Restaurant in Beernem, Belgium
Michelin-recognised, easy to book, fair price.
D'Afspanning in Beernem holds two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) and a 4.6 Google rating across 408 reviews, all at a €€ price point that makes it one of the stronger value options in the West Flanders Modern Cuisine scene. Booking is easy, the atmosphere is relaxed, and weekend lunch is the ideal first visit. Not a starred splurge, but a well-priced, Michelin-recognised table worth securing.
At €€ per head, d'Afspanning in Beernem is one of the more direct value propositions in the West Flanders dining scene. Two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) confirm it is cooking at a level above its price point, and a Google rating of 4.6 across 408 reviews suggests that verdict holds up across a wide range of visits. If you are a first-timer to the area looking for a Modern Cuisine restaurant that does not require a special-occasion budget, book here. If you are chasing Michelin stars or a full tasting-menu spectacle, look further afield.
D'Afspanning sits in Beernem, a quiet municipality between Bruges and Ghent, and the setting shapes the experience before you sit down. This is not a loud urban room. The atmosphere reads closer to a composed, low-key Flemish inn than a destination-dining showroom: the kind of place where a weekend lunch feels unhurried and the energy stays at a comfortable register throughout the meal. For first-timers, that distinction matters. If you are arriving from Bruges or Ghent expecting a buzzy city-restaurant atmosphere, calibrate down on noise and up on ease. The room is not silent, but conversation is not something you have to work for either.
The Michelin Plate recognition, awarded in both 2024 and 2025, does not mean a star is imminent but it does mean Michelin inspectors consider the cooking good enough to flag. For a €€ venue in a secondary market like Beernem, that is a meaningful signal. It places d'Afspanning in a category of restaurants that punch above their price tier without demanding the logistical or financial planning that a starred room requires. Think of it as the practical middle option: more ambition than a neighbourhood bistro, less ceremony than a destination table.
For a first visit, the weekend service is where d'Afspanning earns its strongest recommendation. Belgian Modern Cuisine at this price point often translates to a set lunch or weekend menu format, which rewards diners who are not yet sure whether they want to commit to a longer evening format. If the kitchen is running a brunch or midday service, that is the ideal entry point: lower commitment, same kitchen, and a room that feels appropriately relaxed for a Saturday or Sunday in the Flemish countryside. Confirm the current service schedule directly before booking, as hours are not listed in the publicly available data.
Solo diners are well-served by venues of this type and scale. A room with a measured atmosphere and a non-theatrical format is easier to navigate alone than a high-ceremony tasting counter. Couples and small groups of two to four are the natural fit, though again, confirming table configuration availability before arrival is sensible given the limited published data on seat count.
On dietary restrictions: Modern Cuisine kitchens at this level generally have the technical range to accommodate common requests, but d'Afspanning's specific policy is not documented in available records. Contact the venue in advance rather than assuming flexibility, particularly for complex or multiple restrictions.
Booking d'Afspanning is rated Easy. That is a real advantage over most Michelin-recognised venues in Belgium, where demand regularly outstrips supply. For weekend lunch, booking a week to ten days out is a reasonable baseline, though a Michelin Plate listing does generate incremental traffic and last-minute availability cannot be guaranteed. If you are targeting a specific weekend date, book two weeks ahead to be safe. Weekday availability is likely more accessible, but verify current hours before planning around a midday visit. There is no online booking platform or phone number in current public records, so approach via the venue directly or through aggregator platforms that serve the Belgian market.
See the full comparison below.
| Detail | d'Afspanning | Boury (Roeselare) | Vrijmoed (Ghent) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price tier | €€ | €€€€ | €€€€ |
| Michelin recognition | Plate (2024, 2025) | 2 Stars | 1 Star |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Hard | Moderate |
| Setting | Flemish countryside | Roeselare town centre | Ghent city centre |
| Leading for | Value, relaxed weekends | Special occasion splurge | Creative tasting menus |
D'Afspanning is one entry point into what is a genuinely deep Belgian Modern Cuisine scene. For Beernem itself, see our full Beernem restaurants guide, our full Beernem hotels guide, our full Beernem bars guide, our full Beernem wineries guide, and our full Beernem experiences guide. If you are building a broader Flemish itinerary, Boury in Roeselare and Vrijmoed in Ghent are the natural next steps up in ambition and price. For a coastal detour, Willem Hiele in Oudenburg is worth the drive. Further afield, Hof van Cleve in Kruishoutem and Zilte in Antwerp represent the leading of the Belgian fine dining tier. For Brussels options, Bozar Restaurant is a strong city-centre choice. Outside Belgium, Maison Lameloise in Chagny and Frantzén in Stockholm sit at the furthest end of the ambition spectrum if you are benchmarking European Modern Cuisine at its most formal. For other regional comparisons, see La Durée in Izegem, Cuchara in Lommel, d'Eugénie à Emilie in Baudour, Ralf Berendsen in Neerharen, and Le Chalet de la Forêt in Uccle.
Yes, for a first-timer dining alone, d'Afspanning is a practical choice. The relaxed atmosphere and manageable price tier at €€ mean you are not paying a premium for a solo seat, and the room does not have the high-ceremony format that can make solo dining at starred venues feel awkward. Confirm table availability for one when booking, as seat configuration details are not publicly listed.
This is not documented in available records. Modern Cuisine kitchens generally have the range to handle common dietary requests, but do not assume. Contact the venue in advance with specifics, particularly if you have multiple or complex restrictions. There is no phone number or website in current public records, so reach out via a booking platform or direct email if available.
At €€ pricing, d'Afspanning represents good value relative to its Michelin Plate recognition. Whether a tasting menu format is available is not confirmed in current data, but if it is, the price-to-quality ratio here compares favourably with €€€€ peers like Boury or Vrijmoed, which deliver more technical ambition but at significantly higher cost. For a first visit, d'Afspanning is a lower-risk way to test whether Modern Flemish cuisine is the format for you.
Booking is rated Easy, but the Michelin Plate recognition does generate demand. For a weekend lunch, aim to book one to two weeks out. If you have a fixed date in mind, two weeks is the safer margin. Weekday tables are likely more available at shorter notice. There is no online booking tool in current public records, so use a Belgian reservation aggregator or contact the venue directly.
It works for a low-key celebration: the Michelin Plate recognition gives it enough credibility to feel like a deliberate choice, and the €€ price point means you are not overcommitting financially. For a milestone anniversary or a group that wants full tasting-menu theatre, a starred venue like Vrijmoed or Boury will deliver a more memorable format. D'Afspanning is the right call when the occasion matters but the priority is a relaxed, well-cooked meal rather than a production.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| d'Afspanning | Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | €€ | — |
| Boury | Michelin 3 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Comme chez Soi | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Vrijmoed | Michelin 2 Star | €€€€ | — |
| La Durée | Michelin 2 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Cuchara | Michelin 2 Star | €€€€ | — |
Comparing your options in Beernem for this tier.
Yes, and the easy booking rating works in your favour as a solo — you can often secure a seat with shorter notice than at comparable Michelin-recognised venues in Belgium. At €€ per head, the financial commitment is manageable for a solo outing. If counter or bar seating is available, it tends to suit solo diners better than a full table; confirm the layout when you book.
No specific dietary policy is documented for d'Afspanning, so check the venue's official channels before booking — especially relevant at a modern cuisine venue where menus can be tightly structured. The €€ price point suggests the format is accessible rather than a rigid multi-course tasting menu, which typically gives kitchens more flexibility to accommodate restrictions.
At €€ pricing, d'Afspanning sits in a range where a tasting menu format is easier to justify than at Boury or Comme chez Soi, both of which operate at significantly higher price points with stronger award pedigrees. Two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) signal consistent kitchen standards, which matters when committing to a set menu. If you want a structured modern cuisine experience in West Flanders without the investment of a full Michelin-starred evening, this is a reasonable choice.
Booking is rated Easy, which puts d'Afspanning well ahead of most Michelin-recognised restaurants in Belgium in terms of availability. A week's notice is likely sufficient for most nights, though weekends in peak season near Bruges and Ghent may warrant more lead time. Call or check availability directly — no online booking link is currently documented.
It works for a low-key special occasion — two consecutive Michelin Plates give the meal a credible sense of occasion, and the €€ price range means you're not paying a premium for the recognition. For a milestone where the setting and ceremony matter as much as the food, Comme chez Soi in Brussels or Boury in Roeselare operate at a different register. D'Afspanning suits occasions where good food in a relaxed West Flanders setting is the goal rather than grand dining theatre.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
