Dolores

· Modern Dolores on Rue de Moscou is the Saint-Gilles room that has done more than any other Brussels bar to push mezcal beyond the obvious novelty. Owner-bartender Inés Vidal — Mexican by birth, Brussels-trained — runs a back-bar of close to ninety mezcals and tequilas, with a serious focus on small-producer pechuga and Oaxacan ensambles that no other Belgian room carries.

The list is twelve cocktails, half built around mezcal and half around regional Mexican spirits like sotol. The room is thirty seats with a tiled bar, the music is loud, and the kitchen runs a tight menu of taco-and-ceviche plates. Ranks tenth because the format is intentionally narrow but the agave-spirits work is the most authoritative in Belgium.

For the full ranking, see our editorial round-up of the 10 best cocktail bars in Brussels, the broader Brussels cocktail bars guide, and our category index of cocktail bars worldwide.