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There are 2,500 taverns in Antwerp—one for every 200 inhabitants—and the city is the club-going capital of Belgium, which means that the centers of nightlife are abuzz until the wee hours of the morning. The narrow winding streets of the Grote Markt, around the cathedral in particular, are packed with cafés, bars, restaurants, and a few clubs; it's an area that's very popular with visitors and locals looking for a traditional ale or a nice meal. For the hipper, more artsy crowd, Mechelseplein is an area just coming to life and finding its feet, with plenty of the hip cafés, bars, and theaters. Alternatively, head south to Leuvenstraat, especially around the Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst (MuHKA), which teems with bars and clubs. You might even be able to catch a cabaret performance.
Along the waterfront at Vlaamse Kaai and Waalse Kaai, there's a large parking square where you'll find some of Antwerp's biggest clubs as well as a group of smaller pubs. Be advised, though, that they share the area with Antwerp's red-light district.
Sometimes the name says it all. Just a five-minute walk from Centraal Station, the selection here runs the gamut of craft ale and Belgian favorites, with a dozen draft brews on tap. Its minimalist interior is more cocktail joint that your typical "brown café," but friendly, knowledgeable staff make exploring a bottle list 300-strong a delight.
In uber-trendy Het Zuid, it can be hard to find a traditional brown café. Chatleroi is the lone survivor, sticking out like a slightly down-at-heels sore thumb, and all the better for it. Old posters, cat paintings, mismatched furniture, and the odd jazz band set the scene for a no-nonsense bar that has survived the area's gentrification and kept its charm.
Het Roze Huis is Antwerp's gay and lesbian community house, with a straight-friendly café-bar, Den Draak ("The Dragon"), on the ground floor; evenings downstairs tend to run into the small hours on most nights.
Taking its name from a neurological disorder linked to alcohol abuse, this quirky, artsy café-bar has cultivated a loyal following among the in-crowd of hipster-drenched Mechelseplein. There's live music some nights.
