De Koninck Antwerp City Brewery on Mechelsesteenweg pours its full Bolleke range from a brewery taproom that has run since 1833 in the same building.
Food program: Brasserie plates, tasting boards
Tip: Brewery tour adds a poured Bolleke at the end. Reservations recommended for weekend tours.
Address: Mechelsesteenweg 291, 2018 Antwerp
Patine in Antwerp's Zuid is a wine bistro on Leopold de Waelstraat. The list runs natural and orange wines; the kitchen builds small plates around them.
Signature drink: Natural and orange wines by the glass
Food: Charcuterie, small plates
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The bar seats six; reserve a table on busier nights.
Bar Burbure in Antwerp on Vlaamsekaai serves cocktails and a 600-bottle wine list built by a Michelin-trained sommelier. The list rotates with the seasons.
Signature drink: Cocktails and a 600-bottle wine list
Food: Small plates and bar snacks
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The cocktail menu changes quarterly; ask for the sommelier's house pour.
Den Bengel on Grote Markt 5 is the smaller neighbour to Den Engel. The Belgian beer list is shorter, the bar quieter, the terrace on the cobbles.
Signature drink: Belgian beer on tap
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: When Den Engel is at capacity, walk two doors right to Den Bengel.
Patine in Antwerp's Zuid is a wine bistro on Leopold de Waelstraat. The list runs natural and orange wines; the kitchen builds small plates around them.
Signature drink: Natural and orange wines by the glass
Food: Charcuterie, small plates
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The bar seats six; reserve a table on busier nights.
Den Engel in Antwerp is the city's best-known brown cafe, anchoring Grote Markt 3 in a building that runs back to the 14th century. Cafe trading on the spot since 1903.
Signature drink: De Koninck Bolleke on tap
Food: Bar snacks, brown-cafe nibbles
Tip: Open daily until 01:00 weekdays, 03:00 weekends. Closer to the Stadhuis side, the bar is busier than the back terrace.
Paeters Vaetje in Antwerp sits in the cathedral's shadow on Blauwmoezelstraat. The list runs deep across Belgian abbey, Trappist and lambic styles.
Signature drink: Belgian Trappist and abbey ales by the bottle
Food: Beer-pairing snacks
Tip: Order a Westvleteren 12 if it's in stock; the cellar list rotates weekly.
Bar Burbure in Antwerp on Vlaamsekaai serves cocktails and a 600-bottle wine list built by a Michelin-trained sommelier. The list rotates with the seasons.
Signature drink: Cocktails and a 600-bottle wine list
Food: Small plates and bar snacks
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The cocktail menu changes quarterly; ask for the sommelier's house pour.
Quinten Matsijs is Antwerp's oldest pub: a 1565 inn on the corner of Moriaanstraat and Hoofdkerkstraat with stained glass, beer steins on every shelf and a 250-year-old tonspel board still in play.
Signature drink: Bolleke De Koninck on draft, plus Westmalle and Chimay
Food: Flemish carbonade, eel in chervil sauce, omelets
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday. The kitchen runs until 21:30, so eat early; the Flemish stew in Trappist beer sauce is the room's case.
