Cafeography
Brussels · Schaerbeek & Saint-Josse

Cafés in Schaerbeek & Saint-Josse

Roasters near Josaphat Park, Turkish cafés on Chaussée de Haecht, a café in old castle stables and late hours by Gare du Nord.

Photo: Morgento Official Channel, Pexels License

Schaerbeek (Schaarbeek) covers 7.9 square kilometers and had about 130,690 residents in 2022.1 It is nicknamed the cité des ânes (city of donkeys), after the growers who brought sour cherries to market by donkey; the cherries went mainly into kriek beer.1 Its neo-Flemish Renaissance town hall on Place Colignon was inaugurated by Leopold II in 1887.1

Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, between Schaerbeek and the city center, is the smallest and most densely populated of Belgium's 581 municipalities, at 1.16 square kilometers.2 It holds the Botanique, the old botanical garden of Brussels, now a park and concert venue.2 Brussels-North station lies on the western side of Schaerbeek, near Chaussée de Haecht.1

Local tip: Go to L'Estaminet in the Maison des Arts on a sunny afternoon, when its terrace spills from the courtyard onto the garden lawn.5

At a glance

99Cafés listed
13With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
03:30Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Arôme, from 07:00 (Mon–Wed 07:00–18:00 · Thu–Fri 07:00–21:00 · Sat 08:00–21:00 · Sun 08:00–18:00).
  • Closes latest: Taverne de la Paix, until 03:30 (Daily 09:00–03:30).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (12%), open late (5%), vegetarian options (5%).

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

Coffee chains in Schaerbeek & Saint-Josse

Place Colignon and Josaphat Park

Café Colignon, at Place Colignon 6 on the town hall square, opens weekdays 08:30–17:00 and serves brunch, with Wi-Fi. Josaphat Park, inaugurated by Leopold II in 1904, still keeps donkeys.1 Schaerbeek also has the Autrique House, the first house Victor Horta built in the Brussels area, and Train World, the national railway museum, opened at Schaerbeek station in 2015.1

Café Winok, at Avenue Louis Bertrand 48 near the park, roasts its own coffee, uses local and organic produce and serves brunch at weekends.3 It opens 08:00–23:00 on weekdays. Café Colombia at Avenue Maréchal Foch 89 roasts in the shop, offers roasting workshops and makes its house blend from three specialty arabicas.4

Chaussée de Haecht

West Schaerbeek is home to a large Belgian Turkish community, and the area around St. Mary's Royal Church is nicknamed la petite Anatolie for the Turkish restaurants and shops on Chaussée de Haecht (Haachtsesteenweg).1 Cafe Questo 1898 is at number 307, and Café Ottomans and Café Lokum are on Rue Josaphat.

L'Estaminet sits in the hidden courtyard of the Maison des Arts on the same chaussée. A bar and beer tap went into the former stables of the Château d'Eenens-Terlinden in the 1950s, and the terrace spreads from the courtyard onto the lawn of the public garden.5 It serves coffee, Brussels beer and a seasonal sandwich, and opens Tuesday to Friday 10:00–22:00.5

Saint-Josse, Square Riga and the Friday market

Turkish citizens made up 10.3% of Saint-Josse's population in 1979.2 The Charlier Museum, devoted to late 19th-century Belgian art, is here too.2 For coffee, Tandem Café at Avenue des Arts 7 opens weekdays 09:00–18:00 with Wi-Fi and a terrace, and Apex Coffee is on Rue des Palais.

On Fridays from 14:00 to 20:00, the market on Place des Chasseurs Ardennais is the one to visit in Schaerbeek.6 Cafe Riga on Square François Riga opens daily 08:30–23:00 with outdoor tables.

Around Gare du Nord

Near Brussels-North, KET Café on Rue Gaucheret opens weekdays 08:00–16:00, and Arôme on Avenue Rogier opens at 07:00 on weekdays and 08:00 at the weekend, and stays open until 21:00 Thursday to Saturday. Taverne de la Paix is open daily from 09:00 until 03:30, one of the latest cafés in the city.

Sources

  1. Schaerbeek, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. A cup of your finest coffee please (27 August 2026), visit.brussels, accessed October 2026
  4. Café Colombia: torréfaction artisanale, Café Colombia, accessed October 2026
  5. L'Estaminet, Maison des Arts de Schaerbeek, L'Estaminet 1030, accessed October 2026
  6. Marchés et brocantes à Bruxelles, visit.brussels, accessed October 2026
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In Schaerbeek & Saint-Josse, also browse: Specialty coffee Terrasses Wi-Fi Open late Bakery cafés

FAQ

Schaerbeek & Saint-Josse cafés: questions

Why is Schaerbeek in Brussels called the city of donkeys?

Schaerbeek is nicknamed the cité des ânes because growers once brought their sour cherries to the Brussels market on donkeys. The cherries went mainly into kriek beer, and donkeys are still kept in Josaphat Park, which Leopold II inaugurated in 1904.

Which cafés in Schaerbeek, Brussels, roast their own coffee?

Café Winok at Avenue Louis Bertrand 48, near Josaphat Park, roasts its own coffee and serves brunch at weekends. Café Colombia at Avenue Maréchal Foch 89 roasts in the shop, offers roasting workshops and blends three specialty arabicas for its house coffee.

What is L'Estaminet at the Maison des Arts in Schaerbeek, Brussels?

A small café in the courtyard of the Maison des Arts on Chaussée de Haecht, set up in the 1950s in the former stables of the Château d'Eenens-Terlinden. Its terrace runs onto the public garden, and it serves coffee, Brussels beer and a seasonal sandwich.

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