Could apero hour be the best time of day? That’s the idea that Jolijn Van den Bossche (an interior designer) wanted to promote by opening Amaro across from her restaurant Joan, to get your evening started off on the right foot – and to keep it going, long into the night! Here’s a spot that owes its name to the famous Italian liqueur, where we feel right at home (a warm lounge, banquette seating covered in striped canvas, potted olive trees inside, a well-designed bagno). As for the food, there’s a large selection of southern Italian eats: Venetian cicchetti; salame ventricina croquettes; pinse filled with burrata and pistachio pesto… And for anyone who doesn’t want to choose, there’s a “finger food” menu that features a little bit of everything. Salute! // Anika Kane

FEELING THIRSTY? An irresistible Spritz Amaro (€10.50) to start, Italian Peroni beer (€3.50 for 330 ml) or Belgian 3 Fonteinen gueuze (€18 for 375 ml) to cool off, plus a natural-heavy wine list: a Slovenian pet’ nat’ produced by Zavec (€8 a glass), and a pinot grigio from Fldora (€7.50).

PRICE: Cicchetti and small plates €3 to €7.50, platters €11-16 (cheese or charcuterie), desserts €7.50 to €8.50.