July 22, 2009
I have made several trips to this beer cafe and just discovered I have not rated it. Along with bhensonb, I spent a couple hours last week drinking beers from the extensive and well-selected list. It is an attractive venue and there is an adjoining restaurant of very high quality that I have visited on previous trips.

July 17, 2009
It is a fantastic venue. Clean, modern, yet suggestive of the past. The beer list on a stick was very effective. Service was efficient and helpful. If in Brugge, it is worth the short train trip to Oostende. Snack at the fresh fish market on the way. Another excellent reason to visit Oostende.

January 8, 2008
Great place, cozy interior and a knowledgeable staff that know and like to talk about beer. Excellent selection both on draft and bottle, unfortunately I had to drive from there so I couldn’t drink more than a couple. Definately a place to visit in Oostende or if you are near the coast of Belgium in any matter. And, I know who got the last 3F Framboos -)

January 8, 2008
My friend and I drove out to Oostende to have a couple of beers and eat some seafood, and this is where we had the most fun. Unfortunately, the rumored Drie Fonteinen Framboise was all gone by the time we visited. Lots of other quality choices, including good lambics, De Dolle, and other happy regional stuff. The same owners run the esteemed seafood place next door, which was unfortunately booked. But we learned that they shared the same kitchen, so we happily ordered and enjoyed our shrimp croquettes and fish dishes. It was a boisterous but comfy scene, loaded with mostly appreciative British tourists. Looking forward to getting back to this place.

September 30, 2007
Old fashioned place with a british feel. The menu absolutely blew me away. Over a dozen taps, bottles were in the hundreds. Everything was classified by style, with a section called "special" for all the oddball Beers. Superb selection of Lambics - finally, a place that had De Cam! - and X-mas Beers with different vintages. Honestly, I couldn’t ask for anything more. Our waiter eventually came around and took our orders. He was the typical blazé, sarcastic and somewhat condescending type we got used to seeing on the Flemish side. We spent the whole evening there, and ordered dinner. We tried the carbonnade flammande and the rabbit stew, served of course with fries. Presentation was really nice, served on big wooden boards with Le Creuset style pots, a bowl and spoon. The meat was a bit tough, but the sauce was great. Definately a highlight of my trip to Belgium, perhaps not up to par with Kulminator but pretty close, and worth the detour to Ostend by itself.

December 12, 2006
The place has an English pub look and atmosphere with it cherry wood and green tissue. Not typical for Belgium pubs. The draft selection was ok (6 tap of decent quality) as was the bottle selection (about 200 including a rather large gueuze/lambic section). It is worth noting that when I was there around aug/sept 2006 they still had Drie Fonteinen Framboos 1999 and it was very affordable. Classic rock all the time I was there. Food is nothing to brag about. Really worth checking out if you are in Oostende. Actually I think this is the only beer place worth checking out in Oostende.

November 27, 2006
Was here on a Friday night in the middle of a massive storm... so the place was busy. Sadly they had ran out of 3Fs Framboos two months prior, but the range was excellent otherwise. I drank 3F Gueuze, Westy 6, Westy 12, and a 02 Still Nacht, all magnificent beers and served in proper glassware at the right temperature. The food is where this pub won me though, probably one of the best meals I have had in Europe, I ate the deer stew which did not sound too flattering but was absolutly magnificent. Service was good without being outstanding. A must visit if in the area.

May 17, 2006
I love how this place is right downstairs from the hotel room (hotelmarion.be). They did in fact have the 3F Framboos available in 750mL for only 10.60E!! Great deal. The bottle list was strong in every area and the prices were even quite good. They also bring you some peanuts with every beer. Food wise I think I had the Flemish Carbanade and it was decent though not spectacular - 10 or 12E? The thing I didn’t like about this place was the music...something doesn’t jive well when you’re drinking an ’02 Still Nacht and that song "I like to move it" comes on full blast. The weird thing is that it almost seemed louder than the other bad songs that were played!

June 28, 2005
Classy place. Order beers by number, not by name. Had Drie Fonteinen Framboos on the list but I didn’t have it so they might be out. Just the thing to psyche yourself up to try some wulloken (dunno if I spelled that right).

March 9, 2004
This is THE place to be in Ostend. taverne 't botteltje exists for a long time. Some years ago, the owners bought the house next door, doubling the size of their cafe. The cafe was also completely refurbished in English pub style. They have virtually everything, included all Trappists, many Gueuzes, krieks etc. The disadvantage is that the cafe is always very crowded, and if you enter too late on a saterday evening, there is no place to sit. This means to me that I go to 't Ostens Bierhuus right across the street.