Restaurant in Apeldoorn, Netherlands
Michelin cooking at mid-range prices.
Zenith holds a Michelin star earned in 2024 and a 4.9 Google rating, making it the most credentialed restaurant in Apeldoorn. At €€€ it is a full price tier below most comparable Dutch starred restaurants, with a tasting menu built around organic ingredients and bold spice combinations. Book three to four weeks ahead minimum — demand is real and the room fills fast.
A 4.9 Google rating across 246 reviews is a number worth taking seriously, and Zenith backs it up with a Michelin star earned in 2024. This is the most decorated modern cuisine restaurant currently operating in Apeldoorn, and at €€€ it sits a full price tier below most of the Netherlands' comparable Michelin-starred options. If you are planning a serious dinner in this part of Gelderland, Zenith is the booking to make first.
Zenith operates out of an elegant corner building on Koninginnelaan 37, where street art features prominently in the décor — a deliberate choice that positions the room as considered and contemporary rather than conventionally formal. The kitchen is led by chef Joey Stinissen, whose background includes time at multiple Michelin-starred restaurants. That training shows in the precision of the cooking and, more specifically, in how the menu is structured.
The tasting menu at Zenith is where the kitchen makes its argument most clearly. Stinissen builds dishes around organic ingredients and uses spice combinations that draw from a wider culinary range than most Dutch fine dining rooms attempt. The verified signature reference in the database gives a useful read on the approach: a duck breast finished in a crispy gremolata and pumpkin seed coating, sweetened with paprika, and brought into sharper focus with rendang spices, then completed by a ras el hanout-seasoned bao bun. That combination , classic French technique, Dutch produce sensibility, and Southeast Asian and North African spice vocabulary , tells you exactly what kind of tasting menu arc to expect. The progression moves through contrasts rather than linear refinement, building flavour complexity course by course.
Notably, Stinissen deliberately includes more varied dishes in the surprise menu than in the à la carte. If you want to see what this kitchen can do across a full evening, the tasting menu is the right format. The à la carte gives you a shorter, more focused version of the same ideas. Both formats work, but the tasting menu is the more complete statement.
Service is run with hostess Jody alongside the kitchen team, and the room's attention to detail extends to the front of house. Wine pairings are treated as a serious component of the experience rather than an afterthought, which matters at this price level. The wine list runs to approximately 150 selections with an inventory of around 1,900 bottles and is priced accessibly within the €€ wine tier , meaning you can pair well without significantly inflating the bill.
Zenith is the right call for food and wine enthusiasts who want Michelin-level cooking without the €€€€ pricing that most starred Dutch restaurants demand. It is also the right call for anyone travelling through Apeldoorn who wants a single serious dinner rather than a multi-stop itinerary. The room, the service structure, and the ambition of the tasting menu make it well-suited to special occasions, anniversaries, and milestone dinners , but the €€€ price point means it does not require the same level of pre-planning as a splurge at a leading Amsterdam or Zwolle destination.
Solo diners should be aware that the format here leans toward the full tasting experience, which is comfortable at a counter or two-leading but can feel slightly over-engineered for a single course order. That said, the à la carte route gives solo visitors a viable path through the menu without committing to a multi-hour progression.
Zenith is open Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 6 PM to 10 PM, with Sunday service running both a lunch sitting (12 PM to 4 PM) and dinner (6 PM to 10 PM). The restaurant is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. The Sunday lunch sitting is the most accessible option if your schedule is flexible , it is the only daytime service available during the week. Address: Koninginnelaan 37, 7315 BL Apeldoorn, Netherlands.
For more dining options in the area, see our full Apeldoorn restaurants guide, and explore our full Apeldoorn hotels guide, our full Apeldoorn bars guide, our full Apeldoorn wineries guide, and our full Apeldoorn experiences guide to round out your visit.
Other Apeldoorn options at a lower price point include Restaurant Mel & Norel and Sizzles at the Park (€€ · International).
For Michelin-starred comparisons elsewhere in the region, Basiliek in Harderwijk (€€€ · Modern Cuisine) is the closest direct peer in format and price tier. Beyond Apeldoorn, consider De Librije in Zwolle, 't Nonnetje in Harderwijk, Aan de Poel in Amstelveen, Ciel Bleu in Amsterdam, De Bokkedoorns in Overveen, De Groene Lantaarn in Staphorst, De Lindehof in Nuenen, De Lindenhof in Giethoorn, Brut172 in Reijmerstok, and Borkonyha Winekitchen in Budapest for a broader sense of Zenith's European peer set.
Quick reference: Michelin 1 Star (2024) · €€€ · 4.9/5 (246 reviews) · Dinner Mon/Thu/Fri/Sat 6–10 PM · Sun lunch 12–4 PM & dinner 6–10 PM · Closed Tue/Wed · Koninginnelaan 37, Apeldoorn · Booking: book well in advance.
Book at least three to four weeks out, and further if you are targeting a Friday or Saturday dinner. Zenith holds a Michelin star in a city that does not have a large concentration of starred restaurants, which concentrates demand. Sunday lunch is your leading option for a shorter lead time, but even that fills quickly on weekends. Treat this as a hard booking, not a walk-in.
Yes, particularly relative to its Dutch peers. At €€€, Zenith delivers Michelin-starred modern cuisine at a price point one full tier below most comparable starred restaurants in the Netherlands. For context, venues like De Librije and Aan de Poel operate at €€€€. The wine list is also priced accessibly, so the total bill is unlikely to escalate sharply with pairings. For the quality on offer, it represents strong value in this category.
The surprise tasting menu is the stronger choice over à la carte. The kitchen deliberately builds more varied dishes into the tasting format, and the menu's spice-led, multi-influence approach to modern cuisine reads better as a progression than as individual courses in isolation. If you are committed to à la carte, the duck breast dish is the verified standout , gremolata and pumpkin seed coating, paprika sweetness, rendang spices, and a ras el hanout bao bun. Pair with the wine list, which has solid range at accessible markups.
Yes. The combination of Michelin-starred cooking, considered service, and a room designed to feel distinctive without being stiff makes it a strong choice for anniversaries, milestone birthdays, and celebratory dinners. It sits in a sweet spot: formal enough to signal occasion, but not so austere that it becomes uncomfortable. At €€€ it is also achievable for a special dinner without requiring the same financial commitment as a €€€€ destination.
Manageable, but not the most natural fit. The tasting menu format is designed as a multi-course progression and works leading with a dining companion to pace the evening. Solo diners can order à la carte for a more contained experience. The room and service quality hold up regardless of party size, and there is no indication of a counter or bar seat option in the available data, so expect a standard table booking.
Within Apeldoorn at lower price points, Restaurant Mel & Norel is the closest alternative for a considered dinner. For something more casual, Sizzles at the Park (€€ · International) drops the formality significantly. If you are open to a short drive for a comparable starred experience, Basiliek in Harderwijk is the most direct peer in format and pricing. For €€€€ ambition, 't Nonnetje in Harderwijk is the regional step up.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zenith | €€€ | Hard | — |
| De Librije | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| 't Nonnetje | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| De Lindehof | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| De Nieuwe Winkel | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Fred | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
For Michelin-level cooking in the broader region, De Librije in Zwolle (three stars) and 't Nonnetje in Harderwijk are the obvious step-ups in prestige and price. De Lindehof in Nuenen and De Nieuwe Winkel in Nijmegen offer serious tasting-menu formats at comparable or higher price points. Fred is worth considering if you want something more accessible in the local area. Zenith holds its own at €€€ pricing where most of those alternatives charge more.
The surprise menu is the stronger call here — the chef includes more varied dishes in that format than in the à la carte, which signals where the kitchen puts its best work. If the duck breast with crispy gremolata, pumpkin seed coating, and ras el hanout bao bun appears on the menu, it's representative of the kitchen's approach: organic ingredients, layered spice blends, technique-driven plating. Pair with the wine list, which runs to around 150 selections across 1,900 bottles.
Yes — a 2024 Michelin star, attentive service, and wine pairings built from a 1,900-bottle inventory make this a credible choice for birthdays, anniversaries, or professional dinners. The street-art décor in an elegant corner building on Koninginnelaan keeps it from feeling stiff. At €€€ pricing, it delivers a genuinely special experience without requiring a €€€€ budget.
The counter or bar setup isn't confirmed in the available data, but Zenith's tasting menu format and attentive service model are generally well-suited to solo diners who want to focus on the food. Sunday lunch (12 PM to 4 PM) is a lower-commitment entry point if you'd rather not commit to a full dinner sitting alone. Book in advance regardless — the restaurant runs only four evening services per week.
Book at least two to three weeks out for Thursday through Saturday evenings; those are the four core dinner nights alongside Monday. Sunday has both a lunch and dinner sitting, which gives slightly more flexibility. With a fresh Michelin star from 2024, demand has likely increased — don't assume last-minute availability on weekends.
At €€€ pricing with a 2024 Michelin star, Zenith offers better value per euro than most starred Dutch restaurants. The kitchen's focus on organic ingredients and technique-forward cooking — layered spice blends, elaborate plating — delivers at a price point where comparable Michelin venues in the Netherlands typically charge more. If tasting menus are your format and you're within reach of Apeldoorn, it's a sound booking.
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