Where to drink well in Antwerp by the glass and the bottle: natural, classical, and worth the cab fare.
Wine bars in Antwerp. natural, classical, and the grower-focused rooms worth the cab fare.
Bar Burbure in Antwerp on Vlaamsekaai pours a 600-bottle list curated by Jurgen Lijcops, a sommelier with a long career across Belgian Michelin-starred kitchens. Cocktails and small plates run alongside. Open since 2016.
Signature pour: Sommelier's house glass of the night
Wine focus: 600-bottle list curated by a Michelin-trained sommelier
Food: Small plates, charcuterie
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The wine list rotates seasonally; ask for the sommelier's recommendation.
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 pour: Orange-wine flight of three
Wine focus: 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.
Titulus Antwerpen on Oever is a natural-wine bar in Sint-Andries. The list runs Belgian and European growers; the room runs small, the kitchen tight.
Signature pour: Belgian natural-wine flight
Wine focus: Natural Belgian and European growers
Food: Small plates, cheese boards
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday. The cheese plate works as a full dinner with three glasses of natural red.
Tannin in Antwerp on Volkstraat is a natural-wine bar with a Mediterranean lean. The cellar runs Italian, Loire and Champagne growers in equal measure.
Signature pour: Loire chenin or Etna red of the day
Wine focus: Mediterranean naturals, growers' Champagne
Food: Small plates, charcuterie
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The kitchen runs four small plates; the cheese tray is the safest order.
Album in Antwerp on Vlaamsekaai pours natural and biodynamic European growers from a tight cellar. The bistro kitchen builds small plates around the list.
Signature pour: Loire chenin by the glass
Wine focus: Natural and biodynamic European growers
Food: Bistro plates
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The room seats 20; reserve mid-week if you want a Saturday-night table.
Bar Brut in Antwerp on Londenstraat pours Belgian natural and biodynamic growers in Eilandje. The Pakhuis-district bar leans heavily into sparkling and biodynamic.
Signature pour: Belgian sparkling growers' flight
Wine focus: Belgian natural growers, biodynamic
Food: Bistro tapas
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday. The flights of three are the better introduction to the cellar.
Café Ernst in Antwerp on Ernest Van Dijckkaai is a riverfront bar with a tight natural-wine list. The terrace looks across the Scheldt at the Linkeroever.
Signature pour: Loire and Burgundy by the glass
Wine focus: Riverfront natural-wine list
Food: Sharing plates, snacks
Tip: The sunset hour fills with the after-work crowd. Reserve for the river-facing tables.