Belgium - A little help please
 

I will be traveling to Belgium with my father in October. We will be basing in Brussels, and brancing out to Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp and more from there.

I'd love to find a world-class cocktail lounge/bar in Brussels. Something like the Hemingway Bar or one of the Harry's in Italy. Anyone have any suggestions for me? We'll be staying close to the Grande Place.

I'd also like to learn of any once in a lifetime experiences in Belgium or close by. Are there any private tours? Any splurges worth considering for a special trip?

We'll both be celebrating b-days while there; any ideas on special things to do?

I'm curious to see what kinds of responses you get. We never found any world class cocktail lounges in Brussels in the years we lived there and during our frequent visits to the city since then. Our impressions of some of the more widely known (and also a few less so) options:
L'Archiduc...way past its prime. Attitude that's not justified.
Kolya...ok, not really special
Belga Queen (specifically the Club). This might be closest to your brief, but even so... not quite there. I have heard the Belga Queen in Ghent is better, but haven't been there.
Mappa Mundo...hit it on the right night and it's a lot of fun. Hit it on an off night and it's boring and pointless
Au Vieux St. Martin...ok, this is a restaurant/cafe on the Sablon. Not a great bar, per se, but if you get Bill Clinton's table (in the corner in the front part of the room), it's a great place to pose for a while. I spent many hours there with their decadent cappuccinos, but cocktails, hmmm...
The Conrad Hotel bar. Catch it when there's a major international EU-sponsored heads of state meeting in town and you could be downing drinks with various tinpot dictators, their overpaid ministers of trumped up offices, and their attractive "temporary friends" -- but if nothing is going on, then it's dead. You can tell the level of intrigue at the hotel by the accoutrements of the guards at the car entrance on Ave Louise...several guys in Kevlar and with automatic weapons and bingo, the bar scene is likely to be pretty lively.
I'm not going to suggest any of the beer bars like Moeder Lambic, etc because they're not really our thing. And I won't recommend any of the Iris pubs, blecch. Brussels has many intimate, charming wine bars, but world class bars? Like, for example, the sake cocktail bar at Zuma in London? (love their raspberry passion fruit martinis). I'm coming up short. Overall, the bar scene in Antwerp is much better, or so I'm told by almost everyone.

As for restaurants, a few of our favourites are out in the pretty suburb of La Hulpe, places like La Salicorne:
http://www.lasalicorne.be/

Of course, Brussels is full of great restaurants and we usually make repeat visits to Le Fruit Defendu
http://sites.resto.com/lefruitdefendu/
and Notos (I love the food and wine at Notos but the service can be awful and they don't care)
www.notos.be

Thanks for the info; I'll check those out and also keep doing a little research. thanks again.

Just found this list of cocktail bars:
http://www.worldsbestbars.com/city/brussels/

For its size, Belgium is the centre of the world for beer-drinkers. Leave the miniature parasols to Miami Beach and instead consider Brussels' array of atmospheric old pubs and their mind-boggling (and possibly brain-marinating) selection of local and national brews, some of quite terrifying potency and bewildering flavours.
As Brussels is also the capital for many European government agencies, I am sure you can find worthy international cocktail bars as distinctive as the chains of international hotels they often inhabit.

Agree with FoFoBT about the cocktail lounges. Place St. Gery is the centre of Brussels nightlife (or, one of the centres, but close to the Grand' Place) and you can move from interesting cafe to bar there, but agree it's not like the bar scene elsewhere. I like Mappa Mundo. There are some interesting nightlife choices (restaurants, cafes) in Rue Jourdan (near Stephanie), including a Irish pub. Another choice, off the beaten path, but with an exotic atmosphere, is a restaurant where you can just opt for drinks, Les Salons de l'Atalaïde, which is at Chaussée de Charleroi 89, near Stephanie. I think that might fulfil some of your want. You could take a tram / walk, or catch a taxi. For a typical cafe-brasserie (think beer) À la Mort Subite is interesting and authentic, and close to the centre too.

Lavandula

This place is pretty lively Th/Fr/Sa, it's in one of the residential neighbourhoods (take the metro to the Montgomery stop and walk a couple of blocks):
http://www.lemartinpecheur.be/index.cfm?langue=fr

But it's a dinner/drinking scene, not a bar. FWIW, their food is good and they have, in our opinion, the best steaks in Brussels if you're in the mood for beef. No resevations, so there can be a wait when it's really busy (hence the bar scene). Good monthly wine specials. This place reminds me in atmosphere of Toucan's over in Ixelles - lively, a loyal local clientele, but world-class food/bar? Nope.

The world's best bar site list for Brussels is similar to the list I gave you. FWIW, we found the who Chaussee de Charleroi bar/restaurant scene, including Les Salons de l'Atalaïde, seems to have flattened out and the places we used to go to now seem past their prime (ditto for L'Archiduc).

Brussels just doesn't have cool bars. I've been living here for over 10 years and am still young enough to be out on the hunt for good bars. They don't have a bar culture - that doen't mean they don't drink, but going out for food, with an apero before is the norm rather than going out for drinks.

From that best bars list -

Archiduc - dump
Belga Queesn - ok - cool restaurant - cigar club is usually empty.
Chelsea - dead
Crystal - gone way downhill
Greenwich - dump
Havana - meat market - dump

A few observations of mine

A few nice wine bars have popped up - but nothing that you wouldn't find anywhere else in the world.

There's a Harrys bar in Brussels but it's nothing to write home about.

There is quite a cool bar near the Gare du midi, problem is you wouldn't want to go to that area.

Favourite time warp bar - le Cirio
or
The foyer in the Hotel Metropole...they often have a dodgy old piano player.

Favourite bar with a view - Kameleon Sky - There is a restaurant at the top of the casino in Brussels which turns slightly clubby at the weekends after dark - view is good. Cocktails are good, decor is good, but not very cool people.

Favourite place to drink champagne - Terrace of the Kwint
http://www.kwintbrussels.com/

Also, beware - in Brussels, they have generally no idea how to make cocktails. I recently got a handful of oily olives thrown into a "martini".

You would be better off appreciating the bars for what they are here rahter than being on the unfruitful hunt for a cocktail bar. Or stick to cool Restaurants.


I think Belga Queen might be your best bet.

Tasso is also pretty cool.
http://www.tassobxl.be/master.php?lang=en

mdtravel - You've gotten an impressive list of possible bars and lounges, cool or otherwise. Fodor's can be such a great resource!

Maybe you could provide some clarification on what you're looking for. I'm not a big cocktail lounge person, though when I go, I'm looking for good wine, quiet, comfortable and decent background music. I have been forced (yes) to go to Hemingway's Bar in Paris (by my mother) and Harry's in Venice (by a busness partner of DH), and found both of those experiences not pleasant at all. Packed, noisy, full of loud Americans (I'm American, but not loud), and very overpriced. I can't imagine that's what you're looking for for a special time with your dad. Did you mention those places because you all want a "name" place, or a famous place?

We were in Brussels last October, and I was surprised at how much I loved the city during our short visit. For a special experience, honestly, I would go to an outdoor cafe in Grand Place. Touristy, yes (and probably overpriced, though not as much as at Harry's), though in mid-October it was cool enough that only a handle of people were sitting outside in the entire Place. But it was gorgeous and atmospheric.

We did go to Moeder Lambic, as DH loves good beer. The staff there is passionate and knowledgeable about beer, so we had some great conversations with them. Also quiet, though we were there mid-week in October; maybe it's noisier/busier on the weekends.

I love great food, so a special experience for me would be a fabulous meal. I don't have any place specific to suggest, though I know that are a number of Michelin-starred restaurants in Brussels (and throughout Belgium).

Thanks folks. I think I'm resolved to no cocktails, which is fine. I've been to Belgium before and know all about the beer bars and cafes and definitely plan to spend considerable time there. I was looking for a break from the beers and that type of atomosphere. It sounds like there isn't much that wouldn't be a disappointment, so I'll not venture out of our way to go to any of them. Thanks for all the insight.

Any real cool things to do in Brussels that tourists generally overlook? Any "once in a lifetime" things to consider?

I am not sure what you'd consider really cool; you might consider a meal at La Truffe Noire - they have a Michelin star, and are a little off the beaten path so you won't find a lot of tourists. It's in the part of Ixelles that is at the end of Avenue Louise. Incidentally it's just near the Bois de la Cambre, a very pretty park for some down time on a Sunday afternoon. Trams go down that end of town, either from Montgomery pre-metro (the long way) or from Louise (the short way), or just take a taxi.

La Truffe Noire
Boulevard de la Cambre, 12
1000 Brussels

Tel: +32 2 640 44 22
Fax: +32 2 640 44 22
Email : [email protected]

Lavandula