I consider myself to be lucky that one of the city’s most beloved cafés is just around the corner from my apartment in Antwerp. And it’s not only one of the most characteristic cafés of the city, it’s also one of the most important Jazz-hubs for musicovery.

The café opened in 1964 and it immediately caught the attention of the artists’ community in the city because of its alternative and controversial style. More and more people from the artistic scenery known for their outspoken and curious personality find their way to the café. Lots of (inter)national artists have performed in De Muze. Here’s just a few big names: Ferre Grignard, John Lee Hooker, Memphis Slim, Archi Shep etc.

The café has kept its original atmosphere and today it’s the vintage artistic character that intrigues most of its visitors. Almost every night after 22:00 jazz bands come to perform live just for the pleasure of your (alternative) ears. You can expect to meet very diverse people, not only from Belgium, but also ex-pats studying or working in Antwerp. Needless to say, they have a variety of delicious Belgian beers but also a satisfying amount of whiskey and scotch sorts.

De Muze is one of those cafés that holds so much history that it now belongs to the city. And mind you, you can take this quite literally. Just ask how in 2014 the regular clients saved the Jazz bar from of trouble and rescued its legacy from oblivion.