Excellent chocolate but they don't give any samples and don't even want to give you a paper bag but the chocolate is 5/5

I saw quite a lot of recommendations for this shop in Gent so I decided to pop in because I wanted to buy some chocolate to bring back home to the US. I was a little overwhelmed with the different options they had, so I spent a good amount of time there. I ended up picking up a few of their pre-packaged truffle assortments and also got a few individual truffles for me to eat. One of the clear case boxes unfortunately got severely squished in my suitcase, so I actually ended up eating them since they were not in a presentable state haha. Standouts of the ones I tried have to include passion fruit and macadamia. Yuzu is also high up there too. I think these were just more interesting flavors and more preferable to my own tastes. They're a solid choice for nice chocolate. Was my mind blown away? Not really, but the chocolates are high quality, handmade, crafted well, and certainly a LOT cheaper than what you can get in the US. My favorites were very delicious, and I would get them again or ask someone to bring them back if the opportunity ever presented itself. read more

Chocolaterie Van Hoorebeke - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Gent, VOV

See all

Excellent. The best among 4 different chocolate shops I went to in Belgium. Pralines are superb. Only complaint is that the single origin chocolate bars which, admittedly Belgium is not so much known for, lack flavor notes info on the packaging and staff seemed puzzled by my inquiry. I would suggest they stick to pralines or read up on flavor notes/terroir. That said, definitely go here for the pralines. read more

In my experience these are the best chocolate truffles in the world (tho I admit I haven't been to every chocolate shop in the world. Absolutely worth a side trip to Ghent if you are visiting Brussels or the Netherlands. And Ghent is a lovely old town. In read more

During an evening walking tour, our guide stopped in front of this Chocolatier telling us it was the best in town. They happened to still be open, so of course I had to pop in and grab some Belgian chocolate. I bought 3 bars and some marzipan. The chocolate is wonderful and far superior to that we get in the US even compared to See's and Ethel M's. read more

Chocolaterie Van Hoorebeke - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Gent, VOV

See all

We discovered this wonderful spot while on a private chocolate walking tour with Charlie Tours and went back the next day to stock up to bring some of the delectable gems home to friends and family. The one that made us return is their take on crème brûlée but all of their hand-made delights will make your mouth water. Compared to US chocolates, these are very fresh-perhaps only days or even hours old-and not all that expensive given the quality. You can get little 4-piece or 9-piece boxes or larger collections. We got 2 small boxes of 4 plus a box with 250 grams (20-25 pieces), a bag of what looked like chocolate jelly beans (white/milk choc) and a steaming cup of rich hot chocolate to warm up all for a total of around $40. This felt like a great deal. read more

Chocolaterie Van Hoorebeke - Exterior - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Gent, VOV

Came for hot chocolate b/c it was a rainy day and wanted to check out its chocolates. The hot chocolate was just a-ok. I was expecting thick and semi-sweet hot chocolate with rich cocoa flavor given we're in Belgium. It was definitely better than Starbucks hot chocolate but fell short compared to some of the chocolates i had in Spain, Portugal and Italy. Not thick enough and on the sweet side. The chocolates were nutty selections and milk chocolate, not my preference. read more

After having amazing French and Swiss chocolate, I feel like I've been spoiled and have yet to find great Belgian chocolate that will compare. I actually preferred the chocolates from the chain Leonidas over these chocolates, which I was surprised about since this particular chocolate shop seems to be smaller and more artisan vs. a larger chain-like store. We tried 4 chocolates: one milk chocolate truffle, one dark chocolate truffle, one raspberry filled dark chocolate, and one praline/hazelnut dark chocolate. My favorite was the praline/hazelnut dark chocolate, which was the least sweet and had a nice texture to it. But I wouldn't say it was mind-blowing or anything, it was just fine. The dark chocolate truffle was my second favorite as it wasn't super sweet and had a little bit of a softer filling in the center. The milk chocolate truffle I would pass on, as it had some weird artificial mousse-like filling in the middle. The raspberry one was not good, and I wouldn't recommend this - the filling was really artificial, there was not much chocolate (more like just a thin shell around the filling), and it was just really sweet. This one tasted like something you'd get in a drugstore box of chocolates. The chocolates were about $3 for 4, so not stupidly expensive, but I spent half that much at Leonidas for a similar amount of chocolate. I definitely would not go out of my way to come here to get chocolate and would probably just go across the street to Leonidas to get chocolate instead. The chocolates are sold by weight; they also sell bars of chocolate for 6€. Wish I could have liked this place more that I did, but sadly, I just wasn't a fan! read more

Chocolaterie Van Hoorebeke - Chocolates - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Gent, VOV

See all

Was there on a Saturday afternoon, and I enjoyed the couple of chocolates I bought and the friendly service so much that I went back on a Monday to buy a gift box for my wife. Let's just say the woman at the counter on the particular Monday I visited isn't there to smile, be helpful, or make friends, but that's okay. Neither are you. Skip the merely okay, rather thin and weak hot chocolate, but the chocolates are very, very good and worth going out of your way for. read more

If you happen to be in Gent and love delicious, delicate chocolate creations - go visit the Chocolaterie Van Hoorebeke. Handmade chocolate pralines filled with high quality ingredients. One can also watch the chocolatier from the store above as he is working downstairs. Unfortunately they do not sell their products online. So, if you want to buy their products, you have to visit their store. read more

We stumbled upon this chocolate shop about a year and a half ago and I still can't stop thinking about it! At that point I had already purchased 3 boxes of chocolate from other shops and I figured I didn't need another. I regret that decision. We enjoyed each piece we purchased there and I definitely should I bought some to take home. My personal favorite had a passion fruit filling. I hope one day I can return. read more

We'd been wandering around Ghent that morning with no real goal, and ended up walking past at the perfect time for a decadent hot chocolate, as advertised by their sign. Easily the best hot chocolate that I've ever had in my life - so dark and rich and still creamy. Not only was the chocolate divine, but the shop has lots of signs and art about chocolate, and there's a hole in the floor so that you can watch the chocolatiers at work. read more

Best chocolate in the world! Whenever I am in Gent, I bring back Van Hoorebeke chocolates by the pound. The quality is excellent and absolutely wonderful! My absolute highest recommendation. read more

I'm a frequent visitor to Belgium and have sampled chocolates from both chains and family-run businesses. Van Hoorebeke are by far the best in Gent and probably Belgium. My favorites are the pralines, and anything with nuts. There are two stores (Sint-Baafsplein and Jan-Breydelstraat) run by father Luc and son Cedric. Do not visit Gent without stopping by Van Hoorebeke! read more