Gourmet products local specialties and wines Belgium

Fabrice and Nathalie offer cakes and chocolates where creativity and the search for pleasure are the main themes. The same passion can be found in the breads (traditional, sourdough), baguettes, pastries or chocolate mousses. Patented supplier of the Court of Belgium since 2014, the house Biasetto was in fact since the very beginning of this century. Special orders (cakes, ice cream,...) with 3 days in advance. The Biasetto patisserie-chocolaterie is located at only 2 kilometers from Brussels Expo and the Atomium.

Artisanal chocolate factory located in the heart of Schaerbeek, founded in 1972! As Easter, St. Nicholas' Day or Valentine's Day approaches, the shop window and display are adorned with classic shimmering attractions that literally grab the passer-by inside the store. Hollows, pralines, decorated or undecorated casts... everything here is a happy reminder of the carefree hours of a childhood not always as far away as one might think. Marzipan and jelly, among other things, are other colourful "madeleines". A classic to be absolutely preserved!

If you are looking for gourmet surprises that you can't find anywhere else, this grocery store on the edge of the Châtelain district is for you. The store is divided into 3 areas: sweet (cookies, jams, sweets...), savory (sauces, terrines, chutneys...) and aperitif (various alcohols, snacks...). Didier has chosen sharp products coming from different horizons, often surprising but always greedy. It's simple, we would devour half of the store by simple curiosity! Fortunately, tastings are offered in the store.

There are countless French- and German-style bakeries in Brussels, but it's a Franco-English couple, Robert Hiller and Marianne Rousson, who are behind the city's only English-style bakery. Mind you, Robert and Marianne are not exclusive: alongside buns (both sweet and savoury), there are baguettes and rye breads. But it's obviously the buns that will catch the eye (and the taste buds): Cinnamon bun with cinnamon, Chelsea bun with redcurrants, Hot Cross with raisins... Plenty of variety.

Son of a baker, Romain Fiume and his wife Weronika came to settle in a small shopping street of Woluwé-Saint-Pierre and this brand new bakery has already seduced many inhabitants of the district with its breads made of organic flour, with slow growth and natural leaven. Opened on the eve of the Epiphany, La Petite Grange has also launched itself directly into the world of puff pastries and the reputation of the house is already well established in this field. The croissants and pains au chocolat are marvelous and the pastries are not to be outdone.

Winner of several awards in Europe and the US, including "Distillery of the year" in New York, this artisan distillery specializes in quality spirits made from local produce, such as Binche Gin, one of Belgium's finest, Bintje Vodka and Bonespéreuse, distilled in the tradition of the great abbey liqueurs using angelica, a staple of the Bonne Espérance Abbey plains. Installation in the superb Binche railway station, renovated as a microbrewery and distillery, is scheduled for 2024.

Goat's cheese, raclette varieties, cold cuts, soups can be ordered (by weight, piece or tray) and will transport your taste buds to the pastures... Jams, strawberries (in season), bubbles and chocolates are also available for a complete and copious meal. A real Swiss chalet atmosphere, masterfully orchestrated by Carla Di Falco and her husband! You can smell the aroma of about sixty French, Italian or Belgian cheeses and you arrive straight in Eugène Plasky Square! Special mention for the gorgonzola "à la cuillère"!

Since 1864, when it was the first delicatessen in Namur, the Maison Delahaut has climbed the ladder of excellence in coffee roasting and tea importing. In their Brussels shop, you can find pure origin coffees (Kenya, Brazil, Colombia, Papua or the famous Blue Moutains from Jamaica), blends (their own house blend or Italian blends), organic, bean, ground, pods... the choice is impressive. Let's not neglect the teas and herbal teas (we love the "Royale du panda") and the gourmet baskets.

The little soft cake with a tasty frosting is a real institution. The delights that Lilicup offers us are a variety made in Belgium. Every day, depending on their mood and the season, the pastry chefs offer more than fifteen different flavours. The menu also contains other surprises: brownies, cheesecakes, cookies, muffins... All this can be accompanied by a tea or a cappuccino with milk foam, the only one that should exist... Lilicup has a^second address in Uccle, Chaussée de Saint-Job.

Behind Xocolate is Xavier Declercq who launched his chocolate factory in 2019. All ingredients are organic and fair trade. No wonder this is important to him since Xavier worked for 33 years at OXFAM. In his Schaerbeek store, everything is handmade and you can see the workshop at the back. As for the chocolates, there are the classics: ganache, speculoos, Liège syrup, rum and grapes and other more daring creations with herbs and spices (lemongrass, coriander, cardamom...). His chocolates are powerful but not bitter. A delight!

Wine bar, delicatessen, tapas bar and sandwich bar with the Basque Country in common. You will love the gourmet baskets that are already prepared, but you can also make your own and take advantage of a suspended loyalty booklet. The taste buds travel: bread with pata negra, chorizo or other sheep's cheese for lunch, cooked dishes to enjoy with the family such as piquillos à la bacalao, axoa from Espelette or a glass of wine with friends around a plate of tapas... Groups of 20 to 40 people to taste wine and nibbles

As a branch of the French parent company, the company delights both lovers of good pastries and gluten intolerant people. Chambelland has made this digestive speciality its own: all its products are guaranteed 100% organic and gluten-free! And there is no question of making concessions to quality, taste or visual pleasure, which are all important parameters when it comes to bread or sweet treats. The breads are made from buckwheat or rice flour (from the Po Valley, optimally processed in the Chambelland mills).

Jean-Marie is at the head of this pretty grocery store specialized in exotic fruits and vegetables. In fact, he is a fruit producer himself, especially pineapples which are grown in Uganda. Just looking at the front of the store, with its full bags of beautiful products, you'll want to come in. Jean-Marie can prepare a fresh juice for you at a moment's notice (you'll just have to be patient for it to be ready) but he also has a catering corner with African specialties, full of freshness. Chocolates, spices and wines finish filling the shelves.

The Lanni ice cream parlour is well known in Brussels, with its pink and blue coloured truck. Now he has also set up shop in Uccle, right next to the town hall. He offers a wide range of home-made ice creams and sorbets and a large assortment of ice cream cakes and pastries. The ice-cream maker gets up at dawn to select his fruit at the morning market (Charentais melon, kiwi, mango, lemon, banana, pear, apple, pineapple or fresh mint and basil). For other hungers, Lanni also offers milkshakes, sandwiches and pasta cones.

Bakers in Poland, the Ciszkowski family has been developing the business in Brussels for about fifteen years now. In total, there are four shops (Ixelles, Anderlecht, Jette, Forest) where local specialities with unpronounceable names for our French-speaking mouths take pride of place. But our taste buds appreciate the caraway or pumpkin bread, the swidry (doughnuts), the rolled cakes or the poppy strudels. Another advantage of these gourmet haunts is that the shops also sell groceries... local products, of course.

Beer, Wine & Spirit was inaugurated in 2013 by Delsart a few hundred meters from the current address. In 2019, the brand moved, refocused its activities and took the opportunity to change its name. Forget all your references, categories, grandpa's abbey beers and other banalities. This address is teeming with originality, each more hype than the last, with over 800 beers in all. There's also a good selection of spirits, with whisky and rum topping the list. Enough to keep you going (even if the non-alcoholic selection is also well-stocked).

L'Épicurieuse is Marianne Lebrun, passionate about artisanal and tasty products. Her mouth waters as soon as she presents each item with its particularities and the spirit of its producers. The shelves are filled with her oils and spices, fresh pasta, nougat, speculoos, truffade, Kusmi tea, Lov Organic infusions, Brussels Ketjep sauces, jams, etc. As for chocolate, it is surprisingly the Swiss brand Carré Suisse that fills the shelf! Never mind, we'll stay for a few gifts to make, in the form of a gift basket for example.

L'Épuisette is a fishmonger's, but as the trend is for multi-functional places, it is also a catering service AND a bistro. Enough to satisfy all your seafood cravings. The chef, Guillaume Vanhalle, has worked in the kitchens of the Villa Lorraine, a Michelin-starred establishment, and is therefore a guarantee of good food. As a result, the soles, lobsters, crabs and other shrimps intended for the croquettes are directly transformed on the spot. The products are respectful of the seasons and the fishmonger's shop gets its supplies from sustainable sources. A beautiful establishment!

The first cheese bar in the capital is now open in the friendly Saint-Jacques district. Lovers of good cheeses, on your marks, it's on! Véronique Socié is passionate about raw milk, maturing (which she also does) and good cheese. She was a goat breeder in the Jura before training as a cheesemaker at the Saint-Michel cheese factory in Waterloo, and is now at the helm of a superb place. You can enjoy it on the spot with a charcuterie or a Jura wine (or a Belgian beer), or you can take it home to treat your friends.

In this festive neighbourhood near the Ixelles cemetery and the Free University of Brussels, there is a small shop where you can still distinguish between the banal and the perfect. The best spirits and cigars are on offer to make you lose your head. A real "havanathèque" (a nice neologism...), spirits, champagnes and wines of great finesse. As a result, there is only one piece of advice: ask the boss, who knows his subject inside out. He advises novices and gives customers his informed epicurean point of view!

Santos Palace's reputation is well established! The roasting company was founded in 1911 under the name of Compagnie Brésilienne on rue de Manchester (the workshop is still there today). Noël Blondeel, father of the current owner, bought the company 50 years ago and gave it its current name. Santos specializes in the roasting and sale of coffee, accompanying items (biscuits, sugar...) and professional and domestic machines. Blue Mountain, maragogype or mokka reveal their delicate fragrances in the shop where advice is required.

Driven by the same family passion for genuine Belgian chocolate, Christian, Isabelle and their team have been sharing this love for over 15 years, whether in the form of bars, truffles or pralines. Nougatine, speculoos, dark ganache 75%, hazelnut praline, almonds, tiramisu... A sweetness for your palate. L'Art du Chocolat, chocolate maker in Brussels, next to the Grand Place, offers you these numerous choices to which we will add "hollows" for festive occasions (Easter, Saint-Nicolas...), boxes and a small vegan selection.

On the ground floor of the restaurant Tan, this very healthy and organic shop is well known to lovers of organic food and fair trade products. You have to have tasted the tasty preparations of the restaurant and Paul Grégoire's kitchen to realise the quality and the difference in taste of this type of food. So it's not surprising that the shop, advice and books at Tan magasin are just as popular as the restaurant or the cooking classes that are regularly offered there.

We particularly appreciate the possibility of tasting great chateaux but also the "oenology" evenings during which we take a real pleasure between amateurs. Choice among 1,200 references in wines from all over the world and champagnes (including 600 Bordeaux wines and 150 great Burgundy wines, 180 champagnes). Advice from sommeliers and competitive prices. Wine lovers will enjoy the select environment of Fort Jaco to choose from a plethora of great wines that will please their palate.

Pipaillon "embeds" the best of each season to keep the flavours intact. The concept is 100% Belgian, organic and short circuit, the fruits and vegetables are produced by Belgian producers (and Sicilians for the fruits of the South) handpicked. The partners develop the recipes and ensure the production of jams, tapenades, chutneys, compotes and preserved lemons that are a real hit! A Coffee & Jam bar with a vintage decor, offers breakfasts, sandwiches, sweet and savoury cakes with home-made products. Large terrace on the quay.

The shelves, the light, the filled shelves, the shopping carts, it's almost like a Carrefour Market! The shelves offer a really good range of food products, including cereals and dried vegetables in bulk, and wines. A very good fresh and catering corner supplied every day. Not forgetting cleaning products, vitamins and cosmetics. Upstairs, the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner and is totally independent from the shop run by Perry and Nicolas. Shanti means "peace" in Sanskrit...

The Asian quarter of Brussels, however small, has its own supermarket. This one is impressive in its diversity of products, making it the largest Asian supermarket in the country and the exclusive distributor of Tsingtao beer for the kingdom. Products, staff and customers are all Asian, as are the labels written in Mandarin. Rice, noodles, vegetables, sauces, spirits, spices, teas, frozen foods, Chinese remedies and newspapers - nothing has been left out. Including beautiful Chinese or Japanese dishes and utensils.

A little different from the usual assortment of Belgian chocolatiers, the Planète Chocolat assortment offers many personalized products, traditional in manufacture and unusual in design. For example, there are a multitude of themed boxes suitable for all ages and occasions. Don't miss the guided tours of the workshop organised at the weekend (info on the website). It is also possible to book workshops to become a budding chocolatier (also see website).

What makes one bakery better than another? At Saint-Aulaye, we have been finding the answer to this question for over thirty years: respect for tradition. The best ingredients, the time needed for a good preparation, the refusal to favour the quick and dirty. This philosophy gives rise to melting croissants like you won't find anywhere else, breads and cakes of all kinds. Two other addresses, in the Châtelain district and in Fort Jaco (Uccle).

A family history that began with the parents in 1967 in Butgenbach and then in Malmedy in 1970. But it is the children Luc and Marion who have been perpetuating the case since 1997. Artisanal production of local products such as milk from the farm next to the workshop, butter from Bullange, rye flour from the Eiffel or honey from our own production. The sourdough bread, rye bread and wholemeal bread (very dark, almost black) make the reputation of this bakery that has been passed down through the generations just like the pastries that are to die for.

Coming to Dinant without tasting its famous couque is like going to Cambrai without bringing back any nonsense. Although one is as hard as the other under the tooth, this treat is part of the trip. The Jacobs family has been in the traditional bakery-pastry business for three generations, and has won accolades all over town for its famous couques. The tasting room, paneled with period furniture, is ideal for a break with pastries and coffee served in a cafetiere.

Here, speculoos are king, and marzipan is emperor. As a guarantee of quality, ancestral recipes have been handed down from father to son for four generations. If there's a not-to-be-missed time of year to come here, it's around St. Nicholas' Day. Around two months before the holidays, several tons of marzipan take on the shape of the man with the long beard and red miter. The whole thing is baked from the inside out, with a thickness that retains its inimitable softness. An address not to be missed!

Epicureans, here's one of your temples right in the middle of Bruges' shopping street! The black diamond is, of course, the truffle (the mushroom, not the chocolate), worked in all sorts of ways (fresh, in sauce, butter, oil, salt...), which is one of the store's specialties. Alongside the precious truffle, you'll find a host of other goodies, including honey, condiments, tapenades, sweet and savoury cookies, wine, jams, liqueurs and gins... the list is long and by no means exhaustive, a true gourmet paradise.

The weekly flea market takes place on Saturdays and Sundays from mid-March to mid-November on the Dijver along the canal. A must when looking for antiques, treasures found in the attics but also handicrafts that will make nice original gifts. At the beginning of July, beginning of August and end of September, a large flea market is held in Bruges over a distance of 5 km: the Zandfeesten in the King Albert Park. This is an opportunity to enjoy a nice street atmosphere and endlessly hunt for objects that change from the hexagonal flea markets.

In her open studio that doubles as a boutique, Mélanie Lemmens offers 10 organic and/or fair-trade chocolates: the famous chocolate "moustache", the flower or the melocake and also the Miss Cara'mel tube (or jar, let's be crazy) (a real treat!). There are also 15 types of praline: violet black tea, homemade praline, orangette, ginger... You'll be spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting your assortment. For those with a sweet tooth, Mélanie regularly organizes workshops where you can learn all about the secrets of chocolate-making with your family.

More than 500 references of spirits of all kinds, it's bound to leave you wanting more! At the crossroads of Marché au Chanvre and Rue de la Croix, Fabian and Philippe have found the right angle to attract the eye as well as the customer. Their spirits come from near and far, classic and wild: grappa, tequila, rum, gin, vodka, you name it! Best of all, what you can't find in the stores can be unearthed by the owners. Best of all, you can taste it on the spot, à la ficelle. We haven't found this anywhere else, you amateur!

Who said veganism wasn't gourmet? At Buddy Buddy's, they make dried fruit treats: peanut butter, hazelnut butter, almond butter, cinnamon butter... everything is roasted and toasted on site, and organic. You can either buy them to enjoy at home, or take the time to sit down and drink an oat milk foam cappuccino with a salty toast or a pastry. The look of the café is surprising: it is as if cut in two by a corner painted hazelnut color and the other, creamy white. Bold, like their nut butters!

Pâtisserie Courcelles, a local favorite for decades, offers Courtraisian specialties such as kalletaart, an apricot and apple tart, and peperbollen, gingerbread balls, as well as a whole range of more classic savory pastries. You'll be spoilt for choice when you complete the window display, where these sweet treats are lined up and shaped to perfection. A sweet address that brings back the taste of the region's traditional grandmotherly desserts, to the delight of local and visiting fans alike.

A newcomer to the Brussels scene, From is the initiative of two cheese enthusiasts: Étienne Boissy is French, Meilleur Ouvrier de France 2004, and his "compère" Bénédicte Dartois, who made a bold shift from finance to dairy products. Passionate people who select their products according to criteria such as raw milk, farm producers, "coups de coeur"... Raw products made from cow's, goat's and sheep's milk, from all over the EEC, but also with a local base that reminds us of this advert from the 1990s: "Belgian cheese? A bit of everything..."

As this bakery is well named: Bakkersdochter, that's the baker's daughter in Dutch. Jacques Vanderstraeten, the father, is in the bakery and Heleen, the daughter, in the store. A winning team that has taken over a small store but full of good things: breads, cakes, pastries, cookies but above all, THE sweet speciality of Hasselt: speculaas (not speculoos). They are indeed cousins, but instead of being a flat, dry cookie, the speculaas is curved, slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. A must-try.

The craziest chocolatier in Leuven is Bram Jaenen. He doesn't hesitate to shake up praline with improbable ingredients: popcorn, melon, elderflower, beet... When that's not enough, he dares bold combinations (strawberry and cinnamon) or exotic ones (lemon worm and Thai basil). His approach is very close to that of Dominique Persoone, the Bruges chocolatier-punk. Each praline is a work of art that will shake your taste buds. You'll also find chocolate bars, spreads and cookies.

Robert Sweertvaegher established himself as a pastry chef in 1929. After an apprenticeship in Brussels, he learned the secrets of the trade from a Swiss chocolate maker. In his workshop in Ypres, his first pralines were a great success. In 1933, he opened his chocolate factory in Ypres and in 1946, a shop in Kortrijk. In 1950, the chocolate maker set out to conquer Bruges. In 1980, his second Jan Verougstraete took over the business before opening the shop in Antwerp. The inimitable Sweertvaegher pralines still have a bright future ahead of them ...

We can't get enough of these filled chocolate sticks, dark mango-passion and the indestructible café liégeois. Other specialties include hot praline waffles and 70% dark chocolate ice cream. At the age of 16, Jean Galler watched his grandfather, a pastry chef since 1930, and realized that chocolate would be his life. He studied chocolate-making in Basel, then worked for Lenôtre in Paris, before setting up his own chocolate factory in Vaux-sous-Chèvremont in 1976. Supplier to the Belgian court since 1994, the company now has over 2,000 stores, including two in Liège.

Coming from Sète, Jean settled in Habay to make chocolates. His artisanal production is based on a selection of noble raw materials and the recipes are developed to respect the flavors of each product. Their originality allows everyone to find a taste of their own. The bean-to-bar is also part of its principles. He roasts his own cocoa and coffee (Alexandre's son's hobby). Assortments of chocolates, bars and many other things, including JeanChris beer, born from Jean's friendship with Chris, a local brewer.

There are bars for everything: nails, beer, tapas, wine, water... and now chocolates! Indeed, chocolate has a rightful place in this trendy universe! This establishment is a true paradise on earth for lovers of cocoa beans in all their forms, gleaned from Ghana or Ecuador (home to the famous Quetzal bird!). Drink, nibble and savor, this chocolate lounge offers every possible indulgence: brownies, ice cream sundaes, milkshakes and hot drinks, in a trendy ambience and inviting decor.

The Groentenmarkt square is lined with stores selling the famous cuberdons, Tierentyn mustard, local produce (in the Grande Boucherie), a cheese factory and the city's oldest bakery. On Saturdays and Sundays, from the beginning of March to the end of December, jewelry, ceramics, decorative objects and more are on display in the square. There are plenty of stalls offering good food and drink on the go. You can enjoy a glass of cava or oysters while watching the craftsmen at work.

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 without added vegetable fats. Take away the galette, their flagship product!