Café Vlissinghe

LOVED this place. The décor is awesome. Beer selection was good and the food is delicious. I had the quiche — SO good. The wait staff was super friendly and their little dog mascot that hangs out there was a perk! :)

This old tavern is a bit out of the way from the main tourist area, but worth the walk!
I came here with my sweetie for a late lunch and beers (around 3pm) and were really pleased with our visit. All of the food was delicious, they have a good beer selection with fair prices, the service was both attentive and friendly, and the tavern itself has tons of character and history. They’ve retained a lot of the old décor and had placemats that talked a bit about some of the historical features.
But this place is most memorable to me because of the food! I found the menu to be pretty substantial (contrary to what another reviewer said; perhaps it depends on what time you are there), with lots of traditional Belgian foods, and several interesting looking salads. I especially enjoyed the cheesy toast that came with the french onion soup, which is the perfect size to put directly in the soup and let it soak up the oniony goodness. It becomes quite mushy, of course, but still retains its shape due to the cheese. The bacon goat cheese salad was another memorable dish, with several thick slices of soft goat cheese (chevre) wrapped in bacon and then grilled until caramelized, served on top of a nice big bowl of romaine lettuce, raisins, and tomatoes, with a sweet creamy dressing.
A few things to know:
* there are very few small tables for 2 – 4 people, most of them fit 8 – 12, so you are likely to end up sharing a table with strangers (unless you are with a large group, of course!)
* They also do not take cards, only cash! While the food prices felt fair for the quality, it wasn’t the cheapest place in town (my salad was 16 €) so be prepared.
* …however if you’re looking to dine on a budget, their daily soup is only 5 € and they have several good beers on draft for only 2,50 €.
Also, another reviewer mentioned the cute dog that ate out of her hand… DON’T FEED THE DOG! There is a reason they have a sign asking patrons not to feed the dog. The dog is smart, cute, and very food-​driven. It comes to each table as soon as the food is served and will sit there looking cute, hoping that you’ll feed it. You can imagine that if even a few people cave in to his begging each day, he would be quite fat and unhealthy.

This is the oldest bar in Bruges and its pretty cool. It looks pretty bar like inside– a standard round wooden room– and it gets pretty crowded in the evenings. But they do have an outdoor space and a huge garden as well and I went to sit there. the servers speak some english, which is nice and they are helpful when it comes to making recommendations but bewarned that the food fare is a little limited. The drinks are fantastic though, and they have a lot of beers to choose from.
They also have a cute dog that doesnt let you pet him but stands on his hind legs and looks at your table for the food he knows is there. He also will eat out of your hands if you choose to feed him (I did). I think he makes a good addition to the place.

Awesome café. I won’t repeat all that 500^th anniversarry stuff in 2015 but I will add that it means they’re not going on vacation this year.
Huge back courtyard that is perfect on a sunny day. Got a croque and a Brugse Zot on draft, they got soup and waffles, and it was all spot on.

C’est un peu dehors de la foule qui généralement tourne autour de la célèbre Grand-​Place de Bruges que vous pourrez trouver l’un des plus anciens cafés de la ville, le «Vlissinghe «ou plutôt «Café Vlissinghe». En longeant un des canaux vers le nord et après avoir traversé un petit pont, c’est au fond d’une ruelle pavée que vous trouverez ce lieu.
C’est dans le quartier Sainte-​Anne que vous trouverez cet estaminet, terme typiquement belge ou peut-​être même wallon qui signifie un débit de boisson, bar et café en même temps. Un établissement qui cette année fête ses 500 ans.
Quelques célébrités seraient passées dans ce pub depuis son ouverture et une légende locale affirmerait que Rubens aurait peint une imitation d’une pièce de monnaie sur l’une de tables et se serait ensuite enfui…
Une fois à l’intérieur, dépassé la cuisine sur la droite, gravi les quelques marches, vous arriverez dans une extraordinaire salle très bien conservée avec des cloisons murales en bois, une grande cheminée avec un four, un ensemble de tables et de tableaux.
L’été il est plutôt agréable de redescendre dans le petit patio à l’arrière et de s’installer à l’ombré.
Une bière locale plutôt désaltérante appelée «Brugse Zot «, bière blonde artisanale de haute fermentation qui est la dernière bière brassée dans le centre historique de Bruges, ce qui explique son nom.
On viendra ici plutôt prendre un verre et un snack. Des choses très simples comme par exemple un plateau de fromage, saucisson, cornichons et moutarde ou encore des croque-​monsieur. L’ardoise du jour propose également des soupes ou pâtes.
Un café plein de vie où en tout cas ce jours-​là nous avons pu observer une compétition d’un sport plutôt inconnu, entre pétanque et curling appelé «Krulbollen «. Un vieux sport des Flandres qui viendrait de la région de Gand, pratiqué dans les régions de Meetjesland, Knesselare et à Bruges. Il paraitrait que l’on pratique également ce sport dans la région d’Anjou sous le nom de «Boule de Fort «. Une boule de bois que l’on lance en direction le plus proche possible d’un piller en bois en essayant de repousser les boules adverses.
Et une autre bière, celle du café lui-​même, référente dans sa bouteille avec une teneur en alcool supérieure.
Un lieu historique qui est des plus agréable et incontournable lors d’une visite de la ville.

Café Vlissinghe has the title of «oldest pub in Brugge», and has the character to match. The pub is small, with family style seating indoors, and a number of tables in a courtyard outside. The beer selection is great, and they offered a few local beers we didn’t see at any other pubs in Bruges. The menu is fairly short, but our food was tasty and filling (lasagna and a croque monsieur). It was cash only when we were there, so make sure you have enough cash if you’re planning on sitting and eating/​drinking for a while.
If you’re really into the tourist thing, there are t-​shirts you can buy, and outdoors had lawn games available to play, and a shelf full of board and card games to play inside. It was super relaxing to enjoy beer and play games for the evening. As a plus there is a Jack Russel Terrier wandering around, complete with a sign on the wall with his picture stating «Don’t feed this dog». Definitely worth a stop for a fun night in a unique setting.

Well we were here in Brugge and heard of this bar which, as of this year, celebrates its 500^th anniversary of opening, so it was a must.
The place itself is a really small and well hidden streetside which is nice and away from the buzz of the Markt square, Town Hall square and Wollestraat.
Upon walking in you can definitely feel the weight of the history of this place; it is modestly decorated with a few paintings, but it is a nice, cozy atmosphere wiht a bar area as well as long benches for seating. We were the only tourists there, which was a surprise. Had a conversation with the locals and all of them are really warm people.
Their house brew is one of the best beers I’ve ever tasted. It goes down really smoothly. It’s an amazing beer. They have quite a nice selection of other national beers like Duvel and Leffe. God given.
For non-​drinkers there are a range of espresso based drinks to enjoy.

Café vlissinghe is celebrating 500 years of existence this year. Standing the test of time, this is what it means, I suppose. The café is not open on Mondays and Tuesdays. But on the other days it’s open from 11AM. They also have a nice beer garden at the back, for those warm summer days.
They have a decent selection of locally brewed (Bruges based) and other Belgian beers. The service seemed pretty good. Looks like we timed our visit right, just before crowds of people started swarming.
I must admit I did feel a lil strange waiting outside their door waiting for them to open at 11 AM (think Weatherspoons outside train station, prior to holiday).
Bruges as such is a beautiful city and having a pub/​café this old kind of just adds to the charm. Visit it, if for nothing else, simply for experiencing a piece of medeival history.

I loved the onion soup so much I had to come back the next day to eat it again.

Walking through the damp quite streets then came across this gem! Loved the simple menu that offered cheap yummy plates. GREAT house beer and the onion soup was perfect! Def a perfect choice for a light dinner or lunch.

Sehr schönes Ambiente, netter Service, kleine und feine Speisenauswahl, leckeres regionales Bier (auch das Hausbier), Postkarte kaufen lohnt sich. AUF WIEDERSEHEN!

an absolutely fantastic experience! yes it may be publicized and become for that reason a tourist point but authentic it remains. Great conversation with Brits, French, or Americans and a fine beer selection are enough reason to tour abroad. Good Norman pub food and a night is complete. A great but simple quiche and my father’s simple but complex ham-​wrapped chicory in a bechamel sauce preceded a fine slice of soft apple cake. The oldest pub and still relevant!

Oldest bar in Brugge. This is off the beaten path located in the quiet ST Ann area, but we’ll worth it. It’s about 10 min from the main square. Cross over the canal, wander down an alleyway, and you will see a flag.
The weather finally warmed up over here so we sat on the expansive terrace. With lots of tables, grass, picnic tables, etc it is a fantastic patio. They don’t have a huge beer list, under 30, but the ambiance, cozy facto make up for it. Food is also served and both the beer and food are rather cheap compared to closer in town. A must see.

Great place to grab a beer. Really friendly staff. The meat and cheese plate was good enough, but nothing spectacular.

Great meal. Just did the planes, trains, taxi from Dallas Texas, enjoyd the beer friendly local crowd great beer selections as well.
Fred

Okay, you gotta admit, there is something pretty cool about a pub that has been continually operating since the 1500s… especially when you consider that they have probably been serving beer from one of the local breweries (De Halve Maan) since the 15 or 1600s. The servers here aren’t particularly friendly, but the owner (who will probably be cooking in the tiny kitchen) is quite nice. Well worth popping in for a beer (or two) and a look around… and get the Onion Soup… you won’t be disappointed!

Laid back and cozy, exactly what you would expect from the oldest bar in Bruges. We went there and tried a few blondes! Beer that is!!! We decided not to have food because we had a late breakfast but the tables next to us had onion soup and lasagna and were raving about it. I also noticed a lot of locals were there having deserts. Next time I would fit the lunch in there.

Had to stop by Brugge’s oldest pub & have a beer. The 500 years old pub is very quaint. My beer was great & the service was warm & friendly! 5 Stars!

It’s pretty humbling to know that when you come here, you’re sitting in the same place where people have been coming to eat and drink for almost 500 years. This is Bruges’ oldest pub (from 1515) and it’s a great place. The pub is small, but has so much character within its walls. The food we had (spaghetti and croque monsieur) was very tasty and of course, the beer was out of this world. This is definitely a spot you have to check out when you come to this amazing city!

Favorite bar in the world. The selection of beer is great and the food and people are even better.

We stumbled upon this tiny place in a tiny street after a long walk back to our apartment. Turns out it is the oldest pub in Bruges (1515!)
Super cozy and cute inside and filled with locals and kids playing board games. The food is standard Bruges pub fare– lasagne, spaghetti, croques. We had the grilled ham and cheese with bolognese and salad. Tasty and hit the spot. Perfect with local beer.
Loved this place!

This place looks fantastic with the old pictures around the walls and the wooden roof:
(See photo below)
(See photo below)
Although the bar area itself is relatively basic, with a nice old feel to it.
(See photo below)
I had a Brugse Zot, a decent beer.
There was a door marked ‘Toilet Terrace’ which in my mind meant urinating from a balcony. Fortunately this was not at all the case, it just led to an outside area (with its own charm) from where the toilets could be accessed.
(See photo below)
I also found this funny room out there, that wasn’t being used.
(See photo below)

Nicht alle Reiseführer über Brügge weisen diese ursprüngliche Kneipe aus.
Die Kneipe gibt es schon seit fast 500 Jahren. 1515 wurde sie eröffnet. Es sieht zwar nicht mehr so aus wie vor 500 Jahren, aber wie vor 100 Jahren.
Diese Kneipe ist ein Muss für ein belgisches Bier am Abend. Total gemütlich und eine tolle Bedienung. Es gibt auch Kleinigkeiten zu Essen. (Haben wir nicht getestet, deshalb auch keine Bewertung dafür.)