A La Mort Subite

Brussel's most famous brown bar
Tipple of choice: The amber-coloured Mort Subite Gueuze Lambic is a sweet-and-sour thirst quencher.

Talk of the town: La Mort Subite means ‘sudden death’ after a dice game that was shortened so that workers playing in their lunch break wouldn't be late back to their desks.
Locals have a gathered in this ornate bar since 1928 and while the walls are nicotine stained (hence brown bar), the fin-de-siècle decor is still intact. Perched on a bare wooden seat, you can sample a vast range of Belgian beers and the Vasson family, who have owned the bar since it opened, also brew their own line called, unsurprisingly, Morte Subite.

If you get peckish, try one of their petite restaurations (light snacks), perhaps a local jellied meat, like kip-kap (pig cheeks). And if you want a break from beer, there's also wine and coffee on offer.