“Nothing ever dies completely. What we think is lost is simply waiting to be rediscovered”
Victor Hugo –
Brussels residents, lovers of fine literature and bold flavors, allow me to announce with pride: Galerie Bortier is entering a new era! Not just a simple reopening, no. A true resurrection, like a first edition we thought was lost, like an old tome suddenly revealing a forgotten page, like a vintage bottle uncorked after decades. An exceptional place regaining its shine, with a healthy dose of audacity and an undying love for Brussels.
In the 19th century, Brussels reinvents itself. It wants its share of progress, just like Paris and London. Wide boulevards, covered passages, glass, wrought iron, and a touch of grandeur to make the capital of a young kingdom still under construction shine.
Pierre-Antoine Bortier, an enlightened patron, catches the spirit of the times. Where the Saint-Jean Hospital once stood, he envisions a modern covered market, a temple of commerce where exotic goods and exceptional products would be sold. To bring this ambition to life, he calls upon Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar, the visionary architect of the Galeries Saint-Hubert.
However, while the Madeleine market struggles to attract customers, books immediately find their audience. By 1850, Galerie Bortier becomes the refuge of book dealers, a haven for lovers of paper and ink. A passage to stroll, to hunt for treasures, to leaf through books sheltered from the hustle and bustle of Brussels.
For nearly a century, Bortier enjoys its heyday. Booksellers thrive, collectors flock in, the windows overflow with rare editions and valuable engravings. People debate literature under the glass canopy, negotiate over hard-to-find books, and rewrite the world between two yellowed pages.
Then, the setback. In the 1950s, the demolition of the Marché de la Madeleine cuts off the passage leading to Rue Saint-Jean. The Gallery, amputated, slowly fades away. It becomes a forgotten interlude, a well-kept secret of the last booksellers and avid treasure hunters.
Then, one day, Brussels rediscovers its gem. In 2024, after a meticulous renovation orchestrated with the Régie des Bâtiments, every arcade regains its grandeur, every brick tells its story. But rather than getting stuck in its glorious past, Bortier reinvents itself.
The books are still here, loyal as ever. Fanny Genicot and Pierre Coumans guard their literary treasures, Nicolas Van Cutsem, the eternal treasure hunter, bridges the gap between past and present. The Kawa Club invites you to devour a novel while dipping your biscuit into a perfectly crafted flat white.
But now, Bortier is also a treat for your taste buds! Naanry serves cheese naans and a butter chicken that would make Kipling salivate. Polpo takes us on a marine adventure. Dierendonck ages its pork with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker. Sélections melts your heart with their peak cheese selections. Gazzosa makes Verdi sing with its al dente pasta and natural wines. Mezzeway delivers juicy chich taouk like never before.
And for a drink? Head to the Bar à Bibine, where Brussels microbreweries foam their creations and where natural wine flows smoothly.
Galerie Bortier is not just a shopping arcade. It’s a living library, a testament to Brussels’ history, a timeless interlude where mind and taste, tradition and boldness intersect.
Come stroll under the glass ceilings, lose yourself among the shelves, leaf through a novel, toast to culture, and bite into a piece of history. Whether you’re here for a rare edition, a ceviche, or a literary debate, you’ll always leave with a story in your pocket and a gem in your hands.
Galerie Bortier is Brussels at its most vibrant: a crossroads where words dance with flavors, where the past is written in the present, and where every turn promises a discovery.
