Have you drunk a pintje in your local café way too many times?
If you're looking for something new, The Brussels Times selected five venues that go beyond the usual in trying to capture the public's interest – whether through board games, live jazz or creepy puppets.
Le Bar à Jeux: Where Monopoly ruins friendships
Credit: Le Bar à Jeux
In Saint-Gilles's Le Bar à Jeux, shelves hold about 500 different board games to choose from, and for a fee of €5 per person you can access this massive tabletop library for the evening.
Standard pub tables give way to large wooden surfaces that are perfect for a sprawling strategy and miniatures. Staff can guide locals through the games or offer local craft beers.
It's a perfect place to try something out before committing to bringing the tabletop back home. And for that, Le Bar à Jeux offers retail of various titles.
Chaussée d'Alsemberg 136, 1060 Saint-Gilles
Goupil Le Fol : A Parisian attic frozen in time
Credit: Goupil Le Fol
Ever wanted to have a drink inside an eccentric French aunt's dusty attic? Goupil Le Fol offers exactly that kind of surreal escape right near the Grand-Place.
The bar is built like a sprawling dimly-lit labyrinth. Decades of melted candle wax coat the tables, obscure curiosities cover every available inch of wall space, and mismatched velvet armchairs swallow patrons while classic French chanson plays overhead.
Bartenders skip the usual Belgian draft beers. Instead, come prepared for sweet fruit wines and elaborate (non-alcoholic) cocktails poured into vintage glassware.
Rue de la Violette 22, 1000 Bruxelles
Le Pantin: Checkmating students over craft beer
Credit: Patin
If you are still (feeling) young, Le Patin offers an authentic student dive experience with a few aces up its sleeve, including chess boards. Situated in Ixelles' Flagey, this café balances raw youthful energies and a sharp intellectual atmosphere.
Worn wooden shelves line the brick walls, packed with donated paperbacks and battered game boxes. It is a perfect place to meet regulars or first-timers.
Chalkboards mounted above the main bar display tasting notes for the rapidly rotating craft beer selections.
Chaussée d'Ixelles 355, 1050 Ixelles
Jazz Station: Catching the swing express
Credit: Jazz Station
What happens when you take a 19th-century railway station and fill it with jazz? Saint-Josse holds a rather loud answer.
Housed inside a fully restored train depot, Jazz Station operates as a community hub for musicians. The high ceilings, originally built to vent steam engine smoke, now give the place its iconic acoustics.
The café seating space is a literal commuter waiting room. Stop by on Saturday for an evening of wildly popular aperitif concerts. The space also doubles as a daytime exhibition hall and a rehearsal room.
Chaussée de Louvain 193A, 1210 Saint-Josse-ten-Noode
Poechenellekelder: Pints beneath the glassy stares of puppets
Credit: Poechenellekelder
This traditional café sits directly across the cobblestones from Manneken Pis, but it couldn't be any further from a tourist trap. Prepare to share a drink with dozens of eeirie theatrical puppets.
Suspended vintage bicycles and fading historical photographs hang alongside intricately carved wooden marionettes. They stare down at patrons from the ceiling and exposed brick walls.
The venue ignores its touristy location, focusing entirely on preserving authentic brewing history. Their massive menu reads like an encyclopaedia of regional fermentation tradition, including rare finds.
Rue du Chêne 5, 1000 Bruxelles
