Top 10 Belgian Beer Bars in the United States

I realize that I am straying off course here but I have my reasoning.

Many people that will visit my BelgiumKing web site may not have an opportunity to visit this beautiful country. It is for these readers that I am listing places in the United States where either the feeling of Belgium exists or they have an excellent Belgian beer selection where one can try numerous kinds of Belgian beer. My whole purpose of creating this site is to educate and enhance people’s appreciation for Belgium and especially Belgian beer.

#1) Monk’s Café, 16th & Spruce Streets, Philadelphia Owner Tom Peters got the Belgium bug long before most in the U.S. even knew what Belgian beer was. Tom and co-owner Fergus Carey opened Monk’s in 1997 and in my opinion; this is the best Belgium Café in the U.S. Tom travels to Belgium often and is always seeking new beers to offer the discerning customer. Monk’s was the first café in the U.S. to offer Chimay on tap and is usually the first to offer new Belgian beers as they become available in the U.S. market. There is a full menu and Monk’s prides itself by offering traditional Belgium meals.

#2) Toronado, 547 Haight Street, San Francisco Great beer bar with around 50 drafts and over 100 bottles about a quarter of which are Belgian. The bar is very small as are many bars in Belgium and there really isn’t much of a Belgium feel, but they do have some great Belgian beers.

#3) Brick Store, 125 East Court Square, Decatur, Georgia Brick Store is a beer and wine bar and restaurant right next to the old courthouse in downtown Decatur. They open for lunch and dinner but during the day only the main bar downstairs is open. After five is when you want to arrive. This is when the Belgium portion of the bar opens upstairs. Not only does Brick Store have a Belgian feel to it, if you don’t feel it at first, they have over 150 different Belgium beers to help transport you quickly. I’ve been here a number of times and they always have at least one or two new beers that I haven’t tried, so they get a ‘2 thumbs up’ for this. The only downside is that they tend to play some New Age, Goth and Trance music here and sometimes a bit too loud, very unlike Belgium. But with the selection, I can overlook this one transgression.

#4) The Map Room, 1949 North Hoyne, Chicago, Illinois If you visit Chicago this is a must. I will admit that there are 2-3 other great Belgian inspired beer bars in Chicago, but this is my favorite. Not so much for the Belgium feel as for the diverse selection of Belgian beers. They always have some great Lambic or Gueuze or some other extraordinary beer on tap (sometimes many, many) as well as over 100 great bottles. The service is immediate and the servers are knowledgeable and Map Room has a great atmosphere. If you are doing a pub-crawl, make sure you put Hop Leaf and Delilah’s on the list. In fact if you are going to Chicago, e-mail me and I’ll send you my pub crawl ‘list’.

#5) Falling Rock Tap House, 1919 Blake Street, Denver, Colorado Another fantastic beer bar with about 60 taps and 100+ bottles, many of which are Belgian. Once again a knowledgeable staff and decent service once you make it to the bar. Lacking a bit on the Belgian atmosphere, but makes up for it with great beer.

#6) Markt, 401 West 14th Street (Cross Street: Ninth Ave.) New York, New York A very traditional Belgium restaurant and bistro a stone throw from Greenwich Village. If a resident from Belgium is ever homesick in the Big Apple, they need to take a cab ride here and they will immediately feel at home. Lots of wood and mirrors; it reminds me a bit of a cross between Mort Subite and Chez Leon in Brussels. Good food and about 30 Belgian beers with about 6 on tap. If you go out the front door and cross the street, there is a tiny Belgian bistro there that has about 12 Belgian beers and some traditional Belgian fare as well. But for a real Belgium feel, the Markt is right on the mark.

#7) d.b.a., 41 First Avenue, New York, New York This is a great bar in NYC that offers loads of Belgian beers as well as some great U.S. Micros. I have been to some Belgian bars that are similar to d.b.a. so the feel is evident as long as it’s not Friday or Saturday night when it gets quite crowded and crazy.

#8) Brickskeller, 1523 22nd Street NW, Washington D.C. For years the Brickskeller was an institution in the United States having the largest beer selection. It is still an awesome beer bar and they still state that they have 1000 different bottles beers although the last couple of visits I made there found many beers out of stock. There is a Belgium feel here as there is lots of wood and it is very cozy. They do still have a great beer selection with many Belgians and I am sure you will find a couple of dozen beers to your liking. As a way to list all the bars I want to list I will mention Brickskeller’s sister bar RFD, 810 7th Street NW, Washington D.C. also. They have 300 bottled beers and 30 taps. Many of the dishes on their menu are made with different beers. They usually have a good variety of Belgian beers to go with the great food here and usually have one great cask ale on tap.

#9) Old Monk, 2847 N. Henderson Avenue, Dallas, Texas Old Monk doesn’t have a huge Belgian selection but they do have the necessary beers to make the concept complete. The atmosphere here is true Belgian. The bar was designed to give that feel and while they do have quite a few British beers, one can tell that Belgian beer is the love here. As in Belgium, each Belgian beer is served in its trademark glass. If they are out of a glass, they ask you to make another selection until they free up a glass. The menu consists of great bar grub but they also have Belgian frites and mussels steamed in beer as well. This is a true feeling of Belgium in the heartland of America.

#10) Eulogy, 136 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia A nice bar with over 200 beers about a third of which are Belgium. I like this bar, but not as much as Monk’s. I also do not like the way they advertise as being the only ‘true’ Belgian bar in Philadelphia’ simply because the owner is from Belgium. I do not feel the love for Belgium here as I do at Monk’s and I’ve never seen the owner of Eulogy in Belgium and I see Tom and Fergie all the time. But, they do have a decent selection here just in case Monk’s is closed or something.