Restaurant in Ixelles, Belgium
Michelin-recognised value in Ixelles, twice over.
Le Tournant holds the Michelin Bib Gourmand in both 2024 and 2025 — the clearest case for value dining in Ixelles. Chef Robert Jan Polman's home-cooking approach earns a 4.5 from 738 Google reviews, and at the €€ price point, the quality-to-cost ratio is hard to argue with. Book a few days ahead for weeknights; a week out for weekends.
Le Tournant earns its Michelin Bib Gourmand in both 2024 and 2025 — a back-to-back recognition that signals genuine, repeatable quality rather than a one-season fluke. At the €€ price point, this is the most direct case for value dining in Ixelles. If you want Michelin-acknowledged cooking without the three-figure bill, book here first. The caveat: the cuisine is classified as home cooking, so arrive expecting honest, grounded plates rather than architectural tasting menus.
Le Tournant sits on Chaussée de Wavre in Ixelles, a stretch that mixes neighbourhood restaurants with more destination-driven spots. Chef Robert Jan Polman leads the kitchen with a home-cooking approach — a category that, at its leading, means produce-led, technique-supported dishes that taste like someone genuinely thought about what you want to eat rather than what photographs well. Two consecutive Bib Gourmand awards confirm Michelin's inspectors found exactly that here.
The Bib Gourmand designation is worth understanding if you're calibrating expectations. Michelin awards it to restaurants offering good food at moderate prices , the specific threshold varies by city, but the intent is consistent: these are places where quality and affordability are both present, not trading off against each other. For Ixelles, where €€€ and €€€€ restaurants are well represented (see Humus x Hortense and Kamo), Le Tournant occupies a different tier entirely , one where the Michelin endorsement does more work, because the price point makes it easier to say yes.
Google reviewers back the assessment: a 4.5 rating from 738 reviews is a large enough sample to be meaningful. That figure suggests consistent execution across a wide range of visits, not just a handful of exceptional evenings skewing the average upward. For a neighbourhood restaurant in this price band, 738 reviews is also a signal of genuine foot traffic , this is not a place that relies on first-time visitors who never return.
On the drinks side: the cuisine framing here is home cooking, which in Belgian neighbourhood restaurants typically pairs well with a focused, approachable wine list rather than an elaborate cocktail program. The €€ price point makes a lengthy premium wine list unlikely, but that is not a liability for this format. A well-chosen short list of bottles suited to comfort-led cooking is more useful at Le Tournant than an ambitious bar program would be. If a strong independent cocktail experience is your primary goal for an evening in Ixelles, the Ixelles bar scene has dedicated venues better suited to that. Come to Le Tournant for the food and a glass of something honest alongside it.
For context on how Le Tournant sits within the wider Belgian fine-dining conversation: Michelin-starred restaurants like Hof van Cleve in Kruishoutem, Boury in Roeselare, and Zilte in Antwerp operate at a different register , multi-course, higher price, more formal. Le Tournant's Bib Gourmand sits below that ceiling but above the noise of unrecognised neighbourhood dining. It is the right choice when you want Michelin-level quality assurance without committing to a starred-restaurant evening. If you're visiting Brussels more broadly, Bozar Restaurant is another reference point at a higher price tier. For other home-cooking benchmarks internationally, Bick Stuff in Luxembourg and Del Oso in Cosgaya offer useful comparisons in the same genre.
Booking at Le Tournant is rated Easy. At the €€ price band, demand is high but turnover tends to be steadier than at destination restaurants. That said, back-to-back Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and 2025 will have widened awareness, so booking a few days ahead for weeknight tables and at least a week out for Friday or Saturday is the sensible approach. Walk-ins may be possible on quieter midweek evenings, but confirming in advance avoids the trip for nothing.
If you're planning a broader Ixelles evening, the neighbourhood around Chaussée de Wavre connects naturally to other worthwhile stops. Our full Ixelles restaurants guide covers the wider picture, and the Amen farm-to-table restaurant is a natural point of comparison if you're weighing a step up in price. For something lighter or more casual before or after, Amore, Pasta e Gioia and Car Bon sit at similar or lower price points. The Ixelles hotels guide and experiences guide are useful if you're building a fuller visit around the neighbourhood.
Bottom line: Le Tournant is the answer when someone asks for a good dinner in Ixelles that won't require justifying the bill afterward. Two years of Bib Gourmand recognition and 738 Google reviews averaging 4.5 make the case without much elaboration needed. Book it.
Quick reference: Ixelles, €€, Michelin Bib Gourmand 2024 & 2025, 4.5/5 (738 reviews), booking difficulty: Easy.
See the comparison section below for how Le Tournant stacks up against its Ixelles peers.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le Tournant | €€ | Easy | — |
| Humus x Hortense | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Kamo | €€€ | Unknown | — |
| Amen | €€€ | Unknown | — |
| Car Bon | € | Unknown | — |
| L'épicerie Nomad | €€ | Unknown | — |
How Le Tournant stacks up against the competition.
Yes, at a €€ price point with back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and 2025, Le Tournant delivers a level of kitchen consistency that Ixelles rarely offers at this spend. The Bib Gourmand designation exists specifically to flag good food at moderate prices, so the value case is externally validated, not just implied. If you want Michelin-level cooking without the €€€+ outlay, this is one of the clearest calls in Brussels.
Le Tournant sits on Chaussée de Wavre 168 in Ixelles, a street that mixes local regulars with destination diners. Chef Robert Jan Polman runs a home cooking format, so expect a focused, unfussy menu rather than a long à la carte spread. Book in advance; Bib Gourmand restaurants at €€ pricing in Brussels tend to fill quickly, and there is no phone or website listed publicly to check availability on the fly.
Specific dishes are not documented in available venue data, so naming items here would be speculation. What the Bib Gourmand record does confirm is that the kitchen produces reliably good food at the €€ price tier — the kind of cooking the Michelin inspectors return to year after year. Ask the team on arrival what is running that day; a home cooking format like this typically changes with availability.
A home cooking format at €€ pricing on Chaussée de Wavre points to a relaxed, neighbourhood-restaurant register rather than a formal dining room. There is no dress code documented for this venue, but clean casual fits the context. Overdressing for a Bib Gourmand spot at this price tier would be out of place.
No tasting menu format is confirmed in the venue data for Le Tournant. Given the home cooking cuisine type and €€ price range, the more likely format is a short, daily-driven menu rather than a structured multi-course progression. If a set menu is available on the night, the Bib Gourmand track record suggests it will represent good value — but confirm the format when booking.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
