Wide Awake Coffee Brew Bar — Restaurant in Brussels

I have had awesome experiences Wide Awake coffee beans and Coffee Brewing Workshops. Coffee: Their beans are the best I can find in Brussels. Wide range of options for Espresso, Filter and other methods, as well as the Omni Roast which works well for both. The "Tasting box" is a great starting point to choose your favourite. I loved trying the different beans and discovering that coffee can give so many different flavours. All were easy to brew and tasted really good. Workshops: I did the Espresso Basics and it was a lovely experience. At a cool and friendly pace, all the information is provided along with a handy notebook. It's taught in English but WA team is quite international so Q&A can happen also in French or other languages. I could put the theory to practice with my own hands on the machine, under the supervision of the teacher: this made it all so much more efficient than watching Youtube videos. The teacher corrected me in real time, answered questions, let me try again... it was all so easy and fun. The Basics course covers everything from espresso brewing to basic latte art, which is all you need to know to make a great tasting espresso or flat white. The exercises are made on a Espresso machine that's meant for home use (not on the "pro" machine that's used in bars) so what you do in the workshop is the exact same you'd do at home. Long story short, I really loved both the beans and the workshops: lovely...

This place is all about the coffee, by a company that roasts coffee ( a torrefazione)

What is it: a proper coffee place. I tried both the Duchess house blend and the Papua New Guinea single origin. The barista kept working on the latter and dialing it in until he was pleased with the result. Kudos! He was also very helpful in me selecting coffee beans for home. The music thankfully, was not detracting from the experience or too loud. Some great coffee gear is also sold here, if you like to play with coffee.

What is it not: Coffee Perk of Friends, a place for bringing large groups, a place for working remotely with your laptop, etc. It is focused on the coffee. If you want a bus to carry people, don't buy a Porsche Boxster and then leave a negative review about its lack of seating;) Same with this awesome coffee shop.

So happy to have visited, congratulations on a great...

Has to be the best specialty coffee place in Brussels. They have their own roastery and provide beans for other excellent cafés - their client list is too large to mention.

The atmosphere is super nice. Every time I go I have a nice chat with whoever is working there at the time. I like that it's free of "café-workers" who bring their laptops and decidedly not a mass-market product, but rather a very purposeful place where you come to enjoy a nice freaking coffee, hang out, and then leave.

Plus, for the pure espresso drinkers, they basically only do double-shots, which is very much to my liking. ;)

I'm still yet to try the pour-over but I think I will have to one...