The best cafés in Brussels

Let's go for a coffee is an international phrase. It doesn't matter whether you're in the middle of a crazy working day or it's midday on the second day of your three-day trip to Brussels.

Having a coffee recharges your batteries, comforts your body and mind and gives you a glimpse of the more everyday side of a city. You get to see the real behaviour of the locals and their habits.

Of course, as long as you know where to go. You can't just say: let's go and have a coffee here. No way. Come with us on a tour of the best coffee shops in Brussels, because not everything in the city is about bars and Belgian craft beer taverns. 

Best cafés in Brussels

Latroupe Grand Place

Bd Anspach 159

We start our tour at the bar of the Latroupe Grand Place hostel. It's not just a good cup of hot coffee that brings us here, but everything that comes after it. The first thing that will strike you is the great atmosphere; multicultural, lively and fun.

This means that a coffee can lead to a chat with someone with the same tastes as you, from there to the beer, from the beer to one of the many activities organised daily, from there to a snack from the extensive menu, from the food to the drink and before you know it, you'll have had the best day of your Brussels getaway.

Café du Sablon

Rue de la Régence 26

We carry on our walk with one of the best-viewed cafés on our list. Through the glass window of this large and lofty café you'll enjoy the beauty of the Gothic church of Notre-Dame du Sablon, Église Notre-Dame du Sablon.

Here you'll find locals seeking refuge from the world to work in peace, others gathering their strength to start their day's holiday or some coming to enjoy brunch.

Wide Awake Coffee

Rue de Flandre 185

In the northern part of the city centre, about a ten-minute walk from the Brussels Stock Exchange and St. Nicholas Church, you'll find this café with the soul of a shop, or vice versa.

Whichever way you read it, the point is that it is one of the best, if not the best, coffee shop for those who appreciate the complexity of a good coffee. It has a team of professional baristas who will make your new favourite coffee, as well as selling a wide range of coffees in as many ranges as there are tastes.

POZ” Café

Rue Defacq 92, Saint Gilles

If you're in the southern part of the city, which we highly recommend to enjoy Saint Gilles and the Horta Museum by the fantastic architect Victor Horta, you must stop at the POZ" Café.

Take in the neighbourhood, the Art Nouveau buildings, the atmosphere of the café, the colourful décor and the coffee, and stay for the wonderful brunch. The coffee is very good, but what they do best is the brunch. Let it become the epicentre of your visit to Saint Gilles.

Corica Grand Place

Rue du Marché aux Poulets 49

Just a few steps, not even metres, but steps, from the Brussels Stock Exchange and St. Nicholas Church, Corica Grand Place awaits coffee drinkers to give them the energy they need to start their day or the perfect dessert after enjoying a true taste of Belgium in Brussels.

Choose from over 25 varieties of coffee, and enjoy the smell of freshly ground coffee beans right on the spot. A real treat. Enjoy the atmosphere, the decor and your coffee at the bar and high tables.

Café Capitale

Rue du Midi 45

Between the Brussels Stock Exchange and the Manneken Pis, the iconic statue of the pissing boy, you must add a new stop to your route. And no, we're not talking about Choco-Story Brussels, the chocolate museum, one of Brussels' best food and drink museums. Be careful, you should visit it too.

We're talking about Café Capitale, another coffee-loving place, where they roast and grind the coffee beans themselves. They offer a wide variety of coffees and they don't come alone. They are accompanied by the most incredible range of homemade desserts you can imagine. Add it to your route through the centre, whether you're on your own, with your partner, with friends or making great family plans in Brussels.

Buddy Buddy

Rue des Drapiers 10

In the southern part of the centre of Brussels, very close to the Palais de Justice, the Ferris wheel and Parc d'Egmont, is one of the best cafés in the whole country. Yes, in the country.

They are true innovators as well as coffee connoisseurs. In addition to their fantastic selection, they produce their own handmade creams; hazelnuts, peanuts and almonds.

Now imagine adding that cream to their own signature coffees in a glassed-in, colourful setting. It's going to become one of your favourite stops.

Le Cirio

Rue de la Bourse 18

OK, this may not really fit in, not least because Le Cirio is a restaurant. But we can't end our tour of the best cafés in Brussels without mentioning this restaurant.

With the Brussels Stock Exchange right on its doorstep, this Art Nouveau restaurant is one of the most impressive in Brussels. You don't have to go just to eat, you can stop by and order a local craft beer or enjoy a good coffee.

We ended our route very close to where we started it, near the best hostel in the Belgian capital; Latroupe Grand Place. The perfect place, in terms of location, atmosphere and facilities, to rest, recharge your batteries and meet new people.