The new Brussels Wolf food hall saw a record number of visitors on Saturday, according to reports in local news.
"More than seven thousand people passed by last Saturday, a record," creator Thierry Goor told Bruzz. The food market attracts an average of 4,200 people a day, with highs on Saturdays and lows on Mondays.
Wolf is the first food hall of its kind in Brussels and occupies the building that formerly housed the CGER/ASLK bank on Rue Fossé aux Loups in the centre of the city, opposite the Radisson Blu hotel.
While the food hall has seen increasing interest since it has opened, Goor acknowledged that events such as Winterpret and Bright Brussels play a role in the success of this weekend in particular, despite the extreme weather which hit the city.
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What is Wolf?
The brainchild of Goor - a marketing consultant for several well-known brands in the sector - who saw a space for a food hall in Brussels. The food hall was set up along the lines of existing examples in Amsterdam and, at that time, in Antwerp, where the Mercado hall appeared as a pop-up project in a former post office on the Groenplaats.
The complex provides space for 17 different restaurateurs to dispense their gastronomic wares to the public in a magnificent hall that used to be the public banking hall.
Goor’s idea was supported by the Haelterman family of drinks distributors and by Pascal Van Hamme of the Choux de Bruxelles restaurant chain.
The Haelterman family bought the bank site in 2017, most notable for its frontage featuring a huge bas-relief frieze featuring farmers, growers and hunters, and coincidentally perfect for a gastronomic site. It has taken until now to obtain the proper permits and carry out the major task of converting the bank into a food hall offering a wide variety of food including pizza, waffles, juices, poké bowls and of course chocolate.
The hall itself covers 2,000 square metres and offers seating for 800 people, and includes its own microbrewery run by Belgoo from Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, which will brew small-batch beers specifically for Wolf customers. A market selling organic produce opened in January.
Wolf is open seven days a week from 11.30 AM to 11.00 PM. Breakfast service is expected in the future, but not quite ready.
Jules Johnston
The Brussels Times
