Restaurant in Stekene, Belgium
Two Michelin Plates, well below fine-dining prices.
Ukiyo is a Michelin Plate Japanese-American restaurant in Stekene, East Flanders, earning back-to-back recognition in 2024 and 2025 with a 4.8 Google rating. At the €€€ price tier, it sits below the region's top €€€€ fine-dining addresses while delivering a genuinely differentiated cuisine format. Worth the drive from Ghent or Antwerp if you want something outside the Flemish-French mainstream.
At the €€€ price point, Ukiyo sits comfortably below the €€€€ tier occupied by Belgium's most celebrated fine-dining addresses, yet it carries two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) and a Google rating of 4.8 from 268 reviews. For a first-timer trying to calibrate expectations: you are looking at a serious kitchen with credible recognition, not a neighbourhood bistro with ambitions. The question is whether that combination of price and pedigree works for your specific occasion, and in most cases, the answer is yes.
Ukiyo occupies an address at Polenlaan 5 in Stekene, a small East Flemish town that does not appear often on dining itineraries. That geographical remove is relevant context for a first visit: you are driving here on purpose, not stumbling in. The reward for that intention is a kitchen under chef Marco Prins working a Japanese-American and modern cuisine format, a pairing that is less common in Belgium's fine-dining circuit than the French-Flemish axis that dominates the region.
The Japanese-American register means the cooking draws on precision and restraint associated with Japanese technique while incorporating the bolder flavour profiles and ingredient freedom more common in American contemporary kitchens. For diners whose default frame of reference is the modern Flemish tasting menu, expect a different kind of discipline on the plate — less reliance on classical French construction, more attention to balance and texture in the Japanese mode. Whether that registers as refreshing or unfamiliar depends on your palate, but the Michelin recognition across two successive years confirms the kitchen is executing at a consistent level.
The 4.8 Google rating across 268 reviews is a meaningful signal for a venue of this size and location. A restaurant in a small Flemish town does not accumulate that score through tourist volume or name recognition , it earns it through repeat visits and word-of-mouth from a regional dining audience that has clear alternatives in Ghent, Antwerp, and Roeselare. That the score holds at 4.8 suggests Ukiyo is converting first-timers into advocates, which is a reliable indicator of consistency.
For those considering Ukiyo for a private dinner or group occasion, the venue's scale and positioning make it worth thinking through carefully before you book. A Michelin Plate restaurant at the €€€ level in a discreet East Flemish location has the profile of a venue where a private or semi-private arrangement is possible without the institutional rigidity you sometimes encounter at larger €€€€ addresses. The kitchen's Japanese-American format also lends itself well to a group tasting structure, where shared progression through courses is the natural format.
If you are organising a dinner for a corporate group, a milestone celebration, or a small private gathering where you want Michelin-level cooking without the full price exposure of a four-symbol address, Ukiyo's positioning is worth a direct enquiry. The combination of consistent Michelin recognition, strong peer ratings, and a cuisine format that is genuinely differentiated from the Flemish mainstream gives a private dinner here a clear talking point and a meaningful culinary rationale. Compare this to booking a private room at a comparable €€€€ venue: you gain price headroom, and the Japanese-American programme is more distinctive than a fourth French-Flemish tasting menu in the same year.
One practical note for group planning: with no seat count published and hours not confirmed in the available data, contact the restaurant directly early in your planning process. Do not assume availability for larger groups without confirming capacity in advance.
Reservations: Book directly; advance booking is advised given the venue's size and consistent ratings , for groups or private dining, contact well ahead. Dress: No dress code is confirmed, but the Michelin Plate level and €€€ pricing suggest smart casual as a safe default. Budget: €€€ per head; precise pricing is not published, but this tier typically runs €60–€120 per person for a full tasting experience in Belgium. Getting there: Stekene is a 30-minute drive from Ghent and accessible from Antwerp in under an hour; no public transport option is practical for this address. Booking difficulty: Easy relative to comparable Michelin-recognised venues in the region.
Against Belgium's broader Michelin-recognised circuit, Ukiyo's clearest peer set is not within Stekene , there are no direct local competitors at this level , but across East Flanders and the wider region. If you are deciding between Ukiyo and Vrijmoed in Gent or Boury in Roeselare, the deciding factor is cuisine format. Vrijmoed and Boury operate at €€€€ with Modern Flemish and Creative French programmes respectively , technically accomplished, but working familiar territory for anyone who has done the Belgian fine-dining circuit. Ukiyo's Japanese-American format is a genuine departure, and at €€€ it costs less.
La Durée in Izegem and Cuchara in Lommel both operate at €€€€ with French-Belgian and Modern European creative formats. For diners whose priority is the classic Belgian fine-dining experience with full service depth, those addresses may deliver more of what you expect. For diners who want something structurally different , Japanese technique, American flavour freedom, Michelin recognition, lower price , Ukiyo is the stronger call.
For context on Belgium's highest-tier addresses, Zilte in Antwerp and Hof van Cleve in Kruishoutem represent the summit of the regional circuit, both with full Michelin Stars and corresponding price exposure. Ukiyo is not competing at that level, but for a first-timer building a Belgian dining shortlist, it fills a specific gap: Michelin-recognised, distinctively programmed, and priced below the regional top tier.
Further reading: Stekene hotels, Stekene bars, Stekene wineries, Stekene experiences. For broader Belgian context: Bozar Restaurant in Brussels, Le Chalet de la Forêt in Uccle, Willem Hiele in Oudenburg, d'Eugénie à Emilie in Baudour, and Ralf Berendsen in Neerharen. For international reference points in the Japanese-American fine-dining register: Le Bernardin in New York City and Lazy Bear in San Francisco.
Book at least two to three weeks in advance. Ukiyo holds two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) and operates in a small East Flemish town, which means a limited number of covers and a loyal repeat clientele. For groups or private dining at Polenlaan 5, contact the venue well ahead — weekend slots will go first.
Ukiyo sits at the €€€ price point with Michelin recognition, so dress neatly — think polished casual to business casual. The Japanese-American modern cuisine format suggests a focused, contemporary atmosphere rather than black-tie formality. When in doubt, err toward smart rather than casual.
At €€€, yes — for what the awards signal. Two consecutive Michelin Plates under chef Marco Prins place Ukiyo in recognised territory without the €€€€ pricing of Belgium's most celebrated fine-dining rooms. You are paying for a serious kitchen in an out-of-the-way location, which keeps costs lower than comparable Michelin-tracked venues in Ghent or Brussels.
Given the Michelin Plate recognition two years running, the tasting menu format is the most coherent way to experience what chef Marco Prins is doing with Japanese-American modern cuisine. At €€€ pricing, it represents a lower financial commitment than comparable multi-course formats at Belgium's starred addresses. If you prefer à la carte flexibility, confirm format options when booking.
Solo dining at a €€€ Michelin-recognised restaurant in a small town like Stekene is entirely viable — counter or bar seating, if available, is the natural fit for one. Confirm the layout directly with the venue when booking, as Ukiyo's scale means seating configurations matter more than at larger city restaurants.
There are no direct Michelin-tracked alternatives within Stekene itself. For comparable or higher-tier Japanese-influenced or modern cuisine in the broader region, Vrijmoed in Ghent (Michelin-starred, vegetable-forward) is the closest credentialled alternative. For classic Belgian fine dining, Comme chez Soi in Brussels or Boury in Roeselare operate at a higher price point and award level. Ukiyo's case is proximity plus value: you are not driving to Stekene for the neighbourhood — you are going for the kitchen.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
