Rococo is a nightlife spot in Patershol, Ghent.
Rococo in the Patershol cobbles is Ghent's closest thing to a listening bar: dark, candle-lit and playing a carefully chosen vinyl programme to an arty late-evening crowd.
Tip: The bar is at its best on a Tuesday or Wednesday when the Patershol is quiet and the music gets full room attention.
Address: Corduwaniersstraat 57, 9000 Gent, Ghent
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 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 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.
Kompass Klub is Ghent's leading electronic music club: a converted industrial space at the Vynckier site on Nieuwevaart with a Funktion-One sound system and resident DJ nights.
Tip: Tickets sell out for big bookings; buy on Kompass or Resident Advisor in advance. Door queue builds after midnight on Saturdays.
Vooruit is a 1914 socialist arts palace that hosts Ghent's most culturally ambitious club nights: electronic acts, hip-hop and experimental sound in a grand art-nouveau ballroom.
Tip: Check the Vooruit website ahead of your visit; the programme mixes everything from jazz concerts to techno club nights, and nights vary weekly.
Charlatan on the Vlasmarkt is the most central late-night bar and small venue in Ghent: cheap beer, loud music and a student crowd through to 05:00 on weekends.
Tip: The bar stays packed until closing; the 50-person dancing area near the speakers fills by midnight. Free entry most Thursdays.
