Gourmet products local specialties and wines Belgium

Françoise Thomaes opened her gourmet boutique in 1997. Like a little Ali Baba's cave, you'll find a wealth of treasures here and there. More than sixty pralines, truffles, fruit or almond jellies, cookies and gingerbread, artisanal honey... are presented in an attractive display case. Upstairs, you'll find their little tasting room, with over twenty hot chocolates to choose from, accompanied by a homemade waffle (made with real eggs). Cute and delicious!

In this shop, located in the historical centre of the city, you will find several hundred references of artisanal beers only, but not necessarily Belgian beers. The national references are the most numerous with a particular affection for small structures. It is also the only real beer shop in the centre of the Walloon capital. Ideal for shopping for gourmet gifts. Organisation of tastings, gift baskets and gift packages such as the amusing Crafty XMas Box, the brewery version of the Advent calendar.

Inaugurated in 2017, Manufacture Urbaine is a project that aims to be sustainable, ethical and locavore around bread, beer and coffee. Because at the MU, we're brewers, bakers (sourdough and long-fermented breads) and roasters. The workshop space is vast and airy, all concrete, glass and steel, very pleasant. The brewery's four product ranges are highly varied: lager, white, black, table beer, IPA, amber and, last but not least, a triple. On the restaurant side, the menu features brasserie dishes using local, seasonal produce.

La Grande Épicerie offers around 12,000 items in all food sectors. On a human scale, the store sells fresh produce, delicatessen cuts and mature cheeses just the way we like them. All to be washed down with one of the 600 wines and champagnes on offer. The butcher's department is also very tempting (wagyu beef, simmental, charolais...), as are the pastry and cookie shops (Dandoy, Sirre, Brian Joyeux...), the coffees and teas are numerous, and the organic and fair-trade products on offer are varied!

This former apothecary was responsible for theinvention of the praline, a small filled chocolate bite designed in 1912. And with his persistence in ideas, we also owe him the patent of the ballottin, a receptacle perfectly adapted to contain these sweets! It all started at this address, Galerie de la Reine, in this magnificent shop. His know-how in the field of luxury chocolates and biscuits seduced many, including the Belgian court (of which Neuhaus is a patented supplier). His success now extends to the whole world.

Autre Chose is an organic grocery store located in Rixensart. With a daily supply of fruit and vegetables, as well as a wide range of dried foods, dietary supplements, cosmetics and even a bookshop, Autre Chose offers a varied selection of organic products.

The shop welcomes real chocolate lovers. There are some amazing sweet and sour tastings (based on the ingredients and spices used in the chocolates): terrines, burgers (meatloaf, home-made dried fruits, candied onions, cocoa sauce), rillettes (cocoa touch), tarts (sweet). Laurent Gerbaud draws his inspiration from his distant travels! To be discovered in a magnificent tea-room with a vast terrace that makes you want to spice up your next chocolate mousse with delicate spices. Workshops on Saturdays (reservation required).

Forcado offers a wide range of pasteis de nata, including classics such as lemon, coffee, chocolate and speculoos, as well as raspberry, mojito, caramel and port cookie with vanilla cream. A range of cakes are made the old-fashioned way, just like in 1960s Portugal! A gluten-free range is also available. The store is spacious, uncluttered and bright... all signs of the Braz de Oliveira family's continuing success. The team has recently been reinforced to continue production, the patriarch having retired.

Kenny Vandenhende and Marc Lindekensde's atelier-boutique was born of an original concept. The former is a chocolatier, the latter an ice-cream maker, and together they explore these two worlds with passion and talent. There's no fuss here, just top-quality raw materials, a warm, professional welcome and a focus on customer satisfaction. In the mixed-race neighborhood of La Chasse, the results are exotic, like this ras el hanout praline. Also worth discovering: a trompe-l'oeil of chocolate French fries. Original and as addictive as the real thing.

This wine shop focuses exclusively on organic wine from Languedoc-Roussillon and gourmet products from the same region. The original wine list offers around seven references. To be consumed by the bottle or by the glass to get a detailed insight into a region that has some real nuggets. Don't neglect the plates and sandwiches which have the same appetizing Occitan accent: foie gras, terrines, charcuterie, tapenades, cheeses, marinated anchovies, tuna rillettes. Head office of the same name in Paris, between Beaubourg and Sébastopol.

V-chocolaterie is first and foremost the story of a family with 85 years of passion. It all began in the 1930s with Robert Sweertvaegher, a pastry chef turned chocolatier. He launched the first chocolate shop in Ypres, then in Courtrai and Bruges. In this beautiful store, the aesthetics of the packaging are as important as the quality of the chocolates, made with cocoa butter from sustainable cocoa and with no added vegetable fats. Take away the galette, their flagship product.

Cédric, son of Luc, is a unique artisan chocolatier whose products are to die for. Since 2008, he has amazed us with his many and varied creations. Here, we're a far cry from the big-brand chocolatiers known in France, but who aren't, after all, true, authentic chocolatiers like Van Hoorebeke. In addition to the rich variety of pralines, we recommend confectionery and gingerbread. Finally, you can personalize your chocolates, adding a touch of originality to your gifts.

Not only does Jean-Claude Joncour know the subject extraordinarily well, but he is also a finder of beautiful, lesser known French appellations. More than a thousand bottles available - mainly French - including also famous labels (Sociando-Mallet, Pape Clément, Latour...) also in old vintages. And always attractive prices for the one who is regularly quoted as one of the best wine merchants in the country. Regular organization of tastings (usually twice a year).

After a long spell at Mary's, Jérôme Grimonpon realized his dearest wish: to open his own 100% artisanal chocolate factory and let his wildest ideas roam free. In the meantime, he has been awarded the title of "Belgium's best artisan chocolatier": quite an accolade! Tablettes, orangettes, spreads and, above all, pralines reveal all the subtlety of his work: ginger or thyme ganaches, caramel fleur de sel or "éphémères", limited-edition creations. A gourmet journey that's surprising, explosive and always exciting.

On the edge of the Sablon and Marolles districts, you'll find C'est Bon, C'est Belge, an establishment that's part grocery store, part delicatessen and part restaurant, with the advantage that you can eat just as copiously as in a traditional restaurant. The focus is on Belgian products, of course, from the north and south of the country! The cuisine is pleasantly tasty, with a touch of inventiveness. And in the glasses too, "C'est du Belge", as King Albert II used to say! Wines and/or beers are Belgian, artisanal and gluten-free. At lunchtime, a well-priced lunch completes the offer.

Inaugurated at the end of February 2020 at the start of the pandemic, Fine Bakery has nothing to fear from the day after. No one could resist the crisp sourdough breads, the delicately flaky croissants, the French-style pastries such as this brioche lyonnaise with pink praline, the small savoury and sweet tarts... The bakery is in the back of the store, exhaling its aromas. As for the baker and his companion, they are on hand to serve and explain their daily production. Another gourmet address for Sablon and Uccle (^2nd boutique).

Its central location, anchored in the daily life of the people of Brussels for more than 160 years, means that one could almost pass by without thinking about it. You can let yourself be carried away by the bewitching scents and choose from a good twenty different beans, including an amazing Australian skybury or a refined Blue Mountains from Jamaica! Corica also offers a wide range of world teas and chocolate from Michel Cluizel. Harold Anciaux practises his art of roasting in what looks like a laboratory of the company's know-how!

If you like meat, it's impossible not to be hypnotized by Dierendonck's window, because it is so tempting. Hendrik Dierendonck, the star butcher of West Flanders who almost single-handedly saved the red cow of Flanders, opened his Brussels branch in 2017 and treats delighted customers to various breeds of cattle: Angus, Siementhal (matured or not), Baltic, Rubia Gallega or Wagyu, but also pork, lamb, poultry, cold cuts, seasonings... Everything on offer is handpicked.

For five generations, Bevernaege has been known for its delicious, soft marzipan in various forms. The famous "lingot", a biscuit cake with raspberries and caramelized Italian meringue, is a must. There are also 13 types of bread (sourdough and baked the old fashioned way), pure butter cookies and homemade chocolates. Everything is guaranteed without flavour enhancers. The lightly toasted toast, sprinkled with cinnamon, is a must to rediscover the flavours of yesteryear.

Yvan and Bernard want to make the Brussels population rediscover all the richness and complexity of the taste of a beer. The duo produces drinks with a well-developed bitterness, low alcohol content and relatively dry. They use old hop varieties. The success of this type of beer abroad is well known. The "Senne" beers can be found on the menu of some 250 establishments in the capital, the latter absorbing 60% of an annual production currently estimated at six thousand hectolitres: mission accomplished.

For those who, like us, like wines that are off the beaten track, there is Titulus, its natural wines, its wines from winemakers who avoid chemicals as much as possible and let nature do a good part of the work of vinification. In short, wines that are often easy to drink and that do not cause that famous headache due to excess sulphur! And as a glass of wine is worth a thousand words, the wine bar allows you to taste a hundred or so labels. Tastings and initiations on request and an incredible assortment of natural sakes!

It's not only in football that Hazard does things well... Julien, bronze medal winner at the Best Brussels Artisans competition, will not contradict us! What could be better than a cheese dairy where cheeses from French, Italian, Belgian, Swiss or Spanish farms are matured? Each of these cheeses (made from raw milk) is selected according to the season and is matured in a specific cellar according to its nature (bloomy rind, washed rind, or hard or semi-hard cheese). Creamery products, artisanal charcuterie and organic wines are also available.

A touch of classicism and a touch of daring, with Spanish and Italian appellations and bottles from all over the world: California, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Morocco, Australia, Hungary, Germany, Georgia, Japan... and even more than 30 Belgian references! The selection of over five hundred spirits from around the world is top-notch, while a range of irreproachable Brussels beers completes the picture. To sum up: seven hundred wines from over thirty-five countries, spirits, local beers and expert advice from the whole team.

Quality and freshness is "the new insurance of the former broker". Moving from insurance to chocolate maker: this is conversion! It was in 2002. A success! At the key, a second address, in Mons. Claude Legast's specialities include spices and miniature dragons, symbols of Mons and his «Doudou». Claude's son, Thibault, joined the house.

Brian and Anastasia Joyeux's expertise is evident first in the display and then on the palate. Rather than an identical assortment every day, Brian has opted for flagship products once a week: Tuesday the éclairs, Wednesday the lemon tarts, Thursday it's the turn of the marvellous and the Paris-Brest, and Friday the mille-feuille and the tarte tropézienne. Viennese pastries are also available every day, as well as a few other pastries, macaroons, caramels with red fruits and occasionally cakes for celebrations and birthdays.

The dashing hundred-year-old brewery has never changed hands, the current "boss" being the great-grandson of Paul Cantillon. The beer production does not use any kind of additives, uses the famous spontaneous fermentation and is certified organic. We are talking about a mythical brewery, celebrated as far as the USA. The Cantillon brewery is considered in more than twenty countries as a reference for spontaneous fermentation and therefore for traditional lambic and gueuze. Jean-Pierre Van Roy, retired, assists his son Jean who has taken over the running of the brewery.

A flagship winery in the province of Namur, its success is resounding! Jeannette moved to Lustin (Profondeville) with her family from her native Holland in the early 2000s. The first female cellar master in Belgium, she has raised her wines to international level. Starting with a few basic skills, Jeannette is recognized by her peers. Her wines are made from 14 grape varieties, the most famous of which are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Acolon. Present on the region's finest tables, her wines can be enjoyed on tours with or without a meal.

Fresh from his ^39th place (^1st Belgian) at the Gelato World Festival, Mathieu Eyckmans pays daily tribute to Italian gelato. In his store, you'll find flavors that transport you to Rome or Florence (almond-pistachio, baccio, amarena, Piedmont hazelnuts...). Just the sight of their silky appearance in their tubs is enough to make your mouth water. Because gelati are a little lighter than their French cousins, they melt deliciously in the mouth and explode with flavor. A moment of pure bliss. Vegan, yoghurt and waffle options.

An experience you'll definitely want to try! Because this kind of old-fashioned business, with its thousand and one flavors, is just what you're looking for! Echte ("real ") Bruxelloise, Catherine (and José) like to take their time and smile with their many customers. Hard and flowery pasta, goat, ewe and goat-sheep cheeses, fromage blanc and organic cheeses complete a tempting range. Catherine works directly with small-scale producers, offering spontaneous advice and cutting slices in front of you. Other products to mention: delicatessen, seasonal produce, wines, charcuterie...

This venerable institution has been around for over a century! Originally, it was more of a grocery store. Its proximity to the university enabled it to become a pioneer in the speciality beer trade, now open as a "night-shop". There are around four hundred different beers on offer, many in 75 cl format. Prices are attractive, even if the owner, Pierre, no longer claims to be the cheapest in Brussels. Except for foreign beers, which remain below the prices charged elsewhere...

History: This is the factory outlet of the Neuhaus chocolate factory. This chocolate factory is the oldest in Belgium. It was founded in 1857 by Jean Neuhaus, a chocolatier from Switzerland, in association with his brother-in-law who was a pharmacist. Originally, these were pharmaceutical sweets: cough sweets, liquorice for stomach aches, marshmallows, chocolate pieces, all therapeutic and delicious sweets sold in the royal galleries Saint-Hubert in Brussels. Neuhaus is a patented supplier to the Court of His Majesty the King of Belgium. A stopover for the gourmands who find here the opportunity to taste all the possible chocolates!

Renowned pastry shop existing since 1990, the success can be seen on Sunday morning! The list of breads is long: white, grey, omega +, procorn, rye, sesame, vita +, cramic, fig bread, 10 cereals... We also like their buttery cakes, their creamy pies (fruits, rice, sugar...), ice creams and frozen cakes. Not to mention the marzipan figurines. Note that the production workshops are located on the spot, in order to keep the freshness and the warmth (of the baguettes for example). The service is impeccable despite the crowd of gourmands.

This market - Vismarkt - dates back to 1821. It takes place every morning, from Tuesday to Saturday. From the fish market, take the Steenhouwersdijk, then the Groenerei. You will see the two oldest bridges in the city, Meebrug & Peerdenbrug. Take the time to go to the end of the Groenerei where the beautiful Maison-Dieu de Pelikaan is located, and then resume your path towards the fish market.

Located in the center of town, this large café-tea room is the place to be for the city's regulars at any hour of the day, to recharge their batteries without breaking the bank. The François family has been at the helm for 60 years. To say they don't disappoint is an understatement! The à la carte menu offers a wide choice of snacks. Try theuitsmijter (ham and cheese toast with fried eggs). Apple fritters, gourmet pancakes and waffles, ice creams, savory toasts... everything is homemade and delicious. Whether on the terrace or indoors, it's not easy to find a table.

Perhaps the competition is too great towards the Grand-Place, so it's next to the Parc du Cinquantenaire that you come for your ice cream! Original flavors and creations will reassure even the most demanding. The good news is that everyone can enjoy it, as some flavors are available without sugar or with rice milk. Well worth a stroll in the park with a few ice creams to savor! Capoue is now a well-developed chain, with numerous locations in Brussels (tasting rooms and takeaway counters) and Wallonia.

Tradition takes pride of place in this house founded in 1919 by Marie Delluc, and a "patented supplier to the Court of Belgium" since 1942! Here, natural ingredients and pure cocoa butter chocolate without additives. Among the assortment of pralines, we fall for the Mary (fondant praline, nougatine) and the Lady (four dark chocolate mousse pralines with equal degrees of bitterness). There are around 125 chocolates, including a range of 75 pralines. True to its spirit, the Rue Royale boutique welcomes customers in a charming retro atmosphere.

Is it still necessary to introduce Zizi? This inescapable ice cream maker never ceases to make us lose our minds: toasted sesame, croccantino, straciatella, or depending on the season, chestnut, mint tea, peanut butter, raspberry, melon, pineapple... It's hard to make a choice! All these flavours are a must. The sale in the shop is pleasantly extended by the one in the "truck", where you can also find the pancakes and waffles which are - also - the success of the brand. Be careful, the line is long at Zizi's, so take precautions.