Restaurant in Antwerp, Belgium
Michelin-recognised Vietnamese at a fair price.
BÚN is Antwerp's clearest value case for Michelin-recognised dining: two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024–2025), a 4.6 Google rating from over 400 reviews, and Vietnamese cooking by chef Huibrecht Berends at the €€ price tier. Book for a special occasion dinner when you want genuine culinary quality without the outlay of Antwerp's €€€€ tier. Easy to book; closed Monday and Sunday.
Book BÚN if you want Michelin-recognised Vietnamese cooking at a price point that makes it one of Antwerp's clearest value plays in 2025. With two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) and a Google rating of 4.6 across 416 reviews, this Volkstraat address has earned genuine credibility in a city whose dining scene skews heavily toward French and Flemish formats. At the €€ price tier, the decision calculus is simple: if you are looking for a special-occasion dinner that does not require a €€€€ budget, BÚN is the answer.
BÚN sits on Volkstraat 43, a street in Antwerp's Zuid district that has become a reliable stretch for independent restaurants with serious intentions. Chef Huibrecht Berends runs Vietnamese cooking here, and the back-to-back Michelin Plates signal that the kitchen is operating with consistency and intent rather than novelty. Vietnamese food at this level of recognition is rare in Belgium — for context, the category is far more developed in cities like Paris or London, which makes BÚN's position in Antwerp worth noting for any traveller planning a broader Belgian restaurant itinerary. If you are also considering [Bozar Restaurant in Brussels](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/bozar-restaurant-brussels-restaurant) or heavier hitters like [Hof van Cleve - Floris Van Der Veken in Kruishoutem](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/hof-van-cleve-floris-van-der-veken-kruishoutem-restaurant), BÚN rounds out a Belgian trip with something genuinely different in format and price.
For a special occasion, BÚN works precisely because it does not feel like a compromise. The Michelin recognition means the kitchen takes the food seriously, and the €€ pricing means you are not paying for tableside theatre or a wine list engineered around high margins. Vietnamese cuisine at this calibre tends to deliver through layers of aromatic precision — the interplay of fresh herbs, fermented depth, and clean broth , and a Michelin Plate venue in this category will have those fundamentals dialled in. That combination makes it a strong date or celebration dinner for couples who want something considered but not ceremonious.
The hours matter for planning. BÚN is closed Monday and Sunday, runs lunch service Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday (12–2 pm), and offers dinner Tuesday through Saturday (6–9 pm), with Thursday dinner-only. That Thursday dinner-only slot is worth knowing: if you are visiting Antwerp mid-week, Thursday is your only option without a lunch window. The 9 pm close on dinner service is earlier than many European restaurant norms, so plan your arrival accordingly , a 7:30 pm booking gives you comfortable time without feeling rushed.
The editorial angle worth addressing directly: Vietnamese food, even at a high level, is a cuisine where the question of off-premise quality is legitimate. Broths lose temperature quickly, fresh herbs wilt, and textural contrasts that define dishes like bún (rice noodles) deteriorate within minutes of leaving the kitchen. At a Michelin Plate restaurant like BÚN, the kitchen's craft is calibrated for the dining room. No booking method or delivery offering is confirmed in the available data, so Pearl cannot confirm whether BÚN operates takeout or delivery at all. What the data does support is this: if you have the option to eat in, take it. The format of Vietnamese cooking at this level is built around immediate service. A meal here on a Friday lunch with a reservation is a materially different experience than anything that travels. For Vietnamese delivery options in Antwerp, look elsewhere , this address is worth visiting in person.
Booking is currently easy. BÚN does not appear to require weeks of lead time in the way that Antwerp's €€€€ tier restaurants do , venues like [Hertog Jan at Botanic](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/hertog-jan-at-botanic-antwerp-restaurant) or [DIM Dining](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/dim-dining-antwerp-restaurant) often require planning well in advance. For BÚN, booking a few days to a week ahead should be sufficient for most time slots, though Saturday lunch and Friday dinner are the sessions most likely to fill. Thursday dinner, as the only Thursday service window, can book up faster than the dual lunch-and-dinner days, so check that slot first if mid-week is your only option.
For broader Antwerp planning, [our full Antwerp restaurants guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/antwerp) covers the full competitive set. If you are building a longer Belgian itinerary, consider pairing BÚN with [Boury in Roeselare](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/boury-roeselare-restaurant) or [Willem Hiele in Oudenburg](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/willem-hiele-oudenburg-restaurant) for a contrast in format and register. For something closer to Antwerp's province, [Castor in Beveren](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/castor-beveren-restaurant) and [Bartholomeus in Heist](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/bartholomeus-heist-restaurant) are worth cross-referencing. Vietnamese dining internationally can be benchmarked against [Camille in Orlando](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/camille-orlando-restaurant) or [Tầm Vị in Hanoi](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/tm-v-hanoi-restaurant) for those building a wider picture of the cuisine at restaurant level.
Reservations: Easy; book a few days to one week ahead, sooner for Saturday lunch or Friday dinner. Budget: €€ , among the most accessible price points for Michelin-recognised dining in Antwerp. Hours: Lunch Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday (12–2 pm); Dinner Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday (6–9 pm); Thursday dinner only (6–9 pm); closed Monday and Sunday. Address: Volkstraat 43, 2000 Antwerp. Dress: Not specified; smart casual is a safe read for a Michelin Plate venue at this price tier.
See the comparison section below.
See also: Antwerp hotels | Antwerp bars | Antwerp wineries | Antwerp experiences
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BÚN | Vietnamese | €€ | Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Hertog Jan at Botanic | Modern Flemish, Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| 't Fornuis | European-Flemish, Classic Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Bistrot du Nord | French, Traditional Cuisine | €€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| DIM Dining | Japanese, Asian | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Dôme | Modern French, Classic French | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how BÚN measures up.
Yes. A Michelin Plate two years running at €€ pricing makes BÚN one of Antwerp's clearer value propositions in 2025. You're getting chef Huibrecht Berends's Vietnamese cooking at a price point well below most Michelin-recognised rooms in Belgium. If you're weighing it against a pricier Zuid option, BÚN earns its place on cooking quality alone, not just affordability.
It works for a low-key special occasion, not a grand-gesture one. The Michelin Plate credential gives it enough credibility to mark a birthday or anniversary dinner, and the €€ price means you're not overspending for the format. For a milestone where the room and service theatre matter as much as the food, somewhere like 't Fornuis offers a more traditional special-occasion setting.
Solo diners are well-suited here. Vietnamese cooking at this price range typically lends itself to counter or small-table formats, and a solo visit at lunch Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday keeps things straightforward. The €€ price point means a solo meal stays affordable, and you're not locked into a long tasting format.
The venue database doesn't include a current menu, so specific dish recommendations aren't available here. The name BÚN refers to Vietnamese vermicelli, which suggests noodle-based dishes are central to the offer. Check directly at Volkstraat 43 or ask on arrival what's running that service.
Lunch runs Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 12–2 pm; dinner runs Tuesday through Saturday from 6–9 pm, with Thursday dinner-only. Lunch is the more accessible slot if you're combining it with time in Antwerp's Zuid district. Dinner gives you more flexibility on a Thursday when lunch isn't offered. Neither service has a documented premium format, so the choice is mostly logistical.
No tasting menu is confirmed in the venue record, so this can't be assessed directly. At €€ pricing, BÚN sits in a range where à la carte is more common than a long set menu. If a tasting format matters to you, confirm with the restaurant before booking — Michelin Plate venues at this price point in Belgium sometimes run a short set, but it isn't documented here.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
