Cafeography
Brussels · Flagey & Matonge

Cafés in Flagey & Matonge

Café Belga in the 1938 radio building, tea rooms and Congolese bistros in Matonge, and matcha on Rue Lesbroussart.

Photo: Jean-Paul Colemonts, Pexels License

Place Eugène Flagey is named after a mayor of Ixelles from 1935 to 1953, and its landmark is the Flagey building by Joseph Diongre, finished in 1938 for the national broadcaster INR.1 Its ship-like shape earned it the nickname paquebot (ocean liner); after the broadcaster left in 1974 it stood empty until a consortium bought it in 1998, and it reopened as a cultural center in 2002.1 Its Studio 4 concert hall, with an organ built for the room by Maurice Delmotte, is home to the Brussels Philharmonic.1

The square lies between the Ixelles Ponds, left after other ponds were drained in the late 19th century, and the denser streets toward the Namur Gate.2 There, Matonge takes its name from the Matonge district of Kinshasa and is known for its African community.23 The area also reaches the Université libre de Bruxelles campus, whose eastern edge lies in Ixelles.2

Local tip: Café Belga is open until 01:00 every day, so it works for a late coffee after a concert at Flagey as well as for breakfast at 08:00.41

At a glance

52Cafés listed
14With opening hours
07:30Earliest opening
01:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Café de la Presse, from 07:30 (Mon–Fri 07:30–20:00 · Sat–Sun 08:30–20:00).
  • Closes latest: Café Belga, until 01:00 (Daily 08:00–01:00).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (17%), indoor seating (17%), partial wheelchair access (10%).

Le Millefeuille – Café littéraire

  • Rue Leon Cuissez 38A
  • Tue–Fri 08:00–15:00 · Sat 10:00–17:00
  • +32 2 673 13 55
  • Wi-Fi
  • Indoor seating
  • Card payment
  • Vegetarian options
  • Wheelchair access
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Coffee chains in Flagey & Matonge

Place Flagey and Café Belga

Café Belga, at Place Eugène Flagey 18, is in the radio building itself.4 It opens daily from 08:00 to 01:00, with a large terrace on the square. On Saturdays and Sundays a market fills the square.5

Rue Lesbroussart, off the square, has the most cafés. Virginia at number 39 serves organic matcha, including a crème brûlée version.6 Grain is at number 27, Miss B at 43 and Chá Shi, a tea house, at 42; Popotes at number 107 opens Wednesday to Sunday with a terrace.

Matonge and Chaussée de Wavre

The Maison Africaine, a residence for African students, was founded as a non-profit on 8 February 1961. The neighborhood was mainly residential at first; shops, bistros and nightclubs run by Africans opened later.7 A small Square Patrice Lumumba was inaugurated on 30 June 2018 at the corner of Chaussée d'Ixelles and Rue du Champ de Mars.7 Ixelles has been twinned with Kalamu, the Kinshasa commune that contains Matonge, since 30 June 2003.3

On Chaussée de Wavre, Maison Renardy at number 111B has been a tea room since 1912 and offers more than twenty coffees it roasts itself.6 Le Consul at number 117 has seating inside and out, and Ondo on Rue de Dublin serves Korean-style coffee.6

Fernand Cocq, Vleurgat and the university

Place Fernand Cocq, beside the Ixelles town hall, is a café square, with Café Tulipant at number 25 and Fernand at 10.2 South of Flagey, Kafei at Chaussée de Vleurgat 147 serves brunch and pastries and belongs to the group described as the first Asian coffee bar in Brussels.6

The Wayne Café at Rue Van Eyck 30 is known for its photogenic interior and stays open until 22:00 on Thursdays and Fridays.6 Near the campus, Coin Culture ULB on Avenue Paul Héger opens weekdays 08:00–20:00, and Coffee Lacrosse on Boulevard Général Jacques serves weekdays 08:00–17:00 with Wi-Fi. Le Millefeuille, a café littéraire (literary café) on Rue Léon Cuissez, opens Tuesday to Friday 08:00–15:00.

Sources

  1. Flagey Building, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Ixelles, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. De Matonge à Matonge (24 September 2008), La Libre Belgique, accessed October 2026
  4. List of cafés in Brussels, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  5. Marchés et brocantes à Bruxelles, visit.brussels, accessed October 2026
  6. A cup of your finest coffee please (27 August 2026), visit.brussels, accessed October 2026
  7. Matonge: Crossroads of Afro-descendant struggles (25 June 2025), Latitudes (ULB journalism), accessed October 2026
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In Flagey & Matonge, also browse: Specialty coffee Terrasses Wi-Fi Open late Bakery cafés

FAQ

Flagey & Matonge cafés: questions

What are the opening hours of Café Belga on Place Flagey in Brussels?

Café Belga at Place Eugène Flagey 18 opens daily from 08:00 to 01:00. It is in the Flagey building, Joseph Diongre's 1938 radio house, nicknamed the paquebot (ocean liner) and reopened as a cultural center in 2002.

Why is Matonge in Brussels called Matonge?

Matonge in Ixelles takes its name from the Matonge district of Kinshasa. The Maison Africaine, a residence for African students, was founded there in 1961, and Ixelles has been twinned with Kalamu, the Kinshasa commune containing Matonge, since 30 June 2003.

Where can you get coffee in Matonge, Brussels?

Maison Renardy at Chaussée de Wavre 111B has been a tea room since 1912 and offers more than twenty coffees it roasts itself. Le Consul at number 117 has a terrace, and Ondo on nearby Rue de Dublin serves Korean-style coffee.

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