Restaurant in Profondeville, Belgium
Two-year Bib Gourmand. Grill value, no fuss.
Cœur de Bœuf holds back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and 2025, making it the clearest value-driven dining stop in Profondeville. Chef Michael Chapman's grill-focused kitchen scores 4.4 across 516 Google reviews at a €€ price point — the right call for travellers who want verified quality on the Meuse without a tasting-menu budget.
Cœur de Bœuf has held its Michelin Bib Gourmand in both 2024 and 2025, which tells you two things: the kitchen is consistent, and the price-to-quality ratio is strong enough that Michelin keeps flagging it as worth your attention. For a grill-focused restaurant in a small riverside town like Profondeville, that kind of back-to-back recognition is a practical signal, not just a badge. If you are driving south from Namur looking for a serious meal without the €€€€ price tag, this is where you stop.
Profondeville sits along the Meuse valley, the kind of Belgian town that passes quickly on the way to somewhere else — unless you know to stop. Cœur de Bœuf, at Avenue Général Gracia 23, is the reason food-focused travellers make the detour. In a region where the dining scene thins out quickly once you leave Namur or Liège, a Bib Gourmand-recognised grill holding a 4.4 rating across 516 Google reviews is a genuine anchor for the local food offer.
The cuisine type is Grills, and in Belgium that is a precise category: fire-driven cooking, quality beef, a kitchen that earns its credibility through the sourcing and handling of protein rather than through elaborate plating or multi-course theatre. Chef Michael Chapman leads the kitchen. The format here is not tasting-menu formality — it is the kind of place where the quality is in the execution of a short menu done with care, and where the Bib Gourmand recognition reflects that you are getting cooking at a level that punches above the price point.
Two consecutive Bib Gourmand awards in 2024 and 2025 represent a milestone for a restaurant of this scale in a town this size. Michelin's Bib designation is explicitly awarded to restaurants offering good cooking at moderate prices , it is not a consolation prize below the stars, it is a separate and specific recognition that the restaurant delivers quality without demanding a special-occasion budget from the diner. At €€ pricing, Cœur de Bœuf sits comfortably below the €€€€ tier that most of Belgium's Michelin-recognised restaurants occupy, which makes it a practical option for travellers who want verified quality without the formality or cost of a full Michelin star experience.
The 516 Google reviews at 4.4 are a useful data point here. That volume suggests a genuine local following , not just food tourists ticking a list, but repeat visits from people in and around the Meuse valley who know the room. For an explorer-minded traveller, that combination of Michelin recognition and strong community ratings is a reliable signal that the kitchen performs consistently across different types of diners, not just on showcase nights.
As a neighbourhood anchor, Cœur de Bœuf does something specific: it makes Profondeville a viable dinner destination rather than just a place you pass through. If you are building an itinerary around the Namur province or exploring the Meuse valley between Belgium and the Ardennes, having a Bib Gourmand grill in the mix changes what you can do with an evening. For context on what else the area offers, see our full Profondeville restaurants guide, our full Profondeville hotels guide, and our full Profondeville bars guide. For wine and experiences nearby, check our full Profondeville wineries guide and our full Profondeville experiences guide.
Within Belgium's broader grill category, Cœur de Bœuf occupies a specific and underserved niche: serious fire cooking outside of a major city, at a price point that doesn't require planning months in advance. For comparison, Humo in London and A de Totó in Trasmonte represent the international end of the grill-focused restaurant spectrum , both are instructive comparisons if you want to understand where Cœur de Bœuf sits philosophically, even if the formats differ. Closer to home in Belgium, the Michelin-decorated circuit runs heavily towards modern Flemish and creative French formats , venues like Hof van Cleve in Kruishoutem, Zilte in Antwerp, Boury in Roeselare, and Willem Hiele in Oudenburg , which makes a grill-focused Bib Gourmand in Wallonia a genuinely different proposition. Also worth noting in the broader Belgian context: Bartholomeus in Heist and Bozar Restaurant in Brussels both offer Michelin-recognised experiences at distinct price points and formats if your travel itinerary takes you elsewhere in the country.
If grill-focused cooking is what draws you, and you want Michelin-verified quality without committing to a four-course tasting menu at €€€€ prices, Cœur de Bœuf is the clearest option in this part of Belgium. The Profondeville food scene also includes La Cuisine d'un Gourmand for a creative alternative in the same town.
Reservations: Easy , booking difficulty is low, but given the Bib Gourmand recognition and limited options in the area, calling ahead is advisable, particularly for weekend evenings. Budget: €€, making this one of the more accessible Michelin-recognised dining options in the Namur province. Dress: No formal dress code is documented; smart casual fits the tone of a neighbourhood grill with Bib Gourmand recognition. Address: Av. Général Gracia 23, 5170 Profondeville, Belgium. Awards: Michelin Bib Gourmand 2024 and 2025. Google Rating: 4.4 from 516 reviews.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cœur de Bœuf | €€ | Easy | — |
| Boury | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Comme chez Soi | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Castor | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Cuchara | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| De Jonkman | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Cœur de Bœuf and alternatives.
A few days ahead is usually enough on weekdays, but book at least a week out for Friday or Saturday evenings. The Bib Gourmand recognition in both 2024 and 2025 has raised the profile of this small Profondeville spot, and there are limited alternatives in the immediate area, so don't leave it to the day.
It works well for a low-key celebration where the food matters more than the theatre. Two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmands signal a kitchen that delivers consistently, and the €€ price range keeps the bill from becoming the talking point. If you need formal ceremony or a private dining room, this is probably not the right venue.
The kitchen focuses on grills, so come expecting meat-led cooking, not a broad European menu. Chef Michael Chapman has earned back-to-back Bib Gourmand recognition, which means good cooking at accessible prices rather than a full tasting-menu experience. Located at Av. Général Gracia 23 in Profondeville, it sits along the Meuse valley and is worth planning as a destination stop rather than a passing detour.
The €€ price point and grill-focused format suggest a relaxed rather than formal setting. Neat casual is a reasonable call — no need for a jacket, but the Bib Gourmand crowd tends to make an effort. Jeans and a clean shirt or equivalent will fit in without overthinking it.
Profondeville itself has limited dining options, which is part of why Cœur de Bœuf draws from a wider radius. For a step up in ambition and price, Boury in Roeselare holds higher Michelin recognition. Castor is worth considering if you want a different grill-focused format. For Wallonia specifically, the list thins out quickly, which makes Cœur de Bœuf a practical anchor for the Meuse valley.
At €€, yes. The Michelin Bib Gourmand is specifically awarded for good cooking at moderate prices, and holding it in both 2024 and 2025 confirms the kitchen isn't coasting. You are not paying for a grand room or a long tasting format — you are paying for competent, grill-focused cooking without the premium pricing of a starred address.
No tasting menu format is confirmed in the available data for Cœur de Bœuf. The grill-focused cuisine and €€ price range suggest the format leans toward à la carte or set menus rather than a lengthy tasting progression. Confirm the current format when booking, since a grill restaurant at this price point is rarely structured around a multi-course tasting experience.
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