Cafeography
Brussels · Sainte-Catherine & Dansaert

Cafés in Sainte-Catherine & Dansaert

Roasters on Rue Antoine Dansaert, filter coffee on the Vismet and late cafés around Saint-Géry, on the old port.

Photo: Fabrizzio Alo, Pexels License

Sainte-Catherine was the old port of Brussels. Boats from the Scheldt came in through the Shore Gate to basins each reserved for one kind of cargo, and when the new port opened in the late 19th century the basins were filled in.1 The quays they left behind still carry their old names, such as Quai aux Briques (brick quay), and the Sainte-Catherine and Yser metro stations serve the district.1

Rue Antoine Dansaert (Antoine Dansaertstraat) runs west from the Bourse toward the canal. It is the city's fashion street, with boutiques such as Stijl and Dries Van Noten, vintage shops and design stores.2 Coffee followed the designers: MOK and Wide Awake, both Brussels-area roasters, run bars a few minutes' walk apart, and the seafood restaurants on Place Sainte-Catherine share the square with espresso bars.

Local tip: Want filter coffee on a weekday morning? DRACHE on the Vismet only opens at 11:00, so start at Wide Awake on Rue Sainte-Catherine, where the batch brew comes from a tap.5

At a glance

42Cafés listed
16With opening hours
08:00Earliest opening
04:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Cappuccino Brussel, from 08:00 (Daily 08:00–01:00).
  • Closes latest: Jon's Cafe, until 04:00 (Daily 11:00–04:00).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (24%), indoor seating (14%), specialty (14%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Brussels.

Coffee chains in Sainte-Catherine & Dansaert

MOK and the Dansaert roasters

MOK began roasting in 2012 under Jens Crabbé, twice Belgian Cup Tasters champion, and works on a Probat roaster.3 Its Brussels flagship at Rue Antoine Dansaert 196 opened at the end of 2016 in a former art gallery and has a dedicated space at the back for laptops.3 The kitchen is vegetarian and the cakes change with the season.4

Closer to the Bourse, Kage at number 19 serves organic matcha and matcha pastries, and Kafei Dansaert at number 57 belongs to Kafei, described as the first Asian coffee bar in Brussels.5 Walvis, at number 209 near the canal, is one of the street's café-bars.2 Le Pain Quotidien started at Rue Dansaert 16 on 26 October 1990, when Alain Coumont opened a bakery around a big table found at a flea market.6

The Vismet and the old quays

Street names such as Vismet (fish market) record the area's past as harbor and fish market.2 DRACHE Specialty Coffee Bar at Quai au Bois à Brûler 11, on the Vismet, is known for its own coffee creations.5 It has Wi-Fi and terrace seating, and opens at 11:00 on weekdays and 10:30 on Saturdays.

On the opposite quay, Cécile at Quai aux Briques 48 is a weekend address, open Saturday and Sunday 10:00–15:00. Café Merlo is further up at number 80. Place Sainte-Catherine is known for seafood, from the Noordzee fish bar to La Belle Maraîchère.2

Wide Awake and Rue de Flandre

Wide Awake is a roaster from Anderlecht whose flagship at Rue Sainte-Catherine 2 serves batch brew from the tap.5 Its second bar here is at Rue de Flandre 185, near the canal end of the street. The company is known for long-term relationships with producers and a data-driven approach to roasting.4

On Rue de Flandre (Vlaamsesteenweg), Au Laboureur at number 108 opens daily 08:30–22:00 and has a terrace, and BoOm Café Associatif on nearby Rue Pletinckx opens Wednesday to Sunday 15:00–21:00. Across the canal in Anderlecht, Boo Coffee Roasters works from the COOP building; its founder Benjamin Brassart won a world roasting title in June 2026.5

Saint-Géry and late hours

The Halles Saint-Géry, a former covered market in Flemish neo-Renaissance style, now hosts exhibitions about Brussels, and the streets around it are full of bars.2 Café Lava on Rue Saint-Christophe and Archipel on Rue du Marché aux Poulets are among them.2 Jon's Cafe stays open daily until 04:00, Café De Markten until midnight and Mon Chéri until 23:00.

On Rue du Vieux Marché aux Grains, Addis Stories serves single-origin Ethiopian coffees roasted by MOK, with Ethiopian food and jebena coffee ceremonies (the jebena is a clay coffee pot).4 Santos Palace, a Molenbeek roaster active since 1911, has its shop at Rue du Marché aux Poulets 3, and Yuka on Boulevard Anspach is a small espresso bar.5

Sources

  1. Quays Quarter, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Dansaert e Sainte-Catherine: tra tendenza, popolarità e moda, visit.brussels (Italian edition), accessed October 2026
  3. MOK Coffee: roastery and coffee bars, MOK Coffee, accessed October 2026
  4. A Deep Dive into Brussels' Coffee History + Top Shops to Visit in the City (Isabelle Mani, 22 July 2026), Barista Magazine Online, accessed October 2026
  5. A cup of your finest coffee please (27 August 2026), visit.brussels, accessed October 2026
  6. On this day in Brussels: An entrepreneurial journey begins (Derek Blyth, 26 October 2021), The Brussels Times, accessed October 2026
Keep exploring

More of Brussels

Marolles & Sablon

40 cafés

Grand-Place & Centre

81 cafés

Châtelain & Avenue Louise

30 cafés

Flagey & Matonge

52 cafés

Saint-Gilles

63 cafés

European Quarter & Etterbeek

68 cafés

Schaerbeek & Saint-Josse

99 cafés

In Sainte-Catherine & Dansaert, also browse: Specialty coffee Terrasses Wi-Fi Open late Bakery cafés

FAQ

Sainte-Catherine & Dansaert cafés: questions

Where is MOK Coffee in Brussels?

MOK's Brussels flagship is at Rue Antoine Dansaert 196 in the Dansaert district. It opened at the end of 2016 in a former art gallery, roasts its own coffee (MOK has roasted since 2012), serves a vegetarian kitchen and keeps a space at the back for laptops.

What is the Vismet in Brussels?

The Vismet is the old fish-market quarter of Sainte-Catherine, laid over the port basins that were filled in during the late 19th century. Its quays keep names like Quai aux Briques. DRACHE Specialty Coffee Bar is at Quai au Bois à Brûler 11 on the Vismet.

Which cafés in Sainte-Catherine, Brussels, stay open late?

Jon's Cafe stays open daily until 04:00, Café De Markten until midnight, Mon Chéri until 23:00 and Au Laboureur on Rue de Flandre until 22:00 every day. The streets around the Halles Saint-Géry are lined with bars.

For café owners

Own a café in Sainte-Catherine & Dansaert?

Free listings are free for good. A featured page gives you photos, a menu and your own URL, in your café's own design, for less than a coffee a day.

Get listed, free See a page in its own design