Best Beer Bars in Bruges

Location: Bruges, Belgium | Date of visit: July, 2024

There’s certainly no shortage of great bars in Bruges, but if you’re looking for the biggest and best selections of Belgian beers, here are some places you should add to your list.

‘t Brugs Beertje

A cosy bar with over 300 beers on offer

Tucked away down a side street, ‘t Brugs Beertje is a cost little pub with over 300 beers on offer – five of them on draft.

There are plenty of beer menus for you to browse, but the staff are happy to help you select a brew if you’re overwhelmed with choices. While you wait for them to serve you your beer in its matching glass, you can check out the beer plaques and ads that adorn the walls.

What we drank:

We visited ‘t Brugs Beertje twice during our visit to Bruges. The first time, we tried the Rodnebach Grand Cru – a delicious fruity, sour beer.

On our second visit, we tried the famous Westvleteren 12 – a trappist beer that is not widely available, but is often touted as the best beer in the world. It wasn’t cheap, but it was cheaper here than we saw it in other places.

Venue website: Beerpub ‘t Brugs Beertje | 300 Belgian beers Brugge

Bourgogne Des Flandres

Grab a flight of beers at this brewery taproom

We tried the Bourgogne Des Flandres beer on our first night, so when we realised you could visit the tap room, we made sure we did.

You can do the brewery tour, visit their shop or try some of their beers while relaxing outside in the courtyard, inside their taproom or overlooking the canal from the terrace.

Alongside a range of draft beers, they offer a beer flight (which is what most people opt for). The menu changes each season as they brew different beers, but you’ll get six brews to try. This is a great way to try a range of styles – useful if you are new to Belgian beers. The flights have a fixed selection, so you don’t need to worry about which beers to add – just order and enjoy.

What we drank:

We started with a Timmermans Framboise lambic and then got a beer flight.

Our beer flight included a blond, a Cold IPA, a red-brown, an IPA, a mixed ferm and a Kriek.

I highly recommend the Bourgogne Des Flandres red-brown beer. It was on the flight, but we’d also tried it the night before. It was just as good both times.

Venue website: Bourgogne des Flandres the real taste of Bruges

2be (Beer Wall)

Enjoy a brew while admiring the huge beer wall

We spotted the terrace of 2be from the canal, so we went over to have a nosy. As you walk in there are “beer walls” on both sides, filled with Belgian beers and glasses.

Inside the bar, the walls and ceiling are covered with beer memorabilia. The bar is clearly geared towards tourists as they have menus in various languages hanging on elastic from the ceiling as well as a clear many above the bar.

We sat inside as it was raining, but there’s a lovely terrace at the back overlooking the canal.

Even if you don’t stay for a drink, it’s fun to pop in to check out the beer wall.

What we drank:

We opted for the Gouden Carolus – a creamy, malty beer, similar to a porter but not quite as heavy.

Venue website: 2be/The Beer Wall

Bier Paleis

Easy to miss but worth a visit for a draft beer in the garden at the back

From the outside, the Bier Paleis looks like just a bottle shop but hidden away at the back is a bar serving a decent range of beers on draft.

There are a couple of tables out the front, but they weren’t in use when we arrived. Instead, everyone was sitting out the back in the small courtyard where tables and chairs were surrounded by empty beer crates and kegs.

You really have to keep your eye out for this place as it doesn’t look like a bar, but it’s worth a visit if you want somewhere less polished than some of the touristy bars. Boat trips run from across the road so we stopped in for a beer before heading out on the canal.

What we drank:

We love Pauwel Kwak, so we decided to try the Kwak Rouge. It was the perfect fruity beer for a gloriously hot day.

Venue website: No venue website

De Garre

Pop in for the famous house beer – Tripel van De Garre

We’ve heard De Garre described as a “hidden gem” and when you find it, it’s easy to see why.

It’s tucked away down a tiny alleyway – you have to be looking for it to know it’s there. Look out for the street sign (picture below) that gives the only clue you’re in the right place.

Inside, this small, cosy bar has a very traditional feel. There are plenty of beers on offer, but if you’re only staying for one, it has to be their famous house beer – Tripel van De Garre.

What we drank:

We couldn’t visit without ordering the Tripel van De Garre.

Rumour is they limit customers to three glasses of this per visit as it’s extremely drinkable for an 11.5% beer. We didn’t find out if the rumour was true as we only stayed for one, but if it wasn’t so strong, we could have happily drank it all day.

Venue website: Staminee De Garre uit Brugge

Vlissinghe

The oldest continuously running cafe in Bruges

Vlissinghe is the oldest continuously running cafe in Bruges (although if you’re from the UK, you’d describe it more as a pub than a cafe).

Unlike some of the other venues on our list, their beer selection doesn’t run into the hundreds, but they do have a pretty good selection.

The interior pays tribute to the bars long history – it’s been going since 1515. You’ll find vintage decor with big ceiling beams, old portraits and chandeliers.

Outside, there’s a beer garden with a good amount of seating. There’s also another dining room with more seating (although it was empty on our visit as most people wanted to sit out in the sun).

What we drank:

The beer menu here wasn’t as extensive as some of the other bars we visited so we went with the Kwak as we know it’s good.

Venue website: Vlissinghe 1515 Pub Bruges

Cambrinus

Over 400 beers and traditional Flemish stew

This feels more like a restaurant than a bar but that might be because we went there at peak meal time as we wanted to eat. It has probably the biggest beer menu of all the places we visited so it’s a great place to have food and while you enjoy a brew (or two).

The menu is 206 pages long, and, without counting, I would guess that around 180 of those pages are dedicated to beer. They have a good selection of draft beers as well as pretty much any Belgian beer you could want in bottles.

What we drank (and ate):

We opted for the Houblon Chouffe and ordered the Carbonnade – a traditional Flemish beef stew.

Venue website: Beer Brasserie Cambrinus | The king of beer!

The Monk

Watch live sport or play pool while enjoying a good range of beers on tap and in bottles

The Monk was right near our hotel and we visited it on our first night as we wanted somewhere we could watch the football. So we’ve included it on our list as it’s a great bar for sports fans.

As well as showing all the top live sports events, they have pool tables upstairs that you can hire by the half hour or hour. And they have a pretty decent selection of beers on tap and in bottles.

We visited twice. Our first evening there, we went to watch the Euros. Our last day, we decided to have one last drink before we collected our case from the hotel to head off to Brussels. It was kind of nice to finish where we started.

What we drank:

On our first visit, we stuck with the draft beers – Jupiler, Bourgogne des Flandres and Timmermans Kriek Lambicus. On our second visit, we got a bottle of the Malheur 12°.

Venue website: No website

De Halve Maan

Do a brewery tour or just enjoy a fresh brew in the taproom

De Halve Maan has been brewing beer on its current site in Bruges old town since the 1800s. They brew three ranges of beer – Brugse Zot, Straffe Hendrik and Blanche De Bruges. You’ll find their beers all over Bruges, but it’s always nice to go to the source.

We booked the brewery tour a few months before our trip and it’s definitely worth doing if you want to learn a bit more about beer.

If you don’t fancy doing the door, you can still pop in for a visit to the tap room and enjoy a few brews in the bar or out on the terrace.

What we drank:

We’d already tried all the Straffe Hendrick beers before our trip (you can read our thoughts in our Belgian Beer Battle Blog) so we went for the Brugse Zot Blonde and the Brugse Zot Dubbel.