ANyone have a preference of one location versus the other? I've only been to the newer one but was told that the older one was better. not sure why they said it was better. thoughts?
The older one has a more cozy atmosphere, the new one has a larger selection & is more centrally located. I liked them both, though I'm personally partial to the older one. But really they're both excellent places to have a beer!
The newer one gets more tourists, fresh from seeing the Grand Place and Mannekin Pis, who don't bother to figure out where the older one is located and how to get there. I prefer the old place because they're not there.
the new one's a 9 minute walk from my hotel. the old one's 15+ minutes by transit or a 45 minute walk. if the old one was REALLY that much better, i'd check it out. but, man, 9 minutes is hard to beat.
I have only been to the newer one thought it was great, didn't really see any tourists but were there for a Stone event and a Cantillon event the two nights we went.
the 1 night i was there, it was relatively empty. this was 3 years ago. saw a lot of university-aged kids on the patio, but no touristy tourists.
They are two very different bars. The older one is like a traditional brown Belgian bar. The list, if I recall, features more bottles and has a lot of vintage stuff. The newer one is very modern and has many more draught options. Bottom line, both are incredible bars. Where you should go probably will depend on your mood at the time.
I think the best way to find out is a controlled experiment, with a visit to both several times. I will run my own experiment next month!
Don't be afraid of the touristy tourists in the new one, even if they are there, they only buy one pint and there off to a cheaper location (some people do get scared when they see beer bottles sold for +100€). The old one has definitely more flair and is the more typical Belgian early 1900's style, the new one has a larger draught selection and has a more urban feeling. It all depends what you like most and as already mentioned, check them both out .
