An after-dark venue that likes to think of itself as a bit of an oddity, Madame Moustache is a nightly parade of eclectic bands and shows – a cross between a cabaret and a village hall. One night it could be 80s kitsch, another night rockabilly, crazy Balkan or 50s jamboree. There’s probably nowhere else in Brussels quite like it. As for me, I like turning up fortnightly on a Tuesday to practise my lindy hop and Charleston steps to a live swing band; watching others in braces and bowler hats spin and shuffle in the mirrored walls, and ordering beers and cocktails from bar folk in sailor’s outfits.

www.madamemoustache.be/index.php
Quai au bois à brûler/Brandhoutkaai 5-7,
1000 Brussels
+32 485 53 44 94 ‎
Google map: bit.ly/tpW3Fm

* Bec is our Been there local for Brussels. You can view her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/brussels-local-rebecca.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/Becinbrussels

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There are many bars in Brussels trying to do something new and different. Some aim to re-create the music and surroundings of past decades, but there aren’t many places like Booze n’Blues, where you sense the owner’s nostalgia for his youth enveloping you with its dark red walls and jukebox.
References to Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, fraying momentoes and blues music wrapping you in a
cocoon: here it is personal, like a bedroom left behind in a family home and not touched since.
The jukebox will accompany your evening, when it’s working. Likewise Fakir Hindou, the fortune
telling box on the bar, might provide an erratic prognosis of your future for 20 cents. Two attempts produced the same result: “everything will go according to your wishes”. I’m not sure it’s a good thing to have everything you want!

Booze n’Blues has been family-run for the last 13 years. The owner lives upstairs. Downstairs you could almost imagine yourself somewhere in rural America. But the owner has never been. “There’s a meeting of blues fans in Los Angeles every year”, his sister tells me. "I’d love to send him there, but he doesn’t like flying.”

Rue des Riches Claires 20, 1000 Brussels
+32 (0)2 513 93 33
Google map: bit.ly/rcdCPW

* Bec is our Been there local for Brussels. You can view her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/brussels-local-rebecca.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/Becinbrussels

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A mix of simple wooden tables, utilitarian steel shelves and brown floral seventies wallpaper.
Delecta is another of my favourite small Brussels bars, an intimate after-work venue both in summer and winter, where you can share bottles of wine and plates of antipasti or huddle round the stove when it’s cold. There is a good selection of beer and light meals: more interesting variations on the ubiquitous croque monsieur, quiches and lasagne. Thursday evenings host the popular “les apéros
du Delecta”, complete with DJ.

Rue Lannoy/Lannoystraat 2, 1050 Ixelles
+32 (0)2 644 19 49
Google map: bit.ly/pkPES7

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Slip inside past the stuffed fox to be met by a dim interior crammed full of books, portraits, records – and the mischievous smile of le Patron. Among the memorabilia and random junk only the various female nudes on the wall hint at a more exotic past. Tuck yourself away at one of the candlelit tables or sneak upstairs to sink into one of the aging couches that seep memories and cigarette smoke. Stay for a late-night philosophical discussion, kisses in the dark – or just the chance to close your eyes. With any luck Edith Piaf will be playing on the colourful jukebox and someone will be round shortly to take your order. A place to linger for hours over a drink or two (although I’m
not fond of the sweet fruit wines).

rue de la Violette 22/Violetstraat 22, 1000 Brussels
+32(0)2 511 13 96
Google map: bit.ly/oyPdgT

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At night ring the buzzer and neatly sidestep the doorman to enter this beauty of an art deco bar, with its upstairs gallery, custard walls and wood panelling. The faded glamour of the interior surely calls for a whisky or cocktail, to be sipped while dancing around the piano, or up above, looking down at the assembled heads. L’Archiduc also hosts free jazz concerts, “Jazz After Shopping" and "Round About Five", during the autumn and winter months; and “Tell me why I do like Mondays” jazz and blues in the summer.

Antoine Dansaert, 6, 1000 Brussels
+32 (0)2 512 06 52
www.archiduc.net/
Google map: bit.ly/mjD1K8

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Ancienne Belgique or 'AB' as it is most commonly referred to is a concert hall in the heart of Brussels. Boasting excellent acoustics, it is often used for live recordings. Its prime location and its intimate surroundings make it the venue of choice for big names who want to avoid stadium crowds.

Ancienne Belgique, Anspachlaan 110, 1000 Brussels
+32 (0)2 548 24 84
www.abconcerts.be/en
Google map: bit.ly/kKlLUg

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Ditch the grey suits and head over for the legendary feathers and glitter cabaret experience that is Chez Maman (Rue des Grands Carmes 7).

Join the pretty boys of Brussels and their friends to see six-feet-plus drag queens strut their stuff on the tiny bar to classic French and Euro-disco hits until the wee hours.

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Visit the La Demence nightclub held every month or so for a great long night out, do not arive much before 3am as its open until midday.

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For gay/bisexual men check out La Demence, Rue Blaes, Bruxelles. It is like nothing else you've seen. The biggest club venue in Brussels is transformed into a dance and pleasure factory with guys of all types flooding in from the Benelux, France, Germany the UK, USA and further afield.

Two huge dance floors heave with glistening muscles whilst the two darkened floors upstairs heave with an altogether raunchier activity.

This is definitely not what I had expected from Brussels. The club is only a short walk from the Eurostar terminus or a short taxi ride to the four and five-star hotels which offer excellent value.

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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 only big techno club in Brussels. Past guests include Jeff Mills, Kevin Saunderson, Derrick May, Carl Cox, Laurent Garnier, Dave Clarke, Stacey Pullen and Sven Väth to name just a few. The resident DJs spin classy vinyl, and while the crowd can be rather impersonal, there's a friendly vibe especially around 4 in the morning.

Best to check out the website to stay in touch with events, but events are regularly advertised. Seeing Bukem play there last year was seriously wicked and the club itself is well known as one of the places to be for ravers in Brussels.

Rue Blaes; nearest metro: Porte de Halle; www.fuse.be

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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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