Café Quinten Matsijs is a bar in Historisch Centrum, Antwerp.
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.
Food program: 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.
Address: Moriaanstraat 17, 2000 Antwerp
Witzli-Poetzli in Antwerp is a long-running artists' bar in the cathedral shadow on Blauwmoezelstraat. Candle-lit, vintage, open until late.
Signature drink: Long Belgian beer list, bohemian wines
Food: Tartines and small plates
Tip: The back tables are quieter; the front bar gets loud after 23:00.
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.
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.
Witzli-Poetzli in Antwerp is a long-running artists' bar in the cathedral shadow on Blauwmoezelstraat. Candle-lit, vintage, open until late.
Signature drink: Long Belgian beer list, bohemian wines
Food: Tartines and small plates
Tip: The back tables are quieter; the front bar gets loud after 23:00.
L'Entrepôt du Congo in Antwerp on Vlaamsekaai is a long-running brown cafe with a colonial-era interior and a Het Zuid waterfront terrace.
Signature drink: Belgian beer, brown-cafe staples
Food: Brasserie plates
Tip: The terrace seats fill in summer with the Vlaamsekaai weekend crowd.
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.
Signature drink: De Koninck Bolleke, brewery-fresh
Food: Brasserie plates, tasting boards
Tip: Brewery tour adds a poured Bolleke at the end. Reservations recommended for weekend tours.
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.
