The Brussels list: 5 must-visit spots

Home to experimental concept stores and Art Nouveau institutions alike, Brussels is no stranger to creative collaborations and quirky twists on old favourites. From a new spin on brunch to a weird-and-wonderful mash-up of chocolate and yoga, here are the latest must-trys on our radar.
  • Brussels Kitchen Brunch Club

    Humphrey, Rue Saint-Laurent 36-38, 1000
    Chloe and Sarah of the Brussels Kitchen blog are the queens of the Brussels foodie scene. When they plan a brunch event, you know you’re in for a treat. At Brunch Club, seven hip restaurants prepare dishes for a vegetarian feast. Expect Taiwanese treats from Bao Bang Bang, inspired veg from Noma alumnus Yannick Van Aeken and bite-sized choux from genius bakers Chouconut.
  • Yoga & Chocolat

    Avenue Brugmann 243, 1050
    Bean-to-bar chocolate shop and café Mike & Becky have invented the perfect way to coax a yoga-agnostic friend into downward dog. Take a dynamic or gentle flow class on the first floor; downstairs, owner Björn gets on with the sweet-smelling business of roasting beans. Afterwards, your efforts are rewarded with hot chocolate and your choice of single-origin bar to take home. 14 and 28 January.
  • TICH

    Rue de Namur 25, 1000
    Cosy, plant-filled and welcoming, TICH is the 'healthy living' concept store and café we all need to set us on the right path for 2018. There are supplements, cereals and cookbooks, but also homewares, Veja trainers, and eco-friendly cosmetics. The vegan café offers salads and matcha lattes with homemade almond milk; there’s even cake (gluten-free and raw, but surprisingly delicious).
  • Joel Meyerowitz – Where I Find Myself

    Rue Royale 236, 1210
    Enjoy a burst of colour in the depths of winter with New Yorker Joel Meyerowitz’s candid exhibition. Visually sumptuous shots evoke the streets of his hometown, from the early 1960s to the present day. Meyerowitz pioneered colour film at a time when only black and white was considered “artistic”; more recently he has dedicated himself to capturing the last wild spaces in the city.
  • Le Falstaff

    Rue Henri Maus 19, 1000
    Opened in 1903, Art Nouveau bar Le Falstaff is a piece of living city history, or at least it was until its untimely closure in 2016. It reopens this month, unsullied by any attempt at modernisation, thank goodness. Celebrate with a beer or a “half and half” (the local tipple of fizz and sweet white wine) as you admire the gorgeous stained glass and period fittings.

Image credits: © Hailing Wang; © Hailing Wang; © Kevin Ciardo; © TICH; © Joel Meyerowitz; © ALAMY