Mechelen - Bars & Nightlife

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Bars & Nightlife

Mechelen

Provided by: Visit Mechelen

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Overview

Bars & Nightlife The guide was updated: 2023-10-27

Part of what makes Mechelen so convivial is its human scale. Rather than packing into large dance halls and nightclubs, in the evenings people tend to gather in the many atmospheric cafés and bars. Many of these provide live music, particularly in the summer months. The area best known for its nightlife is the Vismarkt or old fish market, which abounds in relaxed cafés for all age groups. The dynamism of the Vismarkt spills over into the surrounding Korenmarkt, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwestraat, Begijnenstraat and Melaan. Students tend to converge on the area around the station.

’t Ankertje aan de Dijle

’t Ankertje aan de Dijle

’t Ankertje aan de Dijle is a convivial, brown ‘discussion café’ in an eighteenth-century, late-baroque building. The café serves all the Het Anker brewery’s beers, which it also sells in a beer shop. Curiosities relating to beer and Mechelen’s breweries adorn the walls. There is always a jazz, groove or blues band on the first Monday in the month.

Bar Popular

Bar Popular

Bar Popular, on the hip Vismarkt, is a ‘brown café’ with a southern flavour. This is reflected in the cocktails and wide range of tapas they serve and in the monthly DJ evening. Bar Popular also has an inner courtyard and a very pleasant lounge on the first floor.

Barramundo Lounge

Barramundo Lounge

Barramundo is a household name in Mechelen. It could rightly claim to be the hippest lounge, cocktail and champagne bar in Mechelen and beyond. You can also choose from 25 whiskies and five sorts of cognac. On weekdays the atmosphere is ‘loungy’, but things hot up at weekends when you can expect house and dance music. Another draw on summer days is the wonderful inner terrace with separate bar.

Boesjkammeree

Boesjkammeree

An alternative rock cafe on the doorstep of Mechelen railway station, Boesjkammeree is open into the small hours. You’ll find a DJ here on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The cafe also boasts a large and pleasant summer terrace.

D’Hanekeef

D’Hanekeef

D’Hanekeef is the city’s oldest and most authentic ‘brown café’. The building was once used for storing the cockerel cages for cockfighting. Now you can choose from some 35 different types of beer and 13 different sorts of whisky.

De Gouden Vis

De Gouden Vis

The convivial ‘brown café’ known as De Gouden Vis has to be Mechelen’s most famous café. The art-deco interior, the conservatory overlooking the water and the cafe library are all part of its unique charm. It has been run by the same owner for 25 years!

De Pekton

De Pekton

De Pekton is actually the name of the sixteenth-century building on the Lamot site housing the Brouwerij Palm’s ‘beer café’. The original materials and interior features were used in the reconstruction so the building has lost none of its historic character. The cafe is open seven days a week and also serves regional snacks.

De Wei

De Wei

The large ‘brown café’ De Wei ('formerly Den Akker') has been part of Mechelen’s streetscape for more than thirty years. As it is open late in the evenings, those working in the catering industry often congregate here after work. The large terrace on the Dyle is a wonderful place to unwind during the summer months.

O'Fiach's Irish Pub

O'Fiach's Irish Pub

In the O'Fiach's Irish Pub you’ll find everything you would expect of an Irish pub: you can of course enjoy a typical Irish Guinness or whiskey, but there are also live performances of Irish music which will have you tapping your foot. Quote from the owner: “Pulling pints of Guinness doesn’t mean you have an Irish pub. No, it must be in your blood.”

Unwined

Unwined

Unwined is a tiny and very cosy wine bar in the centre of Mechelen, just a stone’s throw from Saint Rumbold’s Tower. Koen and Miriam love to share their passion for wine with you and give you some custom wine advice. And of course, you can also sit down and enjoy a tapas board with a delicious glass of sparkling wine. Unwined, a great place to unwind!

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