COCO DONUTS

My sweet tooth has led me to try some amazing places during my trips (check this spot and this one too for the top contenders!) and although I try to behave, I’m more than happy to discover new ones when I’m in Brussels. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll probably love COCO Donuts!

Candice Tielemans and Chloé Sengier, the ladies behind COCO Donuts, thought up the idea while in Sydney and began by selling online and then opening a pop-up store. The next step was opening a cute little shop on a quiet side street off the Petit Sablon that became everyone’s favourite. Every day they prepare batches of hundreds of fresh donuts using organic and, for the most part, locally sourced ingredients. Brussels loved COCO Donuts so much that they actually got a second branch, opposite Parlor Coffee. In the meantime, their original home in the Sablon is closed for renovation.

The interior is modern and very instagrammable. Go to the counter, pick your favourite donuts and enjoy them in the comfortable nooks downstairs and upstairs. There are many different flavours from classics (like wild berries, salted caramel, sugar and cinnamon) to more experimental ones (like cuberdon, maple syrup and bacon), so it’s almost impossible not to find something you like.Believe me, they’re hard to resist! My partner in crime and I tried a few donuts (for research purposes only!) and a cup of coffee. The beans actually come from Brûlerie Belleville (you can also find them at My Little Cup and La Petite Production in Brussels) which I really like.

The verdict? The dough is somewhat different from the American one but still yummy. Fluffy, a little moist and overly sweet or greasy (apparently the ladies fry the donuts for about two minutes or so), they taste a little bit like a brioche with toppings. Let’s not forget they are handmade though, so I would go back for more. The Sablon branch has a little terrace outside, so it’s a nice spot to catch up with a friend or treat your kids, but you can also purchase to take away. Oh, and if you’re wondering about the name, the story behind it is a nice one. C(hloé) O C(andice) O, the ”O”’s being Donuts.

INFO

Address: Chaussée de Charleroi 168, 1060 Saint-Gilles, Belgium

Telephone: +32 2 6467155

Website / Facebook page