Restaurant in Vessem, Netherlands
Michelin-recognised BBQ worth the detour.
A two-time Michelin Bib Gourmand holder (2024–2025) in the Noord-Brabant village of Vessem, MOUT & HOUT delivers wood-fire barbecue at a €€ price point that makes Michelin-recognised quality genuinely accessible. Chef David Jesus runs a relaxed, no-ceremony room that rewards repeat visits. Easy to book, easy to justify — one of the stronger value cases in the Dutch regional dining scene.
MOUT & HOUT is worth booking. A two-time Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient (2024 and 2025), this barbecue spot in the small Noord-Brabant village of Vessem punches well above its €€ price point. If you want to understand what casual excellence looks like in the Dutch dining scene, this is a clear answer. The Bib Gourmand designation specifically signals good food at a price under the fine-dining threshold — and holding it back-to-back years is not an accident. For returning visitors wondering where to go next in the region, MOUT & HOUT remains a strong first call before stepping up to the €€€€ tier.
Vessem is not a dining destination most visitors would find on a map without a reason, and MOUT & HOUT gives you a reason. The name translates roughly to "Malt & Wood" — a reference to the core language of barbecue: smoke, fire, and the raw materials that carry flavour. What you see when you arrive is a relaxed, informal setting without the ceremony of a tasting-menu room. There is no dress theatre here, no multi-hour ritual, no sommelier choreography. What there is, according to Michelin's assessors across two consecutive years, is cooking that delivers quality at a price that makes the experience easy to repeat.
Chef David Jesus leads the kitchen, and the barbecue format he works within is not a casual shorthand for low effort. Wood-fire and live-fire cooking at a serious level demands precision in sourcing, preparation, and timing. The Bib Gourmand recognition signals that the kitchen is executing consistently , Michelin's inspectors return, and they returned here again for 2025. A Google rating of 4.4 from 226 reviews adds further weight: that score holds across a broad sample, not just early enthusiasts.
The €€ price range is part of the point. At this tier, you are not being asked to commit to a long evening or a significant outlay to find out whether the food is good. You can return more than once without it feeling like a budget exercise. For the North Brabant region, where the comparison set skews toward higher price points and more formal formats, MOUT & HOUT represents a genuinely different offer: Michelin-recognised quality in a format that does not require you to dress up or book six weeks out.
The barbecue format also suits the current season well. If you are visiting in the warmer months, the fire-driven cooking that defines the menu connects to a moment when this style of food is at its most satisfying. Smoke and char read differently in summer than in January, and a venue built around live-fire cooking tends to feel most alive when the season aligns. That said, the back-to-back Bib Gourmand recognition suggests the kitchen holds its level year-round , this is not a one-season restaurant.
For a returning visitor, the practical question is what to prioritise on a second visit. The barbecue focus means the menu has a clear spine: the wood-fire cooking is the throughline, and working further into that format , different proteins, different preparations , is a more productive approach than looking for dishes outside the core offer. If your first visit was exploratory, a second visit rewards more deliberate choices within the same idiom.
Vessem itself is a small village in Noord-Brabant, and MOUT & HOUT sits at Jan Smuldersstraat 24. It is a destination you drive to rather than stumble upon, which filters the room toward people who made the trip deliberately. That self-selection tends to produce a more focused dining experience. You can find broader regional context in our full Vessem restaurants guide, and if you are building a longer trip around the area, our Vessem hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the surrounding options.
Among Dutch Bib Gourmand holders, MOUT & HOUT occupies a specific niche: barbecue rather than bistro, village rather than city, informal rather than composed. It does not try to be De Lindehof in Nuenen or De Treeswijkhoeve in Waalre , venues working in a higher price bracket with more formal service frameworks. What it does instead is deliver a specific type of quality, consistently, in a format that is harder to execute well than it looks. Two Bib Gourmands confirm it is executing.
Address: Jan Smuldersstraat 24, 5512 AZ Vessem, Netherlands. Cuisine: Barbecue. Price range: €€. Booking difficulty: Easy. Dress: No formal dress code indicated , casual is appropriate for the format. Chef: David Jesus. Awards: Michelin Bib Gourmand 2024 and 2025.
See the full comparison section below.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| MOUT & HOUT | Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025); Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024) | €€ | — |
| De Librije | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| 't Nonnetje | Michelin 2 Star | €€€€ | — |
| De Lindehof | Michelin 2 Star | €€€€ | — |
| De Nieuwe Winkel | Michelin 2 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Fred | Michelin 2 Star | €€€€ | — |
What to weigh when choosing between MOUT & HOUT and alternatives.
Yes. A €€ barbecue format with Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition is a low-pressure solo choice — no elaborate tasting-menu commitment and no dress code barrier. The casual nature of barbecue dining at MOUT & HOUT makes counter or small-table solo visits entirely comfortable. Booking ahead is advisable given the venue's profile in a small village like Vessem.
Barbecue-focused menus are typically protein-heavy, which means vegetarian and vegan guests may find options limited compared to a more mixed-format restaurant. Specific dietary accommodation details are published details are limited for MOUT & HOUT, so contact the kitchen directly before booking if dietary needs are a factor. The €€ price point and Michelin Bib Gourmand status suggest a tightly edited menu rather than a broad one. Check the venue's official channels for the latest details.
No formal dress code applies. A Michelin Bib Gourmand award recognises good food at accessible prices, and MOUT & HOUT's barbecue format signals a relaxed setting — clean casual is the appropriate register. Avoid overdressing; this is not a white-tablecloth environment.
At €€ pricing with back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and 2025, MOUT & HOUT delivers strong value by any measure. The Bib Gourmand specifically flags restaurants where inspectors judge the quality-to-price ratio as above average — it is not a consolation award. For the Noord-Brabant region, getting that credential two years running at a barbecue restaurant in a village setting is notable.
Vessem is a small village with limited dining options, so direct local alternatives are scarce. If you're willing to travel within Noord-Brabant or broader Netherlands, De Lindehof in Nuenen (also Michelin-recognised) offers a more formal benchmark. For barbecue specifically at a comparable price point, MOUT & HOUT has few direct peers with equivalent recognition in the region.
It depends on what you want the occasion to feel like. MOUT & HOUT suits celebrations where the priority is great food in a relaxed atmosphere rather than formal ceremony — the barbecue format and €€ pricing reinforce that register. If the occasion calls for a tasting menu with wine pairings and polished service, a Michelin-starred option like De Lindehof would be a closer fit.
Specific tasting menu details are not publicly confirmed for MOUT & HOUT. What is confirmed is Michelin Bib Gourmand status in both 2024 and 2025, which indicates inspectors found the overall offer worth the price at €€. Under chef David Jesus, the barbecue focus suggests the strongest value lies in the core menu rather than extended tasting formats — but verify directly with the restaurant before making that assumption.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
