You walk into España Calidade close to Midi train station and you could swear that you’re in Spain. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and listen to the frantic shoppers around you. This is the best authentic Spanish shop you can find in Brussels. They hang around twenty types of dried ham on big hooks around the store, in between the huge paella pans and spicy peppers. I wouldn’t recommend this place for vegetarians, but if you like meat go ahead and order a few slices (or more!).

You can also find Spanish beers, wine, and other imports that the Belgian supermarkets haven’t brought to their market yet. Be sure to show your assertive side, because it’ll be difficult otherwise to get your order through with the chaos and non-existing queue system. The people working there are extremely nice and although they always find it weird when I come in and don’t speak a word of Spanish, they are extremely happy that I’m so willing to try communication!

Prices of their meat range are shown by the kilo, between 30-70€. If you take for example 100g of thinly cut ham you will pay around 4€ for one of the cheaper ones (almost as good as the expensive ones!).