Any recommendations for good beer bars in these cities? Don't need any Lambics, btw... Will be there at the end of September.... Thnx! Prosit!
Het Waterhuis in Ghent is a nice place, right on the canal. I like the upstairs best to relax and have a couple. If you go there, you might as well stop in for a beer at 't Galgenhuis. It's a very small bar located just steps away from Het Waterhuis. Just outside of town is a very nice beer shop called Dranken Geers. I don't recall any bars in Kortrijk, so can't help you there. Enjoy your visit, Belgium is a great beery country.
Gainsbar is a good spot in Kortrijk. Kantien is a great place in Ghent that deserves more mention on this site, bc it's a bit out of the center. I'm sure others will chime in with many more.
I liked De Geus Van Gent, which had a nice beer list and a cool vibe (loved the huge David Bowie photo on the wall). Also in Gent, the Kaffee De Planck is a bar on a docked boat on the canal that I liked. Also had a good beer list.
Dave, I second both @JBogan & @riko w/ their suggestions of Het Waterhuis & Kaffee De Planck. Both have unique settings w/ nice surroundings, (the boat is pretty cool). It's been a few years, (Sept 2014) since I was there, although I remember I didn't find any real "great beer bars", (Kulminator level), maybe that has since changed. All the bars had nice selections of Belgian beers, (which I guess makes them great beer bars after all ). Overall, Ghent is a very nice city. There was another bar down near the train station, but damn, I just can't remember the name, (maybe it will come to me later). Oh well, you are good at sniffing out distinctive beer locations, so I'm sure you will find plenty. I'm sure you are already aware, but the Ghent Altarpiece is located at the St Bavo's Cathedral & is well worth a peak. Enjoy your trip!
As far as I know, Gainsbar might still be open but changed owners some time ago; not sure if it is still so beery.
Gainsbar is still open; a group of friends and I stopped there on our bike trip in April. It's also still very much a beer bar, but it has a distinctly "American craft beer bar" vibe.
Hey Dave, how was your trip? Any reports on Ghent, what about the new to you city that you had planned to visit? Not much chatter these days on the Belgium forum, so I was hoping you could "freshin it up!" Cheers
Spending a few days in Ghent was great! Quite the lovely, vibrant city! Beautiful architecture, all around... First made a stop at Het Waterhuis. Solid bar, good service, nice bier menu, pleasant atmosphere..... Yes, recommended! Found 't Galgenhuis and it was tiny, on the ground floor. Bier menu was tiny, too, with only 8-10 drafts, plus a few bottles. Not my first choice to return to... Ventured out to Kaffee De Planck another day. Very pleasant atmosphere, solid bier list.... too bad it was a bit of a walk to the south of town. Of note, Waterhuis and De Planck require payment with the delivery of each round - no tabs.... a bit odd, but whatevah.... My last eve I hit de Dulle Griet... this place kicked ass... great menu, cool vibe, both in and out.... solid service.... a smidge pricey, but to be able to snag some vintage Struise offerings, worth it.... So, Ghent = de Dulle Griet, Het Waterhuis, De Planck, and 't Galgenhuis for me.... Did a day trip to Kortrijk.... snooze city.... from the train station to the center of town I passed about 5 people. anyone awake here?? Had a few cool sites to photograph.... Zzzzzz.... but never bothered waiting around for a bar to open.... Back to Ghent for me.... Fwiw, Brugge and Antwerp still kick ass! Ghent deserves a return for me, though... Prosit!!
Only the foreigners spell it Ghent... Also in Gent there are many "hidden" beer cafes (at one time about 375 of them) and an excellent below ground whiskey bar (run by a Scot) near Sint-Baafs.
