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Gay Guide - Bars

Café Couture

 

The Bruxellois are totally devoted to their cafes which rank amongst the best in the world. No morning or afternoon is complete without a lingering café au lait which always comes served with a crunchy speculoos (cinnamon biscuit). A gay village just isn’t a gay village without a “catwalk café” and in Brussels the honour goes to Le Platesteen. With a wide sunny terrace facing four of the gay village’s busiest bars it’s gay Brussels’ favourite meeting and cruising spot! Further along Rue Marché au Charbon Café le Fontainas is another popular café where you can lap up the afternoon sunshine. Like Café Platesteen it’s not exclusively gay but with its gorgeous location next to a beautiful baroque church, it’s one of the most atmospheric spots in town to idle away an afternoon and has another excellent view of the all comings and goings of the gay village.

 Both cafes are located in the heart of Brussels’ boutique district and are popular stopovers for the traditional Saturday gay shopping trail. This begins with an early morning rummage around Place du Jeu de Balle, Brussels’ most popular flea market, an excellent place to unearth quirky 1960s and 70s designer treasures and memorabilia. From here, it’s on to the gay village for a quick bite at the cafes followed by a visit to the nearby gay stores. In Boris Boy you can stock up on all the club wear and fetish wear you can possibly squeeze into. 2BE Online meanwhile sells a veritable pantheon of designer underwear. From here the shopping continues with a leisurely afternoon stroll up Rue Antoine Dansaert where you’ll find Brussels’ most exclusive boutiques many belonging to Antwerp’s internationally acclaimed fashion designers. In the late afternoon it’s time for a well earned beer in the sunny Café Walvis by the Charleroi Canal where the trail finishes.

 

Le Platesteen: Rue Marché au Charbon 41 1000 Brussels Mon-Sat 11.00-24.00

Café Le Fontainas: Rue Marché au Charbon 91 1000 Brussels

Boris Boy: Rue du Midi 95 1000 Brussels www.borisboy.com

2BE Online: Rue du Lombard 31 1000 Brussels www.2be-online.be

Café Walvis: Rue Antoine Dansaert 209, 1000 Brussels www.cafewalvis.be

 

1001 beers...

 

Well, at the last count it was more like 700 but whatever the number, you’ll find literally hundreds of the world’s most unique brews in Brussels and bar hopping is one of the city’s real pleasures.

 The gay village is home to some of Brussels’ most atmospheric watering holes. Start the evening in Le Belgica one of the most famous night spots in the city and a good example of a traditional Brussels pub. These are always mellow, laid back affairs with wood panelling, tiled floors and crammed full of eccentric bric a brac. At Le Belgica enjoy a refreshing blonde beer accompanied by a soothing

jazz soundtrack. Mingle with a friendly boy next door crowd under the stern gaze of Emperor Leopold II whose bronze bust sits proudly on the bar under a glitter ball. Further along Rue Marché au Charbon, Le Baroque takes the surrealist decor to new levels of campness culminating in a fresco of Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam sporting a very fetching harness. This is Brussels’ favourite bear haunt and along with its neighbour Dolores attracts an older, cruisy down to earth brigade. Both are ideal spots to try the richer more complex Trappist brews.

 With a young, fun and up for it crowd L’Homo Erectus is always bursting at the scenes and keeps the crowds happy with regular raucous karaoke, drag shows and striptease. Its sister bar L’Homo Erectus Classicus has a lazier more laid back ambience and is ideal for lounge lizards who can then scurry along to Boys Boudoir for pre-clubbing cocktails. The Bruxellois adore late night “spectacles” and the most famous drag bar in the city is Chez Maman. Try a tart raspberry or cherry fruit lambic as an ideal accompaniment to the acid wit of the artistes.

 It’s amazing how good EU bureaucrats look in a pair of chaps so for a steamy session of classic European sleaze, head on over to Duquesnoy, Brussels’ favourite fetish bar.

 

Le Belgica: Rue Marchéau Charbon 32, 1000 Brussels Thu-Sat 22.00-03.00 www.lebelgica.be

Le Baroque: Rue Marchéau Charbon 44, 1000 Brussels Wed-Sun 17.00-late www.baroquecafe.be

Le Dolores: Rue Marché au Charbon 40, 1000 Brussels Daily ex Thu 15.00-late

L’Homo Erectus: Rue des Pierres 57, 1000 Brussels Daily 15.00-late

L’Homo Erectus Classicus: Rue Marché au Charbon 5, 1000 Brussels Daily 17.00-03.00

Boys Boudoir: Rue Marchéau Charbon 25, 1000 Brussels Daily 18.00-late www.leboysboudoir.be

Chez Maman: Rue des Grand Carmes 7, 1000 Brussels Thu-Sat 10.00-late www.chezmaman.be

Duquesnoy: Rue Duquesnoy 12, 1000 Brussels Mon-Thu 21.00-03.00, Fri/Sat 21.00-05.00, Sun 18.30-03.00 www.duquesnoy.com

 

 

 

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