The European Bar Guide has ranked Brussels café Het Goudblommeke in Papier (La Fleur en Papier Doré) as the best café in Europe. With a 9.7 out of 10, the café formerly frequented by top-notch artists, achieved a near-perfect score.
The guide suggests that Het Goudblommeke in Papier manages to combine several essential elements that make a great bar. The style and interior embrace a vintage aesthetic, with a wall covered in framed antique artworks generally inspired by medieval influences and floral romances.
The European Bar Guide appreciated the beers served too, including regional brews like ‘Verschueren Saison’, beers from Brewery ‘De Ranke’ and ‘Stouterik’ on draught from ‘Brasserie de la Senne’. ‘Thanks to a new partnership with Brewery Verschueren the beer list has been revamped, with a truly excellent selection at perfectly reasonable prices, elevating the establishment to an almost mythical level’.
A home for artists
The café has been famous in creative circles for many years. In 1944, art dealer, poet and dramatist Geert van Bruaene bought the café. It grew into a meeting place for many artists linked to the surrealist movement. People including Marcel Mariën, René Magritte, Louis Scutenaire and Cobra's Dotremont and Alechinsky were regulars drinkers here. You could also bump into Flemish writers like Hugo Claus and Louis Paul Boon.
In July 1997, the Royal Commission for the Protection of Monuments and Sites of the Brussels Region classified the three taprooms and the façade of ‘Het Goudblommeke in Papier’ as a protected monument. The café also organises numerous events including lectures and concerts as well as poetry and literature evenings.