The best chocolatiers Belgium

Dominique Persoone is certainly the most subversive of Belgian chocolatiers. Ganache with peas, praline with olive oil or cabernet-sauvignon vinegar: this virtuoso has no qualms about his creations. He also revisits the tequila frappé in the Choc-tail, a bitter chocolate ganache from Costa Rica that is mixed with lime and served with a pipette of Tequila Silver and Maldon Crystal Salt. But the most astonishing of his creations is the Chocolate Shooter, which catapults cocoa powder (flavored with mint and ginger) into your nostrils. Rock'n'roll!

Since 1998, the company has been offering more than 80 chocolates and about forty different sweets. For the former, the coatings and fillings are all made in the workshop, without any preservatives. The coatings are designed to be very fine, to best serve the taste of the filling. Mainly classic but with some original breakthroughs! Pralines, ganaches, truffles, marzipan, tablets, fine flavored tablets, mendiants, florentines, orangettes, fruit jellies... Less known than the international brands, Passion Chocolat is nevertheless at the top.

La Chocolaterie is housed in a modern 2,800 m² building. Renowned pastry chef Darcis, winner of numerous medals at the International Chocolate Awards, produces his own cocoa and organic bars from Panama, Peru and São Tomé... Seasonal creations and different macaroon flavours are also on offer.

Don't forget to visit the chocolate museum, already celebrating its 8th anniversary, a sensory experience during which visitors can learn about the profession of chocolatier while observing the company's employees at work.

Specialities: handmade chocolates (grand cru, Matcha tea, blackcurrant...), spreads, sticks, caraques... La Maison des Desserts is in fact the workshop of the De Hucorne - Fronville chocolate factory. Free visits are organized on request and reservation of the production area, with tasting. The place also includes a tea room with a terrace in a private garden. Probably one of the most popular shops in Namur, with an old-fashioned charm that fits perfectly with the atmosphere of this pedestrian street.

All of Belgium's specialties seem to be concentrated in this vast store, housed in the former residence of Perez de Malvenda, Spanish consul in the ^15th century. There's something for everyone: to drink (beers, gin, etc.), to eat (chocolate, waffles, etc.), to give as gifts (trinkets, T-shirts, etc.) and so on. Don't miss the "beer wall" outside, which boasts every bottle of Belgian beer. Finally, try them out at the bar, on the lovely terrace overlooking the canal. There are no fewer than 12 types of beer on tap!

The Demaret house is a family-run and demanding company that makes pralines unbeatable and exclusive fodder. Their products are high quality but without marketing fireworks, offering excellent value for money. This family focuses on the quality of raw materials and ensures good turnover of products. One of the Demaret sisters, formed in one of the best schools in the country, nevertheless believes that the best of learning is done by a professional, namely his father. The other sister is responsible for broadcasting and marketing. Perhaps you have already tasted, without knowledge, these products with family know-how as retailers do not necessarily cite them… The establishment has received several International Chocolate Awards for the quality of its products.

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!

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.

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).

The Maison Léger chocolate factory was founded in 1995. It was founded by siblings of three great chocolate lovers. Their know-how as well as the use of quality raw materials allow them to offer today a very wide range of products such as pralines, truffles, beggars, orangettes/lemonettes, hollow subjects... and Kama Sutra chocolate figurines for spicy moments! Easter egg, triple layer (chocolate, praline, choco) single layer. Everything is made in the workshop behind the shop. The reception is very friendly.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Léonidas is a historic reference for Belgian chocolate. The first store in central Brussels (1913), rented by Basile Kestekides, had no door. A bizarre layout that forced the tenant to enter through the window and use the outside shelf as a counter. The best ideas are sometimes the result of a funny situation! By the way, let's not forget that Leonidas is industrially produced (like many other brands that pretend otherwise) and as such can boast the best value for money on the market!

Since 1932, the brand has offered a renowned collection of chocolates, faithful to the original recipes. Also emblematic, the central boutique, among other addresses in Brussels, is superbly installed. It is adorned with visual assets highlighting the products created by this chocolate maker. The chocolates are prepared according to the rules of the art and the best added products (dairy butter, hazelnuts from Piedmont, almonds from Faro). The cocoa butter is pure; the whole production, made by about fifty chocolate makers, is guaranteed without GMO.