An abundant brunch at La Fabbrica

Situated in the impressive Tour & Taxis building, La Fabbrica is a family-friendly brunch spot along the Brussels canal. Whereas brunches are often very expensive for a relatively limited amount of food, this doesn’t apply to the abundant buffet of La Fabbrica. The dishes were original, fresh and tasty. And did I already mention that it’s plentiful?

The setting

The Royal Entrepot is a unique setting with historical value that today houses various businesses, among which the beautiful venue of La Fabbrica. Despite Tour & Taxis being a huge building, you’ll be able to locate La Fabbrica very easily. Just look for the green urban jungle in front of the main entrance. An iron raster against the ceiling covered with hanging plants adorns the “outdoor” terrace. I’m using quotation marks, because it’s not really outdoors: it’s still sheltered within the Tour & Taxis lobby. Anyways, our decision was quickly made, we had picked our table.

The seating area inside is nice too. They’ve managed to create a relatively intimate setting using materials such as timber, brick and concrete which perfectly match the industrial background of this former warehouse.

La Fabbrica has many faces. On weekdays, it is an Italian restaurant offering authentic Italian cuisine. On Sundays, it is the place to be for family-friendly brunches. And in the evening, it transforms into a venue for various events.

We went on a Sunday and checked out their Italian brunch formula, and spoiler alert were blown away.

The food

When we arrived, they had already decked the buffet tables with a large selection of beautiful dishes. There was… So. Much. Food.

There were some classics, with usual suspects like home-made bread, cheese, ham, yoghurt, granola, eggs, fresh fruit… An Italian touch is given by typical products like pecorino, mortadella, Prosciutto di Parma, capocollo, mozzarella with tomatoes…

One table was obviously the “healthy” section, as on it, there were about 15 antipasti plates with fresh vegetables, along with quinoa and pasta salads. The offer varies with the season.

Its neighboring table then must be the “unhealthy” section with all kinds of delicious-looking desserts, like brownies, lemon pie, pannacotta... I had a hard time restraining myself not to touch those until the end.

How about pizza for breakfast? An Italian pizzaiolo is in charge of preparing some authentic Italian pizzas.

Another Italian specialty is the crepe with Nutella. If you prefer the classical crepes, they have them too, along with various home-made chocolate spreads: black chocolate, white chocolate and even praliné.

I tried to eat a little bit of everything, but there was so much that I didn’t manage to try it all. I had already been eating to repletion.

The only downside is that drinks aren’t included in the buffet formula. Unlimited tea or coffee wouldn’t hurt.

Anyways, the brunch comes at the prevalent price of 25 euros. Given the plentiful supply of food and the high quality of the products, this is a very good value. There is also a ‘brunch all in’ formula at 29 EUR which includes two drinks per person (one hot and one cold).

A family-friendly setting

Kids will love this place too. Different activities will entertain the small ones, which allows parents to enjoy brunch peacefully. Inside, there are books and a play area. Outside, they can practice circus tricks, have their faces painted or live it up on the bouncy castle. The latter was also tempting us, but we behaved, knowing we’d get our shot at trampoline jumping later in the afternoon.

Thematic brunches are organized for special occasions such as Saint-Nicolas, Christmas, Halloween, Easter and carnival.

Practical information

• Brunch is every Sunday and comes in two services: a first one at 10 AM and a second one at 1 PM.
• The address is Avenue du Port 86C, 1020 Brussels. You can check out the Tour and Taxis app to check out the exact location of La Fabbrica within Tour and Taxis.
• You can find more information on the website of La Fabbrica.
• How to get there? Tour and Taxis is a 5 minutes walk from the metro stop Yser and 15 minutes from Gare du Nord. (You can also find free shuttles buses from there. Check the Tour & Taxis app for the time schedule.)
• Customers of La Fabbrica can park for free in front of the Tour & Taxis building.
• It is recommended to book beforehand, which can be done via their online form.

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