March 30, 2012
The front window is full of Trolls, big and small, cute and grumpy, bald and hairy, but once inside they seem to be a little sparser. Split into three and a half levels, wooden floors apart from the stone celler, you are watched by Trolls while you drink. The place wasn’t too busy so we could choose our seats, we sat near the window at first but the breeze from the main door when anyone came or went forced us down into the celler, the upstairs being closed off apart from visiting the toilets up there. Barman was pleasant enough; he didn’t come and find us, so we re-ordered at the bar and carried them down ourselves, no problem, no tip! Not the largest beer list in Gent, but a nice enough bar and well worth finding, especially if you like those awful Troll dolls.

August 28, 2011 [ Updated September 13, 2011 ]
The Trollekelder is in a square dominated by St Jacobs church, just a stroll away from the Friday Market. You can hardly mistake it from anywhere else in the square as it has a collection of trolls in the window amongst a littering of mushrooms and corks. It’s a rickety old place ranging over three floors plus a mezzanine platform by the window from which there’s a view up through the trap door to the first floor and down into the cave like basement. There are wooden floors, big beams (but not from the bar staff, who are usually attentive but rather sombre) and roughly hewn tables. There are a few tables outside although I’ve never seen them in use, perhaps because there always seem to be road works going on in this area. The main bar area, up steps from the front door (with more steep steps going upstairs to the first floor and toilets), has bare brick and yellow colour-washed walls and a huge painting of a packed theatre where grotesque revellers frolic in the foreground whilst behind them the stage is flanked by two large, friendly-looking trolls. When we visited in June the beer of the month was Delirium Tremens at E3.70 with the usual offer of two for the price of one. There are eight taps and a long bottle list sitting on its own little shelf. The trick here is to check prices carefully as they vary a lot, but not as much as in the nearby Dulle Griet. Two of my favourites, Liefmans Kriek and Girardin Kriek, were both E5.80. (Last visited 9 June 2011).

July 5, 2011
Very cozy interior, especially in the basement. Selection is ok but not too special. Quite pricey though. Service is mediocre, especially when in the basement you really need to pay attention and stop the waiter if he’s passing by, cause they tend to stay in the upper regions of the bar. Snacks are overpriced (at least the cheese/salami platter is).

March 22, 2011
A pleasant enough retreat from the rain outside. Dimly lit bar overlooking St. Jacobs church. Beer menu is similar to others around town. Staff were OK.

January 27, 2011
I have been here about a dozen times over the last few years. It has a great atmosphere, although the music has changed from pure classical to a less interesting mixture. The prices have also been steadily climbing. The selection is good, but a bit on the ordinary side. There are better places in Gent.

November 1, 2010
This was out hangout during our 5 night stay in Ghent in June 2010. Nice cozy place indoors on a cool evening and some lovely seating outside looking at St-Jacobs when the weather warmed up. We found it romantic- noted many couples there. We found the staff helpful and friendly. Decent selection. Good place to stop by before/after dinner.

June 30, 2010
Nice little location right by a church, Troll theme, seating downstairs is perfect surrounded by brick - cave like basement. Beer selection is nice though a little limited, overpriced, especially for the Lambic and Gueuze selection. Worth checking out for the location and bar decor. Home brew is alright though not extraordinary. A place that was just missing this little something extra that has you leave thinking you just visited a great location.

May 16, 2010
A bit off the beaten track in gent i suppose, but nice modern woody interior. Small but cosy. Some decent beers. Not bad.

March 21, 2010
Nice pub. Nice beers. But waiter is not at all gentle. Money is what counts to him and that you as guest are not too noisy... Not a pub to go with a larger group of friends.

November 20, 2008
This pub has changed ownership a few times and it’s been a while since I’ve been there but generally the ambiance is ok to good. A bit too dark of an interior if I recall correctly so not really a brown café. Service is minimal (meaning they serve you and you pay them) and prices are high for a pub but normal for a beerpub with a wide selection. I remember the dutch explanations below some beers to be very funny written and farfetched. "ruikt naar het ruim van een zeventiende eeuws karveel" meaning: "smells like the deck of a seventeenth century caravel"