Therese et Dominique is one of those places where ordering the regular would be a true crime.

Although this is ‘just’ a sandwich bar, it would be a pity to go for the baguette with tuna fish you always eat. Apart from the usual stuff they have a bunch of specialties worth to be discovered. Try for instance an adapted ciccio bello, mozzarella-tomato with sweet peppers and fried aubergine slices, divine.

When the weather is nice I like to take-away my treasure and eat it sitting in the sun of the Poelaert square while doing some tourist watching, but it’s also possible to eat at the place itself, inside or in the cute garden.

Measured by the queues that might appear at the entrance it seems I’m not the only fan of the place, make sure you’re in it. Don’t worry, they work fast, you never have to wait too long.

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Therese et Dominique | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Baguette € 3.50
Dejonckerstraat 23 | Ixelles
Mon – Sat

There are times when I want to escape the noise of the city and ignore the corruptions of the 21st century. When a contemplative mood strikes and my inner Confucius rears its head, I head straight to Comptoir Florian. Housed in a beautifully restored art-nouveau townhouse, the tea shop at the front hides a miniature tea salon, with an incredible range of weird and wonderful teas, from white to green, and everything in between. 

I always try to get a table in the tiny back room, where one of the comfortable armchairs is the perfect place to sit and read. The main space is equally relaxing, though, with a colonial allure that evokes bygone centuries of trade winds, tea clippers and opium dens. 

Tea is taken seriously here and once you’ve tasted it you’ll understand why. What you get is worlds away from the usual bag in boiling water fare. Instead, loose leaves are slowly brewed in filtered water, to give the taste that so delighted Chinese emperor Shennong when he accidentally discovered the beverage way back in 2737 BC.

I don’t go there if I feel like a frenetic gathering of friends, or if I just need a quick drink. But, if I have some time to read or I want a pleasant conversation with a good friend, in hushed tones naturally, this is the place I choose. I can even be sure that nothing will disturb my serenity: a sign on the door reminds customers to switch off their mobile phones!

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Comptoir Florian | Coffee & tea | Tea € 5.00
Rue Saint Boniface 17 | Ixelles | +3225131903
Tue – Sat 11:00 – 20:00

Do you know this feeling? You want to eat this particular dish that you use to eat when you were still living at your parents’ place… but you know the preparation takes long, you’re not sure about the recipe and you don’t see yourself calling your mum (who’s not living in the same town by the way) to ask her to prepare it…

Fortunately, I found out in my neighborhood a snack offering salads, soups and… traditional Moroccan food! And I found exactly what I was looking for: the taste from my childhood.

Obviously, I’m not the only one: many Moroccans eat there as well. It’s true that in the neighborhood there’s a Moroccan community: and some of them use to go there to drink the traditional tea, have a chat altogether, listening to the traditional music…

Sometimes, I have the feeling I’m in one of the many snacks in Casablanca… and it’s even true, when the waiter starts to sing an Arabic song while serving everyone!

I’ve tried nearly everything and was not disappointed, but I especially recommend the “Tagine Kefta” (ask for ‘la totale’ with potatoes and eggs), the “Soupes de lentilles”, or for dessert the “Raïb” (a home made yogourt).

Oh, and did I tell you? Yes, they have Couscous, of course!!!

Bsaha (Arabic word to say ‘bon appetit’)

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Perle D’Orient | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Moroccan)
rue Malibran, 23 | Ixelles | +32483422401
11:00 – 23:00 daily

I used to love this place few months ago. I don’t go there that often anymore and I was really thinking : should I leave this article online or not?

I decided to leave it online (but to change the content) as, if you want to act as a local, you should know this place and have an opinion about it.

In Brussels, there’s always a place that everyone loves to hate.

A place that everyone agreed (a) year(s) ago that it’s the hippest one, but it’s not anymore.

A place where everyone will still go but with excuses : “I don’t like it, but I’m meeting people there before going to a party” or “I hate it on Saturday night when it’s crowded, but it’s decent on Sunday afternoon as it’s the last terrace of the neighborhood in the sun” (which is true).

But then they make some renovation (the place is twice bigger now) and you like it again or you hate it because it’s not like it used to be… !

For the moment, the place you’ll love to hate for many other reasons is Bar du Marché. You can’t miss this opportunity to have an opinion about it as any other local…

Please leave me a comment and explain why YOU hate it!!

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Bar du Marché | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music
Rue Alphonse de Witte, 12 | Ixelles
Mon – Fri 16:00 – 02:00, Sat – Sun 09:00 – 02:00 | Happy Hour Sun – Thu 23:00 – 00:00, Fri – Sat 00:00 – 01:00

Everybody loves l’Amour fou. During years, long time before Brussels was even hype, it was one of the place to be. Then, year after year, it lost its charm… and one day : closed. We were all sad, but realized that no one we know were even still going there. End of the story.

Then, few months ago, L’Amour fou reopened. We had a party during a long week-end and more than thousand people showed up. It seems to everyone that l’Amour fou still had a place in our heart.

The new team running the place did a good job : it’s still has this brasserie style we love, in more hype. During the day: you can have a nice afternoon, you can plug your computer and benefit from free wifi. Evenings are more crowded : people coming for dinner, or just for a drink, for a concert, spend some good time with friends.

What a like the most is the spirit of the new owners : they know they have to handle with an institution and everyone has a word to say about the food, the drinks, …. Those guys are just willing to listen to it and to make the necessaries changes in order to please everyone. It’s hard to deal with a place everyone is crazy in love with, but they do it great!

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L’Amour Fou | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Relaxing
185, chaussée d’Ixelles | Ixelles | +3223257353
Tue – Thu & Sun 11:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 11:00 – 03:00

When I do some shopping the moment I am looking forward to is the time to relax and take a cup of tea… and if there are some delicious pastries, it’s even better!

One of my favourite shopping place is in the neighbourhood of Place du Châtelain. In this area, you may also be interested to visit the Horta Museum.

So, imagine me having a ‘hard’ time shopping…. and then after few hours of seeing such wonderful things… having a nice sweet rest in a ‘salon de thé’.

I can do it at Lilicup…. it’s fresh, pop, English style, and yummie! It’s Also a very nice place to go with the kids, as they will have their own table.

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Lilicup | Coffee & tea
Rue du Page, 65 | Ixelles | +3225380268
Tue – Fri 10:00 – 17:00, Sat 10:00 – 18:00

Brussels is a city of islands. Not in the literal sense, of course, but every so often you find disconnected pockets of beauty and harmony floating in the general chaos of the city. Blomqvists is located in one of these ‘islands’ – the art nouveau district at Place St Boniface. There are already some great places to eat and drink (check the L’Ultime Atome article) and this Swedish/Italian espresso bar completes the offer perfectly. 

Every time I go it reminds me of visits to Stockholm with its laid-back cozy vibe; they even have little baskets of books in different languages under the tables for you to enjoy with your coffee. And while we’re on the subject, the coffee at Blomqvists is brilliant – they really know what they’re doing and the end result is a perfect cup, be it an espresso, or a milkier variety.

They have various pastries and cakes for the sweet-toothed among us, but I always know what I want even before I go in and see the selection: Kanelbullar. If you haven’t yet tried these Swedish cinnamon buns, you’re really missing out. They’re delicious here and are a perfect partner in crime for a  good strong coffee.

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Blomqvists | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Coffee € 2.50
Rue Francart 14 | Ixelles | +32484350644
Thu – Fri 11:00 – 19:00, Sat 11:00 – 18:00, Sun 12:00 – 17:00

Those who know me are well aware that my love for pastel de nata borders on obsession. I just can’t get enough of these delicious Portuguese custard tarts. Luckily, I discovered a perfect place to eat them.

Queijinhos Doces is a very charming little café and bakery where I am always made to feel welcome. The typical azulejo wall tiles and the constant tide of Portuguese regulars make me feel like I’m on holiday in Lisbon.

They serve excellent coffee too, short and intense, and have a range of other pastries, in case you’re not quite as obsessed as I am.

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Queijinhos Doces | Coffee & tea | Coffee & pastry € 3.10
Rue de la Brasserie 98 | Ixelles | +32026404024
Thu – Tue 08:00 – 19:00