Neuhaus Chocolatier, Brussels

Chocoholics should make it a priority visiting the outlet of Neuhaus in Brussels, a renowned manufacturer of luxurious Belgian chocolates, delicious biscuits and artisanal ice cream, but most importantly – the inventor of praline. The company was founded in 1857 by Jean Neuhaus, a Swiss immigrant, who opened his first store at the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert in central Brussels initially as a pharmacy that made medicines more palatable by covering them in a layer of chocolate. In 1912, his grandson, Jean Neuhaus II, came up with a brilliant idea of replacing the medicine with cream and thus invented the chocolate bonbon or 'praline', a decadent chocolate cream ganache center inside a chocolate shell! Three years later, the 'ballotin' was invented to avoid the pralines from being crushed together.

In 1958, at the World Exhibition in Brussels, Neuhaus introduced what has since become their legendary specialty – an iconic Caprice praline consisting of a chocolate-covered biscuit shell hand-filled with decadent cream, nougat, or ganache. Today, Neuhaus has over 1,500 selling points in 50 countries selling a vast array of cacao products in elegant ballotin boxes that make delectable souvenirs. Apart from the traditional pralines, their chocolate range nowadays includes chocolate bars & tablets, BonBons, confectionery, individually wrapped chocolate squares ("Carres"), and hot chocolate. All Neuhaus delicacies are still made in Vlezenbeek, near Brussels, and are exported worldwide. In 2000, the company was made an Accredited Supplier to the Belgian Crown. They also make chocolate truffles, which in 2017 was declared "the Best Chocolate Truffle in the World" by Bloomberg Pursuits.

The Neuhaus chocolate is 100% UTZ Certified, made with 100% ingredients of natural origin, and is crafted entirely in Belgium. 25% of the chocolate is produced with cocoa from Neuhaus's own cacao farm.

Tips:
1. Come in the morning or around midday since many of the better samples and box sets are sold out later in the day.
2. Don’t come on a full stomach.
3. Do a quick walk around the store to assess what’s available. Don’t overload on the same flavors, but sample a little bit of everything.
4. Bring some water to wash it all down and cleanse your palette for the next tasting.
5. Indulge in the box sets first, as they are first-choice chocolates or limited editions.
6. Bring in a friend to sample more flavors. Halve the sweets with each other to maximize the varieties of confections you can try.
7. Make sure to try the triangular Caprice pralines. For the best deals, see if any are sold in the bulk section.
8. Kilo boxes are the best value – often three kilo boxes are sold for the price of two and thus can be divvied up as gifts.
9. Kilo boxes that are not labeled with a flavor and only marked “Second Choice” contain a mixed assortment. If you want some variety, seek those.
10. Don’t be scared to ask.

The store is typically open 9:00 am – 6:00 pm, Monday through Saturday (closed on Sundays).