We don’t like to repeat ourselves, but the amount of burger places with some attention for beer is considerable, so once again, we visit a burger restaurant: Broebbeleir. This time, we have to compose the burger ourselves from scratch, there aren’t any chef’s suggestions to avoid it. However, there are enough options to make yourself a tasty burger, and a couple of sides if you don’t think it will be enough. And there is beer, of course!
Brussels Ketjep
The Huggy’s Bar
The Huggy’s Bar is a burger restaurant chain with two location in Brussels, in American sports bar style — there was even a cycling race on when we were in — but with a difference: instead of some commercial lager, they serve a whole range of their own beers, neatly paired with their burgers. Noteworthy as well: you can have an unlimited amount of chips with your burger!
BrewDog Brussels
Most beer lovers familiar with foreign beers, already know BrewDog, or at least have heard of it. The sometimes controversial Scottish brewery doesn’t only brew beer, it also runs a few dozen bars. Already quite a while ago, BrewDog Brussels opened right next to Central Station, but a recent change is finally turning it into the beer geek mecca it should have been from the start. The hoppy beers BrewDog is known for, are now fresher than ever, the Buffalo wings hotter than ever, and the staff is more passionate than ever. If you haven’t done so recently, now is the time to (re)visit BrewDog Brussels!
Caberdouche
It can be quite frightening when upon entering Caberdouche, you see big tanks of Stella below your feet in the pits of hell where they belong… Or maybe it is just a floor window offering a glimpse of the the beer cellar of the bar? Luckily, there’s quite a bit more on offer, among which a dedicated Brussels Beer Project tap, and a couple of beers from Tiny Rebel, that not quite so tiny anymore Welsh brewery, that seems to become more available in Brussels every passing day.
Chez Richard
In a fancy area like the one around the Sablon square, one would expect a champagne bar rather than a beer bar. Now, we wouldn’t really call Chez Richard a beer bar, but it did manage to surprise us nevertheless. First of all: they have Jambe-de-Bois on draught. That’s a good start, but not too uncommon anymore nowadays. Noticing BrewDog‘s Punk IPA on the menu made us happy, only to be disappointed when we were told it was temporarily out of stock. The unexpected alternative offered however, made more than up for the discomfort: Cali from Tiny Rebel!
Marcel Burger Bar
UPDATE: Closed permanently…
Marcel Burger Bar had been on our list for quite some while — they serve burgers, paired with a specific beer, so what’s not to like? — but we simply hadn’t got around to it. We even passed it a couple of times already — it’s only two houses down from CHEZWaWa, and not that far from BALLEKES either — but on a recent sunny Sunday afternoon — possibly not the best time, if the sound of children is not your favourite music — we finally made it to the burger bar.
Het Goudblommeke in Papier
There’s quite a bit of history to Het Goudblommeke in Papier, even though it’s ‘only’ a little over 70 years old, and it’s not surprising a lot of effort went into reopening the bar after a bankruptcy a decade ago. But the protected building and bar rooms of this ‘marigold in paper’ have more to offer than just memories of René Magritte and Guido Gezelle: artistic performances of all sorts, but of course good Belgian food and beer as well!
La Biche
We’re quite used to finding beers from one or more of the Brussels breweries on the menu of a bar, and as we’ve said before: it’s a good indication someone put some effort in the beer selection. Even if the rest of the (online available) beer menu is not that exciting at all, it always makes us curious to see if there are any interesting guest beers. When we spotted Stone IPA on the Facebook page of La Biche, a visit was unavoidable. However, what we then spotted on the guest beer menu above the bar, was above all our expectations for this little neighbourhood bar!
Brasserie 28
UPDATE: Seems to be closed. A note said for renovations, but they hadn’t been open on the advertised hours for months before…
The former post office in the Central Station is finally in use again! Not for any postal needs of course — who still sends letters these days? — but for a bite and and a beer. Brasserie 28 will — eventually — not only serve 30 different draught beers and even more on bottle to consume in the bar, but everything is — or very soon will be — available to take away. Having a “train beer” when travelling from Central Station suddenly became interesting!
Cool Bun
UPDATE: Closed permanently…
Since the gourmet burger trend started, loads of burger places appeared in Brussels, trying to get their piece of the pie. You can now find burgers in all price ranges, and the ones at Cool Bun are certainly in the higher range. In this case however, that is completely justified! The burgers are grilled to perfection — some places just don’t seem to understand ‘medium’ — with the finest, organic ingredients, and they even have some American craft beers to go with this pinnacle of American cuisine.