Kortrijk

Kortrijk, also known in English as Courtrai or Courtray, is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It is the capital and largest city of the judicial and administrative arrondissement of Kortrijk. With its mix of unique and historic architecture and bustling vibe, Kortrijk has a lot to offer. Take a scenic stroll along the beautiful River Leie that flows through the city and past the Broel Towers; it’s the perfect way to see Kortrijk’s picturesque sights. Then there’s also the Texture Museum, it's tell the story of the flax and linen industry and the Kortrijk 1302 multimedia museum. It was the first city in Flanders with an entirely pedestrian shopping street, and it continues to be one of the best places to shop. The city is surrounded by a diverse range of Belgian breweries. Within just 8 miles of the centre of Kortrijk, you can find the big family kingpins of the region, Omer Vander Ghinste and De Brabandere, the small and recently rebranded Eutropius, the ambitious Gulden Spoor, the artisanal recipes of ‘t Gaverhopke, the rock-star youth of Verzet and the understated class of Verhaege. As of  Dec 2025 there are 11 breweries and some cool bars in the city, enjoy.

Bossuwé Brewing Co. Engelse Wandeling 2 K8K

In a disturbing world dominated by almighty conglomerates and flooded by a continuous stream of easy-to-chew myths and lies, a group of young outcasts are stubbornly resisting mediocrity rule. Lead by a now missing orange monkey, they spend their nights creating new and excellent mind altering substances in a gritty underground warehouse on the outskirts of a small post-industrial town.
Their state of the art malt based substances are designed to free the minds of the enslaved and engineered to offer much needed liquid courage to like-minded individuals in the struggle against the altered realities of the third industrial revolution. As their impact on the system increases in strength, so does their following and their resolve.

Brouwerij Ruimtegist, Budastraat 12/bus 1b

Arn and Egbert two friends with a passion for beer founded this brewery. Their building was for a long time the very well known pastry shop Slosse. After the bakery, it became a beer bar where we brew craft beers as an independent brewery. Behind large windows you can see them stirring in the brew kettles in an artisanal way. At Buda Island they continue to experiment on their small craft brewing kettles. This allows them to further refine their recipes on a small scale and to continue doing what they love to do, which is brewing! For the large volumes they can count on a top cooperation with The Brew Society from Kortrijk. Located barely one and a half kilometres from our city brewery.

De Circus Brouwerij, Transfostraat 28

Step into a world of spectacular beers...…where hops and malt come to life and intertwine with a dose of daring and courage. Where you leave with enchanting flavours. A great brewery with attractive tasting boards and a small shop. The industrial look of the Transfo adds to the ambiance of the tasting room. They also have good non-alcoholic options. The owners are very friendly and help you choose. Be sure to stop by and enjoy the beer. It's worth it.

Beer I Like, Kortrijk

Beer I Like is a brewery located in Belgium specialized in gluten-free beers.

Belgian Brew Factory 🍻 (The Brew Society), Kortrijksestraat 103A

The Brew Society is a brewing community for beer enthusiasts. In The Brew Society they brew beer to your heart's content. Their master brewer and his team have more than 100 years of experience. You can taste that knowledge in their seductive Martha and in their mischievous Seven Sins who see life in an artisanal way in our brewing room. They do their own thing and in their society of brewers and gourmets there is plenty of experimentation with flavours and foams from lager to sour beer.

Sosab - Sour ale brewery Kortrijk

SOSAB (Science Of Sour Ale Brewing) is a brewery near Kortrijk, Belgium, specializing in authentic, traditional Belgian Sour Ales with a modern twist, focusing on rich Flemish traditions for unique, complex flavour's in beers like their Flemish Red Ale, known for maturing in traditional ways for intriguing tastes. They offer a real taste of authentic Belgian sour brewing, distinct from mass-market beers, focusing on natural fermentation for depth.

Brouwerij Toye, Rekkemsestraat

A small Brewery, that offers a great tour by a passionate brewer. Located in Marke, near Kortrijk. Since 2012, Goedendag has been brewed with the utmost care in its modern, self-built facility. Initially, this consisted solely of the Goedendag Strong Blond, but since 2016, the Goedendag Dark has been added. At the end of 2017, the Goedendag Cuvée 1302 was also introduced, and recently, their newest beer, O' de Lys, was introduced. Discover the unique taste their beers and enjoy this together with others in their retro tasting room.

Brouwerij De Brabandere, Rijksweg 33

A large National brewery, best known by their Bavik brand name. Besides an excellent pilsner, they also brew the renowned Kwaremont and the excellent Wieze. They do guided brewery tours, paired with tastings of their specialty beers.

Brouwerij De Meester, Nelcastraat 1D

An excellent artisanal brewery. With very high quality beers brewed with passion and a nice variety of styles. Simply world class. Dirk De Meester gave a great tour with fascinating insights into their brewing skills. Great team, fantastic brewery and above all, outstanding beers.

Gainsbar, Vlasmarkt 1

Open: Tues - Sun 14.00 - 01.00

Kortrijk's foremost has a kind of brown pub-like vibe to it, with a lot of attention for the live music scene as well. Inside there is a small room, with a bar at the back, after a couple of wide steps. They have 10 taps, with good Belgian classics and craft ones mixed with some really nice imports. The bottle list is extensive, around 100+ There is a nice terrace outside, attentive service and a good vibe. Even though it has New owners (2019) and it is not what it once was "beer" wise it's still, clearly among the better options for decent artisanal beer in the town of Kortrijk, very reasonably priced as well.

Het Duivels Paterke, Harelbeeksestraat 29

Open: Tues - Sun 17.00 - 01.00

Located about a 7-8 minute brisk walk from the centre heading east and can be found on the corner of Vaartstraat and Harelbeeksestraat. It is a small Hotel/B&B, with very comfortable well appointed rooms, the rooms are all named after Trappist Breweries. The beer range is good with a huge selection of Trappist ales they have 8 taps and approx 30 bottles. The food is outstanding The Beef stew cooked in Chimay is the best and all cooked by the landlady. Inside the tables are made up for diners and so it is difficult to really get a feel for the place as a bar. As you enter from the corner the bar/serving area is off to the left.

deDingen, 12 Budastraat

Open: Thurs 18.00 - 00.00 Fri - Sat 10.00 - 01.00 Sun 10.00 - 18.00

A small quirky and cosy cafe/bar. The inside is a nice blend with old and new and there is a nice patio at the front. The beer menu is small but well-chosen with good stuff from the likes of Senne & Dupont. During the day they also serve food here. I love there multiple options for breakfast. As with most Kortrijk cafes, opening times are a seldom realised aspiration.

‘T Fonteintje, Handboogstraat 12

Open Mon - Sat 16.30 - 02.00

A truly a ‘locals’ cosy café / restaurant with excellent comfort food, and one of the oldest in Kortrijk, this café will provide you with an authentic drinking experience. A super atmosphere with very friendly service. Inside is dark and wood, with stools around the wood panelled bar that are more often than not full with locals. The back section offers intimate seating to catch up with friends. The beer list is small but very decent and you can enjoy some classic beers.

De Ververie, Kon. Elisabethstraat 15

A really cool concept, a café that sells vinyl records. They also have a selection of local bands, which I fully support. Definitely recommended for music lovers who can spend a cosy evening with fantastic service from very spontaneous and hospitable people.

Souffleur, Schouwburgplein 16

Open: Daily 10.00 - 22.00

Located quite central, its in a square, about 5 minutes walk from the station and even less to Gainsbar. It has a lovely looking exterior as it is housed in a lovely stone building. The beer list is pretty good. Inside is quite spacious and also fairly modern looking with a large bar area in the centre. The service is very good, swift and friendly. The beer choice whilst it didn't have much unusual stuff does provide a pretty wide range.

drinks Pauwels, Guido Gezellelaan 157a

A great beverage shop that has a very extensive selection of regional beers. Everyone will find something to their liking. Upstairs has 200 small brewery beer selection, including sour beers of 50-ish to choose from. Very friendly service! Worth a detour (if any)!

Jazz (Hoochie Coochie), Jan Persijnstraat 12

Open: Daily 16.00 - 02.00

This place will transport you from modern day West Flanders to the speakeasys of Chicago in the early 1900s!

Café des Arts, Hazelaarstraat 8

Open: Daily 18.00 - 04.00

A Student bar, with a tree covered patio at the front. Worth a look in?

The Lab - Social Club, Budastraat 8500

Open: Tues - Sun 18.00 - 00.00

If you wanna hang out in a relaxing atmosphere with plenty of wonderful drinks and food? This is the place for you!

Den Bras, Schouwburgplein 1

A lively bar by the train station and the scene of my first Westmalle Tripel.

Den Trap, Burgemeester Reynaertstraat 19

Open: Tues - Sun 16.00 - 05.00

If you're looking for the archetypal simple brown café: Den Trap is pure Perfection

‘t Mouterijtje, Kapucijnenstraat 25

Formerly a maltings, this is a more up-market restaurant and beer café.

Villa Pand.A, Conservatoriumplein 1

Open: Tues - Fri 11.00 - 01.00 Sat 14.00 - 01.00

A nice place for a drink. The open jam night once a month in winter, is pretty cool!
Busy at weekend, cool chill vibes, awesome beers, nice staff.

'T Paleitje Bockor, Koning Leopold I-straat 28

Open: Mon 12.00 - 23.00 Tues - Fri 10.00 - 23.00 Sat 17.00 - 00.00

A friendly and quiet bar, sitting in the centre of Kortrijk. Definitely recommended, both indoors and outdoors!

I hope you found my guide to the brewpubs and bars in Kortrijk useful?
Now you just need to get yourself out there and start the beer adventure for yourself!
Go grab a locally brewed pint (or 2) and support your local pub's and brewers!

R.I.P.

Vandyck Yvette Café (Café 'In De Wolken'), Begijhofstraat 17

Located at about 2 o’clock if you used the Grote Markt as being central and it is close by two large churches on Begijnhofstraat. Inside as it has a very modern appearance, it is a long rectangular bar with most of the tables and seating at the front, the bar starts about half way along with a few stools and regulars propping it up. One wall near the front has a great display of old records sleeves illustrating the owners passion for Blues, Jazz and Folk music from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. As you might expect the music in here is well chosen. The beer choice is very good, with 80-100 bottles, with a nice range of styles. This place is all about sitting back relaxing and a listening to some nice music.

Eirekedeirie Cafe Pub, Sint-Jansstraat 31

An authentic local, brown pub. Cosy and pleasant atmosphere. A large 50+ beer menu at reasonable prices. A great place to sit and unwind.

Café De 3 Moren, Graanmarkt 9

A cosy café that becomes a Dance Club

Brouwerij Benoit, Avondzonweg 2

Benoit brewery brews tasty beers with character, always seeking for new tastes and combinations. A brand serving top quality Belgian beers.