Restaurant in Merendree, Belgium
Belgium's first Best Vegetable Restaurant, worth the drive.
Belgium's first Best Vegetable Restaurant — awarded in 2011 — 't Aards Paradijs in Merendree is the reference point for vegetable-forward fine dining in Flanders. Chef Lieven Lootens grows the majority of his ingredients on-site and applies modern technique to produce-driven preparations of genuine complexity. Book if plant-focused cooking with a serious culinary credential is your priority.
't Aards Paradijs in Merendree doesn't come with a published price list in our database, but the credential that matters here is verifiable: Lieven Lootens won the title of Leading Vegetable Restaurant in 2011, the first chef in Belgium to hold that distinction. For a food-focused traveller making the trip to this rural Ghent-adjacent address, that milestone still frames what to expect — a kitchen built around its own cultivated produce, modern technique applied with purpose, and a menu where vegetables, herbs, and fruit are the main event rather than the garnish.
If you are planning a serious vegetable-focused meal in Belgium, 't Aards Paradijs is the reference point. The comparison set — Boury in Roeselare, Hof van Cleve in Kruishoutem, Zilte in Antwerp , all operate within a broadly protein-led fine dining framework. None carries the specific credential of a Leading Vegetable Restaurant title. That distinction makes 't Aards Paradijs a singular option for diners whose priority is depth of vegetable cookery rather than a broader tasting menu format.
The cooking here starts in the kitchen garden. Lootens grows the majority of his ingredients on-site, which means the menu moves with what is available and what has been cultivated with intention. Modern cooking techniques appear throughout , but according to the award citation, they are used functionally rather than decoratively. The result is preparations that are adventurous in concept and balanced in execution. Documented dishes from the vegetable menu include turnip broth with chervil root, hazelnut milk, and coconut foam, and chard with a bouillon of kalamansi and iris garlic. Both are structurally complex, drawing on fermentation logic, emulsion work, and the pairing of bitter, sour, and umami notes that characterise serious vegetable cooking at this level.
For the explorer diner , someone tracking the development of plant-forward fine dining as a category , this is a genuinely interesting address. The approach predates the wider European shift toward vegetable-centric menus by several years, which gives it a depth of practice that newer entrants to the category cannot replicate. For context on how Belgium's fine dining scene fits into broader European plant-forward cooking, venues like L'air du Temps in Liernu and Willem Hiele in Oudenburg occupy adjacent territory , both serious, both produce-led , but neither focuses on vegetables with the same singular commitment.
No drinks programme data is available in our database for 't Aards Paradijs, and we will not speculate on specific pairings or wine lists. What can be said with confidence is that a vegetable-driven tasting menu at this level typically demands a pairing programme that matches its structural complexity , bitter greens, acidic fruit preparations, and fermented elements require a different set of pairings than a classical protein-led menu. Whether you are considering wine, juice pairings, or natural wine options, it is worth contacting the restaurant directly to understand what is on offer. The pairing question is not trivial here: the flavour architecture of dishes like kalamansi bouillon with iris garlic is specific enough that an off-the-shelf wine list would undersell the food.
't Aards Paradijs is located at Merendreedorp 65, 9850 Merendree , a village address in the East Flanders countryside, roughly between Ghent and the N9 corridor. Booking difficulty is rated Easy on Pearl's system, which means you are unlikely to need to plan weeks in advance, but given the cultivated-produce model and the size constraints typical of a chef-owner operation in this setting, booking ahead is the sensible approach. No online booking link or phone number is available in our database; contact should be made directly through the restaurant's own channels. For other dining options in the area, see our full Merendree restaurants guide.
If you are building a multi-day Flanders food itinerary, Merendree sits within reach of Ghent, making it combinable with urban dining options. For broader trip planning, see our Merendree hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide. For fine dining reference points elsewhere in Belgium, Bozar Restaurant in Brussels and Bartholomeus in Heist offer contrasting styles worth knowing. Internationally, Atomix in New York and Le Bernardin in New York represent benchmarks in produce-led and ingredient-focused fine dining for comparative context.
Quick reference: Merendree, East Flanders , Belgium's first Leading Vegetable Restaurant , own-cultivation produce , easy to book , contact restaurant directly for reservations and drinks pairing details.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 't Aards Paradijs | Lieven Lootens was the first chef in 2011 to win the title of Best Vegetable Restaurant for his restaurant. He plays with the flavors and textures of vegetables, herbs and fruit of mainly his own cultivation, which he processes in adventurous but balanced preparations in which modern cooking techniques are used functionally. From his vegetable menu are dishes such as turnip broth with chervil root, hazelnut milk and coconut foam and chard with bouillon of kalamansi and iris garlic.; Lieven Lootens was the first chef in 2011 to win the title of Best Vegetable Restaurant for his restaurant. He plays with the flavors and textures of vegetables, herbs and fruit of mainly his own cultivation, which he processes in adventurous but balanced preparations in which modern cooking techniques are used functionally. From his vegetable menu are dishes such as turnip broth with chervil root, hazelnut milk and coconut foam and chard with bouillon of kalamansi and iris garlic. | — | |
| Boury | Michelin 3 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Comme chez Soi | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Castor | Michelin 2 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Cuchara | Michelin 2 Star | €€€€ | — |
| De Jonkman | Michelin 2 Star | €€€€ | — |
Comparing your options in Merendree for this tier.
No group booking data is in our database for this venue. Given the address is a village property in Merendree — not a large urban restaurant — assume capacity is limited and check the venue's official channels before planning a party of more than four. For larger Flanders group bookings, Boury in Roeselare has documented private dining infrastructure.
A tasting-menu format driven by a single chef's garden produce is generally well-suited to solo diners who want to eat attentively rather than share plates. Lootens' credential as Belgium's first Best Vegetable Restaurant winner in 2011 makes the experience one that rewards focused attention. That said, no counter or bar seating is confirmed in our database, so check directly whether solo seats are available at short notice.
Yes, if the occasion suits the format. A kitchen-garden-driven menu using modern techniques — with a nationally recognised chef behind it — has the kind of specificity that makes a meal memorable for the right guest. This is not a celebratory splurge in the champagne-trolley sense; it suits someone who would find a turnip broth with chervil root and hazelnut milk more interesting than a classic Flemish brasserie menu.
The menu follows what Lootens grows, so ordering à la carte in the conventional sense likely isn't the format here. Documented dishes include turnip broth with chervil root, hazelnut milk and coconut foam, and chard with a bouillon of kalamansi and iris garlic — both illustrating the kitchen's approach of pairing vegetables with unexpected but technically considered combinations. Expect the full menu rather than cherry-picking individual dishes.
Merendree itself has no documented peer competitors. For vegetable-forward or produce-driven fine dining in the broader Flanders region, De Jonkman near Bruges operates at a comparable level of seriousness. Boury in Roeselare is a stronger option if you want a more structured fine-dining format with documented tasting menus. Castor is worth considering if you are coming from Ghent specifically.
No dress code is documented for this venue. A rural East Flanders address and a chef-driven vegetable menu suggests the atmosphere is serious about food without being formal in the black-tie sense. Arrive dressed for a proper restaurant dinner, not a casual lunch, and you are unlikely to be out of place.
The key context: Lieven Lootens was recognised as Belgium's first Best Vegetable Restaurant chef in 2011, and the kitchen grows the majority of its own produce. The address is Merendreedorp 65, Merendree — a rural village between Ghent and the North Sea coast, so plan your journey in advance. No website or phone number is in our database; your best route to a reservation is via direct search or a booking platform.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
