Nightliafe in Brussels
Brussels - the administrative capital of Europe, in the average traveller's imagination figures as a conglomeration of dull European Union office buildings, exclusive conference centres and chic restaurants for business lunches. However, this bustling city has as much to offer an ordinary visitor as it does to a high EU official.
Start your night in the Belgian capital at one of its superb bars or pubs. All serve the best that the country has to offer in terms of alcoholic beverages, including world-famous, excellent beers like Lambic Gueuze and sour-cherry-flavoured Kriek. Recommendable locations for some quality beer-sampling include A La Mort Subite (rue Montagne aux Herbes Potageres), La Rose Blanche (Grande-Place 11), and La Becasse (rue de Tabora 11). Le Cercuil (The Coffin; rue des Hares 10-12) features coffins as a decorative element and serves beer in skull-shaped pitchers. Cosy little Le Soleil (rue des Capucins 63) seems tailor-made for an evening spent with friends over a glass of golden beer.
Le Roy d’Espagne (Grand-Place 1) is an utterly charming spot featuring 17th-century decorative woodwork and a fireplace burning bright during the cold nights. If you take a table by the window, you'll be able to admire a spectacular view over the Grand Place. Other trendy bars in the area include H2O (rue Marche au Charbon 28), playing jazz and classical music, Goupil Le Fol (rue de la Violette 22), with French chansons, and a classic Art Nouveau café called Falstaff (rue des Pierres 38).
With the onset of night, many bars and restaurants become lively nightclubs featuring bands and DJ performances. Recommendable venues include Le Sud (rue de l'Ecuyer 43-45). For a quieter evening, visit the Theatre de Toone VII (Impasse Schuddeveld 6), where you can enjoy a drink while watching a puppet theatre spectacle. Younger visitors might want to embark upon a pub crawl in the area of Place St Géry.