Restaurant in Ixelles, Belgium
Brussels' plant-based tasting menu worth booking.
Humus x Hortense holds a Michelin star and We're Smart global TOP10 status — the most credentialed plant-based restaurant in Brussels by a clear margin. At €€€€, this is a tasting-menu commitment with serious technical cooking behind it. Book well ahead; Wednesday and Thursday dinner slots are your best chance at a reservation.
If you've been to Humus x Hortense before, the question on a second visit isn't whether the food holds up. It's whether the kitchen has pushed further. The answer, based on its trajectory through the rankings — Opinionated About Dining Top 461 in Europe for 2025, up from 552 in 2024 , is yes. This is a restaurant that is getting sharper, not coasting. For anyone reconsidering a return visit, that upward movement is the clearest signal to book again.
The room on Rue de Vergnies in Ixelles is intimate and considered, not a showroom. The atmosphere runs quiet enough for conversation at dinner service, with an energy that feels focused rather than buzzing. It suits a special occasion better than a casual catch-up: this is a kitchen asking for attention, and the room reflects that. For a celebration dinner, anniversary, or a meal where the food is meant to be the event, the setting delivers without demanding a formal register from the guest.
Humus x Hortense operates as a fully plant-based restaurant in the €€€€ tier, which immediately sets it apart from every other serious tasting-menu address in Ixelles. The distinction worth understanding is that this is not vegetarian cooking adapted from meat-led technique. The kitchen works with herbs, grains, flowers, fruit, and vegetables sourced from local producers, using natural fermentations and organic or biodynamic wines as structural elements of the menu, not as afterthoughts. That approach has earned the restaurant 5 Radishes from We're Smart, placing it in the We're Smart global TOP10 for plant-based cooking, and a Michelin star in 2025.
Those two credentials sit in different categories of validation. The Michelin star confirms technical execution at a level the guide considers worthy of a detour. The We're Smart TOP10 recognition positions Humus x Hortense not just as the leading plant-based restaurant in Brussels but as one of the ten most serious addresses of its kind anywhere in the world. For a diner whose reference point for creative, produce-driven cooking is something like Arpège in Paris, where Alain Passard built a reputation around vegetables at the highest level, Humus x Hortense is operating in that register , with the credentials to back it up.
The kitchen is led by chef Nicolas Decloedt alongside Caroline Baerten. The pairing matters here: the beverage direction, with natural fermentations and biodynamic wines as active components of the experience, is as considered as the food. For comparison, Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen has built part of its reputation on sauce and fermentation work in a similarly research-driven frame. At Humus x Hortense, fermentation is applied to plant materials in a way that adds depth without the protein anchors most kitchens rely on , technically harder to execute well, and clearly being done well here.
This is the right choice if you want a tasting-menu experience in Brussels that would hold its own against the leading plant-focused cooking in Europe. It is also the right choice for a special occasion where the person you're dining with either eats plant-based or is genuinely curious about whether vegetables can carry a serious menu. It is not the right choice if you need flexibility, a shorter format, or a casual drop-in option.
For broader context on serious Belgian cooking, Hof van Cleve in Kruishoutem and Boury in Roeselare represent the country's highest-tier cooking in a more classical mold. Zilte in Antwerp and Willem Hiele in Oudenburg work at a comparable level but with very different ingredient philosophies. Within Brussels itself, Bozar Restaurant offers creative cooking in a more accessible format. Humus x Hortense is distinct from all of them: none of the others are pursuing a fully plant-based menu at this level of ambition.
Reservations: Book well in advance , this is a hard reservation to secure, particularly for dinner on weekends. Wednesday and Thursday evenings are your leading chance at shorter lead times. Hours: Wednesday and Thursday dinner only (18:00–23:30); Friday and Saturday lunch (12:00–14:30) and dinner (18:00–23:30); closed Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Budget: €€€€ , expect a tasting-menu price point consistent with a one-Michelin-star restaurant in Brussels. Dress: No stated dress code, but the experience and price point suggest smart casual at minimum. Address: Rue de Vergnies 2, 1050 Bruxelles.
If you're planning a broader visit to the neighbourhood, see our guides: full Ixelles restaurants guide, Ixelles hotels, Ixelles bars, Ixelles wineries, and Ixelles experiences. For nearby dining options at different price points, Kamo, Amen, Chou, Amore, Pasta e Gioia, and Car Bon are all worth considering depending on your budget and format. Also note Bartholomeus in Heist for a day trip to one of Belgium's more celebrated coastal kitchens.
No formal dress code is listed, but at €€€€ and with a Michelin star, smart casual is the practical baseline. Think of it the way you would any one-star dinner in a European capital: you won't be turned away in clean jeans, but a jacket or equivalent effort is in keeping with the room and the experience.
Yes, though the format is better suited to pairs or small groups for a special occasion. Solo diners can certainly book, and a tasting menu at the counter or a small table works well if you want to give the food full attention. At €€€€ in Ixelles, solo dining here is a deliberate choice rather than a casual one. If budget is a consideration for a solo meal, Amen at €€€ offers a comparable produce-driven approach at a lower price point.
Three things. First, this is a fully plant-based tasting menu , not a restaurant with vegetarian options, but one built entirely around vegetables, grains, herbs, and fermentations. Second, it holds a Michelin star (2025) and We're Smart 5 Radishes global TOP10 status, which means the technical bar is high and the experience is paced accordingly. Third, it's a hard reservation: book as far ahead as possible, and if your dates are flexible, weekday dinner slots on Wednesday or Thursday are easier to land than Friday or Saturday. The €€€€ price reflects the full tasting-menu format.
For plant-forward or produce-driven cooking at a lower price point, Amen (farm to table, €€€) is the nearest comparable in Ixelles. Chou (farm to table) is another option if you want seasonal cooking with less formality. If you're open to a different cuisine category entirely, Kamo (Japanese, €€€) offers serious technique at one tier below in price. For quick, affordable eating in the neighbourhood, Car Bon (Chinese, €) or Amore, Pasta e Gioia are entirely different in scale but solid for non-occasion meals.
Yes, if a plant-based tasting menu is a format you're willing to commit to. The Michelin star (2025) and We're Smart global TOP10 recognition are not marketing , they're the product of sustained technical execution at a level that justifies the €€€€ price tier. For context, a comparable creative tasting menu in Paris, such as at Arpège, would cost significantly more. If you're uncertain about plant-based cooking as a full-evening format, it's worth knowing this is one of the ten leading addresses in the world for it , meaning if you're going to try it anywhere, the case for here is strong.
Lunch is available Friday and Saturday only (12:00–14:30), dinner runs Wednesday through Saturday. For a special occasion, dinner gives you more time and a fuller experience without the afternoon time pressure. For a first visit where you want the tasting menu without committing to a full evening, Friday or Saturday lunch is a practical option , and likely a slightly easier reservation to secure than peak Saturday dinner. The cuisine and kitchen are the same at both services; the practical difference is pacing and availability.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humus x Hortense | Creative | €€€€ | 5 Radishes restaurant Humus x Hortense is the We’re Smart ambassador of Brussels! Chef Nicolas Decloedt & Caroline Baerten know what they are doing, showing the world and their guests that pure plant can be brought with great taste, in respect for nature, the team and the planet! The dishes are inspired by healthy creativity, they are fresh and light, rich in taste and completely in the spirit of the times. The creations are with herbs, grains, flowers, fruit and vegetables from local producers, with local beer, natural fermentations and organic or biodynamic wines. Dear guests, know that here you are in a restaurant from the We're Smart TOP10 of the world! Enjoy this unique experience.; 5 Radishes restaurant Humus x Hortense is the We’re Smart ambassador of Brussels! Chef Nicolas Decloedt & Caroline Baerten know what they are doing, showing the world and their guests that pure plant can be brought with great taste, in respect for nature, the team and the planet! The dishes are inspired by healthy creativity, they are fresh and light, rich in taste and completely in the spirit of the times. The creations are with herbs, grains, flowers, fruit and vegetables from local producers, with local beer, natural fermentations and organic or biodynamic wines. Dear guests, know that here you are in a restaurant from the We're Smart TOP10 of the world! Enjoy this unique experience.; Chef: Nicolas Decloedt & Caroline Baerten document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function() { var el = document.getElementById("Achievements_chefs"); if (el && el.parentNode) { el.parentNode.removeChild(el); } });; Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Europe Ranked #461 (2025); Michelin 1 Star (2025); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Europe Ranked #552 (2024); Michelin 1 Star (2024); Opinionated About Dining Top New Restaurants in Europe Recommended (2023) | Hard | — |
| Kamo | Japanese | €€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Amen | Farm to table | €€€ | Unknown | — | |
| Car Bon | Chinese | € | Unknown | — | |
| L'épicerie Nomad | Mediterranean Cuisine | €€ | Unknown | — | |
| Le Saint Boniface | Cuisine from South West France | €€ | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
This is a Michelin-starred, €€€€ tasting-menu restaurant, so dress accordingly: neat, considered clothing is appropriate. There's no published dress code, but turning up in casual sportswear would be conspicuously out of place at one of Brussels' most serious kitchens. Think dinner-out clothes, not a black-tie event.
It's a viable solo option if tasting-menu formats work for you alone — the counter or smaller tables at a Michelin-starred plant-based restaurant can actually be a focused, low-distraction experience. That said, the format here rewards conversation and sharing reactions, so it's better suited to two than to one. If you're going solo, book a weekday dinner on Wednesday or Thursday when the room is likely calmer.
This is a fully plant-based kitchen operating at the €€€€ price point — no fish, no meat, no exceptions. Chef Nicolas Decloedt and Caroline Baerten have landed a Michelin star and a We're Smart TOP10 world ranking by treating vegetables, grains, herbs, and fermentations as serious tasting-menu material, not as a dietary compromise. Come expecting a structured tasting menu, not à la carte flexibility. Book well in advance, especially for weekend dinner.
For meat-inclusive creative tasting menus in the neighbourhood, Kamo and Car Bon are the closest in seriousness and price bracket. Le Saint Boniface and L'épicerie Nomad sit at lower price points and offer a less formal experience. Amen covers a different flavour profile. None of these are plant-based at the same level — if that's the specific brief, Humus x Hortense has no direct Ixelles equivalent.
At €€€€, yes — if a plant-forward tasting menu is the format you want. A Michelin star and a We're Smart TOP10 global ranking give independent validation that the kitchen is operating at a level that justifies the price. If you're indifferent to plant-based cooking or prefer à la carte, the value equation shifts — the price point demands that you're genuinely interested in what this kitchen is doing, not just looking for a fine-dining occasion.
Lunch runs Friday and Saturday only (12:00–14:30), making it the harder slot to plan around but often easier to book than weekend dinner. Dinner runs Wednesday through Saturday. If you want the full experience without schedule pressure, a Wednesday or Thursday evening sitting is your most practical entry point — weekend dinner is the hardest reservation to secure.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
