Bars

Now you're talking. Bars are where Brussels lives. It's hard to be disappointed, whether you just pop in to a neighborhood watering hole where a chope or pintje (a glass of beer) will set you back a mere 2€ ($2.50), or whether you prefer to fork out several times as much in one of the trendier places.

The city's oldest cafe, in a 1690 building, Le Roy d'Espagne, Grand-Place 1 (tel. 02/513-08-07; Métro: Gare Centrale), accommodates patrons in several areas. In addition to the outdoor tables, you can drink in a room preserving a 17th-century Flemish interior -- a masterpiece of wooden architecture with a wooden walkway, wooden beams above, and a fireplace covered by a black metal hood. The fourth-floor view of the Grand-Place is spectacular. It's open daily from 10am to 1am.

Unique, to say the least, is a Brussels favorite, A la Mort Subite, rue Montagne-aux-Herbes-Potagères 7 (tel. 02/513-13-18; Métro: Gare Centrale), a bistro of rather special character whose name translates to "Sudden Death," which is also the name of one of the beers you can buy here. Don't worry. The name is just a name -- it comes from a dice game regulars used to play. And you'll probably survive in this fine old Brussels cafe, which appeals to an eclectic cross section of Brussels society, from little old ladies to bank managers, dancers and musicians from the top cultural venues, students -- oh yes, and to tourists as well. Brussels-born chansonier Jacques Brel hung out here. The decor consists of stained-glass motifs, old photographs, paintings, and prints on the walls, and plain wooden chairs and tables on the floor. Specialties are traditional Brussels beers: gueuze, lambic, faro, and kriek, and abbey brews like Chimay, Maredsous, and Grimbergen. The staff's attitude can take a little getting used to, especially if you take more than 3 seconds flat to decide what you want. If you know straight away, you'll have a friend for life, or at any rate, for the evening.

While we're on the subject of death, you can drink beer from a skull-shaped pitcher in Le Cercueil (The Coffin), rue des Harengs 10-12 (tel. 02/512-30-77; Métro: Gare Centrale), while sitting in purple gloom at a casket-turned-table, being serenaded by funereal music.

In a quite different vein is La Fleur en Papier Doré, rue des Alexiens 55 (tel. 02/511-16-59; Métro: Bourse), in a 16th-century house. From its beginnings in 1846, this bistro and pub has been a mecca for poets and writers. Even now, about once a month, young Brussels poets gather here informally for poetry readings -- the dates vary, but you might inquire by phone, or better yet, just drop by and ask in person. This is a wonderfully atmospheric old pub, much like a social club, where patrons gather for good conversation and welcome any and all newcomers. The place also serves what is possibly the best onion soup in Brussels, a great late-night snack.

The following are only a few of the many Brussels pubs and bistros worthy of recommendation. Au Bon Vieux Temps, rue du Marché-aux-Herbes 12 (tel. 02/217-26-26; Métro: Bourse), hidden away at the end of a narrow alleyway, is a gloomily atmospheric old tavern that seems to hearken back to a bygone era. You should try the appropriately named Duvel (Devil) beer here -- just go easy, that's all. A l'Imaige Nostre-Dame, impasse des Cadeaux (tel. 02/219-42-49; Métro: Bourse), off of rue du Marché-aux-Herbes 6, is a good, quiet place to drink and read or reflect if you're alone, or to converse with a companion without having to compete with a blaring jukebox.

Le Cirio, rue de la Bourse 16-18 (tel. 02/512-13-95; Métro: Bourse), is across the road from the Stock Exchange, and indeed many of the bar's customers look like they've just made a killing on the stock market and have retired to a state of genteel splendor. And what better place to do it in? Le Cirio is a quiet, refined sort of place to sip your beer, in attractive surroundings that make the whole exercise seem worthwhile (try to avoid getting bitten by the patrons' poodles). Toone VII, impasse Schuddeveld 6, Petite rue des Bouchers 21 (tel. 02/513-54-86; Métro: Gare Centrale), is the home of the puppet theater and an artistic hangout.

Art Nouveau design from 1904 by master Paul Hamesse that incorporates a plaster-covered interior wall mimicking a rock face and an extensive range of Belgian beers are just two good reasons for visiting trendy bar-brasserie De Ultieme Hallucinatie, rue Royale 316 (tel. 02/217-06-14; Métro: Botanique). You sit in little booths on 1930s railroad station benches designed by Henry Van de Velde or at a long bar. In summertime you can tan while you quaff on a courtyard terrace at the back. Salads, snacks, and full meals are available in the brasserie. I'd give the attached restaurant, worthy but dull and expensive, a miss.

Shock and horror reverberated through the city a few years back when the legendary 1904 Art Nouveau tavern located across from the Bourse in what were private mansions in the late 1800s, Le Falstaff, rue Henri Maus 17-25 (tel. 02/511-87-89; Métro: Bourse), went bankrupt and closed. Reopened under new management, it has shed its former, famously vain waitstaff and slipped a few notches on the hip scale as a result. If such considerations don't worry you, there's still the same stunning decor, enlivened with a dash of Art Deco and rococo, stained-glass scenes in the style of Pieter Brueghel the Elder depicting Shakespeare's Falstaff tales, and reasonably priced brasserie food.

Rick's, av. Louise 344 (tel. 02/640-03-05; tram: 93 or 94), brings a touch of Humphrey Bogart and Ernest Hemingway, accompanied by American and Mexican food, to the stylish avenue Louise. The decor might give you the creeps at Halloween, rue des Grands-Carmes 10 (tel. 02/514-12-56; Métro: Anneessens), where gargoyles, devils, and other assorted creatures from the darker recesses of the mind help create an unforgettable ambience. Fortunately, it's also a pretty good bar. Something sad has happened to the painfully chic denizens of L'Archiduc, rue Antoine Dansaert 6 (tel. 02/512-06-52; Métro: Bourse) -- they've loosened up a little. Not much, mind you -- just enough so that you don't see a hundred lips curling with disdain when you enter wearing clothes that were de rigueur last week instead of today. Try making funny faces at them to see if you can't get one to crack a smile.

"As sophisticated as a sidewalk hotdog," was local magazine the Bulletin's take on faux-American bar Conway's, av. de la Toison d'Or 10 (tel. 02/511-26-68; Métro: Louise), whose proprietors promise you "warm beer, cold food, ugly chicks, and fat bastards." Is there one single attraction about this place? Well, there's a singles attraction. On weekends it's hot with the hot and unattached who, with nothing so far from their thoughts as a quiet evening, pile into a long, gloomy, music-throbbing interior decorated with black-and-white photographs of old Hollywood movie stars. Tex-Mex snacks help to keep the sap high.

Rock your socks off into the wee-est, smallest hours at Rock Classic, Marché-au-Charbon 55 (tel. 02/512-15-47; Métro: Bourse), where 4 decades of great music are on tap and young spirits down strong spirits packaged in drinker-friendly cocktails. Some patrons take time out for table-soccer, some, strangely in such a place, kick back at chessboards set in tables, and yet others like to get up close and personal in the darkened television room.

Belgian Brews Pack a Punch

Be warned: Belgian beers are stronger than their American counterparts -- alcohol content can be as high as 12%. Try a rich, dark Trappist ale brewed by monks from Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Sint-Benedictus, Westmalle, and Westvleteren monasteries. Brussels is well known for its lambic beers, which use naturally occurring yeast for fermentation, are often flavored with fruit, and come in bottles with champagne-type corks. Unlike any other beer, they're more akin to a sweet sparkling wine. Gueuze, a blend of young and aged lambic beers, is one of the least sweet. If you prefer something sweeter, try raspberry-flavored framboise or cherry-flavored kriek. Faro is a low-alcohol beer, sometimes sweetened or lightly spiced.