Order a Kwak beer here, but don't even think of sneaking off with the glass. The bartenders will require your left shoe as a holding deposit. Seriously!
Inside the Belgian Beer Cafe Westende, huge steins aren't the only drinking vessels that grab attention. Order a Kwak beer and the bartender will present your ale in a truly unique glass. Round and bulb-like at the base and featuring a fluted neck, the old-fashioned Kwak glass looks a lot like a scientific test tube. Hell, it even rests in its own sturdy, wooden stand. This strange drinking vessel was originally designed for beer-loving coachmen who had thick riding gloves and bumpy dirt roads to deal with.
Today, inside this beer cafe, regulars hardly bat an eyelid as a besuited businessman drinks his Kwak while wearing one fluffy pink slipper. It's all part of the 'shoe for the glass' tradition which goes back hundreds of years. The customer hands over his or her left shoe as a holding deposit for the glass and is loaned a slipper in exchange.
Drinkers who prefer to hang onto their shoes don't need to worry about going thirsty, though. There's plenty of other Belgian beer brands on tap (such as Hoegaarden and Leffe) as well as more than 30 varieties of bottled ale to mull over. If the task of choosing a beer becomes too mind-boggling, opt for the tasting tray which holds four different beer samples and is accompanied by pommes frites.
Fridays offer up house DJ tunes and Sundays are coated in acoustic jazz and blues.
Posted by:
naughtonelad
|
17 January 2007, 10.39pm
drinks a plenty at the BBC
The sample trays are brilliant and if one is to drink there, you must not leave without having a Kwak. This beer allows you to drink from a special glass and, most importantly, you wear a fluffy slipper in the place of your shoe...brilliant experience.
Drinks:
Visit: Sun 3 December 2006
Service:
Atmosphere:
Talent:
Write a review about Belgian Beer Cafe Westende
Email a friend
Email this page to a friend and start planning your night out:
Feedback
If you have found something incorrect, missing or would like to add some information, let us know!
You're not a registered user. If you would like a response, please include your email address in the feedback description or register/login to your account.
