Of course the 1898 would have a wonderful bar! I received drink tickets through my hotel booking,…read morebut ended up staying for another round and snacks, as the vibe was really cute! I wish I was in to craft cocktails a bit more, because they all looked amazing and thoughtfully put together.

A super popular, high end cocktail bar in the beautiful (hogwarts-like) post hotel. There's usually…read morea line to enjoy these creative concoctions so you may have to wait. The place is pretty small. Tip: they save a couple of tables for hotel guests so be sure to let them know if you are a guest (like us!) We tried a couple delicious cocktails-Birds and the bees, (gin-bases) and Lucky Luke (bourbon-centric). Not cheap but hey, it's just money, you can make more, plus you are on holiday-it's ok to live a little. The 18c science / cobbler shop is a plus too. There's even a real fireplace that was in use on a chilly night in December but this place is the very definition of cozy. Highly recommended

Awesome cult- & jazzbar in original 20s-30s atmosphere, nearby the historical center of Ghent. I…read moreheard in the early days it used to be a club with exclusive memberships, only accessible for artists, architects, writers, etc., philosophing, smoking and drinking until morning hours around the pooltable. Started by Johan and Guido Claus, brothers of famous Hugo. You like Edith or miss Fitzgerald? Or rather a burlesque show with live music and swinging people, within a decor of a temporary art exhibition and dark pictures of Al Capone and Mata Hari? Check the event schedule on facebook, join barladies Marie and Lara at the authentic long copper bar, and ask for a 'real' scoth or one of the dozens of fine Belgian beers! And call me if you drop by, i'll probably join (for the 1000th time) ;)

Atmosphere is the key to this place. Bartender plays jazz records. Decent but limited selection of…read moreBelgian beers. I had a Duvel Tripel Hop. Great for having a conversation. Sit and talk with a friend, admire the photos and the artwork. They even have a pool table. Well worth seeking out for a drink or two. Enjoy!

Under no circumstances you should go to this place. First of all, their food menu is very limited,…read moreit is incredibly overpriced, and they must buy their cheese from a supermarket and just plop it on a plate. Second, the waiters are very rude. Their English is very limited and I have just witnessed one of them yelling at a customer. Third, while their beer is extensive, most of them are way overpriced compared to the rest of Ghent. This place is famous for serving over two hundred beers but honestly who wants to be treated poorly with mediocre service and terrible and overpriced snacks?

We came here for a beer and some snacks after touring Gravensteen castle. It was Assumption Day so…read morethe place was packed and they definitely did not have enough staff working. We snagged a table closer to the water and ordered a Delirium Tremens, a Chimay, a dry sausage, and their cheese spread. The beers, of course, are the best, as they have been this entire trip. The food was subpar. The sausage was hard and quite chewy and while we enjoyed the three different cheeses, the bread seemed like it came out of a bag. Needless to say, service was harried and everything took forever. Still, this was a nice place to sit by the water and watch the people go by. You better love people smoking in your face though. Three stars.

Stopped here for a quick coffee in the morning. They don't serve food in the morning so coffee stop…read moreonly. Will be back in the evening for their beer

This was a teeny bar in a busy square, and while it has a cool history of being the smallest bar,…read morethere isn't much here. We stopped by in the morning for coffee and sat outside on their patio. The coffee was good, though they do not serve food so we ended up leaving after we finished our coffees to find another place nearby to grab a pastry.

What a wonderful cocktail bar!…read more The space is intimate with seats ensured for every guest so no one is standing. The staff are experts and the cocktails were wonderful. I would recommend adding this to your travel plans when visiting Ghent.

One of the best bars I've ever been to--wish I could go back!…read more What makes their drinks great is all the ingredients is fresh and drinks made with lots of care. The menu is unique and you have a lot to choose from--don't feel afraid to ask the staff for recommendations. They are very sweet, passionate and knowledgeable. Please try the Hylde-- it's my favorite. Made with elderflower and Jenever (a local equivalent to gin). If you're up for something fun and strange -- they have a fantastic drink made from asparagus juice and horseradish. If you're in the area and I mean anywhere in Belgium -- highly recommend making your way to this place. It's a gem!

We stopped here to try an Ale that was on Tap and was the only place in Ghent that had it according…read moreto our tour guide. Beautiful Tuesday afternoon around 4 so all outdoor tables were occupied but one opened up after a short wait. We were in a rush as we had a meeting point deadline. Service was a bit slow to take our order. Interior, which was empty given the weather, had character and looked like a cool Bar to have a drink especially when it's cold outside. Dreupelkot is also known for Jenever-juniper flavored liquor. They have 200 offerings on the menu. That said, we were here for Klokke Roeland. (The Roland Bell which hung in the Ghent Belfry). A strong, (11.5% ABV) rich golden brown Ale. Some fruitiness with a slight bitter finish. We enjoyed it! As mentioned , brewed exclusively for Dreupelkot by Brouwerij Van Steenberge. Our server was upbeat and thought we ordered two Cokes (vs Klokke). I walked over and double-checked with him and we avoided a wrong order. Overall, a great stop with nice views of Binnenstad, for Klokke and also to try the Jenever.

Jenever, genever, "dutch gin": whatever you call it - this is the best place in the WORLD to come…read moreand try over 100 different flavored (and non-flavored) kinds served to you by the famous unenthusiastic legend Pol who's usually smoking a cigar while serving. I've been here twice - I literally stumbled in her by chance my first time - now it's my favorite place in Gent. I might take a train next week just to go then come home. I love it. It's a tiny, intimate little room, and everyone's there for the same purpose - to drink Jenever. It's the international equalizer. The crowd is random - last time we had models, locals, young and the old. it's a great way to meet people from and visiting Gent. Of note: * Jonge jenever - leaves a burn, but a good start * Jalapeno (pepper) jenever - think you can handle the heat? go on. give it a try * Violet jenever - one of a kind * Kreik (cherry) jenever - made in house - nice * Lemon jenever - classic It's a "can't miss" spot in Gent in my opinion. Stop by, try a few, but if you stay a while, don't say that I didn't warn you about one of one of the worst hangovers of your life.

We arrived at a super busy time and we're given the appropriate beer as we were looking for…read moresomething super Belgian. Martin came through for us! Delicious beers, and great staff and the ambience is super funky.

This was definitely my favourite place in all of Ghent. During our one week stay, we came back like…read morefour times. THE BEER IS AMAZING! First off, the look and design: the place is troll themed -it's whimsical and weird, in the best way possible. It has a very fantasy/medieval tavern feel to it, with gnomes and trolls EVERYWHERE. There are neat paintings, beer mugs and steins hanging about, and three floors, each with their own little sections if you want less noise. The third floor is less troll themed, and more 1800s-ish for on of the rooms. Second, the beer selection is absolutely incredible. There are so many beers, you'll get lost in the choices. There were two guys working there, both quite friendly and helpful. One of them (the leaner, taller one), was super knowledgeable about their selection, and was awesome at explaining how each beer tastes as well as choosing something for us based on what we said we generally like. Which brings me to the last point : cherry beer. If you are anywhere in Belgium, definitely, definitely, definitely try some cherry beer!!! Generally, they are much less sweet than cherry cider, and especially the Belgian ones have an almost vinegar-y taste to them (lambic beers do in general). This specific bar has quite a few cherry beers. I personally love the sour cherry beers, so the bartender guy I mentioned recommended several sour cherry beers, and I loved all of them. My favourite was 'Hof ten Dormaal kriek- sour', although the 'Kriek Girardin' was also quite awesome (but even more vinegar-y / lambic tasting). Out of curiosity, my boyfriend wanted to try the much sweeter but stronger in alcohol cherry beer on tap, which the guy recommended against, and I personally really didn't like it, while my boyfriend loved it (the bartender guy said "I told you so" ). Anyway, they have lots of other beers on tap, like lambic, Belgian IPAs, trapist, etc. Definitely try some Belgian beer while in Belgium- it's so different from other beer. I'm not a huge beer lover, but Belgian beer (especially Belgian sour cherry beer) has me completely hooked and missing it when I'm back home.

Fun atmosphere... blend of locals and tourists. The novelty of 1.5L beer and shoe deposit is fun…read more.. 500+ beers to choose from is overwhelming.

Pretty cool bar to stop in and grab a beer in Ghent!…read more There is a large selection to choose from so I asked the bartender for a suggestion! I tried the local beer and it was tasty! The decor is very all over and cool! So much to look at! There is a lot of seating inside and through the back!

Happened upon this place quite by accident when exploring the quaint Patershol area. This place is…read morean EXPERIENCE. It looks like a quirky café from the outside, it's called a "museum" officially, but let's be honest: it's a hoarding hobbit hole drowning in a million artifacts displayed with an authentic shire smell of crackling fireplace smoke. FANTASTIC! It's not 'business as usual' here, but if you pop your head in (& it fits), succumb to Lieven's invite and share a beer you'll never forget!

The maddest pub in the world. Lieven de Vos owns this mad…read morepub which has bikes hanging from the ceiling, and all sorts of other stuff too. Shake hands with the boss, he'll choose your beer according to the quality of your handshake. Not to be missed.

Le Botaniste was hands down our favorite place to eat in Ghent. The food was super fresh, really…read morehealthy with perfect ingredients, and packed with flavor! My beautiful Bride was extra excited because of this sign (in the pic I posted) at the entrance. "Food is Medicine", has been a mantra of hers for the last few years. This place has such a cool and unique look inside and just feels good to be in. The people working there were very kind and super helpful, and everything we tried was delicious. If you're in Ghent, take a break from the fries and stop here!

This is a really cool and unique spot!…read more Both GF and I had this place on our list being vegetarian/vegan leaning. I tried to bring my parents here for lunch however as soon as we walked through the door, the staff behind the counter didn't waste a moment of our time and informed us that there were no tables. We were disappointed but got around to doing some other shit and then by the time we were finished, figured we could go back to see if things had opened up. Fortunately, they had and we were able to snag a table easily. By this time, it was dangerously close to dinnertime and in the interest of having enough gastric space for dinner, we were light with this "snack". Both I and one of my dining companions ordered one of their soups. I don't recall much of the specifics other than the fact that it was green and delicious. Two of my other dining companions ordered the "veggie balls" which I had a chance to try, they were quite good. The veggie sushi was also ordered and received positive reviews. The inside/entrance area is really cool and they have a really impressive menu with tons of stuff. I saw some spreads/hummuses that I would have wanted to try if it weren't for the gastric space issue. I can see why it's hard to get a table!