Restaurant in Aalst, Belgium
Two Michelin years. Book early or miss it.
Kelderman holds a Michelin star for the second year running in 2025, making it the most credible fine-dining booking in Aalst at the €€€€ price point. The Traditional Cuisine kitchen delivers consistent, technique-led cooking in a considered setting on Parklaan — a 4.8 Google rating across 324 reviews backs that up. Book well in advance; this is a hard table to secure.
Kelderman holds a Michelin star for the second consecutive year in 2025, which tells you this is not a one-season performance. For a €€€€ price point in Aalst — a city more often associated with carnival than gastronomy — that sustained recognition makes it the most credible fine-dining booking in the area. If you're planning a serious meal in the East Flanders region and can handle the booking difficulty, this is where to go. If you want comparable ambition at a lower price point, Cul'eau or Controverse are worth considering first.
Kelderman sits on Parklaan 4, one of the quieter park-facing addresses in Aalst, which already signals something about what you're walking into. Visually, this is a room designed to frame the experience , clean lines and a considered setting that does not compete with the food for attention. For an explorer coming to Aalst specifically to eat well, the address feels intentional: a destination rather than a stopover.
The cooking is classified as Traditional Cuisine, which in the Belgian Michelin context means technique-led, product-focused preparation rooted in regional and classical foundations rather than conceptual experimentation. That framing matters when you're deciding between Kelderman and the more contemporary options in town. If you want boundary-pushing modernism, look at Vrijmoed in Gent or Zilte in Antwerp. If you want a kitchen that has mastered its own discipline and proved it two years running at Michelin level, Kelderman is the answer in this part of East Flanders.
The Google rating of 4.8 across 324 reviews is worth pausing on. At a €€€€ venue, high scores sometimes reflect the experience of a small pool of enthusiasts. Here, 324 responses at that average suggests consistent execution rather than occasional brilliance. That kind of floor-to-ceiling consistency is what you want when you're making the trip from Brussels or planning a special occasion dinner.
Given the €€€€ price tier and the booking difficulty, most visitors will treat Kelderman as a single destination visit. But for explorers based in the region or returning to Aalst, a two-visit approach makes sense. On your first visit, the priority is understanding the kitchen's relationship with traditional Belgian technique: go without specific expectations about format and let the menu structure guide you. Kelderman's Michelin recognition in both 2024 and 2025 means the kitchen has a stable identity , you're not chasing a moving target.
A second visit is where context pays off. Knowing the kitchen's strengths from your first meal lets you make more deliberate choices about timing and seasonal framing. Belgian fine dining at this level shifts meaningfully with the season , autumn and winter menus at Traditional Cuisine restaurants in Belgium tend to lean into richer preparations, while spring brings lighter, product-led plates. Planning visits around that seasonal rhythm, rather than convenience, gives you two meaningfully different experiences rather than one repeated.
If you're building a multi-stop East Flanders or broader Belgian itinerary, Kelderman pairs well with Hof van Cleve in Kruishoutem for a study in how Belgian fine dining operates at different levels of ambition, or with Boury in Roeselare if you're moving west. For Traditional Cuisine comparisons further afield, Cave à Vin & à Manger in Narbonne and Coto de Quevedo Evolución in Torre de Juan Abad offer interesting reference points for how the traditional format translates across European contexts.
Booking is hard. A sustained Michelin star at a €€€€ price point in a city this size means demand consistently outpaces supply. Book as far in advance as the reservation system allows , expect to plan at least three to four weeks ahead for a standard weekend table, more for special occasions or peak dining seasons. Specific booking methods are not confirmed in our current data, so check directly with the venue or monitor third-party reservation platforms. See our full Aalst restaurants guide for context on how Kelderman fits within the city's broader dining picture.
Kelderman is at Parklaan 4, 9300 Aalst, Belgium. The price range is €€€€, which in the Belgian fine-dining context positions this at the upper end of the city's restaurant market. Hours and specific booking contact details are not confirmed in our current data , verify directly before visiting. Aalst is accessible by train from Brussels (roughly 30 minutes on the main line), making a day trip viable for visitors based in the capital. For where to stay nearby, see our Aalst hotels guide. For pre- or post-dinner options, see our Aalst bars guide and our Aalst experiences guide.
Quick reference: Parklaan 4, 9300 Aalst | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star (2024, 2025) | Google 4.8 (324 reviews) | Book well in advance.
See the comparison section below for how Kelderman sits against Borse van Amsterdam, Cul'eau, Controverse, and 't Overhamme.
Specific menu details are not confirmed in our current data, and the menu at a Michelin-starred Traditional Cuisine restaurant at this price point will change with the season. The safest approach is to trust the tasting menu format if offered , it is designed to show the kitchen's current strengths. Avoid trying to construct a bespoke à la carte order on a first visit; let the kitchen's sequencing guide you. For Traditional Cuisine comparisons at a similar level, Bozar Restaurant in Brussels and Willem Hiele in Oudenburg are useful reference points for the format.
Seat count and private dining arrangements are not confirmed in our current data. At a €€€€ Michelin-starred venue of this type in Belgium, large group bookings are typically possible but require advance coordination , do not assume a group of six or more can be accommodated without direct contact. Reach out to the venue directly to confirm availability and any minimum spend requirements. For group dining at a lower price point in Aalst, Borse van Amsterdam at €€ is significantly more flexible.
Two consecutive Michelin stars at €€€€ make a strong case for the tasting menu if that format suits you. The sustained recognition across 2024 and 2025 indicates the kitchen is not coasting , it is executing consistently at a level that justifies the price relative to comparable Belgian fine dining. If you are comparing value against Cul'eau at €€€, the price gap is real, but so is the Michelin credential gap. Kelderman is worth the spend for a special occasion or for an explorer who wants to benchmark Belgian Traditional Cuisine at its local ceiling.
Book early , this is the hardest table to secure in Aalst. Expect a formal fine-dining environment at €€€€, which means the full experience: multiple courses, considered service, and a pace that takes most of an evening. The cooking sits in the Traditional Cuisine category, so do not arrive expecting modernist technique or avant-garde presentation. Arrive knowing that the kitchen's identity is grounded in discipline and product quality rather than provocation. Aalst itself is a 30-minute train ride from Brussels, so combining this dinner with a broader city visit is direct. Check our Aalst restaurants guide for the full picture of what else the city offers.
At €€€€ with a Michelin star held for at least two consecutive years and a Google rating of 4.8 across 324 reviews, the answer is yes , for diners who value technical Traditional Cuisine at the leading of a regional market. It is not worth it if you are price-sensitive, if you prefer casual formats, or if the tasting menu structure does not appeal. For a lower-commitment entry into Aalst fine dining, Controverse at €€€ offers a farm-to-table approach with less financial risk per visit. Kelderman at €€€€ is the right call when the occasion justifies the spend and you want the Michelin benchmark rather than an approximation of it.
The four most relevant alternatives in Aalst are Cul'eau (Modern French, €€€), Controverse (Farm to table, €€€), 't Overhamme (Modern Cuisine, €€€), and Borse van Amsterdam (Classic Cuisine, €€). If you want fine dining ambition without the Kelderman price tier, Cul'eau or 't Overhamme are the closest alternatives. If you want the lowest barrier to entry and a classic Belgian approach, Borse van Amsterdam at €€ is the practical choice. None of the alternatives carry a Michelin star, which is the clearest differentiator if that credential matters to your decision. For a broader view of eating in the region, see our Aalst wineries guide and d'Eugénie à Emilie in Baudour for a comparable traditional fine-dining experience in a nearby city.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelderman | Michelin 1 Star (2025); Michelin 1 Star (2024) | €€€€ | — |
| Borse van Amsterdam | €€ | — | |
| Cul'eau | €€€ | — | |
| Controverse | €€€ | — | |
| 't Overhamme | €€€ | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Kelderman and alternatives.
The menu is built around traditional Belgian cuisine at a €€€€ price point, which typically means a chef-led tasting format where ordering is largely decided for you. Specific dishes are not documented in available venue data, so the honest answer is: trust the kitchen. That is broadly what a sustained Michelin star at this price tier asks of you, and Kelderman has earned that trust across two consecutive years.
Group bookings at a Michelin-starred venue at the €€€€ tier in a smaller city like Aalst require advance coordination. Seats are limited by definition at this level, so larger parties should check the venue's official channels well ahead of their intended date. Do not assume walk-in or last-minute group availability — the booking difficulty here is above average for the region.
At €€€€ and with a Michelin star held for both 2024 and 2025, the tasting menu format is the core proposition. If you are comfortable committing to a chef-directed meal at the upper end of Belgian fine dining pricing, the answer is yes. If you want flexibility or à la carte choice, this is the wrong venue — look at Cul'eau or Controverse for a lighter commitment.
Book as far in advance as possible — a sustained Michelin star in a city of Aalst's size means demand reliably exceeds availability. Expect a formal fine-dining pace and a €€€€ spend. The address is Parklaan 4, a quieter park-facing location that signals a deliberate, unhurried dining environment rather than a city-centre buzz.
Two consecutive Michelin stars (2024 and 2025) at a €€€€ price point in a secondary Belgian city is a strong signal of consistent kitchen performance. For serious fine-dining diners, the value case is solid relative to Brussels equivalents at similar prices. If €€€€ feels steep for a meal outside a capital city, Borse van Amsterdam or 't Overhamme offer lower price pressure in the same area.
Borse van Amsterdam is the most direct local alternative for traditional Belgian cuisine at a more accessible price tier. Cul'eau and Controverse offer different formats if you want something less formal than a full Michelin-level tasting experience. 't Overhamme is worth considering if you are prioritising regional character over fine-dining structure.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
