Restaurant in Dilsen, Belgium
One Michelin star. Book well ahead.
Hostellerie Vivendum holds a 2025 Michelin star and sits in the Limburg fruit belt near Dilsen-Stokkem, where chef Alex Clevers builds precise, locally sourced dishes with a genuine Thai influence. At €€€, it is the best-value Michelin-starred dining in the region. Book well ahead and consider staying overnight in the on-site guestrooms.
Hostellerie Vivendum holds a Michelin star (2025) and sits in one of Belgium's most underrated dining corners — the Limburg fruit and vegetable belt near Dilsen-Stokkem. Chef Alex Clevers runs a kitchen that marries classical French technique with a genuine affinity for Southeast Asian flavour, grounded entirely in local produce. If you are planning a celebration dinner in the Limburg region, this is the clearest answer. Book early: a Michelin-starred country hostellerie with guestrooms on site fills weeks out, particularly on weekends.
Imagine arriving at an 18th-century presbytery on the banks of the Oude Maas on a clear autumn afternoon, when the Limburg orchards are at their fullest and the kitchen is working with produce harvested days, sometimes hours, before service. That is the context in which Hostellerie Vivendum makes the most sense as a dining decision. The building has been modernised without erasing its historic character — stone, proportion and quiet remain intact , and the terrace overlooking the river is among the finest outdoor dining positions in the region. For a celebration meal that earns its setting, this clears the bar.
Alex Clevers is the reason to come. His cooking philosophy, drawn from his own words, treats preparation as an act of omission: the fewer unnecessary elements, the more the core ingredient speaks. In practice, that means dishes like scallop with cauliflower, eel and cucumber, or wild sea bass with algae croute, boiled shiitake, yellow curry and Thai basil. These are not fusion experiments. They are precise constructions where local Limburg produce and Asian technique share space without one overwhelming the other. The scent of fresh herbs, flowers and garden vegetables that Clevers cultivates himself underlines how close the kitchen is to its sources , this is not farm-to-table as a marketing position, it is the operational reality of cooking in the Limburg region.
The Thai influence runs deeper than occasional seasoning. Clevers has spoken publicly about his passion for that cuisine, and it surfaces in specific preparations: nobashi shrimps served cooked or as tartare, with papaya salad and a coconut-lime sauce that draws on tom kha kai in its texture and depth, while keeping the shrimp as the clear subject. When the season turns, game arrives on the menu with equal confidence , hare with endive is cited as a natural pairing, and it reads like the work of a chef as comfortable with the Limburg hunting calendar as he is with a Bangkok spice market. This range is what makes the Michelin recognition earned rather than honorary.
For solo diners or those wanting the most direct engagement with Clevers' cooking, the bar seating and counter positions at Vivendum offer something the main dining room does not replicate: proximity to the kitchen's decision-making. At a Michelin-starred country property where the chef is present at each service, counter seating gives you a view of how restraint is applied in real time , which preparations are adjusted, how garnishes from the garden are handled, where the Thai flavour thread enters a dish that starts with Belgian produce. If the counter is available when you book, request it. The main dining room is correct for groups or couples celebrating an anniversary; the counter is the right choice if you are eating alone or want to understand the cooking rather than simply receive it.
Vivendum offers guestrooms within the presbytery, and for a meal at this level, staying on site is the more sensible option. It removes the drive, extends the evening, and lets the meal settle as the Oude Maas does what it does at night in a quiet Limburg village. For a special occasion, the combination of dinner and overnight stay is the format this venue is built for. Check room availability at the same time as your dining reservation , they move together at weekends.
Reservations: Book well in advance, minimum 3-4 weeks for weekend tables, sooner for counter seats. Booking difficulty is rated Hard. Price range: €€€ (a step below the €€€€ tier of peers like Boury and Castor, which makes the Michelin star represent strong value at this price point). Address: Vissersstraat 2, 3650 Dilsen-Stokkem, Belgium. Dress: Smart casual minimum; the setting and occasion warrant it. Leading for: Celebration dinners, date nights, solo counter dining, overnight stays.
For more options in the area, see our full Dilsen restaurants guide, our full Dilsen hotels guide, our full Dilsen bars guide, our full Dilsen wineries guide, and our full Dilsen experiences guide.
The closest Limburg peer is Cuchara in Lommel, which operates at €€€€ with creative European cooking. If you are willing to travel within Belgium for a similar special-occasion format, Castor in Beveren and De Jonkman in Sint-Kruis both offer Michelin-starred modern Flemish cooking at €€€€. Vivendum is the better value of this peer group at €€€ , the star costs you less here than at any of the alternatives listed.
Come for the contrast: a formally trained chef working in an 18th-century presbytery on a quiet Belgian river, plating dishes that pull from Thai cuisine without abandoning their Limburg roots. The cooking is technically precise but not stiff. At €€€, the price point is more accessible than most of its Michelin-starred Belgian peers. Book well ahead , this is not a walk-in venue. If you can stay overnight in one of the guestrooms, do. It is the complete version of what Vivendum offers.
Yes, with one condition: request counter or bar seating when you book. Solo dining in the main dining room at a formal country hostellerie can feel imbalanced; the counter puts you closer to the kitchen and gives the meal a clear focal point. At €€€ for a Michelin-starred experience, this is one of the better solo fine-dining propositions in Belgian Limburg. Zilte in Antwerp offers a counter experience in a city setting if you prefer urban over rural.
The presbytery setting suggests private dining options are possible for groups, but specific room configurations and capacity data are not confirmed in our records. Contact the venue directly before assuming group availability. For parties of six or more at a celebration dinner in Limburg, confirm well ahead and ask about any private room arrangements. Weekend dates at Michelin-starred venues in this price range fill quickly, and groups need more lead time than couples or solo diners.
At €€€ with a 2025 Michelin star, the tasting menu here delivers more per euro than comparable Belgian starred venues operating at €€€€. Alex Clevers' kitchen works with its own cultivated herbs and vegetables alongside Limburg regional produce, and the Thai-inflected dishes add a genuine point of difference within the Belgian fine-dining category. If tasting menus are your format and a country setting works for you, this is worth the booking effort. If you prefer à la carte flexibility or a city setting, consider Bozar in Brussels or Zilte in Antwerp instead.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Hostellerie Vivendum | €€€ | — |
| Boury | €€€€ | — |
| Comme chez Soi | €€€€ | — |
| Castor | €€€€ | — |
| Cuchara | €€€€ | — |
| De Jonkman | €€€€ | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Dilsen itself has no direct competitor at the Michelin level, so comparisons mean travelling. Boury in Roeselare is a two-star option if you want to step up the formality and price. De Jonkman near Bruges offers a more produce-driven, terroir-focused experience at a comparable tier. For something closer in spirit to Clevers' local-meets-Asian approach, Castor is worth the detour. Vivendum's edge is the presbytery setting with guestrooms on the Oude Maas — none of those alternatives offer that overnight combination.
Book at least 3–4 weeks ahead for weekend tables — this is a Michelin-starred room in a small Limburg village, not a walk-in venue. The cooking sits at the intersection of classical French technique and Thai-influenced flavour, so expect dishes where local Limburg produce — fish, vegetables, game — is paired with ingredients like coconut, lime, or papaya. The venue is an 18th-century presbytery with a terrace over the Oude Maas, which is the setting to request. Staying in one of the guestrooms is the practical choice if you're travelling any distance.
Yes — bar and counter seats at Vivendum give solo diners direct engagement with Clevers' cooking without the formality of a full table. At €€€, it's a meaningful spend for one, but a Michelin-starred counter experience justifies the price point for anyone serious about the food. Book ahead; counter positions fill fast and the room is small.
The venue is set within a historic presbytery, which typically means limited covers and an intimate format — not the right fit for large parties expecting a banquet setup. Small groups of 2–4 are well suited to the dining room or terrace. For groups larger than 6, check the venue's official channels to confirm private dining availability before assuming it can be arranged; the database does not confirm this option.
At €€€ with a 2025 Michelin star, Vivendum delivers genuine value for the level. Alex Clevers works with hyperlocal Limburg produce — including ingredients from his own cultivation — and layers in Asian technique with precision rather than novelty. If that flavour register appeals to you, this is a well-priced entry point for Belgian Michelin dining compared to two-star alternatives like Boury or Comme chez Soi. If you want a more straightforwardly classical French tasting menu, Comme chez Soi in Brussels is the stronger fit.
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