Belgium and Blues is an independent cellar bar and brasserie on Above Bar Street in Southampton's cultural quarter, specialising in Belgian and craft beer. Set across two floors, it places its main bar in the cellar, with a ground-floor room that doubles as a restaurant and function space, and has built a following as an underground city-centre hideaway with a deep and constantly changing beer range. The venue opened in October 2016, founded by friends Jack Glennie and Steve Lee on the former site of Goblets Wine Bar, out of a desire for the kind of continental beer bar they wanted to drink in themselves. Since then it has run beer-focused events such as Belgian brewery takeovers, tap takeovers, and meet-the-brewer evenings, building a reputation among enthusiasts for one of the better Belgian selections on the south coast. The drinks list typically runs to well over a hundred beers, combining cask ales on handpump, real ciders, keg lines, and a large range of bottles and cans from local breweries as well as from across Europe and the United States, alongside artisan wines, spirits, and beer cocktails. Food is served most of the week, including Sunday roasts and the venue's own Arty-Stan pizzas, in keeping with its self-styled menu of food to drink to. Music is a core part of the offer, with live blues and Americana acts and vinyl-only DJ sets - spanning funk, soul, hip-hop, blues, and reggae - running through the week, typically on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, along with a weekly comedy night and quiz. With room for around 150, the bar fills up for its live music and around match days at nearby St Mary's Stadium. The bar sits in Southampton's cultural quarter, the cluster around Above Bar Street and Guildhall Square that takes in the city's main arts venues, giving it a steady flow of pre- and post-event trade. Belgium and Blues has leaned into the craft-beer movement that grew rapidly across Britain in the 2010s, rotating its lines so that regulars find new beers on most visits, and it has become a fixture for beer-led events and tastings on the south coast. Its weekly comedy night, run by a resident compere, along with its quiz and vinyl DJ sessions, broadens the appeal beyond beer enthusiasts, while the artisan pizzas and Sunday roasts give it a food offer to match the drinks.

Type: Bar / Pub

Address: 180-184 Above Bar Street, Southampton, United Kingdom

Website: https://www.belgiumandblues.co.uk

Opening Date: 01/10/2016