Was SUPER excited to go to Kulminator on my recent trip to Belgium. Have heard wonderful things…read moreabout the vast beer list, full of old vintages. Sadly it seems, the owner does not like business or money. Or perhaps he just enjoys treating Kulminator as his own private club, as opposed to a normal beer bar where everyone is welcome. The owner greeted us at the door, asking us why we wished to come in and we were denied entry upon our response. We later found out that if you do not give the very specific response of "being there to TASTE (not drink) beer", you are turned away. Pompous, and absolutely ridiculous. I have no interest in trying to go back.

I was very hesitant about visiting Kulminator as its fame and reputation far precedes it, having…read morewon accolades such as "the best place in the world to have a beer" and also known to have one of the most extensive collections of aged Belgian beers in the world. During the planning stages of my trip, a lot of the feedback I got regarding this place was that I should brace for some unparalleled (lack of) service, humongous wait times in between orders, and last minute changes to opening hours. If you haven't guessed it already, I was lucky enough not to experience any of the negative feedback enumerated above, and instead had such a great time that I somehow got back to my room in Brussels without a train ticket and don't quite remember how I managed such a feat. I got to Kulminator about 15 minutes after they opened at 4:15pm and the establishment was already half-full. Despite reviews saying that this place is super cramped and cozy, the interior is actually pretty spacious with seating available at the bar, behind it, and even across from it where two tables are partitioned off kind of like a small lounge; I opted to sit in the lounge area as I was planning to be comfortable for quite some time. Leen served me for the entire evening and she was very kind and patient with all of my orders. Despite some of my orders being slightly obscure--like the oldest vintage they had of Oerbier Special Reserva, for example--all my orders got out to me under five minutes, even at 9pm when the bar was completely packed, thereby debunking the "slow and bad service" portion of my expectations. Whereas different groups of people did join me at my table for most of the night, most of them were locals popping in for a drink or two and all minded their own businesses unlike what people say about strange encounters here, but that suited me just fine for my purposes; I wanted to try some Belgian gems that aren't available anywhere on the planet, and I'm glad to say I was able to achieve said feat. I don't think I have to describe the atmosphere as it's been done in such vivid detail in so many of the other reviews (grandparents' house, etc.) but be sure to grab a bite to eat prior to visiting this place and not make the mistake of thinking drunk you will be sober enough to find something to eat after leaving this amazing Cafe; food options are limited if not non-existent, and Leen is busy enough as is keeping everyone happy. And yes, Dirk will stare you down if you do anything out of the ordinary like take pictures of the establishment, but he means well... I think.

Billie's is a cozy beer bar with outstanding beer selection. I stopped by on my visit to Antwerp…read moreand enjoyed looking at all of the brewery stickers. I'd love to return and try some of the food next time.

Billie... Billie. I showed up and y'all showed out. This quaint bar in the cut of Antwerp…read moredefinitely houses traditional authentic Belgian dishes and beer. I'm not beer drinker but I did stop by to try their beef stew also known as Vlaams Stoofvlees. Wheeeeeew baby. Their gravy sauce for the stew is rich and thick. You literally can pick out the herbs when you eat. There's nothing fake about this place. That meal honestly can be shared amongst two people. It was an interesting twist for me to eat a chicory salad. Never have I ever. Yet, it was earthy and tasty. Great health benefits too. One thing you'll notice in Belgium is there Mayo and ketchup is real not processed. You can literally taste the difference. If you're ever in Antwerp for even a couple of hours, make it your business to stop by and treat yourself to good food and beer.

Great selection of beer, great music, and great atmosphere. Space is limited and in high demand…read more However, it was not so crowded today and we were able to get a table.

Unpretentious beer bar with a great selection. Yoest (probably jacked up th spelling) was super…read morepatient and helpful. Took the time to help me find something to drink and ended with two Belgian stouts that were amazing. The areas the bar has "character" which contrasts the venue. I love it that way. Benches outside made for a great experience. Will be back next time I'm in the area and highly recommend this place if you love beer and are in the Antwerp area.

Cozy beer oriented bar right near the Cathedral. Large selection of Belgian beers. I had a lambic…read moreand a special edition Delerium - Deleria which were both delish! Good service.

Friendly staff Very cozy and good ambiance looks very…read moretraditional with a lot of beer choices at a good price. I would not recommend to expect having good food there though so just go for a drink

Ancient place, very small, that has a great feel to it…read more Free wifi!! It also has people under 35 in it, which most of the other older local bars don't. Inexpensive good beer is the main reason to come here. They also have Bar snacks like nachos with salsa , salami with mustard , etc. Bright big windows look into the square , so it's not as dark as some of the other older places.

I stopped by De Arme Duivel for dinner recently and tried their Stoofvlees (Flemish Stew). Similar…read moreto other places, the stew had nice chunks of beef and was flavourful and thick/hearty. What stood out the most was the Chicory salad as it was refreshing and made it less greasy (as it was slightly bitter) throughout the meal. Overall, I'd give it 8.5/10

The beef stew is AWESOME. The shrimp croquette is deliciously soft on the inside and crispy on the…read moreoutside. And the healthy portion of French fries tops everything off nicely. I also had a draft beer, which was tasty as well. The staff is friendly and attentive. And if you're lucky enough, you can choose between sitting indoor or outdoors- either way this restaurant has a great ambiance to match the food!

They definitely have a very succinct and descriptive name…read more They sell Belgian beers. A damn fine selection of them, in fact. But that's not all. You can also get cold drinks (soda and water), as well as liquor, touristy trinkets like magnets. The guy behind the counter was super cool, and we had a conversation in English about dog beer (it's a real thing, and they do sell it).

If you know what you want you can definately go here and ask for them…read more I enjoyed shopping bottles here to bring home. The prices are lower than Abbey no 8 but on the other hand I bet skills are higher on 8.

I'm in beer heaven! They have a beer encyclopedia with hundreds of beers to choose from (I didn't…read morecount but there's enough for a book). It's a touristy spot that's worth stopping by. The food menu looked nice, but I couldn't pass up their asparagus menu because it's currently asparagus season. I've never had white asparagus, and let me tell you, it's a must try. It also comes with a beer pairing. The staff members are great but the restaurant understaffs, so the service is slow. Our group felt bad for the team serving us even though we had to wait over an hour for our food to come out. The staff was apologetic and checked in; made sure they at least served us drinks while we waited.

The beer selection is AMAZING but the food took forever to come out. The did have a good selection…read moreof asparagus dishes (which is a big thing here when it is in season). The ambiance is extremely fun - designed and recommend for tourists (but locals like it too sometimes)

What a bizarre place... I'm confused! Did I just drink in here... What's with the statues, what's…read morewith the nightmares I'm going to have tonight of all of those crazy statues leering over me in my sleep? Did I dramatise that enough... ha ha... I dropped by here, just for the 1 drink so yes, without being local I don't really understand this bar however, the staff were polite and friendly. A glass of bolleke is €2.90 so a little bit pricey considering next door is serving it up for €2.00 per glass.

Spectacular statues. My memory got kinda full up with them…read moreso I don't remember much else about the venue (pathetic excuse). Probably drank Hopus as that seemed to be my newly discovered beer of this Belgian visit!

It's the first time for us in Antwerp and this place came highly recommended. The interior has so…read moremuch religious statues etc. it was pretty cool. I'm glad we sat inside instead of outside. There is also another large level upstairs for dining. Being tourists, we order the Belgium fries, beef stew and mussels in wine broth. It was just right for 4. The fries were petty crispy - I heard they fry it twice. We almost got the rabbit stew but quickly changed it to beef stew since we were heard it was cooked in dark beer. The mussels were delicious. The the order was huge. We inhaled everything! So glad we stopped by here.

If you are ever close to Antwerp then you MUST visit this restaurant/bar. It is truly UNIQUE!! It…read moredates back to the 15th century and very close to the cathedral (still today of course) although centuries ago there was a wall around the city. https://elfdegebod.com/history/ The interior is beyond words and a MUST see. The food is good but somewhat limited, but we all enjoyed either the rabbit stew or the beef stew. Also the ciders are good and the extensive selection of beers - wow!! The service was good, although it was even better 5 years ago on our first visit (pre COVID). Person to person is sooooo much better than QR codes and the like!!