After almost seven months of a second national lockdown, a thirsty Belgium, heartland of European beer, returned gingerly to outside tables on Saturday. 

The wet weather was not promising as the first hardy souls began to gather to café terraces in Brussels, hoping to take a step towards a return to normal life.

Belgium was one of the hardest-hit countries in the first wave of the epidemic last year, and locked down harder than some when the later surges hit.

Now a national vaccination campaign has begun to make progress, infection numbers are down and the government has begun a phased return to business as usual.

For long-standing bar owners and restauranteurs, it's a relief, for new entrants in the market it's a moment of hope -- and tension.

"I picked my moment, it's ideal!" joked 31-year-old Thomas Mamakis as he opened up L'Altitude, which he hopes will become the bar of the moment in Forest, a Brussels district.

He said the welded joints on the steel cladding in the kitchen are still warm from their installation, but the chef is in the kitchen knocking together dough for tacos and the tables are out.

While the 50 square metre terrace is in use, with the tables spaced one and a half metres apart under the drizzling rain, the larger interior area was closed to customers.

Mamakis' frustration at the slow opening reflects that of veteran rivals, who insist that the industry has enough experience of distancing to protect its clientele.

"Putting 15 people in an office or an Ikea is possible, but for small businesses it's not?" he asks, ironically. 

"We have 100 square metres here, they could let us have ten people."