The Ultimate Guide To The Best Cafés In Brussels Belgium

There are no shortage of cafés in Brussels but it can be hard to find the one that’s perfect for you.

I’ll admit, coming from Canada, cafés in Brussels were a bit weird at first. To me, cafés are a place to pick up a coffee (or tea), meet up with friends, or do some work. In Brussels, cafés double as bars… so they serve alcohol and stay open much later at night.

So if you’re looking for the classic North American “café scene” what you’re really looking for are coffee shops in Brussels. Here’s a list of the best coffee shops we found around Brussels and what they’re best suited for!

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

What Are The Best Cafés In Brussels?

1. Corica Coffee Shop: Best Quick Coffee In Brussels

Corica is all about coffee – it’s your typical Italian European stop and go coffee shop.

Corica is a cafe in Brussels city centre and it’s a coffee lovers’ heaven! You can find everything coffee related that your heart desires here! They offer about 25 beans from around the world. Head to Corica a bag of freshly ground beans or a quick on the go espresso.

The baristas really know their coffee here so you’ll be able to ask them for recommendation on what bean to get. They have a few locations around Brussels, but the most convenient is the one around the corner from Grand Place.

Corica is the perfect café in Brussels city centre if you’re looking for a place that’s all has the best quality coffee and you can get it quickly!

2. Maison Renardy: Best Coffee Shop In Brussels For Breakfast

Just a bit outside the Brussels city centre in the Ixelles neighbourhood is Maison Renardy. It’s worth the subway ride or the short walk to get here. Seriously, we left wanting to open up our own version back home in Montreal.

Maison Renardy coffe shop in Brussels has everything you could want from a local café. It seemed like the owner and staff knew everyone, constantly starting up conversations with their customers. This was clearly best café in Brussels to go to for breafkast.

They have coffee, what seemed like unlimited options for tea, freshly homemade bread and even homemade Belgian chocolates. FYI, they even sell an Earl Grey chocolate! It seemed like there was nothing they didn’t do!

Maison Renardy is one of the the best cafés in Brussels to check out the local scene and escape the tourists. The perfect time to come here is for breakfast, you can even try to read the Flemish newspaper. But you can also come here to enjoy afternoon tea with some pastries!

I wouldn’t come here if you’re looking for a place to work, the tables are small and you don’t have too much space in general.

3. La Fabrique en Ville: Best Café In Brussels City Centre

Outside the touristy centre of Brussels (but not too far to walk to), you’ll find La Fabrique en Ville. It’s the perfect city escape on the edge of La Sablon and Ixelles neighbourhoods in Park Edgmont. La Fabrique has two locations, so you’ll want to make sure to go to ‘en Ville‘, it’s the better one out of the two!

La Fabrique en Ville is one of the best cafés to work in Brussels but also to come hang out with friends for brunch on the weekend. It’s a great cafe in Brussels city centre to work at during the week. You have more than enough space at each table for you laptop, book, or papers. Plus the high ceilings really add to the space never feeling claustrophobic for a minute!

But keep in mind, it’s only really a good spot for working during the week. It’s bustling with locals every weekend – especially around brunch time and if it’s a nice day out. They have an unbeatable patio overlooking the park.

La Fabrique en Ville also has delicious seasonal drinks on their menu that you have to try (I love their iced matcha lemonade!).

4. My Little Cup: Best Matcha Latte in Brussels

Just a bit outside the city centre, My Little Cup is the epitome of cute European café to enjoy a drink at.

You’ll want to head to My Little Cup with your favourite book, meet your friends to catch up, or even bring your laptop to do some work.

The only thing you won’t find here are tourists despite how close this café is to the Brussels city centre! It’s around the corner from the Palace and Brussels park which makes it a good cafe to come to after exploring the area.

The downside is that it’s quite small inside, but it does have a patio outside to enjoy the fresh Brussels air! Plus, this is where I found my favourite Matcha latte in Brussels (I’m very picky with those – no sugar and not too much milk!).

5. Belga & Co: Best Laptop Friendly Coffee Shop In Brussels

If you’re searching for a place to work that won’t give you devil eyes when you take out your laptop (can’t tell you how many times that happened to us!), go to Belga & Co!

You won’t be alone working at Belga & Co, it’s the laptop hub of Brussels! The only problem – it might be hard to get a seat. I also didn’t love all the seat options, quite a few of them were on top of your neighbour. I don’t know about you but I need my space when I work. You can try to score a seat in the back for the most privacy. 

6. Cup28: Cheap Café In Brussels

Cup28 is a great cheap coffee shop in Brussels for a quick breakfast or coffee break. But why you should really come to Cup28 is because it offers the best breakfast deal in the city.

You can get a croissant and espresso for €3, or opt for two baguettes with marmalade for €4.50 – it doesn’t get better than that!

It’s a nice vibe inside Cup28 although I’d avoid working here for long hours, the seats weren’t too comfortable.

7. Fika: A Bit of Sweden in Brussels

If you’ve ever been to Sweden then you’ll know the importance of Fika. It’s so much more than a coffee and cake break, it’s a state of mind. But if you can’t go to Sweden for your Fika break then why not go to Fika coffee shop in Brussels.

On top of a taste of Sweden in Brussels, I’d come to Fika for the outdoor patio. This Brussels café has one of the best private outdoor spaces in the city. As nice and as cozy as this place is inside, there are limited seats. So I’d only go if it’s nice outside to take full advantage of the space.

8. Lloyd Café: Worst & Best Cafés To Work In Brussels

We had a love/hate relationship with Lloyd Café because it had some of the best qualities out of any coffee shop in Brussels, but then also some of the worst. Depending on why you’re going to a coffee shop in Brussels, Lloyd could be the place for you or you’ll want to steer clear of it.

The best part about Lloyd Café in Brussels is that it’s a very large space, so you know you’re always going to get a seat, and you’re not on top of your neighbour. They also had super comfy arm chairs in the back that you can sit in for hours! 

But the atmosphere was either a complete hit or a total miss. They had a play area for families to bring their kids, which is great… but… not an ideal workspace. Screaming kids don’t exactly help your stream of thought. 

On top of that, if you sit too close to the kitchen, there wasn’t good soundproofing, so you heard everything the kitchen staff said. The Wifi (although their logo promotes it) is also quite spotty, which is also kind of necessary for cafés to work in Brussels.

But I will say that if you’re looking for a place to stay the entire day, Lloyd is a great option. IT has a huge lunch menu with tons of food options from sandwiches and pasta salads, to smoothies.

I warn you though, don’t under any circumstances, order their matcha latte – they don’t know how to make those yet!

So if you’re looking for good cafés to work in Brussels, Lloyd is a risky café to go to. But if you’re going to meet friends for coffee and a bite to eat, then Lloyd is a great option!

9. Best All Around Cafés In Brussels City Centre: Café du Sablon

A lot of factors come into play when rating the best coffee shops in Brussels: comfort, drink options and quality, location … etc.

After all the cafés in Brussels that we tried, Café du Sablon was by far our favourite. First, I loved that it had huge windows with a great view. It was always light inside, and you never felt stuck like you were missing out on the day – which I think is important. From the large windows, you can see the Church du Sablon across the street which isn’t a bad view at all!

For comfort, you have different seat options, and there’s enough space in the café to not feel too much on top of each other. They also had enough drink and food options.  The coffee was well-rounded, and their matcha latte wasn’t half bad either!

The location could not have been better either. Café du Sablon is obviously in the Sablon neighbourhood, which really isn’t far from the Brussels city centre.

The main downside was the music they played, but I think it was the employees choice. I say that because it was never consistent, and sometimes it would be great and other times it was terrible. Also, their bathrooms weren’t ideal; they’re Co-ed, and you had to go down a creepy staircase to get to them…

10 . Chouconut: Hidden Café In Brussels

Chouconut is a bit further out of the way in the Saint-Gilles neighbourhood but it’s worth checking out – it’s one of the most beautiful cafés in Brussels. You can really tell that everything has a personal touch here.

But what really makes Chouconut stand out from the other cafes in Brussels are their homemade choux pastries – they’re to die for! Plus they make some of the best coffee in Brussels (it’s Vietnamese style!).

When you visit, make sure to grab a seat upstairs. As cute as the downstairs area is, the upper floor is even more magical. If you are able to make it here with your laptop, the upstairs makes for a pretty decent cafés to work in Brussels too.

It has such an amazing atmosphere. Similar to Café du Sablon, they have large windows letting in a lot of light making it feel airy and spacious. And unlike Café du Sablon they had peaceful calming music always playing in the background.

But as an avid tea drinker my favourite is that they had hot water tanks upstairs so you can easily refill your cup when you’re done.

The only downside is that it’s a €10 minimum to use card. But is that really such a big deal? It just means you’ll have to get more pastries if you don’t have cash!

Need A Place To Stay? Brussels Hotel Recommendations

I stayed in an Airbnb while in Brussels Belgium, but here are some hotels I found in the city stay at.

For a luxury 5-star hotel experience in the heart of Brussels, stay at Rocco Forte Hotel Amigo. You are one block away from Brussels Grand Place – you can’t get a better location than that! See room rates and availability on Booking.com.

If you’re looking for a bed and breakfast in Brussels stay at Art de Séjour B&B. You’ll get a delicious homemade breakfast included with your stay. See room rates and availability on Booking.com.

Bringing the family to Brussels or need a space for all your friends? Check out Spacious modern appartments in Brussels city centre. You can get an apartment for up to 6 adults! See room rates and availability on Booking.com.

See more accommodation options in Brussels, on Booking.com.

More Guides To Brussels

• The Ultimate City Guide For Your First Time in Brussels
• The Top Hidden Gems in Brussels
• The Top 9 Day Trips To Go On From Brussels
• Guide To Brussels Comic Book Walls
• Where Should You Stay In Brussels? Guide To Ixelles
• Guide To Brussels in September

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