10 Best Nightlife in Ghent, Ghent and the Leie

Brewer Annick de Splenter's prolific brewpub has lost none of its ability to surprise. Based in an old galley, relics of the building's former life remain, with various cow statues proliferating the bar. Gruut's beers are made to a medieval recipe, using herbs, not hops; the result is a more subtle, lighter-tasting brew than the usual Belgian offering. Tours of the brewery (€20) can be arranged; you can even add a boat trip to your visit. If you have the time, spare some for its "beeralchemy" sessions (€22) and the chance to brew your own herb beer to take home; it's easily done in an afternoon and the session includes a brief tour and tastings.

This superb cocktail bar re-creates a 1920s speakeasy vibe. The drinks are uniformly excellent, with homemade bitters and infusions decorating an ever-changing menu that has something of a gastronomy vibe, while the outdoor, waterside terrace is cozily hidden. While so many of Ghent's cocktail bars err on the tacky side, Jiggers is an oasis of cool, though at around €15 a drink, it doesn't come cheap.

To taste a potent Flemish and Dutch specialty, head to 't Dreupelkot (sister bar to Het Waterhuis Aan De Bierkant), which produces its own jenever—a liquor similar in flavor to, and said to be the precursor of, gin. Here, it's all homemade and comes in a multitude of flavors, including vanilla, chocolate, and even cactus. The owner is also a character of the eccentric variety. A "barometer" behind the bar indicates his mood at any given time—it rarely points to "happy."

A microbrewery that leans more to the U.S. craft ale style than its native Belgian, though the odd saison does appear. This plucky bar typically has eight beers on tap at any one point. A home-brewers mentality means it's constantly changing beers but you'll always find an IPA or New England--style brew to slake your thirst. 

This LGBT center has information on gay and lesbian bars, events, and organizations, and also offers help and advice (website in Dutch). On the ground floor, the A-Pluss bar and café has a fine selection of gins, a new street terrace, and live music on weekends. 

In this quintessential Ghent pub, there are more than 500 kinds of beer, but the specialty is the 1.2-liter Kwak (a blond 8.5% beer), complete with traditional hourglass-shape glass and stand—ask for a "Max." If you brave this beer, though, you must leave one of your shoes as a deposit when you order. The pub is open most days noon--1 am, apart from Sunday evening when it closes early, and Monday when it doesn't open until 4:30 pm.

It's a bit of a distance from the center of town, but well worth the excursion. This microbrewery and taproom is the largest and most experimental in Ghent, with 30 beers on tap. Set in the old Dok Noord complex, around 10 to 15 are brewed on-site, and are only ever made once. The choice is almost overwhelming. Hour-long brewery tours and tastings (€18) can be booked in advance, and the building also has independent street-food stalls inside, with BBQ joint RØK particularly recommended. 

Back in the plague-ridden early 1500s, this fine estaminet was the city's main source of clean drinking water. As the years went by, it morphed from water house to brothel to barbershop, and finally an inn. Today, it remains one of the city's iconic "brown bars." Come here for the selection; with several beers on tap, including a few of their own house brews and hundreds of bottled beers, it's pretty much perfection. Its small waterside terrace fills up quickly in fine weather though.

A little slice of New Orleans on the Leie. Missy Sippy may lie square in the historic center, in the shadow of the Sint-Niklaaskerk, yet still feels like a back-alley discovery, dishing up thumping blues and roots bands alongside a decent selections of Belgian brews and bourbons.

Yet another beer specialist, although one located in a 15th-century cellar and with an atmosphere a tad livelier than its more laid-back rivals. The crowd is a bit younger, too.