Oudenaarde has a clutch of traditional Flemish cafes (estaminets) around the Markt and in the old quarter. These are not tourist bars — they are places where local cyclists have a beer after a long ride and where the conversation is about the Ronde. The best time to be in them is the evening of race day in April, when the whole town is still buzzing.
Liefmans oud bruin and Goudenband are the local specialties and widely available. The oud bruin is a useful introduction to the style: darker and sourer than most Belgian ales, with a complexity that comes from long warm maturation.