04 Jan 2024 If there's one thing Brussels is known for, apart from its beer and being the epicentre of the European Parliament, it's its chocolate. It has numerous shops where you can buy the widest variety of chocolate your sweet imagination can imagine.
Although they do not produce chocolate, as it grows in tropical climates, thanks to years of experience in their work they have come to understand it like no one else. For this reason, you should try and enjoy the wide range of chocolate options that the Belgian capital has to offer.
Where to start? It's true that you'll find many of these shops in the city's most touristy spots, such as the Royal Galleries, but here we're going to tell you all about them.
We bring you a complete list of all the places where you can buy, and even taste, the best chocolate in the city. From big brands to little nooks and crannies that are just waiting for your visit.
Godiva crosses borders and its fame goes beyond the Belgian country. It is a benchmark brand in the chocolate sector, and this is achieved through hard work and dedication.
They began in 1926, and since then they speak no other language than that of quality and dedication to their work. Their shop windows are a good example of this; an infinity of chocolates and chocolate bars as well as their truffles.
They have several shops around the city, with the one on Grand Place being perhaps the most special and with a certain charm from the past, as it was the first one to open.
Pierre Marcolini is an institution and an obligatory place of pilgrimage, as important as the Galleries Royale Saint Hubert itself, one of the many places where it is located.
It is a further step towards luxury and quality. It selects the best cocoa beans, importing them from their places of cultivation, to mould them as only years of experience know how.
A team of approximately 80 people work in the Belgian capital to serve the best chocolates, truffles, pralines and chocolate bars you can imagine.
Their options and assortments are very varied, although their pralines, ganaches, their 'Malline Découverte' box with a selection of the best 33 chocolates and bonbons deserve a special mention.
Credits: Tripadvisor
A shop with its own name that has managed to carve out a niche for itself among the best thanks to its good work, even though they are not manufacturers. It has several stores around the world, nine in total. In their Brussels establishments they sell a wide variety of sweets and handmade chocolates.
Knowing that there is nothing written about tastes, and that everyone has a preference, we dare to tell you that it is not a good idea to leave without trying their "mellow-cakes", which are biscuit cakes, as well as their meringues and pralines.
One of its advantages is the great variety it has. This makes tasting a wide range of chocolates, sweets and desserts in general very accessible and easy. As well as tasty, of course.
Truffles, speculoos, nuts, candy, waffles, pralines, nougat... Enough reasons to visit?
Credits: Tripadvisor
A giant in the world of chocolate, their figures make it clear: they have more than 100 different types of Belgian chocolates and around 1,500 points of sale all over the world.
Their confectionery, pralines, marzipan and chocolates are fresh, tasty and of high quality, with one small difference: they are a little cheaper than other big players in the sector. The reason? Since the fifties of the last century, they have been committed to automation in their production, reducing costs and making their objective clear: quality chocolate for everyone.
Thus, we have cheaper chocolates and chocolates, without being entirely handmade but using top quality raw materials. Are you ready to try them and see why they are so successful?
Chocolaterie Artisanale Planete Chocolat
Although it is one of the youngest on the list, having started its adventure back in 1991 among so many hundred-year-old companies, it has come to rub shoulders with the best and to be not a fad but one of the best.
The recipe for its success is based on the perfect combination of tradition and innovation. It has original recipes, top quality raw materials and innovation in its mix of flavours and ways of presenting the product.
The sweetness goes beyond its delicious pralines, tablets, truffles and macarons. One example is the sale of cosmetics, which take advantage of the many benefits of chocolate.
Credits: Tripadvisor
In the shelter and security of the Church of Notre Dame du Sablon, Wittamer opens the doors of its chocolates. One of the longest-established companies in the city, it is the official supplier of the Belgian Royal Household, no less.
Tradition and good workmanship are the order of the day in the hands of the masters who, every day, give shape and flavour to the dreams of all those who pass through their doors ready to enter their sweet, rose-coloured world.
Its location is at the same level as its cakes, chocolates, bonbons and chocolates in a cup. A real luxury.
The oldest and almost certainly the most renowned chocolate maker in the country. Its history dates back to 1857 and it is the official supplier to the Belgian Court.
Its history is truly fascinating, and from its hands have been born inventions that today bring sweetness to our daily lives. One example is the creation of the praline, or filled chocolate bonbon, imagined by Jean Neuhaus II, grandson of the brand's founder Jean Neuhaus.
This fact can give you an overview of what the brand means both for the country and for the sector in general. Today, they continue to grow and are at the forefront of innovation in terms of flavours, fusions and creations.
This chocolate shop is one of the fundamental pillars on which the sector has been built and grown over the decades. Founded in 1919 by Marie Delluc, its handmade chocolates have been revered for generations, and rightly so.
Its classic rococo style will make you feel like royalty as soon as you walk through its doors. It's precisely inside those doors that all the magic happens, as that's where all their chocolates are made and created.
Without fail, they send a box of chocolates to the King and Queen of Belgium and that is the profile they have always been targeting; the upper echelons and aristocracy, hence their careful attention to detail, craftsmanship and luxury.
As a final detail of the latter, you can choose, in addition to the chocolates you want to take with you, the ribbon and the box in which you will transport them, thus making your visit something unique and even more special.
Small but with a great tradition behind them. This is Frederic Blondeel, an excellent option for chocolate lovers who also enjoy good coffee.
That's right, it is one of those magical corners of Brussels where time seems to pass more slowly, calmly and quietly within its walls, with a steaming coffee and a wide variety of chocolates in front of you.
Although this is not the only product on offer, you can also find, along with coffee, cakes, ice cream and a wide variety of handmade products. Although, without a doubt, the bonbon is still the king.
Credits: Frederic Blondeel
Not so glamorous, not so crowded, not so well known, but no less charming. Five generations attest to the quality of its ingredients and the great technique used in its production.
Its chocolates are on a par with the big names on the list and its delicious confectionery is worth mentioning, starting with its praline and ganache, through to its chocolates and macarons.
Its unmistakable Art Nouveau style, which matches much of the architecture of Brussels, is one of the recognisable hallmarks of this historic company founded in 1932.
From the mind and hands of its founder, Manon Sucre, came the concept of Manon Sucre, which is nothing more than a wonderful praline with walnuts and nougatine with cream. It became so popular that it is now a type of chocolate in its own right, sold all over the city.
It is another of those places that have contributed to the very history of the city as well as the chocolate industry.
One of the most modern and recently opened corners. Laurent Gerbaud is making a name for himself in the world of chocolate thanks to his attention to quality and his boldness when it comes to mixing flavours and textures.
Combinations that, at first glance, might seem unfortunate and surprising, become true ephemeral works of art the moment they reach your palate. Get ready to travel the world in a single bite.
There is also a coffee shop that will offer you some of the best coffee and hot chocolate in the city.
Credits: Tripadvisor
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29 Jul 2024 