Dulle Griet

An absolutely amazing and legendary bar. Plenty of seating, an incredible selection of beers - including great gluten-free options - excellent service, and a fantastic atmosphere. We visited on two different evenings: once on the weekend, when we waited about 10 minutes for a table, and once on a Monday when there was no wait at all. Highly recommended and definitely a must-visit in Ghent.

Fantastic chilled vibe. A huge selection of beers. If they do not have a Belgium brewed beer here do you want it !!!! So many choices. It is fun to have the large beer which is 1.2l and comes in a stand.....the price you must give a shoe to be held in the basket which is hoisted up in the roof!!!! So wear good socks!! Great fun and good beer choices make this a ideal spot to visit. It can get very busy here too so make time if you need to re visit.

Lots of different beers, tasted 3 different beers here. Loved the cherry one (Kriek Lindemans), Barbar Blond has a hint of honey, and St. Bernardus was the one with most alcohol content. Would recommend the place

Great pub with huge range of beers and great atmosphere. If you're feeling brave you can order a beer in a long glass an have one of your shoes hauled up to the ceiling in a basket.

Great selection of beers and nice atmosphere. Wish there could be more explanation or indication next to the beers as they have a great amount of variety. We tried different beers and liked them all.

A must-visit bar when in Ghent. The place is super authentic, the beers (more than 500 types) are incredible, and the service is impeccable, the staff is super friendly.

I was in Ghent on a day bus tour, and we had a free hour before we left, and This is one of the places i went. -I came here for the shoe in exchange for beer tradition. -It was very busy, the inside was full, and you can only get the large 1 yard of beer inside, not on the pattio outside. -There was a line out the door, and i waited in line for maybe 10-15 min. -eventually i was seated, i was solo, so they added me to a large round table half full of people (4 out of 8), and they were a friendly group from amsterdam. -Soon after i ordered the yard of beer, they came pretty fast with it, and asked for a shoe in exchange. - I chugged the beer in 3 gulps. It was a little different drinking from that large glass, as the beer doesnt flow consistently from the shape. -Then i paid and left drunk and happy -The service was great, it was very busy, and they were running around helping everyone, but always had a smile on their face. I would love to come back here and get a booth in the back area

Really great atmosphere, even on a Wednesday afternoon. The owners/staff are friendly and really good at what they do. Snacks were generous and really good quality (we had pate and cheese). Beer choice is off the scale. Really should be on everyone’s to do list.

Fun atmosphere... blend of locals and tourists. The novelty of 1.5L beer and shoe deposit is fun... 500+ beers to choose from is overwhelming.

Very classic beer bar, will definitely return in next visit to Ghent, nice beer tenders, friendly and central location!

Pretty cool bar to stop in and grab a beer in Ghent! There is a large selection to choose from so I asked the bartender for a suggestion! I tried the local beer and it was tasty! The decor is very all over and cool! So much to look at! There is a lot of seating inside and through the back!

So if you order the specialty beer they take your shoe and put on ceiling until you are done so you don't steal the glass unique decor with religious artifacts . No air and hot inside beer is fresh . A little slow with service but warmed up as we ordered more

A must visit treasure in Ghent for those who appreciate Belgian beer! Their tradition of customers ordering a Max and giving up their shoes until finished is unique and hilarious. People come early to avoid waiting to have this volume of beer.

Great place! Drinks: SO. MANY. VARIETIES. Both on draft and in bottles. We came here a few times and each time we were just floored at the bartender's suggestions. One guy (Kyle?) suggested a Trappist beer and one female bartender suggested Paix Dieu (among others) which are now our favorite Belgian beers. Food: only basic bar munchies such as nuts, cheese and spread with bread, but they go well with our drinks. Again good recommendations by the bartenders. Atmosphere: old school wooden bar and stools. Seems small from the outside but pretty deep. This gives the impression of a pup that has been around for half a century or so... non pretentious but at the same time there is a nostalgic feel that is hard to explain and hard to recreate outside of Europe. Service: friendly and helpful bartenders. Fast service and not pushy. We enjoyed our visits.

Beer,Beer. Man o man. There are so many beers on the menu and one could get lost in fun trying them . Such a wonderful place with nice ambience. There are restrooms on second floor with some stairs. All in all i would say dont miss this place if you are in Ghent and you will have some fund for sure. Dont forget to put your shoe on the roof :)

This place is a mood. Good beer, efficient service, great vibe. It's known as a tourist spot in summer but in winter, it's a heartwarming place to grab a brew and conversation with a friend.

We went to De Dulle Griet after dinner for a couple of Belgian beers. This place is popular as it has over 500 beers to choose from. Insane! We dropped in on a Friday evening (around 10:30pm) and it was busy. Lots of tables outside but almost everyone was sitting inside. Grab a menu and wait for a server to take your order. You pay when they bring your drinks to the table. - Petrus aged pale (€5,10) - we asked our server for a sour suggestion and this was one of them. It's barrel aged for 24 months in oak barrels. A touch of funk. - Liefmans goldenband (€5,70) - we liked this one more. Smelled slightly vinegary but taste wise, it was smooth and enjoyable. - Corsendonk blond (€4.20) - Gouden carolus classic dubbel (€4.90) Cool, chill spot to enjoy a few beers and kill a few hours. Cash only.

I loved this bar! Such an extensive beer list, and so many trappist beers available. We really enjoyed trying some beers while we waited out the rain. I do have some regrets that we did not stay longer to try more beer. That being said, the beer was pretty strong and we were getting tipsy. If you order a yard of beer, they take your shoe as collateral and put it in a little basket in the middle of the bar on the ceiling. The basket has a little bell on it, we were enjoying watching people's shoes go up and down while we enjoyed our drinking. This is a place that you could come to over and over and try something new each time. They had some really rare beer, but you're going to pay a premium for them.

A coworker told me about this pace so I had to see it for myself. If you order one of the large yards of beers you have to give up your shoe. Luckily you have waiters at this place to bring it to you. They put your shoe in a basket hanging from the ceiling. Watch out for the climb to the bathroom. It was like climbing a ladder, so steep! I would never attempt the climb if feeling tipsy.

This was one of those really cool bars that had a pretty dark and dingy atmosphere, and was also crowded with lots of decorations and posters (or at least wall hangings) all over the walls. Okay, it was a little crowded, but that was expected since it was getting a little late on Saturday. Also, it was a bit unfortunate that the outdoor area was packed, but that is actually not all that surprising considering it is the continent. However, while the inside was packed, we were still able to find ourselves a place to sit down for a quite beer, and also marvel at all of the artistic decorations covering the walls. Certainly a pretty decent pub to visit, and spend some time. As for beers, well, this is Belgium so you are going to have a good number of them.

The beer menu was the size of a phone book of a small town! I ordered the Trappe Wit and the Kriek Boon, both new for me. The service was slow-ish, which I've found in most Belgian bars and restaurants. I saw a couple order a beer in a test tube-like glass that was over a foot high! Here when you order it, they take one of your shoes, put it in basket, and raise it to the ceiling until you're done! The decor looked historical and old. It looked like a place that has some history, which was a main reason for sitting down and ordering. I'd definitely come back for some beers if I were in town again.

En route to a jazz bar last night, we passed through a square and our host, knowing we were here also for Belgian beer, pointed our Dulle Griet. Here we could find an excellent selection of Belgian beer. Noted! We returned the following afternoon after traipsing through Ghent. It was very quiet in the bar with one other customer in the front. We ordered two beers, with me enjoying the Rochefort 10. A friend had recommended this to me. It's strong and I was feeling affected. Darn carbonation! My girlfriend was quite stumped for her selection. She didn't appreciate my advice of choosing by prime numbers, beer type, or random name. Fortunately, the guy working the front proved quite helpful and got her settled with a fine sour beer.

They have a decent-ish selection, but they're egregiously overpriced. If Gent weren't so deprived of good watering holes (I guess deprived when compared to cities like Brussels, Antwerp, or Bruges) this place would have probably gotten a two star from me instead of three. Service is quick and snappy, as expected from Belgium, and the only food on the menu is a giant platter of cheese and sausage. I definitely don't recommend trying to finish it if you're on your own.

This bar was recommended to us by our host as a place for an extensive beer selection. We returned the next day to check it out. The list was too extensive for me, so I asked the bartender for recommendations. I told him I preferred sours and he pointed a few out. I settled on the Liefmans Goudenband and was quite pleased. It does smell like old beer in here, but otherwise the atmosphere and decor is pleasant. Great place for an afternoon drink.

270 beers to select. This is the largest beer selection in Ghent... Beer enthusiast rest assured. Come here. I even found my elusive delirium tremens rouge here. Plenty of space, but still cozy. That said I'm sure evenings are packed house. I was here at 2pm on a Sunday in Feb, and still a decent crowd. Highly recommend for beer enthusiasts. 270 beers on tap... No need for more words.

Despite the slightly garish neon signage at the front, Dulle Griet is a good quality traditional brown bar. The premises are very deep so while it can get packed at the front bar, there can be seats at the back, and there is also an upstairs area if it's open. At the back of the building is a strange room which has been decorated to give the feeling of being in an outdoor courtyard, and it's very convincing- you really do forget your in a back room totally enclosed. The beer list was very extensive, we found beers listed here we didn't find anywhere else. Prices were reasonable, service was friendly and fairly prompt even though it was busy. As it's on the main square, there were quite a few tourists about.

Delirium Tremens (on tap) served here! It was hopping on a Saturday night, but we managed to find a spot at the bar. There seemed to be good service, based on how fast we got our beers and watching people get served at their tables. The place was generally comfortable but decidedly stuffy at the back tables.

Overall, this bar has a great, large variety of Belgian beer and a cool personality. You can get aged Westvleteren 12 here, at a cost, as well as the more recently-brewed stuff. If you get a yard of beer, you have to leave a shoe that hangs in the basket in front of the bar. I came here on two occasions while in Ghent. The first time was with a fellow employee, who was Belgian. We sat out front and the waiter communicated with him. I asked at this time what the custom was for tipping and was told that it was unlike American, but leaving 1-2 Euros was okay. You don't have to go 20% (like I normally do in the US and other countries that ask for tipping). The second time I came here was on a Friday night, around 9 p.m. Not really crowded. I easily sat at the bar, had a Tripel and another dark Belgian Strong that was recommended by one of the Bartenders. When I cashed out, the same waiter guy was the one who brought me the bill, which was just over 10 Euro. I gave him 20 Euro and he returned 5 back to me and said, "Good?" then turned away, didn't wait for me to answer. Kind of jerky, if you ask me.

Beer. Selection. Yum. My husband and I spent a couple of hours trying random beers at Dulle Griet. Service was great though the space could do with a good wipe and dust down! A couple things to note. 1) There is one shared bathroom/toilet/WC between men and women. This is not clear. In fact, it's really confusing because when you get to the top of the flight of stairs and follow the arrow to the WC, all you see is a room with urinals. Hence you think that it is the men's WC. Then you look around, maybe ascend another flight of stairs, and realize that there is only one WC. So you go back to the WC and creep inside, past the urinal room. Then you see a room with a man on the door and the letters WC. Hmm, you think. Women have to pee too! Then you creep a little further and you see a door with only the letters of WC. This is where women pee. 2) There is table service both indoors and outdoors. Just sit patiently (and I mean very patiently) and a server will whizz by and take your order. If you are seated inside, you will be presented with a menu at your table, however, if you are seated outside, you will need to view the menu taped to the window as they don't allow menus at the outdoor tables (I know, WTF?). If seated inside, you can pay immediately or run a tab, however, if you are seated outdoors, you will need to pay immediately which is understandable. 3) They have a giant - and I mean giant - beer selection. 4) Order the salami and cheese plate. A good portion size and tasty 'appetizer' for roughly 7 euro.

Super typical bar, you will find tens of biers in Dulle Griet. The bar itself tells a lot of stories, through the ancient decoration in which you will find numerous pieces of history..well, party history :) I had the chance to get there with a genuine Ghent guy who made me discover this unmissable place and the funny rule in place there ..indeed, don't be surprised to meet people wearing only one shoe, they probably had to leave the other one at the barman... Ask for the story behind this curious habit once you think about having a Kwak or else at the Dulle; it will get you even more into the city atmosphere! Pretty cool place to go to if you're in Ghent for a short break.

The Dulle Griet (Mad Meg) is situated on the market square in Ghent. Named after a cannon (which is now at the waterside), the bar is one of the best known in Ghent. The bar has a series of rooms running front to back, with the rearmost rooms having some strange and interesting shop window tableaux. There is plenty of brewing memorabilia everywhere, including beer barrel tables. As this is such a well known bar, it can get uncomfortably packed at night, but is lovely for a lunchtime or early evening drink. I have read that the service can be brusque, but we have always had a great time here. If you love beer, be prepared for a long read of the extensive menu before you make your choice.

Beer is excellent! Cash only (downside) but the overall downside is the dark haired, male waiter that always has a rude attitude and he didn't help out the some of the guests that broke their glasses. He also was eating spaghetti, texting and taking multiple smoke breaks on his shift. I hate when waiters are awful to their guests. People like him should not work in customer service jobs. However, the beer and ciders are wonderful though. Hopefully you don't get this guy when you go there.

If you like beer, you'll like this spot. 500 beers to try. And very reasonable pricing. The only downside is the lack of food. This is a cash only bar, not a restaurant. But the atmosphere is great, and the beer is delicious!

Rude and unfriendly staff. Arrived 1h before closing time, wanted only a beer. Got bad treated and denied service for me and my gf. We were not drunk, just tourists. They where only speaking in Dutch and mocking us. Shocking that this place does this in a touristic city.

Beer was really expensive and service was the worst I ever had. One waiter was texting, the other waiter was smoking. We finally got our beers. I decided then that I wanted some cheese and to shorten the process I stood up, went to the waiter and asked him. He told me to sit down and ask the other waiter. He was rude. So, no cheese and no more beers and this place.