Hopper — Restaurant in Antwerp

Being a musician for years I discovered this small but cozy jazz cafe in it’s beginning years when I had a gig there with a quartet from The Netherlands where I lived at the time. I knew one day it would become my place to hang out and see some listen to some live music or hear some jazz CDs playing while watching the people. Also on a quiet week day it’s nice to come and chill, read a little or have a chat with the locals or personnel. If you are a tourist and don’t have an open mind to European ways then that’s on you and not the folks at this cafe. Service works different then in the USA and there’s is pretty good considering how busy it can be so if come with a Diva attitude then it’s not for you... but then what is and that’s on you too. If you want to be yourself and enjoy some nice music and experience a bit of the cultural atmosphere being in a nice part of Antwerp then this is a place for you with enough nice restaurants close by to grab a bite after enjoying the...

After having endless discussions about a potentially superb whiskey sour at Café Hopper, my colleague finally convinced me I should join him at Hopper to taste his proposed champion. To put my doubt into perspective: Café Hopper is a well-known Café on a busy corner across the Museum of Fine Arts (currently closed for restaurations). Among the Patine, the Chat le Roi and Hotel Pilar, these cafes set the tone of the whole square. In my eyes a good way to spend a Friday night before going someplace else. Places to have wines and beers, not delicate things like sours or cocktails in general. Be that as it may, I threw down €8 for the hyped Whiskey Sour and sadly (for my bet) I was pretty impressed. The sour was balanced, did not have one of those fluorescent maraschino's on top, wasn't too sweet nor too sours and had a nice silky texture. I'll be damned if you won't find me...

If you're a tourist, avoid it like the plague. They probably want that to happen anyway since the waitresses are fine in their little moody world pretending they're in Berlin or something, and treating customers like idiots. She refused to serve us anything but cheese toasties claiming that 'uh we ran out of evetything'. Next thing you know the local Belgians are being served proper food that apparently they had run out of. Service was pretty consistent with the rest of Belgium and Antwerp where a smile is very clearly too much to ask. Don't go, save yourself some dignity. Tourists don't belong in Antwerps trendy quarters (which are incredibly overrated anyway). Kreuzberg, Peckham, Brooklyn. Not Zuid. Just see the Cathedral and...