Cool little place to sample some spirits, some beers available as well, nice clean look in the shop…read morearea, rear shop area with windows overlooking a canal, and a small, secluded basement level terrace right on the water. Bathroom was ok, located on the second floor. Only one employee while we were there, but she was very friendly. Good for a quick stop /break.

I actually discovered that this place is located in the only wooden building in Ghent. Apparently…read moreall of the wooden buildings, except this one, were pulled down after the Great Fire of London (which goes to show how old this building actually is). However, the store is far from old, rather it is a specialist retailer of alcohol. While he does have a small variety of beers, it is the spirits that seem to be the focus here. The owner is incredibly knowledgeable, and also incredibly chatty. Don't expect to get trappist beers here, namely because they are sold everywhere else - he is only interested in rare beers, namely craft or micro-brews. He does have a small outdoor area downstairs but there are only three tables, so it can get a little cramped. Certainly a place to check out, especially if you like rare and exotic alcohol.

Yeah, this place is as good as it gets, because there's not many places (even in the chocolate…read moremecca of Belgium) that mix the concept of swank wine bar with artisanal chocolate haven. Alex & Alex does just this in a cosy, yet chic, cafe environment next to the sablon where the "big boys" of chocolate dominate (think: Marcolini, Godiva, Neuhaus, etc). In spite of the competition, Alex & Alex is worth checking out as it offers clientele the opportunity to pair handmade confections by chocolatier Frederic Blondeel with glasses (trust me, you'll have more than one) of champagne. If you're not into bubbles there's tea and coffee along with other cold/hot drinks. What I enjoy most about Alex & Alex is that it's less busy than the upmarket joints located across the street (mind you I adore Pierre Marcolini and think it's worth stopping in to grab a box of their macarons or 85% Madagascar dark), the environment is always inviting, and I always find something unique that I sure as hell would not have found at one of the more mainstream chocolatiers. Another big selling point is that Frederic Blondeel has several dairy/soy free options so you don't have to look on with envy as your friends snap up a handful of pralines to indulge in. For more: http://fortheintolerants.com/?p=5078

From the owner: Nos offrons des abonnements découvertes de vins Bios principalement. Nous organisons également un…read moreapéro mensuel chaque premier Jeudi du mois. Maitres mots: Vins - Découverte - Bio - Vignerons indépendants .

This is not really your traditional winery. They dont make the wine here but they do order some…read moregood ones. Apparently it was a winery back in the day but they stopped making wines and now they only order them. We booked a wine tour not sure what to expect but it turned out to be fun. The wine tour was in Dutch but the people were nice enough to explain it in English as well. They usually only have the tours in Dutch though. It was really nice that they accomodated us in english and it made the experience great. At the end of the walking tour you get to taste the different wines and have some little snacks. All the snacks were nice finger foods. The bread was ridiculously good though. That was a trend in Belgium and Holland where they have the freshest bread on the table every time. The wine was solid as well. It was a fun time at the "winery" and we also bought some wine after. Definitely come check it out.

Next time you will find yourself stuck on the Meent manoeuvre your way out of the high street and…read moreonto this quiet lane. Follow the smell of lavender and take a seat on the bench. Soon other fruit flavors will enter your nostrils and before you know it you will have walked inside a great little winery. Sigurd the shopkeeper and owner of an enormous smile will only be too happy to show you the great collection of wines they have. He is a walking storyteller, knows the quirky details of every bottle, and spends his free time visiting the old and new wine houses. On my last visit I discovered they have a fantastic sake collection as well with some of the best tasting sakes around if you are into the stuff. It is a social thing they will say which is why on Fridays they sometimes crack open a bottle or two and share it with you and others in a casual tasting affair. But this is the cool thing, no matter how small or how big the budget, you will leave with something delicious and a tale to tell your friends. As seen on I Know This Great Little Place in Rotterdam (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.571215479583766.1073741878.103845866320732&type=3)

Hmmm oké, deze winkel wordt door studenten misschien niet heel druk bezocht. En aangezien ik een…read morestudent ben is het niet persé logisch dat ik van deze winkel genoeg weet om iets geloofwaardigs te schrijven, maar dat is wel zo. Studenten die snakken naar alcohol trekken sneller een sprintje naar de Albert Heijn dan naar de Gouden Ton. En tja, deze zuiplappen hebben de volgende morgen dan waarschijnlijk een fikse hoofdpijn (en ze zijn ook niet helemaal bankroet, elke nadeel heb z'n voordeel). Maar als ik een perfect remedie tegen katerhoofdpijn zou moeten aanbevelen, zou ik iedereen naar de Gouden Ton sturen. Het heerlijke aan de Gouden Ton (ton) vind ik natuurlijk de wijntjes, uiteraard, maar die krijg je door het goede advies van de eigenaar, die altijd in de ton te vinden is. Ik ben er wel eens binnen gelopen met de vraag: 'eeeh, ja, ik zoek iets voor m'n vader, die is jarig'. Geweldige klantenservice levert deze goede man, hij wist me een perfect wijntje mee te geven om m'n vader blij mee te maken. In elke prijsklasse heeft de ton eigenlijk wel wijn liggen, vanaf ongeveer vier en een halve euro. En denk niet dat die goedkope wijn puur bocht is, ik heb ze laatst geproefd, en het was goddelijk.

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.