Ha, I love going to this place any day any time. Everybody knows each other and the good times are never ending. I always find someone there to have deep meaningfull conversations with and I adore the natural friendliness of the staff.

I absolutely appreciate the wooden interior and the stylish decoration. They also shedule some excellent live music and in the weekends or evenings the place is crowded with people watching the football or rugby. This must be the most homely place in the area surrounding avenue Louise. Next to a very large beer selection they have good food and high quality wines.

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Irish pub michael collins | Bars, Music | Glass of wine € 3
1, Rue du Bailli | Ixelles | +3226446121
08:00 – 01:30 daily

A variety of flowers, plants and trees decorate this spacious garden. There is a little lake and a labyrinth of bushes for you to get quiet and inhale a little piece of paradise.

This small patch of bliss lies between a major four lane traffic road which makes the opposition nature versus construction even more apparent. Still, wandering there makes you forget the stressed out people caught there in traffic. The whole park is built on a steep hill, there are entrances to it at various places.

When the Botanique was built it was a major scientific research temple with a very large variety of exotic plants, flowers and trees. To acquire money for maintenance they used to sell vegetables and other crops from the garden. At this place they created Belgian endive.

At present times the Botanique serves as a known cultural venue. It has different concert halls, exposition rooms and a museum. There is also a large bar and restaurant with a splendid terrace from where you have an amazing view of the botanical garden. They serve great lunches and dinner. The expositions held there are open from twelve until eight.

Their concert programming is worth checking out and during `Les nuits Botanique’ large crowds gather there to see indoor and outdoor concerts from a large variety of groups.

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Botanique | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Relaxing
Entrance Koningsstraat 236 | Center | +3222183732
10:00 – 18:00 daily

Set in the beautiful art nouveau building `The old England’, this museum guarantees a well spent afternoon. Various instruments, European and non European. are at display. Infrared headphones offer the possibility to hear extracts from the instruments you are viewing.

They collected a large sample of extracts for you to listen to, making a visit to this museum a feast for body and soul. In September until June concerts are organized there. These concerts make use of the enormous rare and ancient instruments in the collection.

Your visit is chronologically structured taking you to instruments and their sounds from ancient times until present day. Guided tours are also offered to give you a more thorough understanding of musical evolutions. Next to this rich collection of instruments the museum has a library where you can proceed your investigation of everything about music. It has a long history of collecting, renovating and preserving instruments that makes this museum extra spectacular.

There is also a shop where you can buy books, Cd’s and other music related products. Pictures and video extracts nicely put next to the instruments on display give you further insights. This is truly a museum where education, entertainment and conservation come together. Even if you don’t have time to visit this museum you can still visit the restaurant without paying for the entrance to the museum.

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Musical instruments museum | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Restaurants (Lunch)
Hofberg 2 | Center | +3225450130
Tue – Fri 9:30 – 17:00, Sat – Sun 10:00 – 17:00

If you’re not interested in the spots where you have to be hip and trendy and you want something more ‘underground’, then Recyclart is the place to be for you.

Literally because of its location beneath the railway track, and even more because this former railway station is an alternative artistic hotspot. Meet your cultural soulmates in the bar, or have a look at the art exhibitions, photography expositions or architecture projects.

Wanna move your feet? Go the the frequently organised parties or concerts and shake your body on the rhythms of dubstep, electro, worldbeat or guitar noise.

Disko disko partizani!

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Recyclart | Art & culture, Bars, Music
Rue des Ursulines 25 | Center | +3225025734
Tue – Fri 11:00 – 17:00 (bar) & 12:00 – 15:00 (food)

At Bonnefooi you can see a concert every day for free. They have blue painted walls with luxurious lighting and a matching coffee and tea set, served with a chocotof. Long bar with a piano at the entrance. A stairway makes way to another floor with tables that offer a birds eye view of the bar. Kitsch design in the bathroom and portraying some animals. Good venue where it’s nice to be.

Great for music jams, concerts, dancing and experiencing Brussels active young people. Opens at five ‘clock. There is usually more activity during the week. I like the fact that it has made a name for itself in such a short time. Out of nothing this place emerged and in a few months they’ve succeeded in converting their street into a ‘music street’ with regular vinyl and other music related sales in front of the place.

I like sitting at their terrace and enjoying the musical performances. I also enjoy the general positive intention of the place which must be something like bringing musicians together to make great things happen. To create a new dynamic and give Brussels a much needed revitalising therapy.

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Bonnefooi | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music | Beer € 1.80
Steenstraat 8 | Center
17:00 – 05:00 daily

One of the things I missed as soon as I left my Torino was the ritual of the aperitif. After work we used to meet in bars in the town center, and enjoy some drinks accompanied by free food, this is the concept.

And one day, walking around Brussels, I heard someone speaking my dialect, I turned around and saw “La Piola” aperitif bar in Brussels. I almost cried while ordering a glass of white Moscato wine and picking some of the food.

A few years have passed since that day, and the Piola is still running. There are 2 even.

La Piola Libri is a bookstore, wine bar, apero bar, concert/conference place for Italians or Italy lovers. The evenings with Guccini and Vinicio Capossela were unforgettable.

It’s nested in the European Quarter not far from Schuman.

The second branch, La Piola is just off pl. Chatelain (rue du page 2, Ixelles). It’s an apero bar, a wine bar and also a good simple Italian restaurant with a nice front terrace and a backyard garden.

Do not expect the variety of food you can get in Torino, but still I feel at home (you can even read La Stampa, the Turin newspaper).

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Piola Libri | Bars, Music, Shopping, Restaurants (Italian) | Daily special € 10.00
Rue Franklin 66-68 | Etterbeek/ Eur.Qt
Mon – Fri 10:30 – 20:00, Sat 12:00 – 20:00

As many other bars in town, this one is famous for its good location, big space and lots of activities but not for it’s charm and singularity.

However, as a local there’s always a moment I’ll end up here: for a DJ set, a drink with a friend who had no other idea, a rest after a walk in the area,… So it’s not really possible to avoid speaking about this place, as you may hear of it after a very short while in our city and noticing that we do not mention it, will probably disappoint you.

So I can’t say that I love the place and will pick it as a first choice, but it’s one of the “Giant” bars of the Capital, and you always know why you end up here, what you’re looking for and you find it easily.

I also remember that I met a girl here while dancing who shortly became my “partner in crime” in the Brussel’s nights fever and other funky dance floors!

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Café de la Maison du Peuple | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music
39, Parvis de Saint-Gilles | The South | +3228500908
Sun – Thu 08:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 08:00 – 03:00

The first time I went to a Strictly Niceness party was the beginning of a new era.

I like to funk, I like to groove, I like to hip and to hop, I like to shake my body all night long. If you could say the same, we should meet on the dance floor of the Strictly Niceness parties.

How to explain the feeling?

The music: the DJ set (DJ Kwak and Dobbs) is a non stop pleasure for your ears. And your brain will not understand why the rest of the body is no longer under your control.

This year a new floor is welcoming 2 other DJ’s who will mix only Vinyls!

The people, looking at them is pleasure for your eyes. And your mouth will not understand why you have this endless smile on your face.

The combination of energy of everything (music, atmosphere, good DJ, nice people, nice location La Bodega) is a pleasure for your heart. And your soul will not understand why you feel so full of energy for the rest of the week.

I can add much more. But if you don’t experience it, you won’t believe me.

You can have an idea of the music at the parties, if you listen the radio show Back To Niceness.

See you on the dance floor!

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Strictly Niceness | Bars, Music | Before midnight € 6
La Bodega – rue de Birmingham 30 | The West
Monthly (2nd Sat of the month) from 22:00

I used to love this place few months ago. I don’t go there that often anymore and I was really thinking : should I leave this article online or not?

I decided to leave it online (but to change the content) as, if you want to act as a local, you should know this place and have an opinion about it.

In Brussels, there’s always a place that everyone loves to hate.

A place that everyone agreed (a) year(s) ago that it’s the hippest one, but it’s not anymore.

A place where everyone will still go but with excuses : “I don’t like it, but I’m meeting people there before going to a party” or “I hate it on Saturday night when it’s crowded, but it’s decent on Sunday afternoon as it’s the last terrace of the neighborhood in the sun” (which is true).

But then they make some renovation (the place is twice bigger now) and you like it again or you hate it because it’s not like it used to be… !

For the moment, the place you’ll love to hate for many other reasons is Bar du Marché. You can’t miss this opportunity to have an opinion about it as any other local…

Please leave me a comment and explain why YOU hate it!!

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Bar du Marché | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music
Rue Alphonse de Witte, 12 | Ixelles
Mon – Fri 16:00 – 02:00, Sat – Sun 09:00 – 02:00 | Happy Hour Sun – Thu 23:00 – 00:00, Fri – Sat 00:00 – 01:00

You must know it already if you have been reading my articles, I like jazz music (and soul, funky, groovy, hip-hop music, …): so I can’t keep this legendary place in Brussels for myself and the very few who like Jazz. It’s located in a little street near the city hall of Ixelles : The Sounds.

The name itself sounds like this is the place were things happen. And things have been happening for more than 20 years now at the Sounds!

I can’t explain more than that. It’s not something you have to read, it’s something you should hear and experience by yourself. It’s warm, cosy, friendly and the sound in the air is one of the best in town.

Every Monday, you’ll enjoy the Master Sessions (with very good Belgian jazzmen), every Wednesday the sound is more latino, I’m sure none of us will complain.

And there’s a concert every other day, so you must find what you’re looking for (and even be well surprised).

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The Sounds | Bars, Music, Snacks
Rue de la Tulipe, 28 | Ixelles
Mon – Sat 20:00 – 04:00