Restaurant in Sint-Denijs, Belgium
Two Michelin stars. Vegan menu on request.
Sensum holds back-to-back Michelin Stars (2024 and 2025) and a 4.7 Google rating in Sint-Denijs, placing it among the most credible options in the Ghent area at the €€€ tier. The kitchen delivers precise, small-course Modern Cuisine with a standout off-menu plant-based option. Book well in advance — tables are not easy to secure.
Sensum holds a 4.7 on Google (236 reviews) and back-to-back Michelin Stars in 2024 and 2025. For a restaurant on the Kortrijksesteenweg in Sint-Denijs, just outside the Ghent ring, that is a meaningful signal: this is not a destination riding on its postcode, but one that has built a case on the plate. If you have visited once, the question on your return is whether Sensum has the depth to reward a second look. The answer is yes, and the reasons are practical as well as culinary.
Michelin's own commentary frames Sensum as a place where refinement is the through-line: small, precise courses described as "taste bombs" that build on each other. That framing matters for the returning diner because it tells you the kitchen is working in a particular register — controlled, layered, technically deliberate. This is not a restaurant where portion generosity does the heavy lifting. At the €€€ tier, you are paying for precision, not volume, and the Michelin recognition confirms the kitchen is delivering on that promise.
The wine bar dimension is worth taking seriously. Sensum positions itself as a wine bar and restaurant, not simply a restaurant with a wine list. For the repeat visitor, this distinction opens up a different way to use the room: arrive earlier, spend time at the bar side, and let the evening stretch into the tasting menu rather than leading with it. That flexibility in how you structure the evening is an underrated part of what makes Sensum a better second visit than first.
One of the clearest differentiators at Sensum is the off-menu vegetable tasting. Michelin's write-up specifically notes that a fully plant-based menu is available on request and described as "very successful." That is a rare and specific endorsement. Most restaurants at this price point offer token vegetarian accommodations; Sensum's kitchen appears to have built a parallel experience worth requesting, not just tolerating. If you are returning with a guest who avoids meat or fish, this is the restaurant in the Ghent area that handles it with the most credibility at the Michelin tier. Contact the restaurant directly when booking to flag this requirement.
The €€€ price range places Sensum a tier below the €€€€ restaurants in the broader Belgian fine dining field, including Boury in Roeselare, Hof van Cleve in Kruishoutem, and Zilte in Antwerp. That gap is relevant to how you should think about service expectations. At €€€€, you are paying for an elaborate front-of-house apparatus alongside the food. At €€€, a one-Michelin-star kitchen should be delivering comparable cooking with a leaner, more direct service style. The question is whether Sensum's service earns its price without the ceremonial scaffolding of a higher tier.
The 4.7 Google score across 236 reviews , a sample large enough to be meaningful , suggests that front-of-house is landing well with a broad range of guests, not just those predisposed to write glowing reviews. For a restaurant that operates as a wine bar hybrid, the service model needs to work across different visit types: counter drinking, extended tasting, and a more formal table experience. A consistent 4.7 across those scenarios indicates the team is handling the range without obvious failures. That is what you want to see before booking a second visit at €€€.
Compare this to Willem Hiele in Oudenburg or Bartholomeus in Heist, which operate in similarly specific registers and where service tone is tightly tied to the culinary identity. Sensum shares that quality: the service style reflects the kitchen's precision rather than working against it.
Reservations: Book well in advance. With Michelin recognition and a limited room, tables fill. This is a hard booking, particularly for weekend evenings. Contact the restaurant directly as no online booking link is currently listed. Dress: Smart casual is appropriate for a wine bar and restaurant at this level; formal attire is not required but considered dress is expected. Budget: €€€ positions this as a serious dinner spend without reaching the leading price tier of Belgian fine dining. Factor in the wine bar element if you plan to extend the evening. Dietary requirements: Flag plant-based requests at the time of booking. Getting there: Kortrijksesteenweg 1026, 9051 Gent , on the main arterial road between Ghent and Sint-Denijs, accessible by car. Check current public transport connections from central Ghent before relying on them.
Sensum's consecutive Michelin Stars place it in competitive company across Belgium. For reference on the wider field, Bozar Restaurant in Brussels, Castor in Beveren, Cuchara in Lommel, De Jonkman in Sint-Kruis, and d'Eugénie à Emilie in Baudour all sit in the same broader category of destination-level Belgian dining. Sensum's positioning at €€€ rather than €€€€ makes it the more accessible entry point among this set, without a measurable drop in recognition. That is a useful position to occupy. For those wanting to explore the Sint-Denijs and Ghent area further, L'Envie is worth noting as a nearby Modern French option at a different register.
For the returning diner: use the wine bar entry, request the vegetable menu if it is relevant to your group, and book with enough lead time that you are not scrambling. Sensum's value case is strongest for those who understand that at this price point and recognition level, the kitchen's precision IS the experience.
Explore more: Our full Sint-Denijs restaurants guide | Sint-Denijs hotels | Sint-Denijs bars | Sint-Denijs wineries | Sint-Denijs experiences
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Sensum | €€€ | — |
| Boury | €€€€ | — |
| Comme chez Soi | €€€€ | — |
| Castor | €€€€ | — |
| Cuchara | €€€€ | — |
| De Jonkman | €€€€ | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Sensum and alternatives.
A Michelin-starred restaurant at €€€ in Belgium sits in the dressed-up-casual register: no jeans and trainers, but a dark suit is not required either. Neat, considered clothing is the read here. Think of it as dressing for a serious dinner rather than a formal occasion.
Sensum runs a precision tasting format where the kitchen drives the meal, so the question is less about individual dishes and more about whether to flag dietary needs in advance. Michelin's own write-up describes the courses as small, focused taste bombs built around refinement as a through-line. Trust the format and let the kitchen lead.
Yes, and this is one of the clearest practical reasons to book here. Michelin's commentary on Sensum explicitly notes that a fully plant-based menu is available off-menu on request, and that it is very successful. Alert the restaurant when booking rather than on the night.
Yes. Back-to-back Michelin Stars in 2024 and 2025, a precise tasting format, and a €€€ price point that sits below Belgium's top tier make this a strong choice for a celebration dinner where you want credentialed cooking without the most demanding price bracket. Book well ahead, particularly for weekend evenings.
Sensum's closest geographic peers are in and around Ghent. For a different register of Belgian fine dining, Boury in Roeselare and De Jonkman near Bruges both hold Michelin recognition and are within reasonable driving distance. In Ghent itself, options like Cuchara offer a less formal but quality-driven alternative.
At €€€, Sensum is a tier below Belgium's most expensive Michelin-starred rooms, which makes the value case relatively straightforward for two consecutive starred years of cooking. The precision tasting format and a credible off-menu vegan option add practical range. If you want à la carte flexibility, this is not the format for you.
For the format, yes. Michelin's write-up frames the experience around small, refined courses described as taste bombs, and the consecutive Stars in 2024 and 2025 confirm the cooking holds. At €€€ it is a more accessible entry point into Belgian Michelin dining than the €€€€ bracket. Commit to the format or look elsewhere.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
