How to find your favorite chocolatier in Brussels
Updated on June 13, 2024 by Pierre
How to find your favorite chocolatier in Brussels?
Rest assured, finding your favorite chocolatier in Brussels is much easier than finding a needle in a haystack! Here are a few tips to help you find your perfect chocolate shop in our beautiful capital. Besides major brands like Nehaus and Leonidas , there are plenty of small, independent chocolatiers in Brussels.
The good Belgian Chocolate? Test, Test, Test!
The best way to find your favorite chocolatier is to try several. Our recommendation: stop buying boxes of chocolates and instead opt for four or five individual pralines that you can choose yourself according to your preferences or following the salesperson's advice. This approach is better for your waistline, your budget , and also allows you to try more chocolatiers more often. Finally, during these hot periods, it's very difficult to keep chocolate at home in good conditions, so it's better to buy smaller quantities more frequently!
If you only want to enjoy one praline , don't hesitate to ask the sellers: in most cases, this single praline will be offered to you free of charge by the house.
Go off the beaten track
To discover your favorite chocolatier , consider venturing off the beaten path. Move away from the pedestrian streets of the city center and the square I like to call "Chocolate Square," namely the Place du Grand Sablon . Explore other districts of Brussels, try the chocolatier in your neighborhood , the one near your office, and so on. The best discoveries are sometimes made with the most discreet chocolatiers.
Here are two good examples:
1. The chocolate maker Herman Van Dender in Schaarbeek
Here's a chocolatier who supplies the Belgian royal court. There, they adore the blue dome with forest fruits, the milk chocolate & saffron ganache, and the dark chocolate & passion fruit ganache! The icing on the cake: the dark trianon: a milk chocolate ganache covered with a very thin layer of nougatine and bittersweet dark chocolate… a true delight ! http://www.vandender.eu/
Chaussée de Louvain 416
2. Another very good address: Vandenhende in Etterbeek
You must try their original cuberdon ganache and the honey ganache made with honey from the hives in Cinquantenaire Park. This family-run shop is also known for making the best chocolate fondant in Brussels: a must for chocolate lovers! http://chocolatier-vandenhende.be
Wavre Road 643
What if in fact the best chocolate maker in Brussels was you?!
As the saying goes, " if you want something done right, do it yourself ." It's likely that your favorite chocolates are actually the ones you make yourself with your choice of ingredients. Admittedly, making chocolates is quite complicated and requires some equipment and raw materials, but this isn't just for professionals!
You can participate in chocolate-themed classes; we recommend those at the Mmmmmh cooking school and the Zaabar chocolate shop. (Edit: Mmmmh cooking classes are no longer offered)
If you need a helping hand in discovering the best chocolatiers in town, you can also join brown gold-themed tours.
After living in Lyon, Munich, Hanover, Paris, and Nice, Marion settled in Belgium. Since 2012, Brussels has become her new playground for her passions: cooking, walking, sports, and photography! In her articles for Inside Brussels, during chocolate-themed tours, or by creating a tailor-made itinerary for you , Marion loves to show you Brussels from the inside, as if you lived there.
