and/or
Vegan · Antwerp
Restaurant in Antwerp, Belgium
The Read
Seasonal Plant-Driven Sharing
Price
€€
Chef
Ivan Orkin
Dress
Smart Casual
Why go
And/or is Antwerp's most accessible Michelin-recognised plant-based restaurant, earning a Bib Gourmand in 2025 for chef Karen Shu's sharing-format vegetable cooking at the €€ price point. With an ABC Kitchen pedigree and, it delivers a serious meal without the €€€€ price tag of most of Antwerp's decorated dining rooms. Book a midweek table for the best experience.
About and/or
Verdict: Antwerp's most accessible plant-based tasting experience, worth booking for it
At the €€ price point,/or delivers a sharing-format plant-based meal in Antwerp that few comparable venues can match for value. Chef Karen Shu's kitchen draws directly from her time at ABC Kitchen in New York, the international influence shows in a menu built around colour, aroma, restraint. You book it because it consistently delivers.
If you are weighing up where to spend your evening in Antwerp,/or sits in a different bracket from the city's big-ticket options. Hertog Jan at Botanic, 't Fornuis, and DIM Dining are all €€€€ operations. And/or gives you a serious, considered meal at a fraction of that spend. For a special occasion where the food matters but the bill doesn't need to be theatrical, this is the sharper choice.
Portrait
And/or is built around a sharing concept, which shapes the experience from the moment dishes begin arriving at the table. Chef Karen Shu frames her cooking around three words: colourful, aromatic, simple. The aromatic dimension is evident before you eat, plant-based kitchens that cook this way, using spice, herb, fermentation rather than fat and stock as their primary building blocks, produce a different set of scents from a conventional kitchen. Expect warm, layered aromas driven by seasoning and fresh produce rather than browning meat or butter, a register that feels lighter and more immediate at the table.
The menu's architecture follows a sharing logic rather than a rigid tasting progression, which is worth knowing before you sit down. This is not a linear, course-by-course tasting menu in the way Zilte or Hof van Cleve operate. Dishes arrive to be shared, the pacing is more convivial, the experience rewards tables of two to four who are willing to order broadly. If you are coming as a couple, plan to order generously to get the full range. The concept is closer in spirit to what you might find at a well-regarded natural sharing table than to a white-tablecloth progression.
The We're Smart Food recognition, a guide focused specifically on vegetable-forward cooking, awarded and/or four radishes, a credential that positions the kitchen within a global conversation about plant-based fine dining. Chef Shu's formation at ABC Kitchen in New York is relevant here: that kitchen, under chef Neal Harden, built a reputation for produce-led cooking that felt genuinely restaurant-grade rather than compensatory. The influence is visible in how and/or approaches seasoning and presentation: vegetables are not a substitute for something else, they are the primary ingredient with full attention.
For international context,/or occupies a similar conceptual space to KLE in Zurich or Légume in Seoul, plant-based venues that have earned their place on shortlists not because of their dietary positioning but because the cooking holds up independently. The Bib Gourmand is the clearest signal here: Michelin inspectors awarded it in 2025, upgrading from a Plate in 2024, which represents a meaningful step in a single year.
The ideal time to visit is during the week if your schedule allows. Antwerp dining at the €€€ and above tier tends to fill on Thursday through Saturday evenings, but at the €€ price point with Bib Gourmand recognition,/or draws a wide audience and weekend tables can be competitive. A Tuesday or Wednesday booking is likely the path of least resistance and will give you a calmer room. For a date or celebration dinner, an early evening midweek reservation is the practical recommendation: you get the full experience without the weekend noise floor.
And/or is at Haantjeslei 1 in the 2018 district of Antwerp, close to the southern edge of the city centre. The address puts it within reach of the main hotel corridor and is accessible without a significant detour. If you are building an Antwerp itinerary, the full Antwerp restaurants guide covers the broader field, the Antwerp hotels guide and bars guide will help you build out the rest of the trip. Elsewhere in Belgium, comparable ambition at different price points can be found at Boury in Roeselare, Willem Hiele in Oudenburg, and Bozar Restaurant in Brussels.
Practical Details
| Detail | and/or | Bistrot du Nord | DIM Dining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price tier | €€ | €€€ | €€€€ |
| Cuisine | Vegan, sharing | French, traditional | Japanese, Asian |
| Michelin recognition | Bib Gourmand 2025 | Check Pearl listing | Check Pearl listing |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Moderate | Moderate–Hard |
| Leading for | Date, celebration, value | Classic French evening | Omakase experience |
| See Pearl listing | See Pearl listing |
See the Antwerp experiences guide and Antwerp wineries guide for what to build around the meal. If you are travelling further into Flanders, Bartholomeus in Heist and Castor in Beveren are worth the detour.
The take
The Take
The Vibe
and/or feels like a quietly assured neighbourhood restaurant tucked into a composed residential-commercial strip of Antwerp. The room foregrounds communal dining — plates arrive to be shared and to overlap — and the kitchen’s temper is defined by seasonality and understatement. Chef Karen Shu’s vocabulary is colourful, aromatic and simple: the point is to let produce at its peak register clearly rather than to mask it. The result is a relaxed, charming spot that reads less like an ideological statement and more like a credible, modern alternative for diners who care about provenance and timing.
Best For
This is best for intimate, produce-focused dinners where conversation and sharing are central. The sharing-table format and market-driven approach make it well suited to date nights and quietly celebratory evenings, when diners want to explore multiple small plates rather than a rigid tasting menu. It also works for small groups who enjoy comparing dishes as they arrive in clusters, but it is not positioned as a place for large-party banquets or loud, late-night revelry. Guests who appreciate seasonality and thoughtful plant-forward cooking are the ideal audience.
Ordering Tips
Embrace the sharing format: order several plates to create overlapping clusters rather than expecting separate, sequential courses. Because the menu is shaped by the weekly produce calendar, ask servers what is at its peak on the day and lean into those recommendations. Expect vegetable-forward preparations — colour and aroma are signposts of freshness — so choose a variety of textures and flavours (for example, the avocado with sea plants or the cauliflower with pearl couscous are representative of the kitchen’s approach). Come prepared to share and to trust the kitchen’s seasonal intelligence.
Planning details
Location
Recognition and awards
Also consider
Also Consider
- Hertog Jan at Botanic, Modern Flemish, Creative, €€€€
- 't Fornuis, European-Flemish, Classic Cuisine, €€€€
- Bistrot du Nord, French, Traditional Cuisine, €€€
- DIM Dining, Japanese, Asian, €€€€
- Dôme, Modern French, Classic French, €€€€
Restaurant context
Against Antwerp's broader restaurant field,/or occupies a clear position: the most affordable Michelin-recognised option in the city for a considered, chef-led dinner. Hertog Jan at Botanic and 't Fornuis both operate at €€€€ and deliver exceptional Flemish cooking, but neither is the right choice if budget is a factor or if you are specifically seeking a plant-based format. For a splurge occasion where you want the full white-tablecloth treatment, those two are the Antwerp benchmarks. For a celebration dinner where the food is the priority and the bill does not need to be extravagant,/or is the more practical answer.
Bistrot du Nord sits at €€€ and offers classic French cooking with a neighbourhood feel. It is the closer comparison in price and atmosphere, but serves a completely different cuisine. If your group includes non-plant-based diners who prefer a traditional European menu, Bistrot du Nord is the better fit. If everyone at the table is open to a fully plant-based meal,/or's Bib Gourmand credential makes it the sharper pick at a lower spend. DIM Dining and Dôme are both €€€€ operations with strong reputations, the right choice if you are after a Japanese omakase or classic French experience respectively, but neither competes directly with and/or on price or format.
The bottom line for most diners: and/or is the venue to book if you want a Michelin-recognised dinner in Antwerp without committing to a €€€€ evening. It books easier than most of its peers, costs less than all of them, the 2025 Bib Gourmand upgrade confirms the kitchen is moving in the right direction. Diners who want to explore Antwerp's full dining range should also check the full Antwerp restaurants guide for the complete picture.
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Around this place
Discover more on Pearl
Unlock the full and/or guide in Pearl, including awards, comparisons, FAQs, planning details, and nearby places.
Compare and/or
| Venue | Price |
|---|---|
| and/or | €€ |
| Hertog Jan at Botanic | €€€€ |
| 't Fornuis | €€€€ |
| Bistrot du Nord | €€€ |
| DIM Dining | €€€€ |
| Dôme | €€€€ |
Comparing your options in Antwerp for this tier.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a first-timer know about and/or?
and/or is a sharing-format, fully plant-based restaurant in Antwerp, earning a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2025 — which signals good food at a fair price. Chef Karen Shu's cooking is colourful and aromatic, drawing on her time at ABC Kitchen in New York. At the €€ price point, it's one of the more accessible ways to eat well in Antwerp without committing to a formal tasting menu format.
Can I eat at the bar at and/or?
Bar seating isn't confirmed in the venue data for and/or. Given the sharing-plate format, the experience is designed around table dining, so check the venue's official channels at Haantjeslei 1 to ask about counter or bar options before assuming they're available.
What should I wear to and/or?
and/or holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand, which typically signals a relaxed but considered atmosphere rather than formal fine dining. Clean, casual clothes are appropriate; you won't need to dress up, but the food is taken seriously enough that you'd feel out of place turning up straight from a hike.
How far ahead should I book and/or?
Since winning the Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2025, demand will have increased. Book at least one to two weeks ahead for weekday evenings, two to three weeks out for weekends. At €€ with Michelin recognition, tables move faster than the price point suggests.
What should I order at and/or?
and/or runs a sharing concept, so the format does the ordering for you — dishes arrive to share across the table rather than as individual plated courses. Chef Karen Shu's stated focus is colourful, aromatic, simple plant-based cooking, so lean into whatever is on the current menu rather than looking for specific signatures.
