Restaurant in Eastermar, Netherlands
Remote greenhouse dining that earns the detour.

Mearkas is a greenhouse restaurant in Eastermar, Friesland, running a vegetable-focused seasonal menu built on ingredients from its own land. Holding a Michelin Plate for 2024 and 2025 and rated 4.9 across 201 Google reviews, it delivers fine-dining precision at €€€ — below the price of most comparable Dutch tasting-menu venues. Worth the drive for a special occasion, particularly between April and October.
Mearkas operates on a seasonal menu that shifts with what chef Kees Meinderts can grow or source nearby in Friesland — which means the window for any given iteration of the menu is finite. If a vegetable-forward, greenhouse-rooted tasting experience in the Dutch countryside is on your list, the time to book is now, not after the next season turns. Covers are limited, the venue draws from a deliberately small producer network, and the menu cannot be held over. This is not a restaurant that idles between visits.
The verdict: Mearkas is worth the drive from anywhere in the northern Netherlands, and for plant-based tasting menus in the country, it is operating at a level few competitors match. It holds a Michelin Plate for both 2024 and 2025, carries a 4.9 Google rating across 201 reviews, and its awards note explicitly rates it between four and five Radishes — the kind of assessment that puts it comfortably ahead of most €€€ seasonal venues in the region. If you are planning a special occasion dinner and are willing to travel to Eastermar, this should be at the leading of your shortlist.
Mearkas is a greenhouse restaurant built from recycled materials, set in Frisian countryside outside Eastermar. The kitchen runs on produce from its own land or from nearby suppliers, and chef Meinderts has built the menu around what he calls Pure Plant cooking , a vegetable-focused approach that goes beyond standard vegetarian fine dining. The awards record notes the menu can be ordered fully plant-based without advance notice, which is worth flagging: this is not a concession or an afterthought, it is the intended format. You are encouraged to go that route.
The physical setting matters here more than it does at a city restaurant. You are not coming to Mearkas for a neighbourhood bistro experience or to fit a dinner into a broader evening in town. Eastermar is a small Frisian village, the drive in takes you through flat, open Dutch farmland, and the greenhouse structure sits in that landscape rather than against it. For a special occasion meal, that separation from urban noise is part of what you are booking.
The awards data references a carefully curated, flawlessly executed menu, and the format at Mearkas rewards close attention. A counter or chef's table setting , where it is available , changes how you receive that kind of cooking. You are watching preparation happen in proximity, the pacing of courses is set by the kitchen rather than by table service rhythms, and the gap between what arrives and where it came from becomes very short. For plant-based cooking specifically, this matters: the precision of Pure Plant technique is easier to read when you are close to it. If counter seating is offered when you book, take it over a table in the main space. The format is better suited to two people than to a larger group, and it is better suited to a celebratory dinner than to a casual midweek meal.
For a date night or anniversary dinner, Mearkas competes on experience quality with venues charging significantly more. The Michelin Plate recognition, the 4.9 rating at 201 reviews, and the explicit award commendation from the Radishes system all suggest consistent execution rather than occasional brilliance. That consistency is what you need when a special occasion dinner cannot be a lottery.
The strongest case for visiting Mearkas is during the transitional growing seasons , late spring and early autumn , when the kitchen's own land is at peak productivity and the menu is working with the widest range of fresh material. Midsummer works well too, though the daylight in Friesland at that time of year makes the drive and the setting particularly appealing. Winter visits are possible, and root-vegetable-driven menus in cold-weather months can be genuinely compelling at this level of cooking, but if you are choosing between seasons, aim for the period between April and October when the greenhouse context feels most connected to the food on the plate.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, which is somewhat unusual for a Michelin-recognised restaurant with limited covers. Do not let that lull you into leaving it too late if you have a specific date in mind for a celebration , easy to book does not mean always available. A few weeks of lead time should be sufficient for most dates, but weekends in peak growing season will fill faster than midweek slots.
Mearkas is at Skulenboargerwei 5, 9261 XA Eastermar, Netherlands. No phone number or website is available in our current data , check our full Eastermar restaurants guide for updated booking information as it becomes available. The price point is €€€, which positions it as a serious dinner destination without reaching the €€€€ tier of venues like De Librije or De Nieuwe Winkel in Nijmegen. For comparable seasonal cooking in the Netherlands at the same price tier, Huisje James in Ugchelen and Maes, Cuisine du Terroir in Eijsden are the closest equivalents in format. Neither matches the sustainability infrastructure or the Pure Plant focus that defines Mearkas.
If you are making a full trip of the visit, our Eastermar hotels guide covers nearby accommodation, and our Eastermar experiences guide covers what to do in the surrounding Frisian area. The bars and wineries guides for Eastermar are available if you want to build out the evening.
Quick reference: €€€ · seasonal plant-based tasting menu · Michelin Plate 2024 & 2025 · 4.9/5 (201 reviews) · booking difficulty: easy · Eastermar, Friesland, Netherlands.
See the comparison section below.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mearkas | €€€ · Seasonal Cuisine | €€€ | Mearkas fully embraces sustainability in every aspect. The greenhouse is constructed from recycled materials, ingredients come from their own land or nearby, and chef Kees Meinderts and his team have perfected the art of Pure Plant cooking. Set amidst stunning Frisian nature, guests are treated to a carefully curated, vegetable-focussed menu that is sure to impress. The menu can be ordered pure plant without advanced notice, which we can only advise. Every dish is flawlessly executed, making it well worth the journey. From 4 to 5 Radishes. Well done chef.; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| De Librije | €€€€ · Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| 't Nonnetje | €€€€ · Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| De Lindehof | Contemporary Dutch, Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| De Nieuwe Winkel | €€€€ · Organic | €€€€ | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Fred | €€€€ · Creative French | €€€€ | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
At €€€, Mearkas delivers on its promise: a Michelin Plate-recognised, flawlessly executed vegetable-focused menu built almost entirely from produce grown or sourced within Friesland. If plant-forward tasting menus are your format, the cooking justifies the cost. If you're expecting a broader menu with meat-led options, this isn't the right venue for the price.
No bar or counter seating is documented for Mearkas in our current data. The format is a curated tasting menu experience in a greenhouse setting, which suggests a fixed-seat, single-sitting structure rather than a drop-in bar arrangement. check the venue's official channels to confirm seating options before visiting.
Mearkas is a small greenhouse restaurant in a rural Frisian location — the format and scale point toward intimate dining rather than large-group bookings. Parties of 2–4 are the natural fit. For groups larger than 6, reach out well in advance to confirm capacity; the kitchen's produce-led, curated menu format may also limit flexibility for large parties with varied dietary requirements.
Book at least 3–4 weeks out, particularly for spring and autumn when the kitchen's own land is producing at its peak and demand is highest. Mearkas has no website listed in our current data, so check for updated booking channels through review platforms or direct contact at Skulenboargerwei 5, Eastermar.
Eastermar itself has no direct comparators at this level — the nearest serious alternatives are elsewhere in the Netherlands. De Nieuwe Winkel in Nijmegen is the closest philosophical peer for plant-forward tasting menus. De Librije in Zwolle and De Lindehof in Susteren offer Dutch fine dining at a higher price point with broader menus. Fred and 't Nonnetje are worth considering if you want a more traditional Dutch fine dining format.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.