venue for Untappd allowing current beers on tap to be checked in advance.

Our subsequent visit to 't Waagstuk features in  the Antwerp - first visits June 2024 blog post.

The Northerner

We ended up at The Northerner on Friday 21 June after a day in Lier and and an evening at the Bierpassie Weekend festival in Groenplaats. It was the night of the Netherlands v France Euro 2024 football match and, unsurprisingly as we were in Flanders, the bar was crowded with Dutch supporters both inside and outside. Without hesitating, Simon weaved his way to the bar and emerged with a tray of Saison Dupont for us and we stood outside drinking until the match ended and there was space for us to go inside and sit down.

The bar emptied out later and there was a chance to get a photo showing the wheelback chairs, dark floor tiles and relatively low ceiling. I remembered it as a bigger space but in fact it is rather compact.

After midnight, Andrew fetched our table another round of drinks including a draught Brussels Beer Project Juice Junkie IPA for me, served in a stemmed glass (4.20 euros). As closing time approached the change in the music encouraged us to drink up although all the other chairs were stacked away before we actually left, without needing any direct requests to do so.

The Northerner is also an Untappd verified venue.

Jazzcafe De Muze

Having enjoyed two visits to De Muze in March, Tim was able to persuade the group to visit at the end of our first evening in Antwerp. It's located at Melkmarkt 15, just across the street from De Pelikaan.

Our table, in the 'tram compartment', between high backed wooden seats gave a side view of the stage and we particularly appreciated the trumpet player's musical abilities. Admission is free but there's an extra 50 cents per drink once the music starts.

Paters Vaetje

Paters Vaetje has a small frontage with a red canopy in Blauwmoezelstraat on the other side of the cathedral from Groenplaats.

Soon after arriving on Thursday evening, I met up with Andrew and Richards at a ground floor table near the entrance and enjoyed the familiarity of returning to an often visited bar where the service is always friendly. Simon would join us after a delay to watch the England v Denmark Euro 2024 match on a TV in a bar near Brussels Midi station. On this occasion we put the small kitchen to the test and enjoyed dishes of lasagne served in the pot or spaghetti bolognaise with parmesan cheese.

As tradition dictates, Tim's first beer in Antwerp was a draught Bolleke De Koninck.

De Ware Jacob

De Ware Jacob is an authentic traditional cafe bar featured in Belgian Cafe Culture by Regula Ysewijn. It's high on Tim's list for revisiting as the small range of draught beers includes Avec Les Bons Voeux from Brasserie Dupont (9.5% ABV). The menu includes a range of local beers on the first page. One can be sure of good service from Guy Dockx or his staff here.

Het Souke

Nearby, on a corner of pedestrianised Hoogstraat, is Het Souke, another of Tim's favourites now run by Jacob Gouka and also featured in the Belgian Cafe Culture book but under its previous ownership as 't Half Souke. Although it was initially empty inside there were customers outside and it would later fill up inside after the Belgium v Romania Euro 2024 game ended (2-0).

There are 5 draught beers and the bottled beer range is on display at the bar as well as being listed in the beer menu. Tim's freshly poured draught Val-Dieu is also on the bar in this photo. 

De Vagant

Another essential revisit, De Vagant was Tim's last bar of the day on Saturday after Het Souke and now after midnight! Cherry Chouffe on draught was an easy choice here. Owner Bart Daems can be seen behind the bar and a row of Jenever bottles.

Weblinks for blog posts  about previous visits to these bars

Name                         Blog link                                                         No of photos

Antwerpse Brouw Co https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2024/03/antwerp-spring-2024.html                         1

Antwerpse Brouw Co https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2019/07/antwerp-friday-28-june-2019.html                 5

Antwerpse Brouw Co https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2016/07/antwerp-2-seef-bier.html                         3

Antwerpse Brouw Co https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2018/07/antwerp-saturday-2362018.html                         8

Antwerpse Brouw Co https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2023/07/ABCrevisit.html                                         6

De Muze         https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2024/03/antwerp-spring-2024.html                         4

De Vagant https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2023/07/antwerp-2023-revisits.html                                 3

De Vagant https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2022/07/Antwerp-2022-Hoogstraat.html                         6

De Vagant https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2024/03/antwerp-spring-2024.html                         1

De Ware Jacob https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2019/07/antwerp-thursday-27-june-2019.html                 3

De Ware Jacob https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2022/07/Antwerp-2022-Hoogstraat.html                         9

De Ware Jacob https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2023/07/antwerp-2023-revisits.html                                 3

De Ware Jacob https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2024/03/antwerp-spring-2024.html                         1

Dr Beer         https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2024/03/antwerp-spring-2024.html                         2

Dr Beer         https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2023/07/antwerp-2023-first-visits.html                         3

Het Souke https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2023/07/antwerp-2023-revisits.html                                 2

Het Souke https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2022/07/Antwerp-2022-Hoogstraat.html                         6

Het Souke https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2019/07/antwerp-thursday-27-june-2019.html                 1

Paniek         https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2019/07/antwerp-friday-28-june-2019.html                 2

Paters Vaetje         https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2023/07/antwerp-2023-revisits.html                                 1

Paters Vaetje         https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2019/07/antwerp-friday-28-june-2019.html                 4

The Northerner https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2023/07/antwerp-2023-first-visits.html                         3

Antwerp - Spring 2024

For a three night visit in March 2024, we stayed at the recently renovated Hotel National which is well located within easy walking distance of Groenplaats and its metro station, served by several tram routes from Antwerp Centraal station environs.

Many of the city's best beer cafe bars are within easy walking distance. Over this stay, Tim enjoyed showing Meg some of his favourites, previously featured in posts on this blog, including: 

De Ware Jacob (run by Guy Dockx with Brasserie Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux on draught and bottles / cans of beers from all the Antwerp area breweries); 

Het Souke (run by Jacob Gouka with well chosen music and beers); 

Kulminator (run by Dirk and Leen with classical music playing but a bit chilly inside on this occasion. NB Cash only, give purpose of visit as to taste beer and not just drink it!);

De Vagant  

De Vagant (run by Bart Daems with high ceiling, a good choice of beers and jenevers);

Pelikaan (on a Melkmarkt corner, decorated with enamel signs on the outside and neon signs inside).

De Muze

Opposite Pelikaan on Melkmarkt, it was a pleasant surprise to visit De Muze, for the first time, after spotting on the bar's Facebook page that it features live jazz music every night.

On our first visit we found a 'railway carriage style' private table with a view of the side of the stage. 

De Muze 5 featuring a pianist, double bass, drums, sax and trumpet sounded great. There's no admission charge but a 50 cent supplement per drink is applied when live music is on, usually after 9pm.

There's a good draught beer menu (photo above) and a further two dozen bottled beers to choose from.

With dim lighting, high ceilings and interesting decor, De Muze has a lot of character and we revisited the following night for more jazz and beer!

Cafe Scaldis

Tim has visited many of Antwerp's traditional beer cafes featured in Regula Ysewijn's book 'Belgian Cafe Culture'. On this stay his mission was to visit Cafe Scaldis, Cadixstraat1 in Eilandje neighbourhood, once the heart of docklands but now surrounded by new residential housing developments.

As Regula Ysewijn writes 'Cafe Scaldis was founded in 1946 by the parents of current landlady Jose. The wooden bar comes from a 1920s cafe which makes cafe Scaldis look a lot older than it is'. 

A visit needs to be planned carefully as it is only open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, from 12 noon until midnight. Note also that cash payment is expected.

After a visit to nearby Museum aan de Stroom (MAS), on a bright afternoon, with a cold east wind blowing, we opted to sit inside cafe Scaldis. As the only customers seated inside, for some of the time, it was a pleasure to chat with Jose and to be photographed with her before leaving.

Stella Artois is the only beer on tap but bottled beers are also available. When it's busier the barrel tables in front of the bar allow groups to sit together at the bar. Jose mentioned that her regular customers usually visit later in the day.

More revisits + Cafe Hopper + Chatleroi

With time to spare between leaving Cafe Scaldis and 4pm when the Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie taproom opens on a Thursday in March, we walked further north to view the architecturally impressive Antwerp Port House / Havenhuis. The old fire station is topped by the new Zaha Hadid Architects' structure. It is situated at the northern end of the 24 tram route. 

Also of architectural interest is the Straatsburgbrug (Strasbourg Bridge) 'traction station' brick building nearby which the tram circles before returning to the city. The oval-shaped building includes external steps to allow elevated viewpoints for the public and was designed by Van Belle & Medina as part of the Brabo 2 project. 

It's always a pleasure to visit the Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie taproom. The soundtrack was a mixed bag on this afternoon but it was nice to hear Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Tim left an Ullage magazine (Autumn 2023) which included a feature on the taproom for its founder, Johan Van Dyck, who had kindly provided our group with an impromptu brewery tour in June 2023.

Also visited in June 2023, Dr Beer was our next destination, also quite near to MAS. It was busy for a Thursday afternoon but we found a good table (near hanging cane chairs and an anatomical model!) in the cosy surroundings and were expertly assisted in choosing beers by Jeroen Peeters who was happy to provide Meg with a sample of De Mortselarij Miss-T to taste from a stemmed black glass.

Before leaving, Jeroen was pleased to be given a West Berkshire CAMRA Ullage magazine (Autumn 2023) with a mention of Dr Beer and he had soon featured a photo of us with it on the bar and shop's instagram account realdrbeer.

On our last morning in Antwerp we visited the renovated Museum of Fine Arts (KMSKA) which is recommended for art and design lovers. There were special exhibits about James Ensor and Rik Wouters. Remember to allow enough time to get maximum value from the 20 euro admission charge.

It's situated in the Zuid neighbourhood, even further south from the cathedral than Dansing Chocola, where we dined on the night we arrived. 

Although impressed by the art and interiors, we decided against refreshments at the cafe at KMSKA and instead headed to the roundabout at the southern end of Leopold de Waelplaats, the space in front of the museum. There are several cafes in this vicinity including Chatleroi, Wijnbistro Patine and Cafe Hopper. A blackboard outside Chatleroi (closed until 4pm) lists dates when the cafe hosts concerts and DJs. 

We were happy with our eventual choice of Cafe Hopper where most tables were taken. Some customers were reading from a supply of newspapers on top of a grand piano and good music was playing. While Meg had a cappuccino, Tim finally ordered his first Bolleke De Koninck of the visit (normally the first beer ordered, when in the city where it's brewed, rather than the last!).

Antwerp 2023 - first visits

Arriving in Antwerp on Thursday 29 June, after travelling from London to Brussels by Eurostar, the first bar we visited, with our luggage, was De Kroon van Hopland located between the impressive Antwerpen Centraal station and Hostel Pulcinella.

Arriving slightly before the 16:00 hrs opening time, we could watch Thomas perform the daily set up routine involving placement of the outdoor furniture followed by moving the chairs and stools off the marble table tops and onto the hard floor inside the corner bar.

As always, the first beer in Antwerp has to be a locally brewed Bolleke De Koninck. The complimentary nibbles were appreciated by David, Mark and Tim (photographer).

Before we left there was a chance for Tim Thomas to present Thomas T with West Berkshire CAMRA Ullage magazine and appreciate the coincidence of our shared initials. 

The bar has lots of interesting features including a steel sculpture over the entrance and the front of a Volvo car with illuminated headlamps hanging inside. A Threads post by @timofnewbury has more photos from our visit.

On Friday 30 June 2023, after a tram ride to 'Dublin' stop and a look at one of the tram 'traction' buildings (Brabo 2) designed by Van Belle & Medina architects, our group walked to Gaarkeuken 110 at Vosseschijnstraat 21. 

As mentioned by Regula Ysewijn in 'Belgian Cafe Culture', Gaarkeuken 110 is the last of the workmen's kitchens in the Port of Antwerp'. It is not open at the weekend so this was our last chance to visit on this trip.

The entrance is on the other side from the road used for port traffic and there is a large patio area outside the entrance.

Inside there is a long narrow space for tables with a long bar on most of one side. Decor includes dock related images and there is a group of framed drawings of ships on beer mats. Regula Ysewijn writes 'Britt tells me that they are a drawn by a ship's mechanic called Dante'.

Again tradition dictates that Bolleke De Koninck should be the first beer of the day! We had to wait a while for our beers to be served as the staff were constantly busy serving their regular customers. As steak and frites were delivered to an adjacent table it was hard not to feel an appetite for a keenly priced meal. Gaarkeuken 110 deserves a second visit and one timed to include a meal!

For more photos of this unspoilt institution see Tim's Threads post https://www.threads.net/t/Cuh1Zx3sUwL

On Saturday 1 July, after Les and I walked through the Botanical Gardens and the Saturday market on Theaterplein we met up with Simon to ride the escalators up to the top of the distinctive Museum aan de Stroom (MAS) for panoramic views of the city and docks on a dull and damp day.

On David's recommendation, our first bar visit of the day was to nearby Dr Beer at Adriaan Brouwerstraat 31. Instead of a Bolleke we chose from a beer menu which includes a wide range of bottled and canned beers as well as draught beers. Regular beers are listed under the headings: Alcohol free, Spicy, Fruity, Hoppy, Caramelly, and Sour.

Dr Beer is also a beer shop where CAMRA books can be found including Beer Breaks by Tim Webb.

There is a spacious and light interior that features oak beams, a colourful bar and real plants. There are large and smaller tables and distinctive flat cushions for the chairs.

Mark, David and Graham arrived later and in time to miss a heavy downpour after which the weather improved. Tim provided our helpful part time barman Dries with Ullage magazines and persuaded him to pose for a photo. On this occasion, we didn't get to meet Jeroen Peeters, the proprietor of Dr Beer, remembered by David from his December 2019 visit.

Find more photos of Dr Beer in Tim's Threads post: https://www.threads.net/t/CuktGTwtbD- 

It was good to see the Havenhuis / Port House with the Zaha Hadid addition from a closer viewpoint than in previous years on the way from Gaarkeuken 110 to Taverne 't Kerkschip on Friday 30 June. We were also able to climb the steps around another Van Belle & Medina designed tram traction building, partly visible on the left of the photo, taken from Straatsburg / Strasbourg bridge. 

Houtdok is halfway between Havenhuis and Cadix stops on the 24 tram route. Kerkschip St Jozef constructed of concrete during WWII is now permanently moored on the north quay of the dock. The ship now houses a church, a chapel and Taverne 't Kerkschip. 

Inside the tavern is a bar that looks as though it was made from a wooden lifeboat. Draught and bottled beers including the nearby Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie range are available at the bar. After our beers, we were kindly invited to view the chapel in stern of the ship and appreciate the thickness of it's concrete hull. The ship's church is only open for the Sunday service.

For more photos see Tim's post on Threads: https://www.threads.net/t/Cuo7dlxMrer

After a visit to the estimable Cafe Kulminator on Thursday 29 June, we headed to Dansing Chocola for an evening meal of Stoofvlees, witloof slaw and frites. Dansing Chocola is situated at 159 Kloosterstraat, at one corner of Willem Lepelstraat with Heilig Huisken on the other corner. We hadn't booked but were greeted and shown to a table inside near the bar and provided with a basket of bread and butter.

There are large windows on two sides of the room and plenty of unusual decor to provide interest while we waited for beers to arrive from the bar. Thanks to David for suggesting a visit to Dansing Chocola as we enjoyed good food, beer, service and value in a relaxing atmosphere.

Only 50 metres away from Dansing Chocola as the crow flies, but about 150 metres away on foot, we met up with Paul and Jennie at Cafe de Vischmijn on a street corner at Riemstraat 20. They had arrived in Antwerp on a later train and dined at Bier Central before this rendezvous.

The interior looked interesting especially the ceiling but we sat outside in a sheltered area and enjoyed glasses of cold tank fresh Duvel 666.

The owner found time to chat with our group. Yves Van Roy introduced tank beer at Cafe de Vischmijn in 2016 and his customers tell him that he serves the best Stella Artois and Bolleke De Koninck in Antwerp.

On Friday 30 June, after a second visit to Cafe Kulminator on this trip, and a meal at Paters Vaetje, we moved on to The Northerner, which Simon rates highly but this would be Tim's first visit.

Saison Dupont was our beer of choice here. Previously, Tim had asked Yves Van Roy if Cafe de Vischmijn stocked a Saison like Dupont but he was not aware of it. After checking he explained that Antwerp is a long way from Tourpes which is only 50 km from Lille and he prefers to stock locally brewed beers.

Enjoying his first visit to The Northerner, Tim chatted to Joachim who had served our beers. As a souvenir of our visit he accepted a copy of West Berkshire CAMRA Ullage magazine. 

Traditionally, our group would be in Antwerp for the Beer Passion Weekend festival in Groenplaats. The festival date was a week earlier in 2023 so another first for this group was to see Groenplaats (above) without the usual barriers enclosing the festival site. 

On Saturday 1 July, after a meal at a small Syrian cafe on Hoogstraat, our group headed to Cafe Ernst by the river Scheldt at Ernest Van Dijckkai 18. Cafe Ernst specialises in 'Craft Beer and Natural Wine' and has a contemporary style. 

We found a large table at the rear, near a spiral staircase. The draught beer list is on a blackboard and the full beer menu is on the pub's Untappd page. After a draught Zinnebir from Brasserie de la Senne, Tim enjoyed a fruity bottle of Viven Master IPA while sitting across from Jennie and Paul.

Simon's plan was to visit nearby Cafe Pardaf but as it was closing we continued past Brabo's Monument in the Grote Markt to Den Engel.

Loud music and a lively interior made it sensible to sit outside but at the cost of inhaling cigarette smoke in the breeze. We enjoyed glasses of La Chouffe Blond as demonstrated by Graham, Simon and Les above.

Writing about Den Engel in Belgian Cafe Culture, Regula Ysewijn mentions 'Den Engel is the only cafe in Antwerp to have a traditional Geuze corkscrew (geuzestoppentrekker)'. A daytime visit might be a better time to have a close look at the bar and interior of this popular cafe. One more reason to return to Antwerp!

Petra's Cafe was included in Regular Ysewijn's book as 'an institution in the port of Antwerp ... the cafe is the living room of the dockworkers waiting for work'. However things have changed, there are new exterior signs, new furniture and music with a North African sound. The beer range is minimal but Les and Tim enjoyed a morning coffee, served with a complimentary Belgian chocolate, before heading to MAS on Saturday 1 July. A panel on the end wall shows Petra's cafe as it was when frequented by dockworkers.

On Sunday 2nd July, their last day in Antwerp, heading for De Duifkens, Tim and David chanced upon the bronze sculpture of Den Deugniet (the rascal / naughty boy) on a concrete plinth. The rascal's cheeky image also appears on the Den Deugniet beer bottle label. The 7.5% ABV Blonde is brewed by Brasserie du Bocq, near Dinant. The small sculpture is on Korte Gasthuisstraat, a pedestrian street that runs north from the eastern end of Oudaan passing Frites Atelier. The original sculpture was by Luc Verlee (1976). Apparently often stolen, the current sculpture may be more recent. 

At De Duifkens, David chose an outside table with a pleasant view of tree-lined Graanmarkt and the sound of birds from a market stall with caged birds for sale.

The first beer since breakfast at the hostel had to be a Bolleke De Koninck. 

The interior of the pub has dark wood panelled walls and a floor with tiles of several colours. The lighting and clumsy placement of posters on the walls did not enhance the character of De Duifkens. David discovered that this is the Flemish word for pigeons and a wooden pigeon perches on the pub's exterior along with the artificial geraniums. 

Tim's Threads post has more photos including a doll whose face peers down from a hole in the ceiling and a beer menu: https://www.threads.net/@timofnewbury/post/CusE40Os5UQ