Itinerary
Six stops, one evening, walkable. The night you'd take a friend on a Friday in Brussels.
17:30 — Aperitif · City centre · $$ · Cocktail Bars
A La Mort Subite has been pouring on Rue Montagne aux Herbes Potagères since 1928 and is the most famous Lambic beer house in Brussels. The room is preserved Be Start polished. Order something stirred and bracing — a martini, a manhattan, or whatever the bar's house spec is. You're warming up the palate, not chasing trends.
19:00 — Cocktails · City Centre · $$ · Rooftop Bars
Cafe Bota draws a steady local crowd in City Centre. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Now move into the city's cocktail-bar heart. Order off-menu if you can; if the bartender has a single-drink-special-of-the-week, that's the one.
20:30 — Wine break · Avenue Louise · $$ · Sports Bars
James Joyce Pub draws a steady local crowd in Avenue Louise. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Hit a wine bar before the second cocktail run. Two glasses, a small plate, a reset. Keep your conversation in here — the rooms after midnight aren't for talking.
22:00 — The destination cocktail · City centre · $$ · Cocktail Bars
Au Bon Vieux Temps is hidden in a narrow alley off Rue du Marché aux Herbes in Brussels Centre. The bar dates to 1695 and is one of the oldest continuously oper This is the room you booked for. Lights are lower, prices higher, drinks are tightly built. Stay an hour, no longer.
23:30 — Late-night listening · Saint-Gilles · $$ · Cocktail Bars
Au Laboureur draws a steady local crowd in Saint-Gilles. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Move to a music room. Jazz, soul, or a DJ at modest volume. You want a soundtrack, not a club.
01:00 — Last drink · Forest · $$ · Cocktail Bars
Bar du Matin draws a steady local crowd in Forest. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. End on something simple. A clean martini, a Negroni, a whisky and water. Tip your bartender. Walk home or take a quiet cab.
The order matters. We start polished, peak in the middle, end somewhere quieter than we started. You can swap any room for a closer alternative — every bar listed has at least two backups within a five-minute walk.
Total time: about seven hours. Total spend: depends on you, but plan £80-£150 per person across the night. Save this page, send it to whoever you're meeting, and treat the timings as guidance, not gospel.
Each stop links to the full bar page if you want to dig deeper. Treat timings as guidance — adjust to your pace.