The sunny side: 8 best terraces in Brussels

While you may still be bundled in a jacket and scarf, the weather has warmed up enough to officially declare terrace season open. To keep warm in the spring breezes, you’ll want to seek out as much sun as you can. Try these eight sunny terraces in Brussels for refreshing drinks, good food and some vitamin D.

1. Brasserie Verschueren, Parvis de Saint Gilles

A true Brussels bar, the Brasserie Verschueren is timelessly and effortlessly cool. With as much of a beer selection as you could want but nothing special, and the typical lacklusre kitchen offerings of a true dive, Verschueren’s appeal lies in the authenticity of its beer-stained tables and folding wooden chairs that fill up the far end of the Parvis de Saint Gilles. Nightly, it hosts a laid-back bohemian crowd that makes you want to sit and stay a while.

11 Parivs de Saint Gilles, Saint Gilles

2. Bar du Gaspi, Schaerbeek

In the 1980s, Bar du Gaspi (pictured) was a legendary meeting place for the artists and intellectuals of Schaerbeek. When it reopened a few years back, after closing down in the 1990s, it provided a welcome addition to the neighbourhood bar scene. Its terrace flows out onto the sunny square in front of Saint Servais church, overlooking the beautiful Avenue Louis Bertrand, which is lined with rows of Art Nouveau houses sloping down to Parc Josaphat. Perfect for a meet-up with friends and a cold ale. Inside, it’s a true neighbourhood bar, complete with karaoke nights, pub quizzes and a tasty, vegetarian-friendly food menu.

309 Chaussée de Haecht, Schaerbeek

3. Au Soleil d'Afrique, Matonge

Get a dose of the southern sun by plopping yourself down at one of the long picnic tables of this Matonge joint. You won’t find much in the way of beer selection at Au Soleil d’Afrique, but it’s the atmosphere and the food that you come for. Order a large beer to share with your table and keep them coming. Then ask your friendly server to fix you up one of their mixed plates – meaty or vegetarian – that comes with fried plantains, generous portions of white rice and mafé, a sweet, rich peanut sauce found through west and central Africa. Then just sit back and soak up the bustle of the lively Rue Longue Vie.

10 Rue Longue Vie, Ixelles

4. Dillens, Saint Gilles

The resto-bar Dillens has breathed new life into the sleepy Place Julien Dillens in Saint Gilles. Its wide, sun-kissed terrace is perfect for a lunch date or a weekend brunch when you want to get away from the bustle of the Parvis. In the evening, the place turns into more of a pub, often with a DJ and a lively, neighbourhood crowd. A great place to camp out at a table and meet friends and make friends after work.

5. Café Belga, Flagey

Love it for its hip, Art Deco decor and live music or hate it for its bobo bureaucrat scene: you can't deny the appeal of the terrace of Café Belga on Place Flagey. Drenched by the sun from dawn till dusk, there's always someone to chat with in those uncomfortable grey chairs as you drink a Volga, the house brew, and munch on the a la carte lunch offerings from the kitchen window.

18 Place Eugène Flagey, Ixelles

6. Pin Pon, Marolles

There are many great terraces around the Place du Jeu de Balle, such as Chaff or La Brocante, that let you rest your weary feet from a morning of flea market rifling with a drink and a snack. But perhaps the square’s best terrace is Pin Pon. Built into the former firehouse that flanks the square, this gastropub is set back in a quiet courtyard, giving some real breathing room from the hectic market. The food and service have gotten everything from raves to scathing reviews, but regardless, you can’t go wrong with a verre de vin blanc.

62 Place du Jeu de Balle, Brussels

7. Bar du Matin, Forest

Like Belga, Bar du Matin is the work of Brussels bar baron Frédéric Nicolay. And what can we say except the man does a good terrace. Again, you’ll find those aluminium chairs peppered across an otherwise drab square perched atop the Parc de Forest. Food and drinks are pretty similar to Belga and several other Nicolay cafes, but Bar du Matin’s Forest location brings in a calmer, more local clientele. Also, on Sundays from 14.00, they serve pancakes.

172 Chaussée d'Alsemberg, Forest

8. L'Athénée, Saint Boniface

If you want to escape the hordes of bureaucrats filling the terraces of Place Saint Boniface, sneak behind the church and you’ll find L’Athénée, a small, dark bar with an expansive terrace and good beer selection. They offer beers from many smaller breweries, rather than just the big names, along with bowls of self-service, all-you-can-eat bar snacks.

2 Rue Jules Bouillon, Ixelles

Photo courtesy Bar du Gaspi