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| View north across river Meuse from La Boverie island towards the 28 storey Kennedy tower and the steeple of the church of the Grand Seminary. Saint-Paul and the University are just north of these buildings. 14/1/2026. |
The Saint-Paul Cathedral and main University building are located between Guillemins and Saint-Lambert districts. There are many lively bars and cafes in this part of Liege. Having visited
Le Pot au Lait in January 2025, we aimed to visit some different bars in this area a year later.
In the late afternoon of Thursday 15 January, we reached Au Delft on foot after visiting Brasserie C, near the foot of the steps of Montagne de Bueren.
We had stopped briefly to look inside the
Collegiate church of Saint-Denis which was incorporated into the city walls.
Au Delft
Opposite the main university building, Au Delft is on the corner of Pl. Cockerill and Rue Charles Magnette. There's an art deco look to the exterior of the building which has become rather grubby.
However, the
European Bar Guide recommends this brown cafte as being one of the best in Europe.
It was busy inside but we found a table with a view through a big window of the
Theatre de Liège and a statue of
Professor Andre Dumont, a geologist. Tim enjoyed a local beer - Smash Original by
Brasserie {C}.a 6.2% ABV pale ale. Served with a small dish of mixed peanuts this was good value for €3.80. Music was playing softly, a nearby customer was using a laptop and others were chatting. There are no individual menus but a blackboard lists available beers including several local options.
The chairs are stylish with banquette seating around the edge of the room.
There is a distinctive light fixture in the centre of the room. There are posters. leaflets and publications for browsing. It was tempting to stay for a second beer but we had more bars to visit.
Fondamental
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| Fondamental, Rue des Carmes 13 |
Jezza, posting as @bonsvoeux1 on Bluesky, as well as
Boak and Bailey in a blog post, had been impressed by
Fondamental on their September / October 2025 visits to Liège. It's only 240 metres from Au Delft. It's a few steps up from street level and spacious inside with a high ceiling and enough pine panelling on the walls to furnish several sauna cabins.
A complimentary bowl of popcorn was served with our beers. Tim's beer was draught Lupulus Pils costing €3 and the cheapest option on the menu.
Other beers on the printed menu included three more draught beers from Brasserie Lupulus, and local beers including Badjawe from
Brasserie Cooperative Liegoise, Hazy Pale from
Norm Brewing and Curtius Classic from Brasserie {C}.
On our visit the choice of music playing was not appreciated and plastic greenery for decoration always disappoints. However, the use of enamel beer signs to decorate the pine walls was a good indicator although only a small section near the entrance has been covered so far. It's a useful place to know about that's away from a busy area for a good choice of beer at reasonable prices and there's plenty of space.
A few steps from Fondamental, then turning right along the lively Rue St Paul brought us to our next bar at the first corner.
Taverne Saint Paul
Taverne Saint Paul was too busy when we visited in 2025 but this time we were lucky to find a free table in the 'middle' room at 6pm on a Thursday evening.
The beer menu may not be inspiring but this is a classic bar not to be missed.
Tim enjoyed draught Val Dieu (25cl €4.20) and stayed on for Tripel Karmeliet (25cl €4.50) with the complimentary bowl of salty biscuits lasting well. Customers came and went but there was a constant buzz of conversation.
There is a dedicated bar person to pour the beers as waiters collect their orders from the bar. Mirrors in the 'middle' room make the space appear larger than it is.
Look down and you will see the tiled floor, look up and you will notice the candelabra style light fitting.
Although it was very busy we enjoyed prompt and efficient service. It's a classic bar to visit in Liège.
After leaving here we passed Saint Paul's cathedral on the way to the nearby Pont d'Avroy tram stop.
If you are visiting this part of Liège for the first time, be sure to also visit
Le Pot au Lait and its courtyard which is less than 100 metres away from Taverne Saint Paul.
Another nearby bar, which we did not have time to investigate, is
Blaes by Bartho.
Jezza wrote 'Excellent place, highly recommended' and
Boak & Bailey mentioned vinyl record decks, low lighting and beers from newer breweries.
