Le Roannay
Modern French · Francorchamps
Restaurant in Francorchamps, Belgium
Book with PearlThe Read
Ardennes Terroir Precision
Price
€€€
Chef
Mathieu Vande Velde
Dress
Smart Casual
Why go
Le Roannay holds a Michelin star in the Ardennes countryside outside Stavelot, where chef David Gallienne works within the Modern French tradition against a backdrop of forests and race-circuit quietude. The address places it well outside Belgium's urban fine-dining axis, making it a deliberate destination for anyone combining Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps with serious cooking.
About Le Roannay
Is Le Roannay worth booking for a special occasion?
Yes; and for the Ardennes region, it is genuinely hard to beat at this price tier. Le Roannay holds a Michelin Star (2025), backed by a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025, which confirms this is not a one-year anomaly. If you are planning a special occasion near the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Le Roannay is the clearest answer in the region.
The Restaurant
Le Roannay sits at Rue de Spa 155 in Stavelot, a few kilometres from Francorchamps, in the Ardennes countryside that shapes much of this corner of Belgium. The setting is the kind of address that functions well for occasion dining precisely because it does not feel like a city restaurant competing for attention: the atmosphere is measured, the energy is calm without feeling flat, the room is built for conversation. For a date or a milestone dinner, that is exactly what you want, a room that serves the meal rather than competes with it. The ambient tone here leans quiet and composed, which means it holds up well into the evening. This is not a venue where the noise level spikes after 10 PM and makes conversation a battle; the pace of service and the format of the meal are both designed to run long and unhurried.
The Michelin Star held across two consecutive years (2024 and 2025) is the clearest external signal of consistent kitchen execution. For occasion dining, reliability matters as much as ceiling quality.
The €€€ price range positions Le Roannay meaningfully below the €€€€ tier that covers most of Belgium's leading Michelin addresses. You are not compromising on the quality of the experience to save money here, you are getting a starred kitchen at a price point that makes the decision easier to justify, whether this is a birthday, an anniversary, or a business dinner that needs to land well. For groups travelling to the Spa-Francorchamps circuit area, where dining options at this level are sparse, Le Roannay carries the added value of being the obvious first choice without a strong competitor at the same price and quality in the immediate vicinity.
As a late-evening option, the format suits those who want a full, paced dinner rather than a quick meal. Modern French tasting menus at this standard are built to occupy two to three hours comfortably, which means arriving at a reasonable dinner hour and finishing late is entirely by design. The calm atmosphere makes it a better late-dinner choice than many restaurants in this tier, where a livelier room can feel discordant once the evening runs long. If you are racing from the circuit or arriving from Liège or Cologne after a long day, the unhurried pace of Le Roannay is an asset rather than an inconvenience.
For context on how Le Roannay sits within Belgian fine dining more broadly, it is worth knowing that the country's Michelin-starred tier is genuinely strong. Addresses like Boury in Roeselare, Zilte in Antwerp, and Hof van Cleve in Kruishoutem set a high national benchmark. Le Roannay competes in that conversation while offering the Ardennes as a destination in itself. If you are building a trip around dining, pairing Le Roannay with a visit to L'air du Temps in Liernu or Willem Hiele in Oudenburg gives you a broader picture of what Belgian fine dining looks like across different regions and styles. For Modern French with European reach, the comparison set extends to Sketch in London and Schanz in Piesport, both operating at a comparable or higher tier.
Beyond the restaurant itself, if you are planning a wider trip to the area, Pearl's guides cover the full picture: restaurants in Francorchamps, hotels, bars, wineries, and experiences. For dining elsewhere in Belgium at a similar occasion level, Bozar in Brussels, Castor in Beveren, De Jonkman in Sint-Kruis, Cuchara in Lommel, Bartholomeus in Heist, and d'Eugénie à Emilie in Baudour are all worth considering depending on your itinerary.
Practical Details
Reservations: Book well in advance, Michelin-starred restaurants in Belgium at this price point fill quickly, Le Roannay's combination of accessible pricing and a starred kitchen makes demand high relative to seat availability. Treat this as a hard booking, not a walk-in option. Budget: €€€ per head, a meaningful step below the €€€€ tier covering most comparable Belgian addresses, strong value for the quality on offer. Leading for: Anniversaries, birthdays, business dinners, any occasion where the meal is the event. Location: Rue de Spa 155, Stavelot, accessible from Spa, Liège, the Francorchamps circuit. Atmosphere: Calm, composed, conversation-friendly, suited to long evening meals that run late without the room working against you.
Ratings
- Michelin Star: 2024, 2025
- Michelin Plate: 2024, 2025
Planning details
- Location
- Rue de Spa 155, 4970 Stavelot, Belgium
- Reservations
- Book on TheFork
- Website
- roannay.be
- Phone
- +32 87 27 53 11
The take
The Take
The Vibe
Le Roannay feels like a refined country retreat set at the edge of the Ardennes. The dining room is framed by beech forest and open farmland, and that landscape is as much a part of the experience as the food. Service and cooking lean into a restrained, rural sensibility: modern French technique meets ingredients drawn from the surrounding land — game, river fish, foraged herbs and regional dairy — producing a quietly confident, scenic atmosphere that rewards diners who travel for the table rather than the city buzz.
Best For
This is a destination restaurant for diners willing to travel for exceptional cooking. The setting and culinary focus make it well suited to milestone dinners and weekend escapes when you want an out-of-town meal that feels like an event. Serious food travelers and couples looking for a memorable evening get the most out of the drive to Francorchamps: the regional focus and considered plates reward time and attention rather than quick drop-ins.
Ordering Tips
Let the local landscape guide your choices: the house leans on Ardennes ingredients, so seek out dishes built from game, river fish and foraged herbs. Signature plates to watch for include Anjou pigeon with creamy intestine sauce, Brittany scallops with vin jaune jus, langoustines with verjus and wild herbs, and veal sweetbreads. Those preparations exemplify the kitchen’s approach — ingredient-led, precisely executed — and offer a clear sense of what distinguishes Le Roannay from urban fine-dining tables.
Venue details
Ambiance
Modern luxury with contemporary design; open kitchen visible from dining room; spacious tables with professional yet warm service; historic barn-style bar with timber rafters.
Tags
Vibe
Best For
Experience
Sourcing
At the Table
- Dress Code
- Smart Casual
- Noise Level
- Conversational
- Service Style
- Formal
- Meal Pacing
- Extended Experience
- Capacity
- Small
Signature Dishes
- Anjou pigeon with creamy intestine sauce
- Brittany scallops with vin jaune jus
- Langoustines with verjus and wild herbs
- Veal sweetbreads
Planning details
Location
Recognition and awards
Also consider
Also Consider
- Boury; Modern Frlemish, Creative French, €€€€
- Comme chez Soi; French - Belgian, Classic Cuisine, €€€€
- Castor; Modern European, Modern French, €€€€
- Cuchara; Modern European, Creative, €€€€
- De Jonkman; Modern Flemish, Creative, €€€€
Restaurant context
Le Roannay is the most accessible entry point into Belgian Michelin-starred dining by price: at €€€ it sits one full tier below the €€€€ positioning of most of its national peers, including Boury, Castor, Cuchara, De Jonkman, and Comme chez Soi. For a diner whose primary goal is a starred Modern French meal in the Ardennes without absorbing a four-tier price tag, Le Roannay is the straightforward choice. The trade-off is ambition ceiling: Boury in Roeselare and De Jonkman in Sint-Kruis are operating at a higher level of creative complexity, Comme chez Soi in Brussels brings a deeper classical tradition. If maximising the quality ceiling matters more than price, those addresses deserve serious consideration.
On booking difficulty, Le Roannay is hard; but not uniquely so within this peer group. All five comparison venues operate at €€€€ with comparable or higher demand, meaning that booking friction is a shared constraint across the category. The difference is geography: for anyone based near or travelling to the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Le Roannay is the only starred option that does not require a longer cross-country drive. That location advantage is real and worth factoring into the decision. Castor and Cuchara are strong creative alternatives at €€€€, but neither is in the Ardennes.
For pure value-per-starred-meal, Le Roannay wins this comparison. For a once-in-a-year celebration where you want the highest possible ceiling and price is secondary, Boury or Comme chez Soi is the better call. For occasion dining near Francorchamps specifically, there is no meaningful competitor in this peer group; Le Roannay is the answer by default and by quality.
Explore Francorchamps
Around this place
Discover more on Pearl
Unlock the full Le Roannay guide in Pearl, including awards, comparisons, FAQs, planning details, and nearby places.
Compare Le Roannay
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Roannay | Modern French | €€€ | Michelin Guide Belgium & Luxembourg 20262025 Michelin 1 Star2025 Michelin Plate2024 Michelin 1 Star2024 Michelin Plate | Hard |
| Boury | Modern Frlemish, Creative French | €€€€ | 2026 OAD Classical in Europe Ranked · #77Michelin Guide Belgium & Luxembourg 20262026 Les Grandes Tables du Monde Members2026 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 OAD Classical in Europe Ranked · #46We're Smart World Top Restaurants 20252025 The Best Chef Three Knives2025 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 Michelin 3 Stars | Unknown |
| Comme chez Soi | French - Belgian, Classic Cuisine | €€€€ | 2026 OAD Classical in Europe Ranked · #119Michelin Guide Belgium & Luxembourg 20262026 Les Grandes Tables du Monde Members2026 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 OAD Classical in Europe Ranked · #1042025 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 Michelin 1 Star2024 OAD Classical in Europe Ranked · #1052024 Michelin 1 Star | Unknown |
| Castor | Modern European, Modern French | €€€€ | 2026 Falstaff Restaurant Guide2026 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 OAD Classical in Europe Ranked · #102We're Smart World Top Restaurants 20252025 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 Michelin 2 Stars2024 OAD Classical in Europe Ranked · #872024 Michelin 2 Stars2023 OAD Classical in Europe Ranked · #83 | Unknown |
| Cuchara | Modern European, Creative | €€€€ | Michelin Guide Belgium & Luxembourg 20262026 OAD Top Restaurants in Europe Recommended2026 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 OAD Top Restaurants in Europe Ranked · #502We're Smart World Top Restaurants 20252025 Michelin 2 Stars2025 La Liste Top Restaurants2024 OAD Top Restaurants in Europe Ranked · #5212024 Michelin 2 Stars | Unknown |
| De Jonkman | Modern Flemish, Creative | €€€€ | Michelin Guide Belgium & Luxembourg 20262026 OAD Top Restaurants in Europe Recommended2026 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 OAD Top Restaurants in Europe Ranked · #325We're Smart World Top Restaurants 20252025 Michelin 2 Stars2025 La Liste Top Restaurants2024 OAD Top Restaurants in Europe Ranked · #2192024 Michelin 2 Stars | Unknown |
.png?width=1200&quality=80)
A quick look at how Le Roannay measures up.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the tasting menu worth it at Le Roannay?
For a Michelin-starred modern French experience in the Ardennes at the €€€ price tier, yes. Le Roannay has held its Michelin Star in both 2024 and 2025, with a Michelin Plate alongside it; a consistent track record that justifies committing to the full format. If you're comparing value against starred restaurants in Brussels or Ghent, the rural setting tends to mean fewer tourists and more focused service.
What are alternatives to Le Roannay in Francorchamps?
Within the immediate Francorchamps area, options at this level are limited, which is part of what makes Le Roannay the default choice for a serious meal in the region. For a wider comparison, Boury in Roeselare and De Jonkman near Bruges both hold Michelin stars and offer modern Belgian cooking, but require considerably more travel. Castor and Cuchara are worth considering if you want something less formal.
How far ahead should I book Le Roannay?
Book at least 3 to 4 weeks ahead, further out if your visit coincides with the Belgian Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, when demand in the entire area spikes sharply. Le Roannay's Michelin Star status at a €€€ price point makes it accessible relative to top Brussels restaurants, but that accessibility means it fills. Don't leave it to the week before.
Is Le Roannay good for a special occasion?
Yes; it is one of the stronger cases for a special occasion meal in the Ardennes region. For anniversaries or milestone meals where atmosphere and setting matter as much as the food, the countryside location near Stavelot adds to the occasion rather than detracting from it.
