BELGIAN CHOCOLATE SPECIALTIES

Brussels is famous for Belgian chocolate specialties, but most of what you find near Grand Place is mass-produced stuff wrapped in fancy paper. At The Unusual on Rue Montagne aux Herbes Potagères 49, we work with six different Belgian chocolates — each one selected because it actually tastes incredible, not because it looks good in a gift box.

Our chocolate range goes from 28% white chocolate all the way to 80% extra dark. The white one has mild milky and vanilla notes. The gold caramel chocolate (30.4%) tastes like toffee and salted caramel. Our 33.6% milk chocolate is the classic — rich cocoa with creamy vanilla. Then theres the ruby chocolate at 47.3%, which is naturally pink with dried strawberry and yoghurt hints. No food coloring, thats just how ruby chocolate looks.

For the dark chocolate lovers, the 54.5% has sweet and sour cocoa with wild dark berry notes. And the 80% extra dark is for people who mean business — robust cocoa with woody bitters. We use these Belgian chocolate specialties in our hot chocolates, our pastries, and our chocolate workshops upstairs.

Most tourists walking through the Ilôt Sacré or coming from Brussels Central Station have no idea this kind of chocolate cafe exists just two minutes away. We're not a chocolate shop — we're a cafe that takes Belgian chocolate seriously and turns it into drinks and food you can actually enjoy right here.

If you want to learn more about Belgian chocolate, we also run chocolate making classes where you work with these same chocolates. But even just ordering a signature hot chocolate made with real Belgian chocolate specialties is a pretty good introduction to what Brussels chocolate should taste like. We're on Rue Montagne aux Herbes Potagères, between Grand Place and Central Station. Come taste the difference.