Bar Burbure ★ 4.5
€€€het-zuidTue-Sat 17:00-01:00
Bar Burbure in Antwerp on Vlaamsekaai pours cocktails and a 600-bottle wine list, open since 2016. The sommelier behind the bar built a career across Belgian Michelin-starred kitchens before opening the room.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The cocktail list rotates quarterly. Reserve the bar for two seats.
Den Engel ★ 4.2
€historisch-centrumMon-Fri until 01:00, Sat-Sun to 03:00
Den Engel on Grote Markt 3 stays open until 01:00 weekdays and 03:00 weekends. The brown cafe has been on the corner since 1903; the building dates to the 14th century.
Tip: Weekend last orders around 02:30. The terrace fills before the bar inside.
't Oud Arsenaal ★ 4.4
€historisch-centrumWed-Fri from 10:00, Sat-Sun from 07:30, closed Mon-Tue
't Oud Arsenaal on Maria Pijpelincxstraat has poured Belgian beer since 1924. Unchanged interior, vintage signs, antique wallpaper and two cats by the stove.
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday. Cash works fastest. The Saturday early-morning sitting fills with regulars.
Witzli-Poetzli ★ 4.1
€historisch-centrumDaily until 02:00
Witzli-Poetzli in Antwerp's cathedral shadow on Blauwmoezelstraat is a candle-lit artists' bar open daily until 02:00. The vintage room runs late on weekends.
Tip: Back tables are quieter; the front bar fills after 23:00. Cash works best.
Café Quinten Matsijs ★ 4.2
€historisch-centrumWed-Sun from 12:00, closed Mon-Tue
Café Quinten Matsijs is Antwerp's oldest pub, a 1565 inn on the corner of Moriaanstraat with stained glass, beer steins on every shelf and a 250-year-old tonspel still in the corner.
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday. Bolleke De Koninck on draft is the local pour; the Trappist list runs deep.
Paeters Vaetje ★ 4.3
€€historisch-centrumDaily until 01:00
Paeters Vaetje in Antwerp on Blauwmoezelstraat pours Belgian abbey, Trappist and lambic styles in the cathedral shadow. The cellar list rotates weekly.
Tip: Order a Westvleteren 12 if it is in stock. The cellar list runs deep.