An excellent restaurant slightly out of the normal tourist areas. A converted warehouse with some al fresco dining. Food was excellent and very Belgian. Service was prompt but not intrusive. Lots of locals. Atmosphere was great.

Rue Notre-Dame du Sommeil 12-20 ... Off place du Jardin-aux-Fleurs, Around the Fish Market ... www.manufacture.be

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If you fancy being roundly ignored by monosyllabic staff in the most fabulously atmospheric Brussels bar, head for La Morte Subite, a dark little gem of a bar round the corner from the Jacques Brel centre. Fantastique!

www.alamortsubite.com/

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Just off the Grand Place there's a small bar in an alleyway that is decorated in the style of a dark and forbidding crypt, Le Cercueil.

Inside, the subdued lighting and tables made from coffins give every impression that you're sharing your drink with Dracula and in the midst of Transylvania! All the drinks have dark and horrifying names and there is a cathedral-type hush in the place. Very atmospheric and a great place to take your girlfriend for the first time!

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Down the alley way, near the lesser-known Jeanneken Pis statue, why not grab a beer at Delirium, the bar that holds the world record for selling the most beers (over 2000 varieties!).

Or, if beer's not your thing, visit The Green Fairy opposite, which sells over 2000 kinds of spirits and liquors!

www.deliriumcafe.be/

www.feeverte.net

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Sitting on the terrace at the Buschenkeller and having a few leisurely beers gives you ample opportunity to ponder in wonderment at the constant flow of tourists gaping at Manneken Pis. Nowhere else in the world does such a crap monument captivate so many.

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For the best night out in Brussels, try an aperitif at super-cool L'Archiduc bar followed by a slap-up dinner at Bonsoir Clara along the road.

www.archiduc.net/home.html

www.bonsoirclara.be/

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Tiny bistro with tiny menu and huge beer list.

Does the best carbonnade des Flamandes in Brussels by a country mile.

36 Rue Keyenveld

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Directly opposite the Mannekin Pis, you'd naturally expect this to be a bar that's just aimed at selling as much Old Wife Beater as possible to the tourists. But don't let this and the fact that the decor is themed on the piddling boy fool you, in fact this is a must-visit bar for beer-lovers visiting Brussels.

There are roughly 80 regular beers on the menu as well as monthly specials, some of them unusual (for example, Het Anker's Gouden Carolus Triple on tap - what a night that was!).

Service is efficient and friendly.

Poechenellkelder means "mannekin cellar" in the local Brussels dialect and you'll find that your bill is also in that dialect, which is similar to Dutch.

5 Rue du Chêne. Tel 02 511 92 62

Opening hours: Tue-Thu: 1000-2400, Fri-Sun: 1000-0200, closed Mon.

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Very friendly and reasonably priced place to get a good feed in a relaxed atmosphere. Mixture of Belgian food, pastas and salads. It gets pretty busy in the evening but is also a great spot for an afternoon drink.

9 Kartuizerstraat / rue des Chartreux 9
T - 32-2-

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This brasserie is built in the art nouveau style and has a great tavern atmosphere with brown paper place mats and candles in bottles. It serves staple Belgian fare like moules-mariniere. The carbonnads flamandes and the stoemp are glorious!

17-21, Rue Henri Maus;
tel: 02 511 8789

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Apart from the good-value hearty portions of delicious food (the best stoemp in Brussels) and good beer, this laid back cafe bar is really worth visiting for the friendly staff who will really make you feel at home despite being rushed off their feet!

Rue des Chartreux. Near Bourse

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An open air DJ bar with an underground flavour. Held every Friday and Saturday night in summertime (weather permitting) the DJs spin a plethora of discs ranging from electropunk to drum 'n' bass via goa trance, acid house and the occasionally rather commercial dance set. The party is held in what is known as the Royal Park opposite the Royal Palace and starts around 11 in the evening, steaming on until the early hours (6-7am, although the party ended earlier last summer).

It's best to have a meeting place in case you get lost as the crowds are thick and it's easy to misplace friends in the happy chaos. Drink prices are average for Brussels (ie cheaper than most expat bars).

Le Parc de Bruxelles, opposite the Royal Palace; nearest metro: Kunst-Wet/Arts-Loi;
www.legazon.be

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The Union is a bohemian piratical bar in a bohemian, piratical area (St Gilles). It was originally the home of the Union of St Gilles football club (holders of the longest unbeaten record of any football club in Belgium) and now plays host to punks, hippies, and stoners of every description (although I wouldn't recommend lighting one up there, new Belgian legislation regarding cannabis notwithstanding).

The décor is composed of insane clowns, grinning pirates, a nice poster of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and various other head toys that will both amuse and fascinate the casual observer. Some nice runework in the loos is representative of the anarchistic spirit of this counter-cultural icon.

St Gilles, the 'Parvis'; nearest tram stop: Parvis de St Gilles

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Bizon café is a blues bar in the St Gery area. It offers a wide range of chilled vodkas, genevers, Belgian beers and bison blood (try it you'll like it) in a smoky blues atmosphere. About the only party going on in Brussels on a Monday night is the café's jam session, which hosts such blues circuit favourites as Bai Kamara, Geezer Young, Roman, Stevie and Rob Fewster.

A genuine crowd spirit with the chance to get trollied on a Monday night whenever it's been hard getting back to work.

Karperbrug 7; near central station and the Grand Place; www.cafebizon.com

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As nice as the tourist traps of the Grand Place are, you could do a lot worse than try this excellent family run bar/restaurant in the popular but sedate St Catherine area.

This a place where locals eat and drink, reflected in the menu and the prices. There are the usual steaks and moules frites, but you can try other typical Brusselois fare such as Anguilles au Vert (eels in green sauce and nicer than it sounds), Stoemp and even horse!

This is a very friendly, real place and well worth a try even if only for a drink before eating at the excellent St Catherine restaurants. Only a brief stroll from Bourse.

Rue St Catherine; The nearest metros are St Catherine or Bourse

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Breathtakingly gorgeous art nouveau cafe/bar just five or so minutes from the Grand Place. Hearty nosh: moules and frites (of course), tasty Zeebrugge shrimp omelette, rugged carbonnades flamandes stew. There’s also loads of choccy puddings, plus Leffe and plenty of other beers on draught.

The English language menu on their website is worth a look for shameless, cheap-laugh lovers (like your correspondent). How about Salade Landaise “with gizzards and poultry lievers parfumed with orange room”. Or the somewhat Julian Clary-sounding “Warm Entries”.

Henri Mausstraat/Rue Henri Maus, 1000 Brussels;
Nearest Metro: Bourse; www.resto.be/falstaff

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When in Brussels, this place is not to be missed for three reasons:
1.The museum is located in one of the most stunning art nouveau buildings in Europe, built by master architect Paul Santenoy.
2. It houses one of the best collections of musical instruments you will ever see, with over 6000 pieces.

3. The top-floor bar and restaurant offer good food in a very stylish décor, where you can relax for a few hours or entertain friends.

Bonus: the stunning views over central Brussels. There is an open-air roof terrace in summer.

2, Rue Montagne de la Cour
1000, Brussel
Tel: 02 545 01 30
Fax: 02 545 01 79

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A real Belgian street-corner bar, in an area overrun with Irish theme pubs. It is open 24 hours, and when I lived there, it was the scene of many a deep and drunken conversation while watching the sun rise.

On the corner of Rue Franklin and Rue Archimede, near the EU buildings

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A sprawling two-storey bar that looks like a junk shop, Goupil le Fol is a favourite place for first dates, thanks to its battered, but comfortable sofas, and its many nooks and crannies. Also known for its range of delicious flavoured wines (blackcurrant, raspberry, nut, etc). A bulwark against the increasing homogenisation of city centre nightlife.

22 Violetstraat/Rue de la Violette 22; Tel: 2 511 13 96

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Simply one of the finest bars in Europe. Ring the bell to get in, stay until dawn. Listen to live jazz around the grand piano in the middle of this art-deco palace (once upon a time, it was a brothel but there's no hint of seediness now).

Amazing cocktails, friendly staff and clientele, the bar is open until dawn every day. A slice of glamour in the city centre and away from the scrum of tourists and locals in the nearby bars of Saint-Gery.

Rue Antoine Dansaert, 6; Metro Bourse; www.archiduc.net

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