H O R R O R
CAFES, PUBS, CLUBS AND RESTAURANTS OF EUROPE
BELGIUM
Le Cerceuil, 12 Rue des Harengs, Brussels. In a tiny street opposite and to the right of the town
hall in the Grand Place. 'The Coffin' is one of the oldest horror bars in Europe. The good old
traditional type with coffins for tables and skulls to drink beer and wine from. Also potent
cocktails with names like "la semence du demon" ('demon semen'.)
(photos by Rob Brautigam)
I'm sure the bar used to be in the cellar but now it's
on the ground floor cramped into a room about the size of a small living room!
Fantasia Grill ("Le Restaurant de l'Etrange"), 57 Rue des Bouchers, Brussels. A tourist restaurant
five minutes from the 'Grand Place'. Seems based on the Halloween Cafe with similar gargoyle statues inside.
Halloween Cafe ("La Brasserie de l'Etrange"), 10 Rue des Grands Carmes, 1000 Brussels. (Tel: 02-514.12.56.
Fax: 02.511.66.91) Wonderfully atmospheric cafe/brasserie full of gargoyle statues and fountains and imaginative
paintings, many with a pumpkin-head theme. Some of the paintings feature the bearded owner which can be
disconcerting if he's sitting nearby having a drink. Beer and wine served by waiters in monks'
habits.
Make sure to
check out the dining rooms at back which have more gargoyles and charming details such as a
small window through which you can see a vampire woman in her coffin in the cellar. A work of
art, this is the aristocrat of horror cafes. Became slightly more commercial in the past year
with unnecessary touches like prominently naming each table after a famous horror character -
maybe it helps the waiters work out the bills. Opens around four in the afternoon. Good quality
meals available in the evening. About ten minutes from the 'Grand Place'. A must-visit.
Ghent/Gand
Rob Brautigam reports spotting a weird restaurant here. No further details.
ENGLAND
The Bram Stoker Tavern, 148 Old Brompton Road, Kensington, London. One of the 'Eerie' chain of pubs,
this opened in 1998. Impressive Dracula mural on the wall outside. Inside framed photos of Bram Stoker
and a fair stab at a 'weird' Victorian decor with a 'library' of fake books at back. Silent movies
like Chaney's Hunchback of Notre Dame sometimes play on a large TV behind the bar. Quite a commercial
feel to it underlined by godawful mainstream music played so loud it's hard to talk. The Vampire
Connexion group meets here from 7.30 the last Thursday of every month; other times the clientele seems
a mixture of suits and backpackers.
Garlic and Shots, Frith Street, London, W1. Right in the heart of Soho, this Swedish-owned
restaurant specialises in all things garlicky, including garlic liquer, garlic beer and garlic
ice-cream! Given the garlic theme, they play up the vampire angle with a speciality Transylvanian
garlic steak and a vampire's coffin in the basement. There's apparently another branch in
Stockholm, Sweden.
Jack Straw's Castle, Hampstead. An historic London pub mentioned here because it gets a mention in
Bram Stoker's Dracula.
The Spaniard's Inn, Hampstead. Another historic London pub mentioned in Dracula.
FRANCE
Le Comte Dracula Cafe, Paris
Halloween Restaurant, Lille
GERMANY
Underworld, Bayreuth. A family horror restaurant with Morticia-like waitresses, this apparently
opened in the early 90's. Anyone know if it's still going?
Stuart McConaghy, who lives in Hamburg, reports hearing of a German restaurant with bodies
hanging from the ceiling and glass eyeballs served up in the soup. Anyone got any further details on this?
HOLLAND
Cafe Lugosi, Haarlem
ITALY
Dario Argento announced plans to open a theme restaurant based on his movies, in partnership with
Umberto Ferri, the man behind the Transilvania Horror Bar chain which is gradually spreading
through Italy.
Transilvania Horror Bar, Rimini
Transilvania Horror Bar, Rome
SCOTLAND
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Ediburgh. One of the 'Eerie' Company's theme pubs.
SWEDEN
Garlic and Shots, Stockholm. Another branch of the garlic and vampires restraurant also found
in London.
Know of a horror cafe, pub or restaurant in Europe? Let me know about! Send the gory details to:
Michel@pumpkinpie.com
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