Ducobu

A counter split between pastry and chocolate

The display here is doing two jobs at once. On the pastry side sit tarts, macarons, marzipan pieces, viennoiseries and biscuits; on the other, a chocolate range that is treated as equal work rather than a sideline. That balance is the reason to come. Marc Ducobu was named Chocolatier of the Year for 2025 by Gault&Millau, which puts the pralines and chocolate pieces alongside the pastry rather than behind it. The house belongs to Relais Desserts, the international association of high-level pastry chefs, and the standard of finish across the counter reflects that company. Belgian pastry can lean heavy; the work here goes the other way, towards finish and precision, with pieces sized for one person rather than a family table.

Marc Ducobu, working since 1981

Maison Ducobu has been running since 1981, and Marc Ducobu remains founder, owner, head pastry chef and chocolatier. The house language is about renewal: flavours, aromas and textures that keep moving rather than a fixed catalogue of greatest hits. In practice that means a display which changes through the year and rewards a second visit, with seasonal fruit work, chocolate bars and boxes, and a viennoiserie counter for the morning. It is haute pâtisserie belge in the strict sense, closer to a jeweller’s window than to a bakery shelf, and the room is set up as a refined space for sweet things rather than a coffee house with a pastry case attached. Waterloo is a modest town to hold a house at this level, and the shop behaves accordingly, as a destination counter rather than passing trade.

How to choose

Look across the whole counter first, because the pleasure of this shop is in the comparison. Take one viennoiserie for the morning, one composed pastry or tart to eat on the day, and one chocolate item to carry away. The macarons are the easiest entry into the fine end of the work, while the pralines are where the 2025 chocolatier title earns its keep. If the visit is a gift rather than a snack, the chocolate boxes are the safer choice, since they hold better than the fresh pastry does. There is no single fixed signature to hunt for; the house expects you to pick from what is in front of you.