#2
THIS MONTH...
Dear Friends of L’Ultieme,
Winter is slowly coming to an end.
A slightly brighter light is already flowing along Rue Royale, bringing the gilded details, the stained-glass windows… and a few well-kept memories back to life.
This month, our gaze turns both inside and outside the house. Outwards, towards that majestic Brussels road that saw it come into being and grow. Inwards, towards its origins: those of a visionary painter, a bustling studio, an era when one built one’s home as one signs a work of art.
At the table, it’s time to share. Our gourmet platters, decidedly convivial, showcase flavours that are truly our own. Among them, an almost legendary guest: Westvleteren, a rare beer if ever there was one, which some hunt down like a treasure and which we prefer simply to savour, amongst friends.
On the performance front, March is already on the horizon with its lively events: voices rising, timeless songs, stories for adults and afternoons where we dare to take the mic. Because here, we dine, we listen, we tell tales… and we applaud.
When you come to visit us, leave Rue Royale behind you, push open the door, and make yourself at home.
And until then, enjoy the read!
THIS IS HALLUCINATORY...
Since January 2026, the series “C’est hallucinant” has been taking you, episode by episode, on a journey to discover the Ultieme Hallucinatie, that house in Brussels where every detail tells a story.
The concept? Short, lively clips, crafted like mini-documentaries. Each time, a detail, an anecdote, a character or a mystery emerges from the past to shed light on a facet of the place.
Guided by the irresistible duo Suzanne & Philibert, viewers step into the story through the back door… Architecture, forgotten figures, urban transformations, memories buried within the walls: the series explores the many lives of this iconic Brussels house.
Episode 2 continues this journey through time. A seemingly simple question, and suddenly… a name emerges. A name that takes us back to the very origins of the house, to a time when Rue Royale did not quite look the same…
One thing is certain: what these walls have witnessed goes (far) beyond the imagination.
SPACES OF THE ULTIEME
HISTORICAL FIGURES
From the Rue Royale
to the Ultieme green
Eugène Verboeckhoven: Belgian animal painter, hero of 1830, at the origins of de Ultieme Hallucinatie
The history of Rue Royale unfolds in three chapters, with the Hôtel Cohn-Donnay featuring in the ‘final’ chapter.
Laid out as early as 1776, this street is one of Brussels’ most iconic. It was in 1821 that the idea of linking the Royal Palace to the Palace of Laeken took root. Perhaps an initial desire to combine the ultimate with the pleasant…
He painted the king’s dogs, disarmed a soldier with his bare hands, and it was he who built the walls where it’s so pleasant to enjoy a drink or a meal. Eugène Verboeckhoven. The name may not ring a bell. And yet.
As a child, he was sent to work in a toy factory. As an adult, he was a painter so famous that his works were copied to excess.
A fighter in the Belgian Revolution, a signatory to the petition that placed Leopold I on the throne.
And in 1836, the first owner of the land that would become, a century and a half later, the Ultieme Hallucinatie.
A character straight out of a novel.
And yet, it is all true.
INSIDE THE MENU
Westvleteren:
a rare beer to be earned
The Platters:
the Belgian manifesto on sharing
It is rare, elusive, and almost impossible to get hold of. Westvleteren is often cited as the world’s most sought-after beer. But we have the magic word that will help you discover it. Do you dare to say it?
At the Ultieme, we celebrate conviviality through a tasting experience bursting with flavour. Discover the story behind our platters and how one of them holds Belgium’s best-kept secret…
EVENTFUL HAPPENINGS
BANAD Festival 2026
Ultieme Golden Sessions
Zapéro-Contes
28/29 March
11 April
20 March
Every spring, Brussels opens the doors to some of its most beautiful buildings. The BANAD Festival invites visitors to explore Art Nouveau and Art Deco venues that are usually closed to the public. Over three weekends, the city reveals itself in a new light, through its interiors, staircases, stained-glass windows and salons. During the final weekend, on 28 and 29 March, guided tours will be organised at De Ultieme Hallucinatie, and the brasserie will exceptionally open its doors on Sunday. As a festival partner, the venue will also welcome visitors on Saturday for a drink or a meal.
De Ultieme Golden Sessions is a monthly rendezvous for lovers of timeless songs and intimate atmospheres. On the program: jazz, soul, blues, bossa nova, and French chanson, delicately reinterpreted in piano–voice or guitar–voice formats.
A carefully curated repertoire chosen for its harmonies, emotion, and resonance, carried by the unique atmosphere of this iconic Art Nouveau venue.
Since its creation in 2010, the open stage Les Zapéro-contes has become a must-see event in Brussels, combining humor, emotion, and conviviality. It welcomes storytellers from Belgium and France and is aimed at adult audiences, because storytelling isn’t just for children!
BACKSTAGE
Exclusive hire of the Hôtel Cohn-Donnay:
bespoke events in Brussels
How about holding your next event in one of Brussels’ most iconic Art Nouveau gems?
Book our private rooms or restaurant area and treat your guests to a unique experience.