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!

The ONLY place to catch live blues music in Ghent! It is a bit like a dive bar, but the place is…read morepacked whenever there is live music. Of our 3 evenings in the city, we spent 2 of them here! The open mike night is incredible, with a rock solid opening band that then backs up solo musicians. We could easily have stayed until closing, but after a few Belgian beers and jet lag, we reluctantly bid our farewell. The drinks are great here too, plus there is food to be had.

So many good beers on tap. All of them are Belgian. Highly recommend the sweet cherry beer (#8 at…read morethe bar). Bar tender is really nice too

Terrific place two blocks from Vrijdadmarkt that you'd likely never find. Outdoor and indoor…read moreseating always packed even on weekdays past 11pm. Jazz music playing in the background , a trombone and saxophone on the wall, requisite photos of Louie and Etta on the walls, etc. Its all locals, but they are all friendly and will talk to you if you talk to them. It's not a tourist trap, and it's not 400 years old, but it has a vibe that keeps me coming back. If you are staying at the Ghent River Hotel it's two blocks past it, and you must stop in for a lemon Genever.

Old Loui's (yes, that is the way they spell it) Jazz Tavern is situated across the road from the…read moreGravensteen castle. It is a small restaurant with around ten tables, full of antiques, plush curtains and deeply padded chairs. There is a lush soundtrack, and dinner here is a leisurely affair. We've been to this restaurant twice now, had the same main course each time and with a totally different reaction. On the first occasion, I could have sworn that this was the Jambalaya of the angels: complex, fabulous flavours, well selected seafood and meat. In fact it was so good, I had to fight my husband who was trying to eat mine as well as his own. On the second occasion it was, well, ok, I guess. So you take your chances dining here, although it was never worse than ok. This would be a great place to spend one of Ghent's wild and wintery nights, snuggled up next to the stove, putting the world to rights over a great soundtrack, and lurching out late at night on a full stomach.

This place has a beautiful terrace facing the 'Gravensteen', the 800 year old castle of the counts…read moreof Flanders - one of the highlights in Gent. Unfortunately, this is about the only positive thing I can write about the place. And fortunately, it was very good weather. I ordered grey shrimp croquettes - which takes about 5 minutes to prepare. It took about 45 minutes. Lemon was missing from the plate that finally arrived (and I thought it wouldn't make much sense to order it - as my croquettes would certainly be cold by the time the lemon arrived). On top of that, the croquettes were still partly cold, and I'm not so sure if they were house made or came from the Aldi. Never again.

Nice hidden gem, with an easy going vibe. The woman running our lodging recommended it, so we…read morestopped in the afternoon, sitting on the courtyard and enjoying the beer. We came back after dinner for the free jazz, which started at 9 that night. We got there around 8:30 so that we could get a seat inside. The tables are very close together, as they must like to pack them in for the performances. They have more chairs stacked in the corner, though there was no more space to put people in those chairs. You have to go to the bar for service when there is a performance, which becomes problematic as it gets more crowded. There is a sign that requests silence during performances, though there were several who were chatting quietly throughout. There's a nice little courtyard for the smokers, which is covered in the evenings. They have a few snacks, but it's all about the beer and drinks.

A random surprise lines down a line way... When we visited during the day it seemed to attract a…read moreyounger student type of crowd however let that not distract, it's a really cool bar with a easy going vibe to it and the blend of music was understated though added some good vibes to this place. Enjoyed this little secret bar and wish I'd had the chance to pop back when they had live music playing which they appear to promote pretty well. They could do with advertising more or having a better presence on the Main Street to attract those travelling through

I was aiming to hunt this place out during our trip to Ghent - many years ago I had a great time in…read morethe cafe with some new friends. Turns out it was also the top recommendation from our Airbnb host too - she recommended the terrace, which I think is a reasonably new addition. It's gorgeous, a lovely modernist attachment to the traditional building. The food we had was tasty, and arrived quickly. It's no frills, but I can highly recommend their salads or pasta dishes. I had the ricotta / pecan dish - yum!

The place to be. I almost never pass by Gent without a stop here…read more Bar, terrace, concert, food. Vooruit has it all, included a great history (try wikipedia it and you'll see what I'm talking about...). I love the atmosphere and the idea that the great places of the past can be reinvented with a bit of creativity to become new reference points in the nightlife of a city. Big thumbs up and keep up the good work. One of the latest time I was there (July 2013) they even had their own special beer as Vooruit turned 100 years in 2013. We were there just after having visited the exhibition in STAM museum on its history. Had it in the new outside terrace, which is simply great.