A bar specialising in gin (jenever) - weaker and sweeter than British gin but watch out for the pepper-flavoured stuff! Belgium's 70 jenever distilleries produce some 270 varieties. You can buy gin in stone bottles in shops in the city (notably on Kraanlei).

Groentenmarkt 12, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
+32(0)9 224 21 20
Google map: bit.ly/fkiJUi

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Quiet bar (well, it was when I was there) about 10 minutes walk southeast of the centre. The food menu is not extensive, but does the job. The beer menu definitely is extensive, and runs to 150 or more, listed by category and alphabetically to make it all nice and simple.

Vlaanderenstraat 128 9000 GENT
www.brasseriedeus.be

Google map: tinyurl.com/lhpj5o

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Brasserie Pakhuis is a fantastic restaurant just off the main shopping street (Veldstraat).

It is housed in a fantastic, converted warehouse which makes an amazing setting for a meal.

Food is a wonderful mixture of French and Italian. They also do great fish platters with whole lobsters etc. There is an extensive wine list, and also (of course) an extensive list of beers. As well as the restaurant there is also a bar which you can visit for a drink.

Pakhuis is popular with locals, which I always think is a good sign.

Have a look at their website for a menu and an idea of what it looks like.

Schuurkenstraat 4
9000 Gent
32 (0)92235555
www.pakhuis.be/

Google map: tinyurl.com/kjh2d8

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This bar has a menu of over 250 beers - just about the widest selection in Ghent. It also has a huge, friendly bar-room with helpful staff and attracts congenial beer lovers from around the world. Find it just a minute's walk from the cannon that gives it its name ("Mad Meg" in English). A little touristy, especially during the day, but nonetheless appealing.

Vrijdagmarkt 50
09 224 24 55
www.dullegriet.be/01_Herberg_eng.htm

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Like many bars in Belgium, this is a great place for beer lovers, with its extensive menu and commitment to serving unusual/local beers. But it's just a great bar to visit anyway, with a lively atmosphere, friendly staff, a large outdoor seating area and a wonderful location on the waterside. (The name is a play on words: it means "The Waterhouse on the Beerside", which is a bit of a crap joke but forgivable.) I was only in Ghent two days and went three times. The unique Gavandum dry-hopping beer was Beer of the Month at the time - if they're still serving it, it is not to be missed.

Groentenmarkt 9
09 225 06 80
www.waterhuisaandebierkant.be/e2.htm

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