Cafeography
Brussels · Grand-Place & Centre

Cafés in Grand-Place & Centre

Mokafé in the royal galleries, the surrealists' Fleur en Papier Doré, Corica since 1902 and specialty bars up toward the Mont des Arts.

Photo: Devansh Shah, Pexels License

The Grand-Place has been a World Heritage Site since 1998. French troops bombarded it in 1695, leaving little but the stone shell of the Town Hall, built between 1401 and 1455; the guilds rebuilt the square in about four years.1 The Maison du Roi opposite has housed the Brussels City Museum since 1887.1

West of the square, the central boulevards were laid out between 1868 and 1871 after the river Senne was covered.2 Boulevard Anspach has been car-free between the Bourse and Place De Brouckère since 29 June 2015, and De Brouckère metro and the Bourse premetro stop sit beneath it.2 Between the boulevards and the Mont des Arts, the old center packs heritage cafés, coffee merchants and specialty bars into a few hundred meters.

Local tip: Mokafé opens at 07:00 Monday to Saturday, well before the crowds reach the galleries; it opens at 07:30 on Sundays.

At a glance

81Cafés listed
24With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
02:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Mokafé Taverne, from 07:00 (Mon–Sat 07:00–23:00 · Sun 07:30–20:00).
  • Closes latest: Comic Sans, until 02:00 (Wed–Thu 15:00–00:00 · Fri–Sat 15:00–02:00 · Sun 14:00–22:00).
  • Most common features: indoor seating (22%), outdoor seating (21%), wi-fi (9%).

Café-Tasse

  • Rue du Marché aux Herbes - Grasmarkt 15
  • Mon–Fri 10:30–18:30 · Sat 11:00–19:00 · Sun 12:00–18:30
  • +32 2 502 49 07
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Eat & Drink

  • Rue du Gentilhomme - Jonkersstraat 15
  • Mon–Fri 07:30–19:30
  • Indoor seating
  • Partial wheelchair access
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Le Dauphin

  • Rue du Luxembourg - Luxemburgstraat 12
  • Mon–Fri 07:00–14:30
  • Indoor seating
  • Wheelchair access
  • Toilets
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Coffee chains in Grand-Place & Centre

Mokafé and the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert

Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar designed the galleries, built in about thirteen months from May 1846; the passage runs some 213 meters under a cast-iron and glass roof.3 The Taverne du Passage, called the Café des Arts until 1892, was where Victor Hugo and Charles Baudelaire met.3

Mokafé Taverne at Galerie du Roi 9 has passed through four generations of owners, and its tables in the gallery are among the most sought-after terraces in the city.4 It serves the crisp rectangular Brussels waffle with chocolate sauce, and under the galleries it never rains.5 It opens at 07:00 Monday to Saturday and stays open until 23:00.

La Fleur en Papier Doré

La Fleur en Papier Doré (Het Goudblommeke in Papier) at Rue des Alexiens 55 occupies one of the few small 17th-century houses to survive the bombardment of 1695.6 Geert van Bruaene ran it from 1944 until his death in 1964; René Magritte, Hergé and Jacques Brel drank there, and 418 works, photographs and handwritten aphorisms cover the walls, protected since 1997.6

The café went bankrupt in 2006, reopened under a cooperative in 2007, and the cooperative failed in 2022. Since May 2023 the team of Brasserie Verschueren in Saint-Gilles has run it as a bar, and in January 2025 The European Bar Guide ranked it the best bar in Europe.6

Coffee merchants and the Métropole

Corica has sold coffee on Rue du Marché aux Poulets since 1902 and keeps more than twenty brews at the bar.7 Its shop at number 49 opens Monday to Saturday 08:00–18:00, with Wi-Fi and a few tables outside.

On Place De Brouckère, the brewing brothers Prosper and Edouard Wielemans opened the Café Métropole in 1890 to sell their beer, and the hotel followed in 1895.8 The café closed for good in February 2022, and the hotel is expected to reopen after renovation.8

Kaffabar on Place Rouppe is a coffee bar with a large terrace, open Tuesday to Saturday.7

Specialty bars toward the Mont des Arts

Uphill toward the Mont des Arts and Rue Royale, My Little Cup at Rue de la Croix de Fer 53 works with guest roasters.7 Barkboy on Rue de l'Enseignement sells canned coffee, Frank on Rue des Princes serves specialty coffee with breakfast and lunch, and MOK Studio at Rue Saint-Laurent 36–38 is a listening bar.7

The Unusual at Warmoesberg 51 stays open until 22:30 on Fridays and Saturdays, and The Sister on Rue Chair et Pain closes at 23:00 most nights and at midnight on Saturdays.

Sources

  1. Grand-Place, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Boulevard Anspach, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Mokafé Taverne, Galerie du Roi 9, Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, accessed October 2026
  5. Tout ce que vous devez savoir sur la gaufre de Bruxelles, visit.brussels, accessed October 2026
  6. La Fleur en papier doré, Wikipédia (French), accessed October 2026
  7. A cup of your finest coffee please (27 August 2026), visit.brussels, accessed October 2026
  8. Hotel Metropole, Brussels, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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In Grand-Place & Centre, also browse: Specialty coffee Terrasses Wi-Fi Open late Bakery cafés

FAQ

Grand-Place & Centre cafés: questions

Where is Mokafé in Brussels?

Mokafé Taverne is at Galerie du Roi 9, in the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert near the Grand-Place. It serves Brussels waffles with chocolate sauce under the glass roof and opens daily from 07:00 (07:30 on Sundays), until 23:00 Monday to Saturday.

What is La Fleur en Papier Doré in Brussels?

A café-bar at Rue des Alexiens 55, in a 17th-century house that survived the 1695 bombardment. René Magritte and Hergé were regulars, and 418 works and aphorisms on its walls are protected. In January 2025 The European Bar Guide ranked it the best bar in Europe.

Is the Café Métropole on Place De Brouckère in Brussels still open?

No. The Wielemans brothers opened the Café Métropole in 1890, and it later served as the brasserie of the Hotel Métropole. It closed for good in February 2022, and the hotel itself is being renovated.

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