Bon Bon

The celebrated two-Michelin-star Brussels restaurant of chef Christophe Hardiquest, closed in 2022, its spirit continued at Le Petit Bon Bon.

Bon Bon was, for two decades, one of Brussels’ defining restaurants, and its story is worth telling accurately, because the original closed its doors in 2022.

Run by Christophe and Stéphanie Hardiquest, Bon Bon made the case that cooking is an art form. Its philosophy turned on roots: a respectful homage to culinary tradition, paired with an experience designed to engage every sense. The dark wood and intimate seating gave it the warmth of a salon; the kitchen’s approach was thoroughly modern.

It was never an exclusively vegetarian restaurant, but the vegetable kingdom held a starring role. The Seasons Garden tasting menu put produce centre stage, treated with a seriousness usually reserved for luxury proteins, while the Belgian Journey menu reframed national cuisine with a contemporary hand. Two Michelin stars confirmed what diners already knew.

Hardiquest closed Bon Bon after twenty years, framing it not as an ending but as the start of a new chapter. That chapter is now Le Petit Bon Bon, his brasserie within the restored Corinthia Brussels: a simpler, more playful expression of the same instincts, with bold flavour, refined technique, and a closeness to Belgian tradition.

For a traveller in Brussels chasing the Bon Bon name, the honest steer is this: the original is part of the city’s recent culinary history, and Hardiquest’s cooking now lives on at Le Petit Bon Bon. It is the address to seek out for a taste of what made the first so admired.