Restaurant in Wateringen, Netherlands
Michelin-starred vegetables worth the Westland detour.
Triptyque holds a Michelin star and carries a €€€ price tag — a combination rare enough in the Netherlands to pay attention to. Chef Niven Kunz's 80/20 vegetable-forward tasting menu, set inside Wateringen's historic town hall, earned the We're Smart Green Guide's Dutch Discovery of the Year in 2021. Book ahead: demand comfortably outpaces a room of this size.
Picture the main square of a small Dutch municipality, the kind where the post office and the pharmacy flank a modest plein. Now imagine that the historic town hall on that square has been converted into one of the Netherlands' most quietly serious vegetable-forward restaurants, holding a Michelin star since 2024 and named the We're Smart Green Guide's Dutch Discovery of the Year in 2021. That's the premise at Triptyque in Wateringen, and if that combination sounds like it requires some convincing, the food does the convincing quickly.
The verdict: book this if you want a technically accomplished, predominantly plant-based tasting experience at a price point (€€€) that sits a full tier below most of its Michelin-starred Dutch peers. It earns its star without demanding the €€€€ commitment that the broader fine-dining circuit typically requires.
Triptyque sits at Plein 13-G in Wateringen, at the heart of the Westland region, which is the largest greenhouse horticulture area in Europe. That context is not incidental — chef Niven Kunz built the entire kitchen philosophy around it. At least 80% of each dish, by the restaurant's own framing, is vegetables or fruit. The remaining 20% carries proteins and other supporting elements. This is not a vegetarian restaurant by restriction; it is one by conviction, and that distinction shows in the depth of preparation. A carrot-based plant-based steak tartare, developed over multiple days of processing, is frequently cited as an example of how far the kitchen is willing to go to make vegetables the structural and flavour core of a dish rather than an accompaniment.
The setting inside the converted town hall adds ambient gravity without theatricality. The dining room has a calm, composed energy , natural materials, dried floral details, a decor that references the surrounding agricultural landscape without overdoing the countryside-restaurant aesthetic. The noise level is low to moderate, which makes Triptyque a strong choice for a conversation-centred meal rather than a high-energy celebratory one. The atmosphere is formal enough to signal occasion, relaxed enough that it doesn't feel stiff.
Hostess Virginie van Bronckhorst-Kunz manages the front of house, and the service style reflects the kitchen's philosophy: considered, personal, and grounded in the region rather than performative. Reviews from 122 Google respondents average 4.6 out of 5, which is a reliable signal for consistent execution rather than occasional brilliance.
This is worth thinking through before you book. At most Michelin-starred Dutch restaurants, dinner is the only meaningful option , lunch either doesn't exist or runs on an abbreviated menu. Triptyque's commitment to the full 80/20 vegetable concept applies to both services, but the practical case for lunch is strong if you are driving in from The Hague (roughly 15 kilometres), Rotterdam, or further afield. A lunchtime sitting lets you appreciate the agricultural context of the Westland region with daylight, keeps the evening free, and frequently comes at a lower entry price than dinner at comparable-tier restaurants. If you are travelling specifically to eat here , and it is worth travelling specifically to eat here , the lunch option deserves serious consideration for the value it typically represents in this format. For a special occasion dinner where the full ceremonial weight of a starred evening matters, the dinner sitting is the right call, but do not assume it is the only route to the complete experience.
At €€€, Triptyque costs noticeably less than the cluster of €€€€ Dutch starred restaurants. De Nieuwe Winkel in Nijmegen is the natural peer-set comparison for serious vegetable-forward cooking in the Netherlands, but it operates at €€€€ and carries two Michelin stars. If vegetable cooking at the highest Dutch level is your target, De Nieuwe Winkel wins on technical ceiling; if price-to-quality ratio in the same genre is the priority, Triptyque is the more efficient spend. For a broader Michelin experience without the vegetable focus, Ciel Bleu in Amsterdam or Aan de Poel in Amstelveen cover different creative territory at similar or higher price points.
Yes, with a caveat. The tasting menu format is well-suited to solo diners who want to focus on the food without the social logistics of a shared menu. The composed, quieter atmosphere makes it a comfortable room to dine alone rather than an awkward one. At €€€, the solo spend is meaningful but not punishing relative to what a starred tasting menu costs elsewhere in the Netherlands. If you are travelling solo specifically to explore the Westland region's produce-led cooking, this is the most focused and credentialed option available locally.
Seat count is not confirmed in the available data, so large group bookings should be discussed directly with the restaurant before assuming availability. The converted town hall setting suggests more capacity than a typical small-room fine-dining space, but the format , a personal, produce-driven tasting experience , is better suited to parties of two to six than to large corporate or celebratory groups expecting a party atmosphere. Contact the restaurant directly to confirm private room options or group minimums.
Yes, and this is a genuine structural advantage. The menu can run completely plant-based without modification, because vegetables and fruit already constitute at least 80% of each dish. If you are vegan or following a plant-based diet, Triptyque is one of the few Michelin-starred restaurants in the Netherlands where a fully plant-based menu is the natural output of the kitchen rather than an accommodation. For other restrictions, contact the restaurant in advance , no booking contact is confirmed in the available data, so check the restaurant's current website for details.
Wateringen's own dining scene is limited beyond Triptyque, so the practical comparison set is the broader South Holland region. For vegetable-forward cooking at a higher tier, De Nieuwe Winkel in Nijmegen is the benchmark, but it is further afield and costs more. For creative fine dining closer to The Hague, the Westland region and its surrounding municipalities offer a handful of options; see our full Wateringen restaurants guide for the current list. If you are open to travelling within the Netherlands for a comparable starred experience, Aan de Poel in Amstelveen and Ciel Bleu in Amsterdam cover different creative registers at higher price points.
Yes , this is one of its strongest use cases. The Michelin star, the historic town hall setting, the personal service from both kitchen and front of house, and the composed atmosphere all combine to make it feel like a considered occasion without requiring the €€€€ outlay of most comparable Dutch restaurants. It works well for anniversaries, milestone birthdays, and celebratory dinners where the experience should feel special but the room tone should remain intimate rather than festive. If you want a louder, higher-energy celebration, look elsewhere; if the occasion calls for a quiet, focused evening of serious food, this is a strong call.
At the €€€ price tier with a Michelin star, the value case is clear. You are getting starred-level cooking , technically sophisticated, produce-driven, with dishes that involve multi-day preparation processes , at a price point that undercuts most of the Dutch Michelin set by at least one tier. The We're Smart Green Guide named it Dutch Discovery of the Year in 2021, and the Michelin recognition followed in 2024, which suggests consistent upward trajectory rather than a one-year spike. For food enthusiasts who want to explore the specific flavour territory of Westland-grown produce through a creative tasting format, the menu earns its price. If tasting menus are not your format, this is not the restaurant to experiment with the format for the first time , it is designed for diners who already understand what they are committing to.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triptyque | €€€ | Hard | — |
| De Librije | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| 't Nonnetje | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| De Lindehof | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| De Nieuwe Winkel | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Fred | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
How Triptyque stacks up against the competition.
Triptyque works well for solo diners in the sense that a tasting menu format — where the kitchen drives the pace — removes the awkwardness of ordering alone. The setting in Wateringen's historic town hall adds a certain ease to the experience. That said, phone and website details are not publicly listed, so booking in advance through a reservation platform is advisable. At €€€, the price point is committed but not extreme for a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Groups are possible, but Triptyque's format — a personal, vegetable-focused tasting menu in a converted town hall — is better suited to small parties of two to four than large gatherings. For larger groups seeking a more flexible format, De Librije in Zwolle offers private dining infrastructure at the four-star end. Contact Triptyque directly to confirm group capacity before assuming availability.
Yes, and this is one of Triptyque's clearest practical strengths. The We're Smart Green Guide — which named Triptyque Dutch Discovery of the Year 2021 — notes the menu can be made entirely plant-based without compromise. Chef Niven Kunz built his reputation around vegetable-forward cooking, so plant-based diners are not an afterthought here; they are the intended audience.
There are no direct Michelin-starred alternatives in Wateringen itself. For comparable vegetable-led fine dining in the Netherlands, De Nieuwe Winkel in Nijmegen is the closest peer — also vegetable-focused and Michelin-starred. If you are travelling from The Hague or Rotterdam, Triptyque's Westland location adds roughly 20-30 minutes, which is worth factoring into your planning.
Yes, provided the occasion suits a focused, intimate tasting-menu format rather than a long table celebration. The historic town hall setting and the personal hospitality of chef Niven Kunz and hostess Virginie van Bronckhorst-Kunz create a considered atmosphere. The Michelin star awarded in 2024 makes it a credible choice for marking something meaningful, and the €€€ price range keeps it accessible relative to the €€€€ tier of Dutch special-occasion restaurants.
For the right diner, yes. Triptyque holds a Michelin star (2024) and was named Dutch Discovery of the Year by the We're Smart Green Guide, with vegetables making up at least 80% of each dish by design — not as a constraint but as the menu's core logic. At €€€, it sits below the top tier of Dutch tasting menus on price. If you are indifferent to vegetable-led cooking, De Librije or Fred will better suit your preferences; if that format appeals, Triptyque delivers at a fair price for its level.
Location
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
