Restaurant in Hellendoorn, Netherlands
Two-time Bib Gourmand, easy to book.
De Uitkijk in Hellendoorn holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for both 2024 and 2025 — Michelin's own signal for quality cooking at accessible prices. Chef Sebastiaan Pals runs a modern cuisine kitchen at the €€ tier, making this the clearest answer in the Overijssel region if you want a serious meal without the cost or booking difficulty of the area's starred venues. A 4.6 Google rating across 1,385 reviews confirms the consistency.
Yes — and the good news is that getting a table here is considerably easier than you might expect from a two-time Michelin Bib Gourmand winner. De Uitkijk, on the wooded hillside road of Hellendoornsebergweg in Hellendoorn, earns its recognition not through exclusivity or theatrical production, but through the kind of precise, unfussy cooking that makes the €€ price tier feel genuinely over-delivering. If you are planning a visit to the Overijssel region and want a serious meal without the booking anxiety or the three-figure bill that comes with De Librije or 't Nonnetje, De Uitkijk is the clearest answer in the area.
The Bib Gourmand is Michelin's specific signal for quality food at moderate prices — it is awarded to venues where inspectors judge the cooking good enough to warrant the Michelin name, without the full fine-dining cost structure. De Uitkijk has held this designation in both 2024 and 2025, which tells you two things: the kitchen is consistent, and the value equation is intentional rather than accidental. Chef Sebastiaan Pals is running a modern cuisine operation that has earned back-to-back inspector approval, and that track record is the most reliable signal available when assessing whether a meal here is worth your time.
With a Google rating of 4.6 across 1,385 reviews, De Uitkijk also scores well with the broader dining public, not just Michelin inspectors. That volume of feedback at that average is harder to maintain than a high score on a thin review base, and it points to a kitchen and front-of-house that perform reliably across many different types of guests and occasions.
The setting adds a dimension that matters if you are travelling into Hellendoorn specifically for the meal. The address on Hellendoornsebergweg places the restaurant in the greener, hillier fringe of the village, away from the centre. Arriving at a venue like this on a clear evening, surrounded by the forested Sallandse Heuvelrug landscape, is part of the experience the address promises , it is the kind of setting where the visual impression before you even sit down sets a useful frame for what follows inside.
De Uitkijk operates in modern cuisine at the €€ tier, which means the cooking carries contemporary technique and plate presentation without the ceremony or commitment of a full tasting menu at €€€€ level. For a food-focused traveller who wants to eat well in the Netherlands without allocating an entire evening and a significant budget to a single restaurant, this format is genuinely practical. You get craft and intention on the plate without needing to schedule around a multi-hour, multi-course commitment.
It is worth being clear about what this venue is not. De Uitkijk is not competing with De Nieuwe Winkel in Nijmegen or De Lindehof in Nuenen on the terms of a full creative tasting menu experience. Those are different propositions at a different price point. De Uitkijk's strength is precisely that it sits outside that category , it offers cooking that respects the Michelin standard while remaining accessible in both cost and booking effort. For an explorer looking for depth without the performance, that is a more interesting meal than a predictable fine-dining format at twice the price.
Booking difficulty at De Uitkijk is rated as easy relative to the broader Dutch Michelin-recognised dining scene. You do not need to plan weeks ahead in the way that reservation-scarce venues in Amsterdam or Zwolle demand. That said, Bib Gourmand recognition in a smaller regional town does mean local and regional demand is real, and weekend evenings will fill faster than midweek slots. Book ahead by a week or two for weekends; midweek visits are likely achievable on shorter notice. No booking method details are confirmed in our data, so check the venue directly for current reservation options.
For travellers combining De Uitkijk with a broader Hellendoorn or Overijssel itinerary, see our full Hellendoorn restaurants guide, our full Hellendoorn hotels guide, our full Hellendoorn bars guide, our full Hellendoorn experiences guide, and our full Hellendoorn wineries guide.
| Venue | Price Tier | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| De Uitkijk (Hellendoorn) | €€ | Michelin Bib Gourmand 2024 & 2025 | Easy | Modern Cuisine |
| De Librije (Zwolle) | €€€€ | Michelin starred | Difficult | Modern Cuisine |
| 't Nonnetje (Harderwijk) | €€€€ | Michelin starred | Difficult | Creative |
| De Lindehof (Nuenen) | €€€€ | Michelin starred | Moderate | Contemporary Dutch, Creative |
| De Nieuwe Winkel (Nijmegen) | €€€€ | Michelin starred | Moderate | Organic |
See the full comparison section below.
If you are building a regional dining itinerary, De Groene Lantaarn in Staphorst and Bij Hammingh in Garnwerd are both in the €€ modern cuisine tier and worth comparing. For a step up in commitment and cost, De Librije in Zwolle and 't Nonnetje in Harderwijk are the regional benchmarks at €€€€. Further afield, Aan de Poel in Amstelveen, Ciel Bleu in Amsterdam, and De Bokkedoorns in Overveen represent the broader Dutch Michelin-starred set if you are touring the country with a dining focus. Also worth noting for different regional profiles: Brut172 in Reijmerstok, De Lindenhof in Giethoorn, De Treeswijkhoeve in Waalre, De Lindehof in Nuenen, De Nieuwe Winkel in Nijmegen, Fred, and Bistro Sophie in Eindhoven.
Based on the available data, De Uitkijk operates at the €€ price tier with Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in both 2024 and 2025. The Bib Gourmand specifically flags good cooking at accessible prices, so whatever menu format is on offer here, Michelin inspectors have judged it punching above its cost. At €€, the value case is direct compared to tasting menus at €€€€ venues like De Nieuwe Winkel or De Lindehof. If you want serious cooking without a serious spend, yes, it is worth it. We do not have confirmed details on the current menu format, so verify with the venue directly.
Specific dishes and current menu details are not confirmed in our data, so we cannot responsibly name items. What we can say: chef Sebastiaan Pals is running a modern cuisine kitchen that has satisfied Michelin inspectors two years running. The safest approach at any Bib Gourmand venue is to follow the set menu or the kitchen's own suggested format , that is typically where the leading value and the most considered cooking sits. Ask the team on arrival what they are most focused on that evening.
The address on Hellendoornsebergweg 8 sits on the outskirts of Hellendoorn rather than in the village centre, so plan your route in advance and account for travel time if arriving from elsewhere in Overijssel. The Bib Gourmand designation means this is a genuinely food-focused venue, not a casual neighbourhood bistro , the cooking and service will reflect that, even at the €€ price point. First-timers should book ahead, particularly for weekends, and arrive ready for a proper sit-down meal rather than a quick stop. Hours and booking method are not confirmed in our data, so contact the venue directly to confirm current arrangements before you travel.
No formal dress code is confirmed in our data. At a €€ Bib Gourmand venue in a regional Dutch setting, smart casual is a reliable default. You are unlikely to be underdressed in clean, presentable clothes , this is not the level of formality you would bring to De Librije or 't Nonnetje. If you are travelling directly from a day outdoors in the Sallandse Heuvelrug, allow time to change into something comfortable but considered.
Yes, with the right expectations. De Uitkijk offers Michelin-recognised cooking at €€, which makes it a strong choice for a low-key celebration where the food matters more than the ceremony. The wooded, hillside setting adds a sense of occasion that a city-centre restaurant at the same price tier rarely delivers. If you want theatre, service choreography, and a full multi-hour tasting menu commitment, step up to a starred venue. But for a meaningful meal that marks the moment without requiring a special-occasion budget, De Uitkijk is a well-calibrated choice.
At €€ with two consecutive Bib Gourmand awards and a 4.6 Google rating from over 1,300 guests, the value case is clear. The Bib Gourmand exists precisely to flag restaurants where the quality outpaces the cost, and De Uitkijk has earned that signal twice. Compared to the €€€€ venues in the region , De Librije, 't Nonnetje, De Lindehof , you are getting Michelin-validated cooking at a fraction of the price. The honest caveat: at €€, the format and portion scale will differ from a starred tasting menu. But on the question of whether you get back more than you spend, the answer is yes.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| De Uitkijk | €€ · Modern Cuisine | €€ | Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025); Michelin Bib Gourmand (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 | — |
Comparing your options in Hellendoorn for this tier.
Based on two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand awards (2024 and 2025), the cooking at De Uitkijk delivers contemporary technique at the €€ price tier — which is exactly what the Bib Gourmand is designed to flag. Michelin inspectors award it specifically when quality exceeds what the price would lead you to expect. If you are looking for a tasting format at a fraction of what a starred restaurant charges in the Netherlands, the case for booking is strong.
Specific menu items are not documented in available data, so ordering advice would be speculative. What is confirmed is that De Uitkijk operates in modern cuisine at the €€ tier under chef Sebastiaan Pals — lean toward whatever the kitchen is featuring that session, as Bib Gourmand venues at this level typically build menus around current product rather than fixed signatures.
De Uitkijk is a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant in Hellendoorn, a smaller town in the Dutch province of Overijssel — you are travelling to it, not stumbling across it. Chef Sebastiaan Pals runs a modern cuisine kitchen at the €€ price point, so expect considered plate presentation without the formality of a starred room. Booking is reportedly accessible relative to the broader Dutch Michelin-recognised dining scene, so advance planning is sensible but not the weeks-out scramble you face at busier city venues.
No dress code is documented for De Uitkijk. Modern cuisine at the €€ tier in the Netherlands generally does not enforce formal dress, but given the Michelin recognition, turning up in casual sportswear would be out of step with the room. Neat, presentable clothing is the practical call.
Yes, with the right expectations. The Bib Gourmand credential gives it occasion credibility without the three-hour, high-ceremony format of a starred restaurant. At €€ pricing, it works well for a birthday or anniversary dinner where the priority is genuinely good cooking over spectacle. If the occasion demands a grander setting, De Librije in Zwolle (three Michelin stars) is the regional step up.
At the €€ tier with back-to-back Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and 2025, De Uitkijk represents strong value by the Michelin benchmark that matters most here: quality relative to cost. It is not a budget restaurant, but it sits well below what starred dining costs in the Netherlands while delivering cooking that Michelin inspectors have twice judged worth flagging. For the price, few alternatives in this part of Overijssel carry equivalent third-party validation.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
