Chocolaterie Van Hoorebeke is slightly fancier than Leonidas chocolate. It's tasty, but it's not…read morequite up to the levels of others that we tasted during our chocolate tour. Van Hoorebeke is known for being one of the first to open up his kitchen to viewing from the public, thus the clear floor window into their kitchen that's viewable from the street. We tried the hazelnut praline and while it was tasty and the service was friendly it wasn't enough of a standout to purchase for us. To be honest I probably would have chosen a different flavor for the tour as it was slightly unmemorable. All that being said, it's good chocolate for the value so I would recommend stopping in if you're visiting Ghent.

I saw quite a lot of recommendations for this shop in Gent so I decided to pop in because I wanted…read moreto 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.

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.

From the owner: Tout chocolat Les vrais amateurs de chocolat vont apprécier ce magasin. Qu'il soit amer, doux, à la…read morechicorée ou au praliné, tous les chocolats sont fait maison.

Love Belgian chocolates! We found this place close to our hotel so we had to try it…read more The chocolates were great! There are so many to choose from so we went back each day we were in the city and enjoyed all of them. Picking a favorite is difficult but I would say the chocolate with a whiskey center was the best for my taste. They were really helpful with choosing chocolates and they also made several suggestions. If English is your primary language, no worries-they were fluent! The interior of the shop is well lit and decorated nicely as well.

Incredibly delicious! This chocolaterie shined brightly in the sea of chocolate shops near and…read morearound Grote Markt. We couldn't resist it on our way back to our tour meeting point. Our stop here was the best decision ever. We were greeted immediately by a man who I believe is the owner. He was very kind in assisting us with our selections. Everything looked so tempting. He explained that we could create our own box, or select a pre-made box of their popular chocolates. He gave us the number of chocolates by size of box and collector tin. We ended up purchasing the Ypres Salient souvenir tin filled with the most beautiful & decadent Belgian pralines. I've only been able to try the red poppy praline since our return. It was too beautiful to resist it. I detected a little Baileys in the filling. It was amazing! I can't wait to try the rest of the 29 pieces. The store is beautifully decorated just like their chocolates. The service was great! We were also given a seashell chocolate sample as a little teaser which was unexpected. It was a wonderful treat after having a fantastic lunch at a restaurant nearby. Don't miss this experience when visiting the In Flanders Field Museum.

Those macarons and their sweet almondy taste and those decadent chocolates. Every year, I look…read moreforward to the time when I get a visit from those in France who bring gifts from this little shop. I'm typically skeptical about fancy looking chocolates, but Jean Trogneux knows exactly what they're doing. It's so stinkin' goooooooood! :D

macaroons are a french delicacy that i never appreciated until my H~ parents took me Guillaume's…read more =9 i had previously considered them artificial sweets...until i had the authentic french creations! THAT started my fascination! hence the 5 stars (slight soft spot!) Guillaume's specialty is a divinely limited selection that rotates every month....everything from the delicate sweetness of lychee to classic raspberry cream~ be sure to pop by~ the people there are extremely friendly! [even if you don't speak french^^]

Was initially only passing by in the area, but got drawn into this Chocolatier by what was on…read moredisplay - simply, the variety and decoration of the chocolates showed skill and design, some of which seemed even excessively. As a chocolate lover, it would have been difficult to resist the lure. Looking in the store, they had some very nice chocolates, some of which seemed to have extremely high cocoa content - from what I remember, up to 90% or thereabouts (not my type of thing, but some people like it bitter). I would say that if you like chocolate but do not want to end up shelling out and buying loads, avoid this place!

A simply amazing place that came well recommended by both another merchant and our guide. Great…read moreservice, wonderful ambiance, and just what we were looking for. My wife was in heaven and came away with a serious collection of sweets we are still enjoying days later. Give it a try!

This was our first chocolaterie in Ghent and it was excellent. The chocolates lived up the Belgian…read morereputation and they had a wide selection of different marzipans, a family favorite that is scarce in the United States. The only thing better than the chocolate was the customer service. The young man working educated us on the Ghent Dragon, provided us with a few local restaurant recommendations and a brief lesson on Belgian fries and local spots. He also informed us that the chocolates are made by Sophie herself. Sophie is doing a great job in both the chocolate business and in hiring friendly, competent people. It was a pleasure shopping there.