Belgium is internationally renowned for their chocolate. For world pastry-champion turned master…read morechocolatier, Pierre Marcolini elevated his craft so that his brand is now synonymous with "haute chocolaterie". He put emphasis on putting a higher percentage of cocoa in a smaller piece, minimizing the sugars. He also puts emphasis in sourcing cocoa beans directly from the growers. Each piece is assembled at their factory in Brussels and delivered to their shops all around the world. I was introduced to Pierre Marcolini in Japan of all places when the No1DP gifted chocolate to me at their shop in Tokyo Station. However I didn't know about the brand all that much until I took a Beer and Chocolate Tour offered by the Brussels Journey (https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-brussels-journey-bruxelles-2?hrid=_rEIZsWrygpqHYK9wROIKQ). I guess they must be renowned if random passerby attempt to take a sample while the host was giving a lecture about the brand. She and her 2 assistants literally had to shoo quite a few people! It's really a haute chocolaterie when they're the only one in the chocolate tour that doesn't give you a 10% discount. --- A day later I went to their flagship shop. There was a really nice lady at the counter that helped me with the process of buying chocolate there. I got a variation of their signature box Malline Découverte where I was able to make a custom box. Note that this is the only option to make a custom box. The box fits around 35-40 pieces and costs €39. There were plenty of premade boxes for sale but if I was going to pay €39 for a box I might as well enjoy each piece. My favorite pieces are almost all variations of a theme as they contain something crunchy. Not a big fan of fruity chocolate in general. - Câlin fondant/lait (almond and hazelnut praline, Quimper wafers and Madagascan vanilla caramel, coated in dark or milk chocolate) - Pavé de tours fondant/lait (a crunchy blend of hazelnut and almond praline with Quimper wafers, coated in dark or milk chocolate) - Torsade (Avola almond praline gianduja with caramelized Piedmont hazelnut crisp, coated in milk chocolate) - Earl grey tea (ganache infused with subtle bergamot notes of Earl Grey, coated in milk chocolate) [NOTE: I remember this distinctly from Japan and luckily this was one of the chocolates sampled on my tour.] This is best consumed with coffee or tea. They have locations in some of the higher-end shopping districts of London, Paris, Tokyo and of course Brussels. The closest place in the US is sadly in Hawaii.

There are plenty of chocolate shops throughout Brussels, although this shop was ultra classy…read moreresembling a Louis Vuitton of chocolates. The inside was elegant and had giant chocolate eggs randomly on display. It did not have the original Brussels chocolate vibe, but there were a decent selection of chocolates and the multi flavored macarons looked amazing. The pistachio centered chocolates were my favorite. Directly in front of the shop was a push cart with a woman selling freshly churned ice cream for 6.50€. Type of place to purchase a beautiful gift box of chocolates but still many other places nearby with a warmer ambiance, although not sure if better chocolates.

This was touted to be the hidden secret of Brussels. Where you get the best pain au chocolate…read moreyou've ever tasted. Not being a huge fan of pain au chocolate I could not say if this was true. But the other goodies I got here were mighty tasty. However due to old age & maybe the exhaustion of walking there I can't for the life of me remember what I got... bugger! The wife assured me that the Pain au Chocolate was tasty & among the best that she's had here. Though I'm sure there might be better places, maybe none quite so close though.

Quality is excellent but beware these are Japanese portions!…read moreOrdered a strawberry tart for 10 personnes and i'ts diameter was 20 cm! at 33 euros. In order words to be sure to have enough for my guests I had to purchase an extra fraisier for 6 pers at 21 euros... A bit of a rip off

Very unpleasent approach. Uninterested and cold. Almost no explanation, no smile. After having…read morespent 72 euro!! Not any gesture to taste something , just cashing in. Looking for real service at a kind artisan. Any suggestions ??

I discovered this artisan chocolatier because I was eating in an Indian restaurant nearby (La Porte…read moredu Bengale, but now called Le Palais du Bengale) and at the end of the meal, I got a tiny piece of chocolate that was amazing and I asked the owner of the restaurant from where he buys these chocolates and I was referred to Vandenhende! The quality of the chocolate here is very high and the taste is just exactly what my taste buds ask! The shop is small but their selection of desserts and delicatessen is big: pralines, sachets d'oranges au chocolat, ice creams and sorbets, pâtisseries, etc These guys they can cater your event and fit your needs. They are very nice and the prices are very reasonable for the quality of their products. Give them a try, I doubt you will be disappointed.

Fairly inexpensive chocolates that (like most chocolate) were quite tasty, but not particularly…read morespecial. Right after my purchase I decided to take a quick photo of the store and got yelled at by their staff. This left me with a bad aftertaste ;).

The first and best chocolate shop I visited in Brussels! I was pleasantly surprised at the low…read moreprices. Bought about 6 pieces for less than 2€. It was so good, it ended up being the last place I went before heading to the airport to fly home. I'm wondering now if they'll ship to the US...

From the owner: Nous recherchons de nouveaux locaux pour vous servir. Confiez-nous vos coordonnées et vous serez…read moreaverti de notre réouverture ! Rendez-Vous Chocolat vous confectionne plus de 80 pralines artisanales différentes. Nous utilisons des chocolats qui nous ont fait vibrer par leur goût hors du commun et qui proviennent de différentes régions du monde. Nos pralines sont toutes confectionnées avec amour dans nos ateliers attenant au magasin. Elles sont fourrées de ganaches aux fruits, aux fleurs, aux épices et mille autres merveilles de la nature, tels les pralinés de fruits secs de toutes sortes. Toutes sont créées pour dialoguer avec vos papilles gustatives, les faire rêver, les enchanter ! De temps à autres, nous organisons des événements, par exemple sur les relations que les Mayas entretiennent encore aujourd'hui avec le chocolat. Par ces événements, nous invitons les amoureux du chocolat à découvrir d'autres facettes de ce cadeau de la nature.

Always friendly & are willing to speak English after the obligatory Bonjour…read more They do not up sell you to the fancier chocolates on offer & gladly answer questions. I speak with a heavy accent & with the aid of another worker they can guess at what I wish to purchase. The free samples are always a bonus too

Excellent chocolate and we tried them all. Several…read morelocations. We have also tried them all. Staff was friendly and helpful at all locations. Passion Chocolates asks if you want your selection in a box or sachet bag. In the bag you pay only for the weight of the chocolate-- about .80 euros a piece. A bargain! The boxes are slightly more but travel and present better if it's a gift. We found the caramel, coffee, and floral flavors to all be strong and well-balanced.

You pay for what you get. If you're willing to pay, then at this five establishment you will find…read morethe very best chocolates in the city. We were warmly welcomed more or less as soon as we entered. Given a sample of their home made ice cream. Which made my buddy melt at the knees. The sample of a liquor chocolate did the same thing to me a few minutes later. They sell rich artisan chocolate that are not bitter even though they are dark. The flavours inside do not overwhelm, nor does the chocolate overwhelm the flavours. This is a very fine balance to achieve yet they somehow manage it with every chocolate. I'm done with the other chocolate places. This will be my go to place for now on.

After the chocolates I brought back from my earlier Brussels trip was so well received, I made sure…read moreto introduce Neuhaus to my SO during our June trip. This store was one of the smaller ones we visited but its proximity to the Grand Place made it the obvious choice to duck into and escape the heatwave and indulge. I liked this store in particular since the staff were always warm and outgoing. They also were very generous in the sampling ;) Our newest favorite flavor was the calamansi Sensation. It was dark chocolate wrapped around dark chocolate ganache but with a very distinctive calamansi citrus flavor. We love calamansi and never imagined tasting it as part of a praline. If you really want to try it then go now since it will only be available during the summer! Lastly as part of their frequent buyer program, the store includes free samples to go. Staff just need to scan your Neuhaus Insider QR code and that's it. SO's taste buds agreed Neuhaus was the Belgian chocolatier on this trip and we'll be back.

Their triangle shaped chocolate makes them stand apart from other shops. The salted caramel was my…read morefavorite.

Part of Rudolf Braun, this delectable Manneken Pis themed chocolate shop is located across from the…read morefamous statue. Manneken Pis is a famous sculpture of a boy peeing into a fountain. The idea is meant to showcase the humor of Brussels. The fountain sculpture was created in 1619 by Jerome Duquesnoy and it still stands today. The shop carries a variety of peeing boy chocolates as well as other fine candies. They've got truffles, bon-bons and more. We bought quite a few Manneken Pis chocolates to take home to friends and family. They were all well received not just because of the fun but because of the fine Belgian chocolate used to make the creations.

This chocolaterier shop is right next to the famous peeing boy statue, Manneken Pis. So of course,…read moreit only made sense that they would name their chocolate shop after him and have chocolate molds of him as well. Their chocolate are just out of this world! I love Belgian chocolate and after eating chocolates here, I may never feel the same about chocolates in America. We loved the first box of chocolates so much, we had to go back and buy 7 more to give to friends and family, of course, only 4 made it to friends and family, we ate most of it on the plane and on our way home. It was so hard to resist! The employees here speak english and they give you great deals on buying bulk. Also, free samples!

Out of all the chocolatiers in Belgium, this has to be one of my favorites. Galler stands out…read morebecause not only is the quality top notch, but also intentionally affordable. Though Galler remains modest, whether it's in their cost, branding or initiatives, they should not be overlooked as they are indeed one of the suppliers to the Court of Belgium (see crest inside store). The chocolate here is delicate and smooth, light, and delicately sweet. I've ordered a variety-- 19 to be exact, and can already promise you, each one will be savored accordingly. SERVICE: A monsieur helped me with my order, and was incredibly patient, astute, and knowledgable. He overheard me telling someone my partner was lactose intolerant and took that into account when I was interested in purchasing some chocolates. Even when I asked which chocolates would be more cost efficient (ie: pre-packaged bars, etc), he didn't try to upsell.

Galler was our favorite chocolate shop that we visited while in Belgium. We initially stopped in to…read moresample a few truffles while on a food tour and went back afterwards because we learned that this is one of the few chocolate shops that is owned by a legitimate chocolatier according to our guide. We purchased truffles, chocolate bars and advent calendars to bring back for gifts.