 |
| View west from Ibis Budget hotel towards Leuven railway and bus stations. |
Previously visited briefly in January 2026 (see
Leuven 2026 visit 1 post), we returned to Leuven, east of Brussels, twice more in August 2026. In each case, as Leuven was a 'stopover' to or from Brussels by train, Ibis Budget hotel was conveniently close to the station and economical when booked in advance.
 |
| View from Ibis Budget hotel towards Kessel-Lo (Frituur Station on the corner) |
There are eastern views from the hotel in the other direction with a pedestrian underpass that leads to a low-level station entrance and access to the city.
Bars and taprooms visited will be mentioned in the same order as our visits with the first on Tuesday 4 August, before university students returned from vacation. Previously visited bars have brief descriptions but there is more detail for (final visit) Brouwerij de Coureur.
De Blauwe Kater
At Mechelsestraat 51,
De Blauwe Kater (blue tomcat / blue hangover) Jazz & Blues cafe has a cat dressed in blue mascot on a shelf near the bar and a blue cat playing a piano keyboard image, as part of the main external sign, above the entrance. As on several previous visits, Tim enjoyed a Saison Dupont from a bottle (€5). It's a pleasant place to linger with plenty of music related decor including old posters and there is always blues or jazz music playing.
MALZ
Arriving at 7.30pm on a Tuesday,
MALZ was not busy and we were able to sit on the sofa, just inside the entrance of the award winning craft beer bar. After browsing the bound menu, we ordered a bottle of
Druppel Ipanema by Brouwerij Van Druppel, a microbrewery in Aarschot and draught Vollen Bak a farmhouse ale (6.8% ABV, €5.50) from tap 5 by Brouwerij Adept based at
De Smederij nearby in Winksele / Veltem. The bar and both beers are recommended.
There are shelves near the sofa with a variety of books and magazines about beer including
Op Cafe in Vlaanderen by
Sofie Vanrafelghem which features 200 beer bars in Flanders. A copy of Berkshire CAMRA '
Pubs & Pints' was added.
De Metafoor
Located between the river Dyle and the Oude Markt, De Metafoor at Parijsstraat 34 was another favourite bar to revisit. It was quiet at 8pm on Tuesday. From our table near the entrance we had a view of the corner bar and the bookshelf over the trompe l'oeil cabinet and real sofa.
We enjoyed a couple of bottles from the laminated beer menu. Meg's Job (6% ABV) by
Brouwerij de Kroon and Tim's Wolf 7 (7.4% ABV) by
Brouwerij Wolf. Music playing included 'Back in the USSR' and 'Don't fear the Reaper'. If you want to be sure of a table here, visit during university vacations!
In den Ouden Tijd
After a first late night visit in January, we returned to In den Ouden Tijd for a final beer on both nights when we visited Leuven again in August. It's near the station and Ibis Budget hotel plus the offer of a 33cl glass of Stella Artois for €2.50 is good value.
There's a smoking room behind glass walls on the left and a Belgian two pocket billiards table on the right when you enter. The games machines and bar are at the back and this is where drinks are ordered.
Stella Artois is the obvious choice here although the beer list includes other good value options including Westmalle Tripel (€4).
De Reynaert
Back in Leuven on Wednesday 12 August, after seven nights in Germany, we walked to
De Reyneart after checking in at the Ibis Budget hotel.
It had been closed for some building work the previous week. Since a first visit to this 'Oldschool kroeg' in January, De Reynaert has become an essential bar to visit although its location to the south of the city centre involves a long walk or a bus journey.
Draught Cristal (25cl, €2.90) was the obvious first beer after a walk on a hot and sunny afternoon. There is a small courtyard area at the back of the premises which was still sunny at 5.30pm.
Retiring inside later we found a table near the entrance with a view of the bar and blackboard over. A Trappist
Orval and a
Nen Doorzetter by De Firma (brewed by
Craywinckelhof near Lubbeek, 12 km east of Leuven) each cost €5.
Brewed since 2021, the fruity and floral Nen Doorzetter (6% ABV) was a great local find.
Brouwerij de Coureur
After a bus ride to Kessel-Lo, on the other side of the railway tracks, we reached the Brouwerij de Coureur taproom, Borstelsstraat 20, at 7.30pm.
The wide entrance includes bicycle parking space and decor. The poster beside the doorway inside includes the motto 'Life is Brewtiful'.
The white-painted toilet block and bar are on the right as you enter.
We found a table at the far end of the long brewery / taproom area near the large window. There are regular and high seating options including stools at the bar. Quirky features include a QR code card holder formed from a bicycle inner tube and rubber bands, oversize bottle caps with mottos eg 'Beer is cheaper than Therapy' and a counter with beer drinking ducks.
Natural light also reaches the space from rooflights. The blackboard on the wall near our table suggests 'Keep cool and drink beer'. While others were preparing to view the solar eclipse, there was sunlight on our table and we failed to notice any significant change in light although this may have been due to the gradual nature of the phenomenon?
 |
| Grinta (33cl), Colleke (40cl), Souplesse (33cl) |
We may have missed the solar eclipse but we didn't miss the opportunity to enjoy some beers at Brouwerij de Coureur!
From the printed menu on a clipboard, we chose Grinta NEIPA (5.4% ABV, 33cl €6), Colleke 'fresh & uncomplicated' Cream Ale (4.5% ABV, 40cl €4) and Souplesse Blonde Tripel (6.9% ABV, 33cl €5).
Before leaving, an hour later, a few new customers had arrived and there was a chance to have a quick look at the brewing equipment. It was good to get around to visiting Brouwerij de Coureur and although it is some distance from the centre of Leuven it is walkable from the station (1.5km) and Hal 5 (1.2km).
 |
| Hal 9, Kessel-Lo |
Unfortunately, the
Hal 5 branch of Falafel
Habibi had closed when we walked past but there was a view of nearby
Hal 9 where redevelopment work continues to convert the former railway workshop into a youth centre.
Meals and coffee in Leuven
On Tuesday 4 August we dined on Tibetan food near De Metafoor at
Intertaste, Parijsstraat 7.
On Wednesday 5 August, we had breakfast and coffee at the Leuven station branch of
Madmum.
On Wednesday 12 August, we sat outside
Frituur Station, Martelarenlaan 17, for a simple meal involving frites.
Related Leuven posts
Travel to and from Brussels and Germany
These were brief visits to Leuven (3) in August on the way to and from Germany, after and before Eurostar train journeys between London and Brussels (2). See the posts below for details of the German cities visited.
