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Top 5 Beer Cafés in Kortrijk | Belgian Smaak Kortrijk Crawl

Kortrijk (or ‘Courtrai’ in French) is often overlooked as a beer destination in Belgium. As are beer cafés in Kortrijk.

That’s a shame, because not only does the city have a rich history derived from its location in the heartland of West Flanders and its proximity to the French border, but Kortrijk boasts a strong brewing tradition.

The city is surrounded by a diverse range of Belgian breweries. Within just 8 miles of the centre of Kortrijk, you can find the big family kingpins of the region, Omer Vander Ghinste and De Brabandere, the small and recently rebranded Eutropius, the ambitious Gulden Spoor, the artisanal recipes of ‘t Gaverhopke, the rock-star youth of Verzet and the understated class of Verhaege.

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We have listed out below what we consider to be the best beer cafés in Kortrijk and included photographs and descriptions for each to give you more of an idea of what they’re like, as well as addresses, opening hours, websites and other helpful information (special thanks goes to Lander Depypere of Ogenbliksem who guided us around the cafés and contributed some of the photographs).

We’ve also devised the interactive map below, which you can print off before your crawl or use on your phone/tablet as you go. To make it as convenient for you as possible, the route on the map begins and finishes at Kortrijk train station, although it is of course possible to start and end the crawl of cafés in Kortrijk at any point you like.

The beer cafés on this crawl have been chosen from our own personal visits and research with people from Kortrijk and encompass an eclectic mix of old-school Flemish bars, more touristy cafés and places with a good selection of food, an unforgettable atmosphere and/or a great beer menu.

This is, of course, all designed only to be a helpful guide. Feel free to completely ignore and look for a bit more adventure on your crawl. Sometimes just getting lost and asking locals for suggestions of beer cafés is the best way to go, although we’re pretty sure the Kotrijkzanen will suggest the following 5 beer cafés when you ask them:

Top 5 Beer Cafés in Kortrijk

1. GAINSBAR

Owners Elisa Bostyn and Steve Vandekerkhove have incorporated into the atmosphere here the eccentric and artistic character of the French singer and poet, Serge Gainsbourg, after whom the bar is named.

The multi-coloured micro-tiling on the face of the main bar injects an artsy vibrancy to the place and the chalk board specials and various beer marketing paraphernalia framed on the walls enhance the quirk. There are some old vinyls hanging around too, not altogether inappropriate given the name of the place and the fact that there is a record shop upstairs on the first floor.

Given the age group of the local patrons to Gainsbar, it’s likely that they’re more familiar with Serge’s performing daughter, Charlotte Gainsbourg. Indeed, until fairly recently this area of Kortrijk – the Vlasmarkt – was once the party epicentre of the city where young people would congregate before big nights out. While it has become somewhat quieter in recent years, Gainsbar is doing a great job of maintaining some of that buzz.

Of all the beer cafés in the city, this is the one with the longest and most diverse beer list. They’ve recently increased the number of their taps so that they now dispatch ten beers on draught. Three of these are regulars: La Chouffe (Duvel Moortgat), Cuvée des Trolls (Dubuisson) and Bockor Pils (Omer Vander Ghinste); four taps are given over to local breweries: Alvinne (Moen), De Ranke (Wevelgem), Brouwers Verzet (Anzegem) and Gulden Spoor (Gullegem); and the remaining three taps are dedicated to a changing line-up of Belgian and international craft beers.

Their offering also includes as many as 120 bottled beers and on this front they do a great job of promoting lambic to the locals.

Address: Vlasmarkt 1

Opening Hours: Mondays: Closed / Tuesday to Thursday: 12pm – 1am / Friday: 12pm – 3am / Saturday: 2pm – 3am / Sunday: 2pm – 10pm

Tel: +32 (0) 497 451 004

Online: https://gainsbar.org/

2. STAMINEE DEN BOULEVARD

While the interior of Staminee Den Boulevard is fascinating – old school wooden tables, bizarre decorations and framed illustrations with a plethora of musical references – it is the large grassy area lined with trees in front of this café which gives it all its charm.

The impressive trees act as a wonderful natural canopy, offering shade when the sun is out and providing shelter in more mediocre weather. In the evenings, you can cover up under their warm blankets and enjoy the flickering candles strewn across the Groeningelaan where you are drinking outside.

The name combines the old Kortrijks words for café (Staminee) and tree-lined street (Boulevard) and before José Clarysse and Tine Lemaitre opened it as a beer café in 2001, it was their own private home. These are owners who pride themselves on their knowledge of beer and on maintaining a well-kept cellar underneath the bar with close to 120 different beers.

They’ve got strong selections on most styles and a decent offering of larger 75cl bottles to encourage people to share a drink over long conversations out on the grass.

Address: Groeningelaan 15, 8500 Kortrijk

Opening Hours: Monday: 6pm – 1am / Tuesday to Wednesday: Closed / Thursday to Friday: 6pm – 1am / Saturday to Sunday: 4.30pm – 1am

Tel: +32 (0) 474 99 39 76

Online: https://www.denboulevard.be/

3. ‘T FONTEINTJE

Truly a ‘locals’ bar and one of the oldest in Kortrijk, this is the café that will provide you with the most authentic experience of drinking in Kortrijk.

The history of the café is long and intriguing, so much so that the small building in which it is housed became a protected monument in 2002. The street where it is situated was known as Fountain Street in the late 1600s and that name in its diminutive Flemish version stuck to the bar, which sits on the corner of Handboogstraat and Konventstraat.

This corner was the scene in medieval times of a stockade where badly behaved inhabitants of the city were locked up in shackles or hung in public so you could look out of ‘t Fonteintje, beer in hand, to see poor unfortunates struggling in their chains. Nowadays, people look out onto the bar’s summer terrace on the river Leie which offers great views of the famous Kortrijk Broel Towers.

The interior of ‘t Fonteintje is dark and wooden but also clean and classy. The stools around the wood panelled bar are more often than not full with locals and the back section offers an intimate setting to catch up with friends.

The beer list is small but very decent and you can enjoy classics like Poperingse Hommelbier from Van Eecke or newer local beers such as Brasserie Le Fort from Omer Vander Ghinste in a cosy and old-worldly atmosphere which has been carefully preserved by owners Gilles Vion and Laurence Corneille.

They also do a mean spaghetti so fuel up for the rest of your crawl here if you can.

Address: Handboogstraat 12

Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday: 4pm – 3am / Sunday: Closed

Tel: +32 (0) 562 220 88

Online: https://www.facebook.com/pages/T-Fonteintje/438345156275091

4. IN DE WOLKEN

Stefaan François and Yvette Vandyck owned an old-school bistro before taking the reigns at this absolute gem of a beer café a few years ago which blends Flemish minimalism with a laid-back jazz vibe.

‘In De Wolken’ translates to ‘In The Clouds’, but what does that mean? “To be in the clouds is to be very happy”, Stefaan tells me. “We like for everyone to be happy here.” As if to emphasise that point, a row of beautifully designed paper cloud lamp shades line the narrow bar. They’re the design of Frank Gehry, the Canadian architect responsible for designing the titanium-clad Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and they add an unusual but very atmospheric tone.

It’s almost hidden away, behind the Church of Our Lady and the Count’s Chapel, and in the summer, they throw some tables and chairs onto a grassy area just in front of these religious buildings to create their own homemade beer garden. If the weather doesn’t allow, the background jazz, blues and folk music they play inside generates a cosiness that makes it difficult to leave and the music may very well come from one of the many record covers displayed on the wall.

The beer menu might not be the most extensive in the city – they’ve only got two taps – but they make up for that with a good selection of quality lambics and a rotating selection of bottles from artisanal brewers which you can find listed out on a chalkboard on one side of the café.

Address: Begijnhofstraat 17

Opening Hours: Monday to Tuesday: Closed / Wednesday to Sunday 4pm – 1am

Tel: +32 (0) 56 22 52 73

Online: https://nl-nl.facebook.com/CafeInDeWolken

5. HOOCHIE COOCHIE

Self-titled as the ‘House for the Preservation of Blues’, the Hoochie Coochie will transport you from modern day West Flanders to the speakeasys of Chicago in the early 1900s.

The café has recently moved from another venue in Kortrijk to this spacious hall, which is visually dominated by a glittering chandelier and a chic white-rimmed balcony. Upstairs on the mezzanine – which was used previously as a showroom – a small library gives you the opportunity to read a newspaper, magazine or book while enjoying your drink of choice.

Owners Melissa Giardina and Alexander Deneckere run this place based on a philosophy – one centred on ‘soul’ – and the photographs, poetry and artwork on the walls (and even the staircase) certainly tap into this, with various musical references to Muddy Waters and his Chicago blues friends.

The beer follows suit. There’s plenty of Trappist ‘soul’ as well as local colour in the shape of several red-brown ales – most notably foederbier from Omer Vander Ghinste which is normally destined only for export to America.

The more ‘sexy’ breweries like Brasserie De La Senne and De Ranke can be found here too, together with classics like Geuze Boon and the ‘Goedendag’ – named for a massive vicious pike pole adorned with a lining of nasty metal spikes which was used by inhabitants of Kortrijk as a weapon during the Battle of the Golden Spurs in the city at which the West Flemish enjoyed historic victories against the invincible French army of knights.

Address: Jan Persijnstraat 12

Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday: 4pm – 1am / Friday to Saturday: 4pm – 3am / Sunday: 4pm – 1am

Tel: +32 (0) 474 935 017

Online: https://www.hoochiecoochiecafe.be/

AND ONCE YOU’VE BEEN TO THOSE:

If you’ve been to all of those and you’re still thirsty, or if you’re planning more trips to Kortrijk, or thinking about staying there for a while, you can get busy with these cafés in Kortrijk (listed in no particular order):

6. De Dingen (Budastraat 12): Cosy and centrally located, this place is beer café, culture house, coffee bar and concert room all in one.

7. Den Trap (Burgemeester Reynaertstraat 19): A café in a cellar, rock music lovers descend through a ‘trapdoor’, to drink beer and head bang.

8. Den Bras (Schouwburgplein 1): A lively bar by the train station and the scene of my first Westmalle Tripel.

9. ‘t Mouterijtje (Kapucijnenstraat 25): Formerly a maltings, this is a more up-market restaurant and beer café.

10. Café Cassimir (Oude Vestingsstraat 13): With a quirky decor and retro theme, owner Philip Casteleyn (a.k.a. Cassy) and his wife Evelien Demeulenaere have recently opened this promising new café.

Are there any other cafés in Kortrijk you feel are worthy of being on this list? Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions below to help people who may be visiting Kortrijk.