Markt XI

Should You Book Markt XI?

Picture the Belgian coast in early evening: salt air drifting off the North Sea, a small dining room in De Haan filling quietly with locals who have driven here specifically for the fish. That scene is the argument for Markt XI. Chef Benny Van Torre has built a focused, technically serious kitchen around North Sea crustaceans and catch, Michelin has twice awarded it a Plate; in 2024 and again in 2025; the guide's signal that cooking here is worth a detour. If you are planning a special dinner on the Flemish coast and want somewhere that takes the seafood seriously without the price tag of a starred room, Markt XI is the clearest answer in De Haan.

The Kitchen and What It Does

Van Torre's cooking is built around what the North Sea gives him: fish and crustaceans treated with precision rather than transformation for its own sake. Michelin's own note on him credits "a great sense of taste and finesse," and observes that vegetables are creatively incorporated into the preparations, with the observation that they could be used more extensively. That is a useful signal about the kitchen's personality: this is a seafood-forward room, if you are coming expecting a produce-led tasting menu, you may need to adjust expectations. Come for the ocean and you will not be disappointed.

The editorial angle here matters for how you plan your evening. The menu at Markt XI is structured around progression, the kind of tasting arc where each course builds on the last, where the kitchen's intelligence shows in sequencing rather than in individual showpiece dishes. That approach rewards guests who are willing to follow the chef's lead rather than pick and choose. For a special occasion, an anniversary, a significant birthday, a dinner that needs to feel considered, that structure is exactly what you want. The meal becomes an event rather than a transaction.

A Michelin Plate in two consecutive years at a €€€ price point on the Belgian coast is an unusual combination. Most kitchens working at this level of recognition have moved into €€€€ territory. At Markt XI, the price-to-ambition ratio is one of the strongest arguments for booking. For context, comparable coastal seafood cooking in Belgium, think Willem Hiele in Oudenburg, operates at higher price points with more demanding reservation windows. Markt XI gives you Michelin-recognised technique at a price that does not require a special-occasion budget for every visit.

Who Should Book and When

Book Markt XI for a celebration dinner, a date night, or a long weekend on the coast where the meal is the centrepiece. The cooking rewards attention: this is not a venue for a quick dinner before something else.

Booking difficulty is rated easy relative to the wider Belgian fine dining circuit. You do not need to plan months in advance the way you would for a table at Boury in Roeselare or Hof van Cleve in Kruishoutem. That said, De Haan is a seasonal coastal town, summer weekends fill faster than you might expect. Two to three weeks out is a reasonable minimum for a Friday or Saturday; mid-week tables are more available. Check ahead for seasonal closures, hours are not publicly confirmed in our data, so contacting the restaurant directly before planning travel from a distance is sensible.

Reservations: Book directly with the restaurant; two to three weeks out for weekend tables. Budget: €€€, meaningful but not prohibitive for the quality on offer. Dress: Not confirmed, but the coastal fine dining context suggests smart casual as a safe baseline. Getting there: Markt XI sits at Driftweg 11, 8420 De Haan, a short walk from the centre of the village. De Haan is accessible by train from Bruges and Ghent, though a car gives you more flexibility on timing. See our full De Haan restaurants guide for wider context on dining in the area, our De Haan hotels guide if you are staying overnight.

Ratings and Trust Signals

• Michelin Plate: 2024 and 2025, two consecutive years of recognition
• Price Range: €€€
• Cuisine: Modern Cuisine, seafood-forward with North Sea fish and crustaceans
• Booking Difficulty: Easy, no months-long waitlist

Broader Belgian Coastal Context

The Belgian coast has a serious seafood dining tradition, Markt XI sits within a competitive set that includes some of Belgium's most technically accomplished kitchens. For exploration beyond De Haan, Zilte in Antwerp operates at a higher level of abstraction with its ocean-focused tasting menus, while Vrijmoed in Gent offers a creative Flemish counterpoint inland. For special occasion dining in Brussels, Bozar Restaurant and the classic French-Belgian institution Le Chalet de la Forêt in Uccle are worth comparing. Further afield, La Durée in Izegem and Cuchara in Lommel represent the creative end of the Belgian €€€€ tier. If you want to see what the upper ceiling of modern European tasting menus looks like at the global level, Frantzén in Stockholm and Maison Lameloise in Chagny are instructive benchmarks. For local exploration beyond restaurants, see our De Haan bars guide, De Haan wineries, and experiences in De Haan.

The Verdict

Book Markt XI if you are on the Belgian coast and want a seafood-focused tasting dinner that carries genuine Michelin-level technique at a €€€ price point. It is not the most ambitious room in Belgium, it is not trying to be. What it offers is focused, consistent, technically precise cooking from a chef Michelin describes as one of the fierce talents of the coast, with one of the more favourable booking windows in Belgian fine dining. For a special occasion dinner in De Haan, it is the direct first recommendation.