Oude Smis van Mekingen
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Address: Jan Baptist Cardijnstraat 10, 1600 Sint-Pieters-Leeuw (Mekingen), Belgium
Phone: +32 (0)2 356 19 74
Opening Hours: Monday 11:00–23:00, Wednesday 11:00–23:00, Thursday 11:00–18:00, Friday 11:00–23:00, Saturday 11:00–18:00, Sunday 10:00–14:00.
Overview
Oude Smis van Mekingen ("The Old Blacksmith's Forge" café) is a landmark of lambic history. The place is known to serve traditional lambic such as Moriau Oude Gueuze (including older vintages), Boon Kriek, Oud Beersel Oude Geuze, ... fetching bottles one by one in the cellar as in the old days. It is very cozy with a small setup of five tables only, and is a popular spot amongst hikers and cyclist in the area as well as locals, who pöay cards there every wednesday night.
History / Side-Notes
The building dates back to at least the mid-19th century and is protected: the heritage inventory mentions "the second quarter of the 19th century" and suggests that an inn / tavern was already present around 1847.
Historically, there used to be a blacksmith shop attached to the building; horses were shoed there. A grocery (“kruidenierszaak”) also operated in the space until the 1990s.