Our visit to Le Wappers was long overdue, but we finally made it back to Schaerbeek for a visit to this tavern! Without even reading a word on the menu, its design by Jean Goovaerts immediately makes it quite clear: there will be plenty of De la Senne beers to enjoy!
Probably just as important as the beer, is the spaghetti served here in the evening, providing punters with a tasty and efficient way to line the stomach for a night of beers with friends.
At first glance, MangiaSempre is a shop, or more specifically, an Italian ‘bottega’. The shelves and fridge counter are stacked with high quality products, everything you need to cook up an Italian meal at home, and yes, even some beers.
But then you’ll notice the beer taps and the menu with the daily specials and sandwiches, and you’ll quickly realise MangiaSempre is so much more than just a shop! Although the terrace with Brasserie de la Mule parasols probably was a bit of a giveaway already…
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.
Schaerbeek is huge, and to get from 1030 Café to the Barboteur is quite a walk. Luckily, about halfway, you’ll find Central Park, right on the edge of the Josaphat Park it is obviously referring to. During your pit-stop there, you’ll be able to choose from ten beers on draught, among which a few familiar locals — like ‘super chilled’ Delta and Zinnebir — a classic like Saison Dupont, but a changing guest beer as as well.
Every time a new place is about to open in Brussels, we carefully monitor their posts on social media to see if there’s any mention of beer, and sometimes we even just ask which beers they will be serving. NONA didn’t need our encouragement, and one of their photos already showed a tasting of De Ranke beers, to serve in their new Neapolitan pizza restaurant. As it turns out, NONA even has two of their beers on draught! Consequently, we were pretty excited about the place, even before we had tried their pizzas.
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!
Update: La Tana has move across the street, to Rue de l'Enseignement 27, and beer shop La Tana 2.0 has moved to the same location. [venue id= 5e27564fa292720008bc3b61]
When visiting Rome a couple of years ago, there was only one beer bar to be found in the eternal city, and just a few interesting breweries in the whole of Italy. Much has changed since then, and many Italian beers now equal or surpass our Belgian brews. However, it is still quite rare to see an Italian restaurant serving those beers. Luckily for us, in 2014 two Romans — chef Valerio and his brother — opened a tiny place called La Tana, where they serve great pastas, and beers to match.
UPDATE: Closed permanently…
For years, Monk has been a reference point in the nightlife of Brussels centre, especially for the Dutch speaking community of the city. Live music, great beers and booze, plenty of space and a huge bar counter. In 2012, it all ended, and for a year, the curtains were closed. It did reopen eventually, however, and with new owners and a slightly tweaked concept — adding spaghetti to the mix — the bar managed to lure many of the old customers back, and a lot of new ones as well.