Restaurant in Rotterdam, Netherlands
A counter-first set menu worth the basement stairs.
Tres is a basement counter restaurant in Rotterdam where self-taught chef Michael van der Kroft works through seasonal set menus built on local produce, fermentation, and complex ageing techniques. It holds a Michelin Plate and back-to-back Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Europe rankings. Booking is easy; the counter format suits solo diners and couples best.
Tres is one of the more compelling arguments for crossing Rotterdam's Vijf Werelddelen address. Booking is direct — this is not a restaurant where you need to set a calendar alarm three months out. But that accessibility should not obscure what the room delivers: a self-taught chef working at a level that earned a Michelin Plate in 2025 and back-to-back rankings in the Opinionated About Dining Leading Restaurants in Europe list (#483 in 2024, #501 in 2025). If country cooking handled with technical seriousness is what you are after, book it.
The physical experience of Tres starts before you sit down. Walking down into the basement space sets a tone that the room sustains: vintage-style decor, pared back and deliberate, with enough roughness to feel genuine rather than styled. The dining counter is the centrepiece, and it is the seat you want. From there, the kitchen's work is close enough to follow — the fermentations, the garums, the ageing processes that define Michael van der Kroft's approach. This is not a room for a loud group celebration. The intimacy of the counter format rewards solo diners and couples who want to pay attention. For groups of three or more, check whether a table configuration works for your party before booking.
Rotterdam's south side does not have an excess of serious dining rooms operating at this price point. Tres earns its place as a neighbourhood anchor not because it is the only option but because it does something specific: it applies technically advanced preparation , fermentation, garum-making, complex ageing , to the logic of country cooking and local produce. That combination is uncommon in the city, and it gives Tres a character that the more classically French rooms in Rotterdam's fine dining tier do not replicate.
Michael van der Kroft is self-taught, which matters here because the menu reflects curiosity rather than convention. The set menu changes every season, built around what local producers are offering at that moment. You are not getting a greatest-hits selection: you are getting whatever the chef finds compelling right now, executed through techniques that lean heavily on time and transformation , fermentation, garum, extended ageing. The Opinionated About Dining recognition across three consecutive years (recommended as a leading new restaurant in 2023, ranked in 2024, ranked again in 2025) suggests the kitchen has not lost momentum as it has matured.
Because the menu is seasonal and changes with each visit, returning guests will find a genuinely different experience from one season to the next. If you have been once and are considering a return, that is the primary reason to go back: the menu you had is gone, and the new one will reflect a different set of local ingredients and fermentation projects.
Tres is closed Monday and Tuesday. Lunch service runs Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 4 pm. Dinner runs Thursday through Sunday from 6:30 pm to midnight. The price tier is €€€€, consistent with Rotterdam's top-end dining bracket. The Google rating sits at 4.8 across 140 reviews, which is a strong signal for a room of this size and format. Booking difficulty is rated easy, so you do not need to plan weeks in advance , though weekends fill faster than weekdays, and Friday and Saturday dinner are the sessions most likely to require a few days' notice rather than same-week availability.
The address , Vijf Werelddelen 75, 3071 PS Rotterdam , places Tres in a part of the city that rewards some planning to reach but is not inaccessible. If you are combining the meal with a Rotterdam stay, our full Rotterdam hotels guide and Rotterdam bars guide are useful for building the wider evening.
Quick reference: Thu–Sun lunch 12–4 pm, dinner 6:30 pm–midnight; closed Mon–Tue; €€€€; booking easy.
Against Rotterdam's other €€€€ rooms, Tres occupies a distinct position. Parkheuvel and FG - François Geurds operate with Michelin-star credentials and a more formal, classical register , better choices if service theatre and wine programme depth are priorities. Fred and Fitzgerald lean into creative French idioms with a different aesthetic sensibility. Tres sits apart from all of them by anchoring its cooking in country produce and fermentation-led technique rather than French classicism or avant-garde plating. If you want the most formally polished room, book Parkheuvel. If you want the most technically curious kitchen working with local Dutch produce in an intimate counter format, Tres is the stronger answer. Amarone drops to €€€ and offers good value at a lower price point if budget is a factor.
Within the country cooking category across the Netherlands, Tres sits alongside De Kromme Watergang in Hoofdplaat and Ode in Dokkum as restaurants taking local produce seriously at the leading price tier. For broader Netherlands fine dining context, De Librije in Zwolle, Ciel Bleu in Amsterdam, Aan de Poel in Amstelveen, and De Bokkedoorns in Overveen all operate at comparable or higher recognition levels.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, so same-week reservations are often possible on weeknights. For Friday or Saturday dinner, book three to five days out to be comfortable. If you have a specific date in mind, a week's notice should be sufficient in most cases. This is not a room where you need to plan a month ahead.
For a more formally structured fine dining experience with Michelin-star pedigree, Parkheuvel and FG - François Geurds are the direct alternatives at the same price tier. Joelia offers modern French cooking at €€€€ if that register appeals. If you want to step down a price tier without sacrificing quality, Amarone at €€€ is worth considering. For a broader view of the city's dining options, see our full Rotterdam restaurants guide.
Yes, and arguably it is the format where Tres works leading. The dining counter puts you close to the kitchen's work, and the intimate scale of the room suits single diners well. At €€€€ the commitment is real, but for a solo visit to a serious kitchen in Rotterdam, this is one of the stronger options in the city.
Lunch runs Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 4 pm; dinner runs from 6:30 pm to midnight on the same days. Without specific menu pricing for each service in the database, it is not possible to state definitively whether the value proposition differs between them. Dinner tends to be the fuller expression of a set menu kitchen, but if your schedule favours lunch, the kitchen operates on the same days and the same seasonal format applies.
Tres operates a seasonal set menu , there is no à la carte selection to choose from. The menu reflects whatever local producers are offering at that moment, filtered through Van der Kroft's fermentation and ageing techniques. The right question is less about what to order and more about when to go: returning in a different season will get you a genuinely different menu. The Opinionated About Dining recognition and Michelin Plate suggest the set menu format is consistently handled well.
At €€€€, Tres sits in the same bracket as Rotterdam's Michelin-starred rooms. It holds a Michelin Plate rather than a star, which means it does not carry quite the same institutional credential as Parkheuvel or FG. What it offers instead is a more personal, technically curious kitchen in a counter-format room, with consistent Opinionated About Dining recognition and a 4.8 Google rating across 140 reviews. If you value that kind of cooking over formal service polish, it is worth the price. If you want the full ceremony of a starred room, pay the same money at Parkheuvel.
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| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tres | €€€€ · Country cooking | Chef: Michael van der Kroft 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 #501 (2025); Michelin Plate (2025); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Europe Ranked #483 (2024); Walking down the steps to Michael and Emy's intriguing basement restaurant is akin to embarking on an extraordinary adventure. At Tres, the vintage-style decor is pared down and somewhat rugged yet inviting. The best of what local producers have to offer is showcased here. At the expansive dining counter, you will discover the fascinating work of the inventive self-taught chef: his tangy fermentations, rich garums, complex ageing processes, state-of-the-art preparation techniques. Every season brings with it a new set menu, and it is always full of surprises.; Opinionated About Dining Top New Restaurants in Europe Recommended (2023) | Easy | — |
| FG - François Geurds | €€€€ · Creative | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Fred | €€€€ · Creative French | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Parkheuvel | €€€€ · Modern Cuisine | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Joelia | €€€€ · Modern French | Unknown | — | |
| Amarone | €€€ · Modern French | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how Tres measures up.
Book two to four weeks ahead, especially for weekend dinner. Tres operates Thursday through Sunday only, which compresses availability considerably. Friday and Saturday evenings fill first given the limited service window — the basement counter format means no walk-in buffer. If your dates are flexible, Thursday dinner or a Sunday lunch slot tends to be the easiest entry point.
For Michelin-star credentials in Rotterdam, Parkheuvel and FG - François Geurds are the direct comparisons — both carry stars and operate in a more formal register than Tres. Joelia is the pick if you want Michelin-starred cooking with a lighter touch. Fred and Amarone are solid €€€ options if the €€€€ commitment feels steep. Tres is the most distinctive of the group for counter-format, fermentation-driven seasonal cooking.
Yes — the expansive dining counter is purpose-built for solo diners. You get a direct view of the kitchen and the cooking process, which is part of what makes the experience work. Tres is a stronger solo choice than most €€€€ rooms in Rotterdam, where table formats are geared toward groups of two or more.
Dinner is the fuller format, running until midnight Thursday through Sunday. Lunch (12 to 4 pm, Friday through Sunday) is worth considering if you prefer a natural endpoint and want to keep the evening free — the set menu changes seasonally rather than by service, so the food itself is the same. For a first visit with time to settle in, dinner gives you more room to appreciate Van der Kroft's fermentation and ageing work.
Tres runs a seasonal set menu only — there is no à la carte choice to make. The menu changes each season and, according to OAD's documentation of the restaurant, centres on Van der Kroft's fermentations, garums, and aged preparations. Come with no specific dish expectation; the format is designed around surprise within those techniques.
At €€€€, Tres sits in Rotterdam's top price bracket and delivers a more idiosyncratic experience than its peers: a self-taught chef, a basement counter, and a seasonal set menu built on fermentation and complex prep techniques. OAD ranked it #483 in Europe in 2024 and #501 in 2025, which positions it as a credible destination rather than a local curiosity. If the counter-format set menu is your format, the price is justified. If you want à la carte flexibility at this spend, look at Parkheuvel or FG instead.
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