Having left my hometown Hasselt 50 years ago, I was ready to go back to my roots but needed a place…read moreto stay. I decided on Hemelhuys, a little gem tucked away on a pedestrian street, a stone-throw away from Hasselt's serene cathedral, St. Quintinus, and close to the town's fancy stores and great restaurants. This quaint, welcoming boutique hotel has eight spacious rooms combining modern-day comfort with old-fashioned charm. These tastefully renovated units are spread over two old stone houses connected by a small but lush garden. The short walk through this pretty garden is aptly names Chemin du Bonheur. Both owners, Ann and Liesbeth, blend discreet elegance with genuine small-town warmth, and go out of their way to make guests feel at home. And, just like the owners, the young staff is very attentive to the guests' needs and, in addition, smiles a lot -- a pleasant touch that augments one's enjoyment of the place. Breakfasts are most inviting: a selection of assorted fresh breads and bakery products, home-made jams, cheeses, fresh fruit and, for hungrier people, a variety of egg dishes. Location + charm + service + comfort + caring owners + friendly staff = compelling combination to embrace Hemelhuys, a delightful hotel of superb taste in a town that prides itself on being Hoofdstad van de Smaak (Capital of Good Taste). Benoit Jadoul

This is one of my favorite places to grab a beer with some friends.. Been here loads of times. They…read moreserve a lot of belgian beers and when I say a lot, I do mean a lot. I will have to lie but I'd guess they serve about 400 different beers, mostly all Belgian. So if you want to try out some Belgian beers or just want to get drunk, and you are in the neighborhood this is the place to go. (Delirium, Kwak, Karmeliet,.. being my personal favorite ones) On the down side, the service sometimes can be sloppy and you will have to wait longer than at most pubs. But all these different beers are well worth the wait!

Did you know: Belgium has more Michelin Star / World Class Restaurants than any other Country?…read more De Gebrande Winning is an example of a World Class Restaurant PLUS has their own Beer Cellar with Aged Lambics, Belgian Trappist, and Sour Beers. The owner, Sainte, will Greet you upon arrival and make sure you are comfortable with an English, French, or Dutch menu. I HIGHLY recommend making a reservation if you are dining with them for dinner. We came for lunch time and due to the heat in Europe currently, had no problems getting a table. I came here specifically for their Bokkereyder selection and Rare Sour Beers. If you are an enthusiast of Belgian Fruited Lambics and have never enjoyed or even heard of Bokkereyder, I challenge you to get your hands on some! We enjoyed a 2018 Framboos Pjassel Kriek (Raspberries, Peaches, Sour Cherries) and a 2018 Framboos Vanille (Raspberries & Vanilla Bean). De Gebrande Winning has plenty for you to enjoy on-site. :) While enjoying some of the best beer I have ever had to this date, I ordered their "Set Menu" (3-courses) as well. Exceptional! Course One- "Carpaccio Rossini" : Beef Carpaccio with Goose Liver. Course 2- Sea bass with Pilav-mussel rice. Course 3- Peche Melba. The last course went VERY well with the Bokkereyder Vanille Framboos. If you are in the Brussels area, Sint-Truiden (location of De Gebrande Winning) is only a train ride away and well worth the half day trip! Say hello to Sainte for me.

Tungri craft brew co-located with Daniëls Drinkmarket. Great place to stop by have a quick beer and…read moretry some of the new types of brews. The staff speaks English of course. The prices are fair and the beer is good.

This place was recommended by my hotel, and it was perfect. So many beers to choose from, a huge…read moremenu, and a completely inviting atmosphere . Prices are good, neighborhood is accessible and the server was knowledgeable and efficient. Definitely worth the stop.

La Vaudrée is a small chain of bars created specifically to make sure gourmet-beer-seekers in…read moreBelgium have a place to go where they can find a huge selection and people to guide them through it. (From what I could see from the street, although Belgium makes a lot of beer, many of the local bars are Jupiler, Stella, etc.) We would have loved to support some tiny tavern that there's only one of or go straight to a monastery, but we were just quickly passing through Liège as our only stop in Belgium. We'd already tried a Jupiler (the local pride). La Vaudrée gave us a perfect place to try Belgian beers too small to be exported to the States, watch the Liège-Bastogne-Liège bike race on TV, and even hike up a nearby hill to see the race come by.*** If you just want to drink lots of Chimay really cheaply in your hotel room or along the riverbanks, I learned afterwards that you can get it or any other fine widely-exported trappist for 1.30-2 euros at any supermarket in town. But if you're looking for a cozy place with HUNDREDS of Belgians available for 3-5 euros/bottle (which is fair ... it is a bar, after all, not the liquor store), and friendly staff to guide you through what's what, Vaudrée is a great place for you! (Plus, if you've ever worked in a bar, you should go & see their beer-glass selection ... only a small portion of which is on display over the bar...you might get yet something else with your order. It's quite impressive.) 4 stars instead of 5 (wish 4.5 were an option) because I only really got into the flavor of 1 of the 3 beers I tried. That's more the fault of my picky palate than of La Vaudrée. That said, either there aren't as many sweet Belgians as I'd based on falling in love with highly sugary, cream-soda-ey ones like Tripel Karmeleit & Kwak, or my server hadn't tried enough beers in that direction to really know what was in the cooler to that end. I'd also put a constraint on the search to show me brews that probably weren't big enough for export to North America. Maybe many of the "safe"-tasting beers get exported for a reason. Local US craft brews are often a bit bitter, too, as I think that's how most beer snobs like it. I did like Brice, the first instinct of my waiter. ***(Note: the race swings through town about a 12-minute uphill walk from the course, which is probably easiest to find by zooming in on cyclists' paths on MapMyRide & Strava. The race ends at the Carrefour/ Pizza Hut / Uhoda Sa in Ans, though, so ignore any paths continuing on clockwise back into Liège from there ... those are from the previous-day social ride that follows but also overshoots the end of the pro course. Best sure bet for any given year's racecourse is to pull up MapMyRide/Strava after the social has finished on Saturday but before the pros get close to returning to town on Sunday. In 2016 it could be seen at Rue St. Laurent & Rue Bidaut, 50°38'27.1"N 5°33'28.2"E, approaching up RSL from the SW & turning NW onto RB.)

Brewpub in a renovated railway yard in the old mining village of Koersel. Trendy interior where you…read morecan enjoy brasserie food and their own brews.

Great place, excellent beer, delicious food and great ambiance…read moreBeer is brewed in house. Stoofvlees prepared with beer from house is a must.

Like the natural wine movement that seems to be sweeping some of the great eateries in Europe right…read morenow, the same could be said for some of the beer too. The folks over at Veranda introduced me to this maker that used to distill gin. At first made 30 liters of beer finding that it was way too much work for the amount of beer put out. However it was good so he moved up to 90 liters. Then 120. Using an organic process they use lots of interesting ingredients to produce small batches of things like pepper beer, quinoa. I tried the Belgian Pale Ale called Maya. It's actually a collaboration with a producer of seitan (crazy eh?) The seitan water replaces your normal brewing water, reducing the amount of barley and wheat malt. The other unique thing about this beer is that they used something called Cradle to Cradle (C2C) which requires the usage of all the by products of the beer to be used in other products somewhere down the line. An interesting take on sustainability. Since Im normally a stout drinker, this was crazy bright for me. I'd not normally drink this on its own, but paired with Davy Schellemans food, it's fantastic.