De Hopduvel is a bar in Dok Noord, Ghent.
De Hopduvel is one of Belgium's most respected beer bottle shops, now relocated to Dok Noord with around 900 Belgian beers in stock. The shop-bar allows you.
Must order: Aged Westvleteren 12: when it is in stock, buy one and drink it at the bar in the correct glass.
Tip: Open Tuesday to Saturday; the bottle selection changes when distributors deliver. Ask the staff what arrived that week.
Address: Dok-Noord 7, 9000 Gent, Ghent
Trefpunt is a music and theatre cafe run by the non-profit that launched the modern Ghent Festivities in 1970, hosting concerts almost every evening from 21:00.
Order: Belgian draft beer with a free Monday concert: the indie, reggae, slam and folk programming runs five nights a week.
Tip: Monday concerts are free; doors typically from 17:00 weekdays, 15:00 Friday and Saturday. Check the Trefpunt programme before walking up.
Het Spijker is a local pub set in a former granary, with a lounge on the second floor and two terraces: one facing the city centre, the other on the Leie waterside.
Order: Ghent draft beer on the back terrace overlooking the Leie at dusk: the canal view is the reason locals keep coming back.
Tip: Opens from 10:00 and closes when the last visitor leaves, often well past 02:00. The back terrace is best on warm afternoons.
Jigger's is a subterranean cocktail bar in the Patershol, listed on the World's 50 Best Discovery list. The cellar bar uses seasonal produce and locally.
Order: The house seasonal cocktail: the team rotates the signature list every few months based on what is growing.
Tip: Open from 17:00 Tuesday through Sunday; the back terrace on warm evenings is one of the most atmospheric drinking spots in Ghent.
De Dulle Griet has over 500 Belgian beers and one famous ritual: surrender a shoe to the bar when ordering the Max, a 1-litre glass of Delirium Tremens.
Order: Max beer (Delirium Tremens in the 1-litre glass): one shoe goes in the basket, one stays on your foot.
Tip: Open from noon Tuesday to Saturday and noon Sunday; the shoe ritual is enforced. Arrive early on Friday evenings for a seat on the square.
Pol's tiny jenever bar on the Groentenmarkt serves more than 200 jenevers, including around 50 made in-house. The low-ceilinged brown bar has barely changed.
Order: A flight of three house-made jenevers: ask Pol to choose them. The homemade range is the reason to come.
Tip: Open from 16:00 daily; cash only, the room holds around 25 people and fills fast.
Waterhuis aan de Bierkant is a canal-side brown pub on the Groentenmarkt with 170 Belgian beers, 14 on draught and a packed waterside terrace.
Order: Gruut Amber on draught: the city herb-beer is always on the tap list here.
Tip: Open from 11:00 daily; the terrace fills by 15:00 on sunny days. The canal views are best on evening visits before 21:00.
