Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
sports bar, with a foosball-and-movie-posters party ambience. Upstairs is an industrial-
strength pile of hostel dorms (90 beds, €18/bed with sheets, €22/bed with sheets and
breakfast, 4-6 beds/room, D-€55 includes breakfast, lockers, free Wi-Fi, Hoogstraat 19,
tel. 050-330-660,
www.charlierockets.com
). Other small and loose places are the minimal,
funky, and central
$ Passage
(€16/bed with sheets, 4-7 beds/room, D-€52, Db-€67, Dweer-
straat 26, tel. 050-340-232,
www.passagebruges.com
,
info@passagebruges.com
)
and
$
Snuffel Backpacker Hostel,
which is less central and pretty grungy, but friendly and laid-
back (60 beds, €16-18/bed includes sheets and breakfast, 4-12 beds/room, Ezelstraat 47, tel.
050-333-133,
www.snuffel.be
).
Bruges' specialties include mussels cooked a variety of ways (one order can feed two), fish
dishes,grilledmeats,andfrenchfries.Thetown'stwoindigenousbeersaretheprizewinning
Brugse Zot (Bruges Fool), a golden ale, and Straffe Hendrik, a potent, bitter triple ale.
You'llfindplentyofaffordable,touristyrestaurantsonfloodlitsquaresandalongdreamy
canals. Bruges feeds 3.5 million tourists a year, and most are seduced by a high-profile loca-
tion.Thesecanbegreatexperiencesforthemagicalsettingandviews,butthequalityoffood
and service will likely be mediocre. I wouldn't blame you for eating at one of these places,
but I won't recommend any. I prefer the candle-cool bistros that flicker on back streets.
Rock Fort
is a chic spot with a modern, fresh coziness and a high-powered respect for good
food. Two young chefs, Peter Laloo and Hermes Vanliefde, give their French cuisine a cre-
ative, gourmet twist. At the bar they serve a separate tapas menu. Reservations recommen-
ded. This place is a winner (€6-12 tapas, great pastas and salads, €15 lunch special, beau-
tifully presented €19-34 dinner plates, €40 five-tapas special, fancy €50 fixed-price four-
course meal, open Mon-Fri 12:00-14:30 & 18:30-23:00, closed Sat-Sun, Langestraat 15, tel.
050-334-113).
Bistro in den Wittenkop,
very Flemish, is a stylishly small, laid-back, old-time place
specializinginlocalfavorites,whereLindseyserveswhilePatrickcooks.It'saclassyspotto
enjoy hand-cut fries, which go particularly well with Straffe Hendrik beer (€37 three-course
meal,€20-25plates,Tue-Sat18:00-21:30,closedSun-Mon,reserveahead,terraceinbackin
summer, Sint Jakobsstraat 14, tel. 050-332-059).
Bistro den Amand,
with a plain interior and a few outdoor tables, exudes unpretentious
quality themoment youstepin.Inthismussels-free zone,ChefAnisenthusiastic aboutstir-
fry and vegetables, as her busy wok and fun salads prove. Portions are splittable and there
