At this store you can find a very large collection of records. When walking at the right side of the Bourse, you will hear the music resonating from the gallery. The door is always open and the music is always playing.

They have a large collection of jazz, rock, classical, and other genres. I adore spending several hours there looking at all the record covers and enjoying the great ambiance. This place is great to find presents or to discover new artists. I highly appreciate their choice in music, in general, and their reasonable priced items for sale.

This place has been there for such a long time and is proof of the never fading Vinyl reign. When all CD shops are being closed down this place clearly shows that nothing can beat an analogue musical experience (when considering recordings that is).

Maybe in another article I could tell you where to buy the best music installation. But you can already start your own private collection!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
The Collector / Record Gallery | Shopping | Record € 15
Beursstraat 26 | Center
Mon – Sat 10:30 – 18:30, Sun 13:00 – 18:00

Emblematic of Brussel’s rich and vibrant cultural life is Passa Porta, the international house of literature.

A fine and desperately needed meeting place where various language lovers get together to learn and enjoy all things related to semantic creativity. This place is an important link that assembles philosophers, writers and an interested public of various linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Almost every day you can experience a presentation of the works of various artists at the literary platform. Passa Porta also organizes workshops that encompass discussions, analysis or theoretical and practical demonstrations on for instance writing fiction or on translation.

Next to it there is a book shop with new and second hand books at bargain prices. Photos and video’s enhance the understanding of a literary work at Passa Porta’s exposition room. They even give apartments to national and international writers. Their work made there gets sufficient attention after it is finished.

The whole kaleidoscope of linguistic creation is skillfully brought together by “entrez lire”. This organisation invites journalists, writers, translators, screen writers, book editors and others to discuss or show their field of occupation. Seminars, workshops, expositions and meetings are organised regularly.

Passa Porta is a wonderful place to discover the written word. You’ll find it on the fancy Dansaert straat not far from the Bourse. Be sure to check their website to consult the organised presentations.

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Passa Porta | Art & culture, Shopping
Antoine Dansaertstraat 46 | Center | +3222260454
Tue – Sat 11:00 – 19:00, Sun 12:00 – 18:00

You can’t miss this temple of Chinese goods. The astonishing view will beg you to come in for a visit. Visiting this magnificent building is a must for adventurous food loving world citizens. A couple of Chinese restaurants and a lot of Thai ones are located a bit further grouped together in the street right across the Bourse.

For good ingredients, healthy and nice food, special kitchen utensils and presents shop here!

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Kam Yuen | Art & culture, Shopping
Rue de la Vierge Noire 2-4 | Center | +3225125833
Mon – Sat 09:00 – 18:00

Place Rouppe is in the centre of Brussels and has several nice bars and restaurants surrounding the roundabout.

There is a bar “Houtsiplou” with a very large terrace, they serve juices, salads, main courses and other beverages and snacks. The quality is high and the prices are low. The people who serve there are very sweet and fast. The high ceiling inside enlarges the place and the windows let in a lot of light.

Place Rouppe is in the middle of rue du Midi, with a great photography shop and two musical instruments shops (guitars and drums) and the Stalingradlaan. The Stalingradlaan has several Moroccan food shops and restaurants, two Moroccan bakeries, fish restaurants and coffee bars. This area is a wonderful entrance to the center and offers a lively atmosphere.

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Place Rouppe | Bars, Shopping, Restaurants (Various)
Place Rouppe | Center | +32206268694
Daily

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life”, Pablo Picasso once said. Well, this shop is your washing machine.

Fashion magazines, art-house movies, exhibition catalogs, gifts, children books, T-shirts with fancy slogans and the widest range of national and international art books you can imagine, you can find it all in one place… the fine Bozar arts shop near the fine arts museum.

It’s an ideal place to buy birthday presents you cannot find elsewhere and I bet you won’t be surprised if I tell you this is one of my favorite places to hang out around Christmas time.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Bozar Shop | Art & culture, Shopping
Rue Ravensteinstraat 15 | Center | +3225141505
10:00 – 19:00 (or till after concert) daily

I thought I knew quite a lot about tea after living in Japan. At least, I could have told you that tea came in three varieties: green, black and white. That’s what I thought, anyway, until I stumbled upon Cha Man in St. Gilles and discovered the existence of blue, red and yellow teas. Crazy!

Cha Man is that kind of place. You will find teas that you never even knew existed, ranging in quality (and price), from basic greens to outlandish and rare yellows, fit for an Emperor. If you’re looking for that rare blend you drank in Shanghai or just want to browse and discover, you won’t be disappointed. The tea is sorted and stored in colorful bags: red, yellow, green, white, black and blue. 

Although Cha Man is essentially a shop, they do have many tables, where you can try one of their teas on the premises. On a warmer day, the multicolored terrace spilling onto the square is just lovely. If you don’t think of tea as an ‘al fresco’ beverage, maybe Cha Man will change your mind.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Cha Man | Coffee & tea, Shopping | Tea € 3.50
Parvis de St Gilles 49 | The South | +3225389888
Mon – Fri 13:30 – 20:30, Sat – Sun 10:00 – 18:30

One of the things I missed as soon as I left my Torino was the ritual of the aperitif. After work we used to meet in bars in the town center, and enjoy some drinks accompanied by free food, this is the concept.

And one day, walking around Brussels, I heard someone speaking my dialect, I turned around and saw “La Piola” aperitif bar in Brussels. I almost cried while ordering a glass of white Moscato wine and picking some of the food.

A few years have passed since that day, and the Piola is still running. There are 2 even.

La Piola Libri is a bookstore, wine bar, apero bar, concert/conference place for Italians or Italy lovers. The evenings with Guccini and Vinicio Capossela were unforgettable.

It’s nested in the European Quarter not far from Schuman.

The second branch, La Piola is just off pl. Chatelain (rue du page 2, Ixelles). It’s an apero bar, a wine bar and also a good simple Italian restaurant with a nice front terrace and a backyard garden.

Do not expect the variety of food you can get in Torino, but still I feel at home (you can even read La Stampa, the Turin newspaper).

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Piola Libri | Bars, Music, Shopping, Restaurants (Italian) | Daily special € 10.00
Rue Franklin 66-68 | Etterbeek/ Eur.Qt
Mon – Fri 10:30 – 20:00, Sat 12:00 – 20:00

We have all faced that kind of appointments : we don’t know who’s going to join, some will join but a bit late, another cancelled at the very last minute, the other one is coming but with his two kids as he couldn’t find a baby-sitter.

When I face that kind of mis-organization, I choose Cook&Book.

As it’s a bookshop, you don’t mind waiting for someone, you find things to see. As the place is spacious and the staff open mind, you know that you all figure out how to sit when everyone is there. If it’s summertime, even better : the terrace is huge.

If it’s only for a drink, it’s also perfect, they have the music department, which is also a wine bar.

I have nothing to say against this place : it’s spacious, modern, nice books, friendly staff. Oh yes, actually I have one thing: it’s not in my neighborhood.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Cook&Book | Bars, Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Shopping, Restaurants (Brasserie)
1, Place du Temps Libre | The East | +3227612600
08:00 – 00:00 daily

You would like to buy some creative items made by an artisan?

Want to discover some local talents off the beaten path?

Want to have a drink in a place which connects travellers and a certain way of discovering the world?

Here you’ll find a market (every Saturday and Sunday – 11.00 – 19.00), a place to drink and eat for a decent price (Via Via Travellers Café), an exhibition, a show yet to begin, a workshop for kids, people having a seat and talking, some travel books, friendly faces, an organised chaos, a new way to live the world without having long and boring argumentation but just by acting differently.

Spending some time in this place make me feel being in an other part of the world and not in the center of the city I live in. The spirit of the place and the bright patio may be an important part of that feeling!

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Micro Marché | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks
9, Quai de la Houille | Center
11:00 – 23:00 daily

Forget about any other postcards you may find on your way. The only and unique place you’ll get some really beautiful ones are in this boutique, situated not to far away from Grand Place!

When you’ll see what Plaizier has to offer, you will only agree with me about the fact that in general, postcards are “kitsh” and not really worth to buy them.

When you’ll visit Plaizier you will find yourself wondering why you didn’t took the postal address of all your friends, relatives and colleagues as the choice is just amazing!

Some pictures are showing famous places but in an artistic way, other are historical, all are beautiful… You will probably end up buying some for yourself….

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Plaizier Art Shop | Art & culture, Shopping
50, rue des Éperonniers | Center
Mon – Sat 11:00 – 18:00