BOHM will be resurrected as a wine bar and shop on Conscienceplein
After a closure of seven months, you can again have a glass of wine at the well-known catering establishment BOHM at Conscienceplein. In 2019, Ernst Aben opened a business with Bohm & Berkel that grew into a French bistro, but now hot dishes are no longer served in the wine bar.
When Bohm & Berkel saw the light of day on Conscienceplein five years ago, it was as if this catering business had always been there. A French bistro with patina on a square with Italian charm, the picture seemed perfect. That's what it was, a large audience stretched its legs on the terrace in front of the St. Charles Borromeo Church, until manager Ernst Aben (62) fell ill in early 2022. “First the diagnosis of cancer and then an essential heart operation made it no longer possible to run the business ourselves.” Together with his wife, the writer Margot Vanderstraeten, Ernst looked for buyers who could run the business in the same spirit, but they threw in the towel at the end of last year.
The owners on the atmospheric terrace of BOHM. — © Jan Van der Perre
In the meantime, Ernst had also opened Het Archief in the Geefstraat with business partner Caroline Van Dooren at the beginning of 2023. The building in which books and archive material from the Province of Antwerp were stored for years forms a highly original setting for a wine bar. “When I was looking for a new buyer for Bohm & Berkel, the suitable candidate did not present itself. An Indian restaurant, a takeaway business? They don't breathe the Parisian atmosphere, so they were dropped. So, after a closure of seven months, I decided to run the business myself again, together with my business partner from Het Archief.”
After your visit to wine bar BOHM, simply take a bottle home from the store. — © Jan Van der Perre
And so from now on, Bohm & Berkel will go through life as purely BOHM, the wine bar. “We keep the drinks menu from Het Archief. Just like there, you can also buy wine in BOHM and the space is also rented out as an event location.” Has much changed at that cozy catering business on Conscienceplein? “No, the terrace has become larger due to the redesign of the square. And, although we no longer have a chef in house, you can still have a bite to eat here. The authentic Berkel cutting machine is still there. A plate of charcuterie, cheese, or a portion of mixed... That's how I started five years ago, and that's how we continue now.”
BOHM, Hendrik Conscienceplein 3, Antwerp.
Open Fri-Sun 3-10pm.
0468221251
