Groot Vlaenderen Bruges – Pre & After Dinner Bar
Groot Vlaenderen, housed in an impressive baroque townhouse, is a cocktail bar with a dark and noble interior. The concept is pretty clear, just like the ice cubes in the drinks. A cosy bar serving great drinks with an impressive, massive and brightly lit wooden wall cabinet where the spirits line up.
This building has always been a drinking place; it got its bar license in 1879. Since 2018, current owners Shanna Delfosse and Dieter Moeyaert have continued the tradition of crafting classics. Moeyaert is known as Belgian Barfly on Instagram and is a cocktail & spirits journalist.
Groot Vlaenderen’s warm embrace entices you to spend your evening there. It has the international flair of a hotel bar paired with an atmospheric lounge. Find your seat at the bar, or in the chic seating area beneath the imposing chandelier, or perhaps sink into one of the comfortable chairs in the cozy fireplace room.
A welcoming bar seat awaits you at Groot Vlaenderen in Bruges.
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The menu lists seasonal cocktails, classics and some Tiki drinks. My first drink of choice was a Sidecar followed by a Mezcal Mule inspired by New York’s PDT Recipe. Mezcal, lime juice, passion fruit puree, and agave syrup are topped with ginger beer and served in an ice cold mug.
After an exciting conversation with Dieter about the bar world, as a farewell gift he gave me the bar menu for summer 2020. It never made it to the guests. Unfortunately, in the course of COVID-19, many creative bar menus have fallen victim to the digital format. The menu refers to The Life Aquatic from the American director Wes Anderson. Much in the way the life and times of the famous aquatic researcher Jacques Cousteau influenced the look and feel of The Life Aquatic (with a whiff of Ernest Hemingway’s legend mixed in). Delfosse and Moeyaert have infused both the interior of Groot Vlaenderen and the menu with the magic the movie conveys. It inspired me to watch the movie again and dive in the imaginary submarine journey with Zissou and his cronies, hunting down that elusive jaguar shark.
Visit Groot Vlaenderen.
