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jackhayes17

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A wee bit touristy but a fantastic selection of beers and old-school charm is A la Mort Subite in the City Centre.  When I was last there for the Belgium game in 2012 my favourites beers were Bush, Roshefort, and Westvleteren. Favourite bars were Au Mort Subite, Cafe Belga, and Le Pitch-Pin.  The last two were on Place Eugene Flagey near where we were staying in the Ixelles district which would be a happy hunting ground for cafes, bars and restaurants.  Don't know about Anderlecht but they might have a print your own ticket option through their website?

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I would recommend the St Catherine area where there are various bars and eating places. if you want to eat in a traditional Belgian place which excellent value go to Le Pre Sale on Rue de Flandre. You would need to book. About 100 yards from there is my favourite bar in Brussels called the Monk. Big bar with a variety of beers and quite a lively crowd. There is a newer bar a couple of units down from it which is also lively but the name escapes me. 

Opposite Le pre Sale is a bar called Roskam which is long and thin. Good wee bar with a friendly owner. They have live music in there and we saw a Johny Cash tribute band there the night before the last Scotland game there. 

There are also some outstanding seafood restaurants in St Catherine on the Quai aux Briques. They may look imposing and pricey but they offer excellent value if you like seafood. Also on this street is a truly fantastic chocolate shop called Frederic Blondeel. If you go in the smell of chocolate is overpowering and their hot chocolate served with a couple of free chocolates is outstanding.

In the main tourist area I would recommend a bar called Delirium Tremens where they have the largest selection of beers in the world. The beer directory is the size of a telephone directory. whilst this is good in terms of selection, it appears that every American tourist in the place tries to find the most obscure beer and the staff spend ages hunting for the weird bottles while you are gasping for a pint. You can go across the lane and drink their lager in a quieter bar. The lane that it is on also features the female version of the Manneken Pis.

If you are looking to refuel cheaply there isa street with a variety of kebab shops behind the Grand Place on Rue de Marche aux Fromages

If you like meandering around flea markets got to the Marolles area, loads of antique places and a daily flea market. Lots of local colour as they say.

To go a bit more upmarket walk up the hill to Place Sablon. There is an excellent value restaurant there called L'Entree des Artistes. Very well finished inside, great staff and good value for what you get from an Italian/French menu.

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Regards beer, on opposite sides of the centre we found Moeder Lambic Fontainas & Bier Circus with big choices (though not pub-like places).   Experimenting to find your favourite style can wipe you out early in Belgium :o   Would be a shame to only drink Jupiler though.

Was fond of Poechenellekelder , but it can be rammed as it's beside the Manneken Pis.

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On 20/01/2017 at 9:44 AM, jackhayes17 said:

Thanks very much guys. Much appreciated! Will definitely have to see what some of these bars and restaurants are like. Also been recommended Leuven for an all-dayer so looks like that's on the cards too! Cheers

I'd give a vote to Leuven it a cracking wee city with a good compact city centre.

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JoeCraigFanClub is bang on. We stayed at the Ibis St Catherine in November when we were at the Estonia match. Choice of restaurants outstanding, within easy walking distance of Grand Place and pissing midget, as well as loads of really good pubs.

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On 1/20/2017 at 9:44 AM, jackhayes17 said:

Thanks very much guys. Much appreciated! Will definitely have to see what some of these bars and restaurants are like. Also been recommended Leuven for an all-dayer so looks like that's on the cards too! Cheers

im sure they claim to have the worlds longest bar but its just several small bars joined together

anyhoo went there to watch the mighty hibernian fc play oh leuven and had a great time 

very picturesque and plenty foo foo around as its a big student town :ok:

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On 16/01/2017 at 10:01 AM, jackhayes17 said:

Hi lads

Going to Brussels for the weekend in March. Can anyone recommend decent boozers and any way or sourcing tickets for Anderlecht matches?

Cheers

You might struggle to get tickets to watch Anderlecht though. They have a system where you need to be an approved local to buy tickets. It is all to do with hooliganism - way over the top IMO. If you know someone in BXLs, ask them to buy you a ticket as you wont get one from them yourself without jumping through administrative hoops. Same story with FC Brussels although they will seldom sell out (even against Anderlecht). You would get in easy to watch Union Saint Gilleoise however (lower league) and meet the fans and the team in the bar after the game. Quite a few Scots follow Union by the way. That would be an adventure to the Brussels suburbs ;-). 

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On ‎31‎/‎01‎/‎2017 at 9:38 AM, CraigieBrown said:

You might struggle to get tickets to watch Anderlecht though. They have a system where you need to be an approved local to buy tickets. It is all to do with hooliganism - way over the top IMO. If you know someone in BXLs, ask them to buy you a ticket as you wont get one from them yourself without jumping through administrative hoops. Same story with FC Brussels although they will seldom sell out (even against Anderlecht). You would get in easy to watch Union Saint Gilleoise however (lower league) and meet the fans and the team in the bar after the game. Quite a few Scots follow Union by the way. That would be an adventure to the Brussels suburbs ;-). 

That would certainly be a surprise given that they went bust a few years ago!!

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As JCFC has said, the Saint Catherine area is a good shout.  I've stayed in Hotel Atlas a couple of times, which is just 2-3 minute walk from the underground.  Great hotel, very reasonable.  Monk is also my favourite bar in Brussels and is about 50 yards from that hotel.  The bar a couple of doors up is Bar Des Amis and is also a good shout.  Foodwise, just around the corner is Fin de siecle which serves some excellent Belgian grub.  

As others have said, Ala Mort Subite is a good shout. 

If you're over towards the European District then Place Jourdan is a must.  Lots of bars/restaurants and a van selling arguable the best chips in Belgium (which you're allowed to take into any of the pubs in the square). 

Cafe Delirium is a bit of a gimicky tourist trap, but it is worth sticking your head in for one just to see the crazy beer selection.  

Leuven is a cracking town, but is pretty quiet on a Sunday so if you're planning to go through, I'd maybe choose the saturday instead.  

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9 hours ago, Coggs said:

As JCFC has said, the Saint Catherine area is a good shout.  I've stayed in Hotel Atlas a couple of times, which is just 2-3 minute walk from the underground.  Great hotel, very reasonable.  Monk is also my favourite bar in Brussels and is about 50 yards from that hotel.  The bar a couple of doors up is Bar Des Amis and is also a good shout.  Foodwise, just around the corner is Fin de siecle which serves some excellent Belgian grub.  

As others have said, Ala Mort Subite is a good shout. 

If you're over towards the European District then Place Jourdan is a must.  Lots of bars/restaurants and a van selling arguable the best chips in Belgium (which you're allowed to take into any of the pubs in the square). 

Cafe Delirium is a bit of a gimicky tourist trap, but it is worth sticking your head in for one just to see the crazy beer selection.  

Leuven is a cracking town, but is pretty quiet on a Sunday so if you're planning to go through, I'd maybe choose the saturday instead.  

That was a regular haunt of ours when a friend of mine lived in Brussels around early 2000's.

Not been there for about 13-14 years but it was certainly very good back then.

 

Edited by fringo
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