Two Belgian restaurants among the best plant-based restaurants in the world

Two Belgian restaurants were featured in the world's top ten best plant-based restaurants at the We’re Smart Awards announced on Monday in Bruges.

The We're Smart Awards were founded by Belgian Frank Fol, known as the 'Vegetable Chef'. It rewards restaurants focusing on sustainability and plant-based cooking, collecting the best in its Green Guide.

As a nod to the Michelin Guide, which awards top restaurants with golden stars, the Green Guide ranks restaurants with 1-5 radishes.

In this year's edition, the Ghent-based Vrijmoed ranked fifth in the We're Smart TOP 100. Founded in 2013 by Michaël Vrijmoed, former sous chef at the renowned Hof van Cleve, Vrijmoed is praised for its creative and surprising menu.

The restaurant received two Michelin stars this year, and its founder was named Strafste Gentse Ondernemer. 

Brussels-based Humus x Hortense is named ninth in this year's ranking, with We're Smart highlighting the symbiosis of local ingredients with experimental cuisine.

Founder Nicolas Decloedt, known as a presenter on the culinary Njam! channel, experiments with sustainable choices, botanical research and foraging, combined with a rich traditional culinary background.

Several other Belgian restaurants were featured in the We're Smart TOP 100. De vijf seizoenen in Brakel came in 16th, just ahead of L'Air du Temps in Liernu at 17th. Zilte (30), Arabelle (33), 't Aards Paradijs (36), Patrick Devos (37), Le Vieux Château (62), Hofke van Bazel (63), Neon (76), De Poorterij (77), and Cécile (89) were all given five radishes.

The best plant-based restaurant in the world is Central in Lima, Peru. We're Smart praises its chef, Virgilio Martinez, for the wide range of ingredients on the menu. Piazza Duomo in Alba, Italy, came in second in this year's ranking, followed by Amsterdam's Flore.

The best plant-based restaurants in Belgium