3 late-night dives in Ghent, editor-picked by TableJourney. All Ghent nightlife.
Cafe Video ★ 4.1
zuidstationstraat · Bagattenstraat 87, 9000 Gent
Cafe Video in the Zuid has been the haunt of Ghent's art and underground crowd since the 1980s: art-covered walls, cheap Belgian beer and absolutely no social media presence.
Tip: No Google listing, no sign on the door; the only way to find it is to walk down Bagattenstraat and check if the light is on.
't Dreupelkot ★ 4.4
groentenmarkt · Groentenmarkt 12, 9000 Gent
't Dreupelkot serves only jenever: 100+ varieties in a standing-room-only dark wood pub near the Groentenmarkt, open until 01:00 at weekends.
Tip: The bar has no seating; you stand at the dark counter with your glass. No cocktails, no wine, no beer: jenever only.
De Dulle Griet ★ 4.3
vrijdagmarkt · Vrijdagmarkt 50, 9000 Gent
De Dulle Griet on the Vrijdagmarkt is Ghent's most-loved brown cafe with 500 Belgian beers: the Max-glass shoe ritual is the late-night cultural centrepiece.
Tip: Hand over a shoe as deposit for the 1-litre Max glass; you get it back when you return the glass. The ritual is mandatory.