Brussels Nightlife Tips by irisbe Top 5 Page for this destination

Arenberg Galeries: Movie/Theatre

In the Galery, so close to the centre, you will find this movie theatre.

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It is a pity (or a shame?) the website is only in French.

Address: Galerie de la Reine/Konigingen Galerij 29

Phone: +32 2 5128063

Theme: Theater

Delirium Tremens: Delirium Tremens, is 2004 enough to choose ? Estaminets & Beers Review

more info later

Theme: People Watching

Estaminets & Beers: Cirio, flash back in time: pure Art Nouveau Estaminets & Beers Review

When I was on a VT meeting with Gillian, Kap2, Acemj and Melissa-bel, the left overs of the evening went to The Cirio, a beautiful Art Nouveau pub next to the Bourse.
I have walked by many times and thought it to be a dull place but once you entered, you came into another century. This place breaths good old times and nostalgy!
I liked it much more then the Fallstaf where I once went in and was ignored by the waiters and waitresses who were too busy fixing their hair and bragging about their last weekend's adventures. I think 45 minutes is a reasonable time to wait and wave before leaving.

How different it was here in the Cirio!

Seems they knew Gillian here pretty well and she even had her favorite waiter to serve us.
Could that have helped to add to the friendly and correct service? Who knows!

I went around with my camera picture-taking-hungry! Incredible!

I read their speciality is a drink half wine/half champaign. Will have to test it next time!

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I don't know where the time went and the other people in the pub... but soon we found ourselves pretty alone and realised they were waiting for us to close.

oh well... back to the next pub near place Sint Goriks plaats.

Opening time:
Open: 10.00-24.00
No closing day

Dress Code: casual

Address: Beursstraat / rue de la Bourse 18

Directions: Next to the Bourse/Beurs (Exchange Market)

Phone: 32-2-512.13.95

Theme: Eating and Drinking

Fleur en papier dore / Het Goudblommeke van papier: Authentic Brussels pub: t Goudbloemeke Estaminets & Beers Review

Not to miss is the historical pub Fleur en papier dore / Het Goudblommeke van papier at the Cellebroersstraat 55.
It was once the artistic café and meeting place of Brussels’s surrealists. Magritte, Plisnier, they all frequented the pub. For quite some time it also was the base of the Cobra mouvement with well known names as Pierre Alechinsky, Serge Vandercam en Hugo Claus.
Walls are covered with memorabilia of those times. It is just nice to sit there and read the room.

Don’t expect fresh air in here. It is very smoky and the yellowish colours of the walls are witnesses of a history of rooms filled with cigarette smoke for almost a century.

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This was one of the very few and first pubs I have been in Brussels where the people were really nice!
What a different atmosphere with many other ones.

Note as on July 2006: the pub is going to close, the owners are bankrupt so if you are interested ? it is for sale!

Dress Code: There is no dress code, you come as you are.

Address: Cellebroedersstraat/ Rue des Alexiens 55

Directions: Follow the Keizerlaan/Boulevard de l'empereur West/South-West.
It is a little street at your right hand side

Theme: Other

Mezzo Rhum Ruhm: Another great coctailbar! Mezzo! Other Pubs & Bars Review

That Melissa_bel! She really spoiled me with her good coctail bars!
She took me to the Mezzo that is near Place Saint Géry or like it is called in Dutch: Sint Goriksplein.
I have been already to some other pubs in the neighbourhood but this one was different because of its huge choice of coctails.
The coctails were excellent and I am sure you will find me here again when I happen to visit Brussels!

Dress Code: Casual dress code is ok.

Address: Place Santt Géry/Sint Goriksplein - 1000 Brussels

Theme: People Watching

Website: http://www.mezzo.be

L'Archiduc: Good ambiance in a nice coctail bar: L'Archiduc L'Archiduc Review

When Melissa took me to the Archiduc, I was sure it would be a cool place and right it was!
It was a real suprise that behind the weird blue painted facade, was such a tasteful pub.
Well... the gate at the entrance lift a tip of the veil :)

The Art Deco interior is fabulous and the tissue of the seats reminds me to something of late 50ties or the perhaps the 70ties, I coudn't figure out right away. I found out eventually it was still the original from when the pub started in 1937!
In the middle of the place was a covered up piano.
"It is Jacques Brel's piano" Melissa confined me. "Also, it is very calm right now, it is not late yet, but sometimes this place is really crowded and you can enjoy music performances. Even Arno is almost a regular here"
I don't know if she is right if it was his but I am sure many famous jazz lovers musicians have played on it.

(Arno... for those who don't know him, can visit his website at www.arno.be. He is a famous Belgian music artist. I guess I don't need to explain who Jacques Brell is ?)

The coctails in the bar were plenty, what a list! and so hard to choose from!
Above the huge choice, I must tell you there were really made with the right proportions... !
Too many times I had coctails that you hardly could call such, but here in Archiduc you get the real ones!
For 7 Euro a piece you should!

Dress Code: Relax! :)

Address: Rue A. Dansaert 6, 1000 Brussels

Directions: Close to the Bourse

Theme: Live Music

Website: http://www.archiduc.net/home.html

Le Cerceuil: Morbide...... Le Cerceuil Review

Le cerceuil, the coffin and yes when you walk into the small long dark hall you are welcomed by darkness, undertaker’s decoration and a really morbid style of interior.
Here you can drink out of skulls and put your glass on top of one of the coffins.
This show comes at a certain price! So don’t go in if you are on low budget!
I wonder how many had indeed their last drink here? How many grabbed towards their failing heart while reading the bill and passed away on one of the really worn out sofa’s.

It is a pity that the music was far from adapted and even the guy behind the counter didn’t dressed up like an undertaker anymore, just t-shirt and jeans.
So huge part of the show was gone… but we didn’t got any reduction on the bill.
I would not recommend this place but as it has a “reputation” well maybe you just want to go in and have one drink so you can say “I was at the Cerceuil”?

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Featuring on the pictures are Tompt (Tom and Gonnie) Ralph_II (Ralph)

Dress Code: No dresscode needed. It is so dark you can almost walk in naked without being noticed `-)

Be careful with inflamable cloths... there are a lot of candles there !

Address: Rue harengs 10

Directions: with your back towards the city hall you walk into the little street aside the Broodhuis.

Theme: Eating and Drinking

Théâtre/cafe de Toone: Toone not only a theatre but also a pub Théâtre de Toone Review

In the Rue du boucher there is a very small side road (direction Grand Place) named the Schuddeveldgang. If you walk that through you will see a very small alley at your left.
Walk it right till the end and you will come to one of the two entrances of Theatre Toone.
This place consists out of several rooms and one is the theatre room where you can enjoy a traditional local puppet show.
If there are no plays performed then the whole establishment is open as pub.
The puppets are hanging all over the ceiling watching what you are drinking `-)

Dress Code: Anything goes.
Panoramic picture: please click on it if you want to enjoy the full view.

Address: 6 impasse Schuddeveld

Directions: A side alley along 21, petite rue des Bouchers

Theme: Eating and Drinking

La Mort Subite: Day or night, the time is right! La Mort Subite Review

Hidden behind the magnificent Saint Hubertus galleries, at the Warmoesberg/Rue Montagne-aux-Herbes-Potagères number 7, you will find one of Brussels most beautiful pub: the Mort Subite, named after a gueze beer.
This 19th century pub hasn’t changed since. The interior is really astonishing.
Here you can enjoy different types of fruity gueze beers on tap: cherries, framboises, peche…
I know several people who said they didn’t liked beer but they did liked these ones!

When I was there with Mariangela (sapere) and Jeff (sargentjeff) for a drink we were astonished by the beauty of the interior.
Still gazing around the guy at the next table said to me : “ you go to the end of the room and mount up the stairs and take a picture down from the balcony”, I asked if he sure thought that was ok? “But yes, every one does” he smiled to me.

The waiters were very friendly too and you only had to raise a finger or they were there with a second glass `-) this is a line especially for Jeff who was still in a discussion with himself to drink or not to drink a number 2 but the waiter, thinking he had decided already helped him out of his problem and brought the next glass.

So the interior is warm, the visitors are and the waiters are. The sleeping cat in the basket could only confirm the cosines of this place.

A negative point was the price of the drinks, 3,5 euro for a Mort Subite is about 1 euro more then I pay in Antwerp. But let me just forget the high price for a moment and remember I liked this place. This was one of the very few pubs in Brussels I have been to and be threaded well.

Dress Code: No drescod needed. Come as you are :)
but dressed of course!

Address: Warmoesberg/Rue Montagne-aux-Herbes-Potagères numb

Directions: walk the Saint Hubertus gallery direction North till the end. The street starting in front of you is the Warmoesstraat

Theme: Eating and Drinking

Brussels Opera at Place de Monnaie: At night or a matinee: the Opera !

The Munt as we know it today is not the same building where it all started.
On this spot there used to be the “Herberge van Oistervant” where money coins were made, in Flemish those are called “munt”, hence the name.
In 1700 the last governor of Spain had a theatre built here for opera, theatre and ballet performances.
When Napoleon invaded our region this building was almost turned into a ruin because of lack of maintenance. He ordered it should be restored on costs of the city of Brussels. Architect who designed this renewed building that got inaugurated in 1819, was the French architect Louis Damesme.
After Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo, Willem I of Oranje, a Dutch king, succeeded him.
For a wile he forbid any play to be performed. In 1830 he allowed for the first time “La Muette de Portici” to be performed.
It is told now that this performance had a huge contribution to the fight for independence of Belgium. It was said that after the play people rushed on the street to protest and were confronted with the army at the Martelarenplein (Martyr’s square).
A fire in 1855 destroyed the whole building and it was, don’t be surprised!, our infamous architect Joseph Poelaert (again!) who was assigned to build a new one.
In 1963 this opera was announced to be the National Opera of Belgium.
A couple of more restaurations and enlargements were made in the 80ties and 90ties.

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Panoramic picture! Click on it to enjoy the full view!

Dress Code: Nowadays you don't need to dress up like it was done not even such a long time ago.
Just dress clean and even jeans might be allowed.

Address: Leopoldstraat 23, 1000 Brussel

Directions: De Munt/Le Monnaie is about 10 minutes distance from the Big Market or Central Station.

Other Contact: e-mail:info@demunt.be

Phone: reserv.: tel +32/(02)229 12 00

Theme: Concert

Website: http://www.demunt.be/demunt-1.0/index.jsp