Leuven - A Hidden Gem in Belgium: Bars!

I know this is a long time, overdue, but unfortunately life sometimes gets in the way. But here it is! The best bars in Leuven, in my humble opinion. 

Where to drink in Leuven is essential to know. Whether you want to stop at a cafe during the day for a coffee, or find a spot for an after dinner drink or the best place for the evening, Leuven has uncountable options. Thankfully, there are few truly bad options. I've stumbled into a few bars that I'm not as crazy about for various reason... dirty bathrooms, slow service, limited menus. But in a pinch they'll do the job. Below though I'll run through my favorites.

Leuven also has "the longest bar in the world", the Oude Markt (Old Market in English). This is lined on both sides with bars and in the summer when the weather is nice, the best bar is simply the one that still has seats outside. You can tell which ab you're at based on the tables in chairs, each will have a different style than the bar next door. 

Oude Markt 

(Photo Credit: Me)

Ah, and for my American friends, you'll enjoy this...most of the bars don't close. There is no 2 am last call. They seem to just close when they're empty. But seeing people (mostly students) stumbling home at 6 am is not uncommon.

Bars:

1. Metafoor
This bar is located at Parijstraat 34, just behind the Oude Markt. It's a bit more spacious than a lot of the bars and has a good drink selection. Also, if your party has smokers, there is an indoor, closed smoking room. I'm not a smoker, and really can't stand cigarette smoke, but this room has never bothered me, the smoke doesn't escape and you don't notice it much. 

2. Fiere Margriet
Ah now, this is a fun bar. It's small though so you need to get there at the right time to get a table. There is a little standing room at the bar. In all the times I have been there, I have never seen the place empty. When you go in you'll find binders on the tables full of hundreds of Belgian beers. You'll find ones you know, ones you've never heard of. It's always fun to try something new though. The options are plentiful and delicious.


3. De Rector
You'll find this when you enter the Oude Markt on your left side (when you enter from the direction of the Groote Markt). It's one of the bigger bars on the Oude Markt. It's great for big groups for an afternoon drink and they have a lot of space outside as well, so it's normally possible to find a table. Their food isn't bad either for a snack. At night they usually have a DJ and inside gets pretty loud, so if you're looking for music it's a good spot, if you want to talk with friends, it's better to relocate somewhere quieter after a certain hour.

4. Seven Oaks
Every town needs to have "that" bar. The one that nights end at and it's normally a bit of a slop show by the time you arrive, not necessarily for you, but at least for everyone else. ;) In Leuven, that is the Seven Oaks. Thursday nights it's packed, but sometimes not until 1 am. There is normally music and  crazy drinking game involving a tree stump, hammers and nails. You'll find it at Hanengan 3, a small street off Tiensestraat.

5. The Professor
It's a great cocktail bar. If you want something besides beer and want lots of delicious options. This is a good spot. It's right on Naamsestraat, near the Oude Markt. They also have tasty alcoholic milkshakes.

6. Stapletons
A quintessential Irish pub. It's just off Naamsestraat, two doors down from Namaste, the Nepalese restaurant. It's a great place to go watch sports, with TVs all around. It'll usually show all the big football (soccer) games and rugby. That's what I've seen there at least, I'm sure you'll find other things as well. And it's a good place for a pint of Guinness.   

Happy drinking!

Leuven, Belgium - A Hidden Gem: Restaurants

As promised, I will continue my blog posts this week with everything Leuven. The first is about some of the restaurants I like in this little town. There are really some great culinary choices, so I couldn't list everything or you'd be reading all day. There are also some I still need to try. So maybe a second restaurant post will follow in the coming months. 

Restaurants:

Sit down:

1. La Cucaracha - Tiensestraat

This is definitely my favorite Mexican restaurant in Leuven. Okay, there aren't that many to begin with, but this place is great. The food is fantastic, and authentic, which is something you don't always expect when you're somewhere rather far away from Mexico. I'm used to a lot of great Mexican restaurants at home, so usually my standards are rather high, and this place has met them. The guacamole is delicious, it comes in a rather small portion though, but it's freshly made. I also really like the pollo con mango, something a bit different and very tasty - sweet and spicy. And you can't go wrong with a strawberry margarita.

Tip: There is another, larger Mexican restaurant in Leuven called New Mexico and is on the "restaurant street" Muntstraat. If you like real Mexican food, don't go here. First of all, the guacamole is from a can, which I think is just a terrible sin when running a mexican restaurant. The rest of the food is mediocre. I gave this place another shot recently because my boyfriend wanted Mexican and since it was Sunday everywhere else was closed. Highly disappointed, it's also rather expensive for quality.


2. De Werf - Hodeschoolplein

One of my favorite places. It's definitely a student hangout, and only open on weekdays as a result, but if you can find time during the week to go there, it's well worth it. Their "chowders" are the highlight, especially the Chili Con Carne. It's a large portion that comes served in a big bread bowl. Good chili, good bread. They have a good menu otherwise too, and it's one place to find a decent salad, something I've missed in Belgium. The wraps are good too. The atmosphere of the place is great when the weather is nice. They have a lot of tables outside, lights strung up in the trees and blankets over the chairs for you to get cozy under if it starts to get a bit chilly.

3. The Meating Room - The Oude Markt

A tasty, tasty steak house. They have all sorts of options for the types of steak you can order. I tried the Irish Angus Dry Aged last time I was there with Bearnaise sauce, mmm mmm, very tasty. Best steak I've had in Leuven, or Belgium really. It's a tiny little place though, so you might need to make a reservation. We tried to stop in one Sunday, asking for a table for 3, and we had to wait 45 minutes. Thankfully the weather was nice and it's on the old market, so we just had a drink at one of the bars, but I advise making a reservation.


4. Thai House - Tiensestraat

Another one of my favorites. Their sit down restaurant is nice. It's a completely round building, which is just pretty cool. And the food is great, as is the service. The owners are very friendly and accommodating. I went here with a friend one day and they weren't open for dinner yet, or weren't serving yet, but we were in a rush, so they made an exception. The food is always good. The Beef Thai House is my go to choice and my boyfriend is partial to the Moo Pad Prik, a rather spicy dish.

5. Pepe Nero - Muntstaat

I've been here a few times and it's one of the best Italian restaurants I've found in Leuven. Everything there has been superb. There are a lot of Italian restaurants in Leuven, so it's hard to pick sometimes. This one isn't the cheapest, but if you want a nice evening or have a special occasion, it's a great restaurant.

6. Namaste - Naamsestraat

This little Nepalese place is always good. They also do take-out if you call ahead and order. It's mostly Nepalese food, with an Indian infusion, and it calls itself a Tandoori Kitchen. I highly recommend the mixed starter. Everything I've tried so far has been pretty good, the Kukhura Nariwol and the kip tandoori are my favorites. 

Tip: It's a rather small place inside, so go early if you want to get a table. It does take a while to get the food, so make sure you go with plenty of time. If the weather is nice they'll usually have tables outside, which gives more room. 

Quick/Take-Away:

1. Thai House Take-Away - Tiensestraat

This place is right across the square from Thai House, owned by the same people. It's just a small take-away place, there are some tables inside and out. You order at the counter, pay and then can stay or go with your food. There are only a few options, but all are good for a quick lunch, also pretty cheap, so good for a student's wallet. I am partial to the Pad Tai Kip (chicken) or the Red Curry.

2. Food Maker - Rector de Somerplein (Fochplein)

This is a chain, but I still wanted to list it, because it's one of the few places to get quick, healthy meals. Their hours are rather annoying at times, because they close early, but if you can make it in for lunch it's a good place. I love the wraps, but they also have a good salad bar. And at the one in Leuven if you show a student card you can get a 10% discount.

3. Donki - Oude Markt

This is a new place, just opened on the oude markt. It's a small little burrito place, which I think Leuven was really missing. It's pretty good. They could still make some improvements, maybe visit a Chipotle in the US for some ideas, and get their processes running a bit faster, but the food is good and pretty cheap. Like 5 to 6 euro for a burrito. You pick the type of burrito and the toppings, and they have tasty margaritas. Worth a visit for sure.

4. Villa de Frit -Hooverplein

These are the best fries I've found in Leuven so far. A lot of the authentic places seem to have disappeared, but this one still is pretty good, and it has the local Belgian seal of approval from my other half. If you haven't gotten Belgian fries before, you're missing out. Now, likely, if you're not Belgian, the idea of eating just fries for a meal seems a bit absurd. Isn't that what most of us would have preferred as children? But we had to eat the other stuff too. Well, it's completely acceptable to eat just fries as a meal. And maybe a meat snack, I recommend not bothering to question what is in it, they're all pretty tasty. You can get the sauce on the side, or right on the fries. Try some different sauces to see what you like. I'm partial to cocktail and andalouise, my boyfriend goes for the spicy samurai.  

Tip from the Locals: If you want good fries, go to a fry shack run by natives. They're Belgian fries for a reason. A proper fry shack will usually serve the fries in a paper cone, not a plastic container. A true fry shack will also not be a combo: pizza, fries, kebab, etc. place. It will just be for fries and meat snacks.

Leuven - A Hidden Gem in Belgium

For the past year I have been living in Leuven, Belgium. And first, before I go any further, just to clear up any confusion for non-Europeans: Belgium is a country, not a town in Germany, or France. I have encountered quite a bit of confusion over this as I told people "I'm moving to Belgium." The general responses were "Ah, spreche sie Deutsch?" which means "Do you speak German?" which is really not relevant. Or "Ah cool, so when do you leave for Germany?" It is in fact it's own country, a pretty cool little country too. Also, not everyone in Belgium speaks French, actually about 59% of Belgium is Flemish-speaking, leaving 40% speaking French and 1% speaking German (still not relevant to ask if I speak German, since very few people are aware of this fact).

Now that that has been cleared up, I will continue. As I said, I have been living in Leuven for about a year now. Leuven is a rather small town about 25 kilometers from Brussels, a 20 minute train ride from the center of Brussels, or a 15 minute train ride from the airport. Leuven is a university town, home to K.U. Leuven, one of the oldest Catholic Universities in Europe. The population basically doubles during the school year, but it also means there is a vitality and life to the city that you can't always find. It's got a lot of great restaurants, places you might not expect, and of course, great bars, necessary in every student town.

 (center of town, St. Pieter's church, photo credit: me)

Outside of Belgium it doesn't seem that many people have heard of Leuven, every once in a while you'll find someone. But generally the cities people know are Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp and maybe Gent, the bigger or more touristy cities.

One one hand it's nice, it means Leuven is rather un-touristy, which I love. It's not packed every weekend with people coming to sight see, and the prices aren't outrageous in an attempt to rip off tourists. But I do think the city is a bit underrated.  It is a small city, but definitely worth a visit. There are great places to eat, shop, and hang out.

So, over the next few posts I'll highlight some of the best restaurants to go to, things to do, bars to check out and anything else that comes to mind.