One of my traditions when going on a trip is to do some sort of food-related activity that revolves around a country's specialties. For Belgium, everyone knows that its specialties are chocolate and beer. While doing my research I found this company as it came recommended by quite a few bloggers as well as Brussels' tourist bureau site. Length: 4.5 hours Cost: €80/person This is by no means a cheap tour. However, the amount you get for €80 is quite a lot, especially when you factor in that aside from beer and chocolate you also get to know the history behind two of Brussels' most famous landmarks: Grand Place/Grote Markt and Manneken Pis. Personally after the end I couldn't eat another bite of chocolate and I was pretty buzzed, especially if you take into consideration how strong Belgian beers can be. Julie was my guide. She was also training 2 other guides in addition to managing our group. She was the epitome of a good guide - presented the more "boring" parts of the tour in a fun and engaging way, helped guarded the chocolate from being stolen during the Pierre Marcolini portion of the tour (apparently that chocolate's quite popular) and made sure that everyone's needs in the group were taken care of since some people in our group didn't care for beer. Our group also managed to get along very well. Here are my notes of the stops on the tour along with any chocolate and/or beer that was consumed. -Chocopolis- 1. Traditional dark chocolate, coconut base 2. Mexican chocolate with red pepper 3. Speculoos This particular shop is known for their "bean-to-bar" approach; meaning to say that they take control of the entire process as opposed to getting the starting products from distributors. This shop is also good for vegans or people that need dairy-free chocolate as the owner is lactose intolerant. Base milk is from coconut and is used in all the chocolate. I liked the pepper chocolate the most. -Meert- 1. Ginger and yuzu juice 2. Chinese green jasmine tea Located in the Royal Galleries. Apparently they supply chocolate and pastries for the royal family. We were able to choose 2 chocolates from this shop so I went for the more interesting combinations. -Pierre Marcolini- 1. Ecuador single-origin (floral) 2. Earl Grey Tea 3. Câlin "hug" (almond and hazelnut praline, Quimper wafers and Madagascan vanilla caramel) - family favorite. Also located in Royal Galleries. Pierre Marcolini is a master chocolatier and his products are renowned worldwide because he uses high-quality chocolate in his products. Noteworthy is that other people not on the tour tried to get samples thinking that the store was having a tasting. I was aware of Marcolini as the No1DP gifted me chocolate in the past. Later I bought chocolate for gifts (and myself) in another Pierre Marcolini store but bought a few câlins for myself. -Manneken Pis Cafe- Vedett Blond (on tap) This bar is located next to the (in)famous Manneken Pis statue. A good starter beer that's not too strong. -Atelier Sainte Catherine- 1. India single origin (earthy) 2. Cayenne - citronnelle (lemongrass pepper) 3. Sea salt caramel 4. Irish coffee milk ganache An authorized distributor of Frederic Blondeel chocolate, another master chocolatier. His chocolate was recognized as the winner of the Gault & Millau Chocolatier of the Year, the first year the award was inaugurated. I bought chocolate here the next day as gifts. -Dolle Mol- 1. Golden Carolus Tripel 2. Troubadour Magma The first bar also offered a charcuterie board. I liked the provided celery salt as a flavor enhancer to the cheese. Here we were given our first proper introduction to the Belgian dubbel/triple that the region is so well-known for. Troubadour Magma I ended up liking despite being an IPA because nobody overhops their beer in Belgium. -Benelux- 1. Lindeman's Kriek (lambic) 2. Jambe de Bois Here our group was given an introduction to the lambic beers, which Brussels is well-known for. Lambics undergo spontaneous fermentation using wild yeast strains. Kriek (a sour cherry) tasted like Robitussin, which earned mixed reception from the group but I personally liked it. Jambe de Bois is a triple made in Brussels. -Au Bon Vieux Temps- 1. Westmalle Dubbel (on tap) 2. Rochefort 10 The oldest bar in Brussels, this is where I got my proper introduction to trappist beer. I ended up loving trappist beer so much that my family came back here twice to explore their trappist beer offerings. Rochefort 10 is one of my favorite beers and I had a few more glasses of this over the duration of the trip. With the exception of Marcolini the chocolate shops offered a 10% discount if you bought chocolate from them. Not only did I buy chocolate from the vendors listed here, I also bought a few beers sampled on this tour as gifts. This is the best beer tour I've ever done and one of the best tours I've done in Europe. Many thanks to Julie and the Brussels Journey for putting together a great tour. read more

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So glad we did this tour. Not only did we get to sample and learn about chocolate and beer, but we also learned about the history of Brussels as we walked along. Our guides, Julia and Andrea were amazing - they consistently checked in with all of us and at least one of them was available if there were some slower member of the groups that wanted to stop to buy chocolate or take pictures. They were also extremely informative - you could tell they loved their jobs. We had several pieces of chocolate at each location and also had a 10% discount at 2 of the locations (definitely came in use). We also had 5-6 beers throughout the tour as well. The world cup final ended up being during our tour and they even provided doggy bags of the beer for those who couldn't bear to miss the game. Definitely recommend. read more

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My husband and I are craft beer aficionados, and signed up for the Craft Beer and Breweries tour with Brussels Journey. We were planning an anniversary trip to Europe over the summer, and we booked our tickets months in advance. About 10 days before the trip, she contacted us to let us know that one of her guides had unexpectedly quit, and that she would be unable to offer the craft beer tour. She offered to give us a full refund, or put us on the beer and chocolate tour instead. We opted for the Beer and Chocolate tour, and this was a great decision! This was without a doubt the best experience we had in our two weeks in Europe. The tour over five hours long, and we left full of chocolate, beer, and snacks, and completely satisfied. Marie took us to four or five different specialty chocolatiers, and we learned a ton about chocolate making and the history of chocolates in Belgium. There was a lot of flexibility: those who prefer milk chocolate (I assume such foolish people exist!) or who don't want to try unusual flavor combinations can have their pedestrian tastes satisfied, while those who like a bit more culinary adventure won't be disappointed. One of the highlights during this point of the tour was compare single-origin chocolates from different places - just like coffee (or hops!), cocoa beans with different origins impart distinctive flavors to the chocolate. We then got to try a really nice range of Belgian beers. Marie is really knowledgeable about beer, and has something to offer for beer novices and experts. We tried generous pours of a wide range of different styles at multiple bars, which Marie customized to suit the tastes of our group (such as including a local IPA for me and my IPA-loving husband.) At one of the beer stops, there was cheese, charcuterie meat, and bread to go around; we ate until we were stuffed, so much so that we scrapped our dinner plans and just had some crispy frites on the way home instead. (In part, this was because others in our group weren't eating; you might not get as much with a hungry tour group.) Some in the group didn't eat pork, and vegetarian alternatives were brought out for them. In addition to learning about (and consuming!) beer and chocolate, we also got a nice tour of the center of the city, including the very impressive central square. Marie is funny and forthcoming and slightly irreverent; she doesn't sugarcoat things, and will tell you straight-up when things you're seeing are tourist traps or bullshit. You can trust her advice! Some practical notes: the tour involves a number of stops where you can sit down (mostly during the beer portion, but also during the chocolate portion), and doesn't move very fast, so it would be appropriate for someone who isn't very mobile. If you have someone in a wheelchair or a baby in a stroller, you'd want to check about accessibility ahead of time. There are opportunities for bathroom breaks. Also, the meeting place could be better described: meet at the statue in the park in front of Chocopolis, not directly in front of Chocopolis! Also: Bring at least one bottle of water per person; you'll want it when sampling the chocolate. I was somewhat surprised that Marie didn't provide water for folks, though she did give people a chance to stop and buy water. I'm very much a thrifty DIY traveler: I never do packaged or guided tours apart from free walking tours, and I enjoy doing my own research to piece together cool local experiences for as little money as possible. Tours with the Brussels Journey aren't cheap. However, I can confidently tell you that a Brussels Journey tour with Marie is *well* worth the money. We had one evening in Brussels, and I wouldn't have wanted to spend it any other way. read more

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Completed the journey with Marie, the owner. +Chocolate +Beer +And a little bit of history, so I didn't feel like a complete lush! Such an amazing tour, definitely made the trip to Brussels worth it. read more

As someone who has been Yelping for 4 years, I can honestly say that this is the strongest 5 star review I have ever given. My boyfriend and I visited Brussels a few months ago and opted to do this tour. We both thought it would be fun but a little expensive. Also, I knew it was a long tour and all walking... HOLY CRAP!!!!! This was absolutely the best tour I have ever done in my life! Phenomenal! Just when you think chocolate is chocolate and Godiva is "high" end, this tour comes along and shakes things up. First of all, our tour guide was Juanita. She was spunky, smart, entertaining and exceptionally knowledgeable about the chocolate. As we walked from place to place, she gave us a history lesson about the architecture, the culture and the shops/restaurants around us. We ended up going to 4 chocolatiers and 2 or 3 pubs to try different beers. All of the chocolate places we went were very different. By the end of the tour, I couldn't eat anymore. That is how much chocolate you try in this tour. By the way, none of these chocolates are cheap if you bought them on your own. I loved that we got to sample a wide variety of chocolate flavors, chocolates made from different cacao beans, and chocolates produced by chocolatiers who all had a different take on the subject. Some of these delectables looked truly like an art piece. One of my favorites was a passion fruit chocolate that looked like a shiny marble with intricate details. Finally, I loved the different atmospheres that each chocolate shop had. In my life, I have never been to anything like these places. The chocolates are a piece of art work and taste as good as they look. Aside from chocolate, we also got to sample beer and cheese. I love beer and was originally more excited for the beer than chocolate part, but I will have to say that the pubs paled in comparison to the chocolate. Still fun and cool to visit the hidden pubs, but the chocolate part was the best. Basically what Im saying is you need to take this tour with Juanita!!!!! You will not regret. read more

Awesome experience and a great tour through the city. Julia, our guide, was excellent. Booking online was easy. Some of my favorite moments and locations are in the photos. read more

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I loved everything about this tour! I was initially worried about the price tag but we absolutely got our monies worth! Our tour guide was Baptist and i feel like he really put the tour over the top. You can tell he really loves Brussels and had some great insider info to help shape the rest of our time is Brussels. We went to 4 progressively better and more expensive chocolate shops and tried 2-4 pralines at each stop. Just when I thought I couldn't eat another chocolate (apparently it is possible) it was time for beer! We stopped in 3 bars. Two of which were super cool and we returned to after the tour. I didn't realize we would also get a history lesson while moving from place to place. Overall I felt like this tour set us up really well to make the most of the rest of our time in Brussels and was absolutely worth the money!! read more

Dan the man!! Our instructor, Dan was very enthuastic and passionate about not only about the tour but the city of Brussels as well! When we were walking around going to each place, Dan would stop and talk about the city, giving us histrorical and modern facts about the city. We had all different types of chocolate and beer, and they were all delicious. Im glad we went out of our comfort zone and tried noth beer and chocolate that we normally wouldnt go for! Dan was very knowledgable about everything we had and the places we visited :) 10/10 read more

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The tour was worth the price. You get a bit of everything our tour guide Daniel and assistant Juliette were both fantastic. Daniel was full of energy and had great charisma. He gave us all plenty of knowledge in Brussels history. He included some humor which is always a plus. The tour included chocolate tasting and on the way to each we stopped by to get some history . The give you water which help with the chocolate. The beer was great and also had a snack to go along with it. There are many tips that are given during the tour so I definitely recommend doing it the first day of your visit. read more

The Brussels Journey - Food Tours Near Me - Brussels, BRU

This tour was worth every penny. We had Daniel as our tour guide and he made the experience. He was funny, full of information and does an amazing job of entertaining the group. I recommend doing this tour at the beginning of your trip as it is a good way to find hidden gems and other things to do in Brussels. If you enjoy having a good time and making friends from across the world this tour is a must!! Great company, good history, and of course wonderful chocolates and beer!! read more

Julie was amazing. We had some amazing chocolate and Belgium beer. We also got to see the city of Bruxelles in the process. Julie was super relatable, informative, and had some great stories. I would 10/10 recommend this tour. We had a blast! read more

What an amazing tour. Daniel, our guide, was fantastic! There were 12 of us on the tour. Mostly from the US, but a few from India, the UK and Canada. Daniel's welcoming nature allowed us to really be a great group. He had wonderful anecdotes and great information along the way about the history, architect and establishments of the city. We learned about the making of chocolate during several stops - fantastic places that you will never find elsewhere. Then onto the beer! Again, an amazing explanation of how the different beers of Belgium are made. We stopped at some really interesting out of the ordinary places - down alley ways, a place that was closed to everybody on Mondays except for us...highly recommend! Maybe take the tour on the first day you are here so you can visit some of the places the guide mentions. Best part of our trip to Brussels for sure. read more

This was one of our favorite experiences from our trip to Europe. You get an easy walking tour that provides information about the city and its history and you get to taste great chocolate and beer. We really developed a taste for Belgian beers since taking this tour. It was well worth the money. read more

The Brussels Journey - Food Tours Near Me - Brussels, BRU

We decided to do this tour the day before and were originally a little hesitant about the price, but it was SO WORTH IT. We loved our tour guide Daniel, as he was very worldly, friendly and knowledgeable. Brussels can feel like a tourist trap, but he helps guide you through a "locals" expierence. Additionally the chocolate and beer were plentiful and generous portions. You are really getting a semi private tour, snacks, great beer, and quality chocolate for that price. 10/10 would go again. read more

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This is an amazing tour. The money seems a lot before you do the tour but at the end you feel like it was the best investment!!! You gets lots of chocolate and beer and even water and a snack. :) My only suggestion (besides GO!) is that you should book this for your first day in Brussels, even first day in Belgium if possible as the tour guides are full of other tips including other places in Belgium to visit, how to find good restaurants and anything else you want to know. Our guide and helper were fantastic! I ate a salad before I went and that was perfect. Don't go super full or super hungry. It's been a long time since I paid a lot for an expirience and actually enjoyed EVERY minute. read more

Baptiste & Andreia were awesome! This tour totally made our trip to Brussels awesome. They really took the time to stop and explain or answer questions. We met some awesome people, tasted A LOT of chocolate and beer, and learned so much about the city! Highly recommend going on this. read more

VERY DISSAPOINTED!!! I had made reservations for the beer and chocolate tour for July 9th after reading so many great reviews about it. 5 days before the tour, I get an email from Marie saying she will "have issues running the tour" and asking if I could do it the day before or the day after. I responded that I couldn't because we were basically going to be a day and a half in brussels and there was no other time we could do it and she responded how deeply sorry she was and that she would give me a full refund. I understand tours get canceled all the time and I'm sure this is a great one as other reviewers have said so I'm sorry for the 1 star but refunds do not take this long... It's been exactly 25 days since that last email and I have sent 3 more emails as a friendly reminder but I am fed up and hope MARIE reads this and remembers that GABRIELA GARCIA would LOVE her FULL REFUND!!! read more

The Brussels Journey Chocolate and Beer Tour was fun, though the pacing could use some improvement. It was front loaded with chocolate, which was good. It then got very slow paced with a lot of stopping through town. The pace in the middle section of the tour was too slow. Once the beer portion began it was a good tour again. Overall it was kind of an amateur tour, but we enjoyed it. read more

Absolutely the best tour! Don't miss it .. babtiste was hilarious and so informative!! Chocolate, great beer and even fries!!!! DO NOT MISS IT. I only wish I had more time in Belgium read more

We had the most wonderful time with our guide and her niece! They knew exactly what they were doing, made the best of rainy weather and had a wonderful sense of humor. Could not recommend it enough. Best part of our trip to Belgium! read more

Wonderful experience! Perfect amount of chocolate and beer and a little history too! We had to leave a bit early and our guides were so accommodating and sent us with some beer for the road! So glad we did this!!! read more

Excellent tour with a wonderful guide. It's absolutely worth the price--for the beer alone.

Daniel and Andrea were outstanding! This is a wonderful tour for people of all ages. We went to 4 chocolate shops and 3 bars. You get a LOT of delicious chocolate samples and at least 6 beers (plus a little food and a TON of history). This is so worth the money! One of the best parts of Brussels! read more

Best tour in Brussels. I had so much fun. You get to try a lot o different kind of chocolate and beer. Definitely worth the money!

This tour was the highlight of my short trip to Brussels. We learned a great deal about a variety of different chocolates and beers, as well as a bit of history about the city. Marie is super knowledgeable and a very charming tour guide. It seems expensive but I promise it is absolutely worth the price. read more

The value of this tour easily exceeds the cost. Marie was fantastic. You sample several chocolates and beers. She provides some great history of the city and takes you to great locations off the main roads. Our tour ran an hour over and she got us to every destination. We had so much fun that we went to dinner with others on the tour. We also went to several pubs with them after that. You won't regret taking this tour! Don't forget to take some water. Cheers! read more