Masterfully Crafted & Meat-Free: Vegan & Vegetarian Restaurants in Belgium

If you’ve never considered cooking an art form before, then two Michelin-starred Bon Bon is here to change that. The philosophy of the restaurant includes an emphasis on roots, paying respectful homage to culinary traditions, as well as delivering an experience that fully engages all senses.

Owned by couple Christophe and Stéphanie Hardiquest, the restaurant’s traditional appearance with dark wood and cosy seating is complemented by its modern approach to dining.

There are two menus to choose from at Bon Bon: the Seasons Garden tasting menu, where the vegetable kingdom takes centre stage, but as you’ve never seen it before. Or there’s the Belgian Journey Menu, showcasing the best in national cuisine with a contemporary twist.

While it’s not exclusively vegan or vegetarian, Bon Bon’s focus remains on top-quality ingredients and there are increasing numbers of meat-free options. Healthy fine dining does exist and it looks just like Bon Bon.

Named the ‘world’s best vegan restaurant’ at the We're Smart Taste Summit in Amsterdam in 2019, and definitely one of the best vegetarian restaurants in Brussels, Humus & Hortense is certainly breaking boundaries. Born from a collaboration between an expert mixologist and a chef with a passion for making vegetables perform at their best, the restaurant is also fully committed to sustainability.

In the kitchen, for example, they avoid food waste with a roots-to-leave approach that includes zero-waste cocktails where unused herbs are made into infusions and fermentations. All the food is organic, seasonal, and local as far as possible. In fact, much of it comes from the restaurant’s own garden.

The restaurant itself is an intimate venue, creating a convivial mood, while the interior design is a mixture of Art Nouveau and stately Baroque, including a stucco ceiling.

As for the food? At Humus & Hortense, texture, appearance, and aroma are just as important as flavour, which makes many of the plates incredibly photogenic. And, as you might expect, vegetables dominate, even popping up in desserts in the form of candied beetroot, for example.

Le Botaniste began life in a 19th-century pharmacy with the imaginative concept of serving diners botanical prescriptions in the form of plant-based ‘bowls’. Today, the restaurant continues to present dishes that are as healthy and wholesome as they are delicious, showcasing the best seasonal organic plant produce in a way that is both creative and compelling.

The dining experience at Le Botaniste is casual and unpretentious in a space that is airy and full of light. As one of the best plant-based restaurants in the country, and a top contender for the best vegetarian restaurant in Brussels, it offers 99% organic and 100% plant-based options, re-imagining fast food by making daily plant consumption easy, simple, and surprisingly tasty.

Indeed, in the kitchen, plants have been restored to pride of place rather than being a last-minute side order, and the restaurant’s motto is #bringtheplantback.

Definitely a contender for the best vegan restaurant in Belgium, Le Botaniste also seeks to generate as little waste as possible, reducing its energy use, and offsetting its greenhouse gas emissions by supporting a Ghana-based climate project that distributes energy-efficient cooking stoves. Customers can even ‘add a tree’ to their meals as part of the restaurant’s tree-planting initiative.

Located in Ixelles, the super trendy destination of CHYL is not just a restaurant but also a store where people can bring their own containers to fill up with organic and eco produce (check out the truffle mayonnaise), minimising packaging while saving money.

Meanwhile, the kitchen at CHYL is focused on sustainably sourced and seasonal products with a range of cooked and raw dishes. Firmly banishing any notion of healthy food as boring, it serves hearty burgers, flavour-packed juices, decadent cakes, and, on Sundays, there are five different brunch options, making CHYL one of the top vegan breakfast places in the city.

The building is a 19th-century maison de maître and still has the original high ceilings, parquet floor, fireplaces, and mouldings, along with pot plants and thrift-store furniture for an authentic and laidback mood. CHYL stands for CHange Your Lifestyle then CHerish Your Life, and a couple of hours there certainly does have an uplifting and transformative effect.

Komkommertijd is located in the centre of the historic port city of Ghent and should be your number one pick if you’re looking for budget-friendly plant-powered meat-free dining in this vibrant cultural hub.

Expect vegan classics such as pumpkin and bean casserole, a vegan version of scrambled eggs, heart-warming vegan carbonara, and deep-fried lentils.

But the best thing about this restaurant? The all-you-can-eat buffet, where the spotlight is firmly on vegetables. How does aubergine pakoras, potato gratin, and coconut cake for dessert sound to you?

The restaurant tries to use as much organic and fair-trade produce as possible, and because dishes change on a regular basis, it’s certainly worth visiting more than once.

Arabelle Meirlaen is a Michelin-starred chef whose eponymous restaurant is one of the ultimate Brussels destinations for vegans, vegetarians, and those who care about sustainable dining. Meirlaen was named best vegetable chef of 2019 by the We’re Smart Green Guide so this is definitely a woman capable of delivering plant-based dishes that pack a punch.

Her modern restaurant in Liège comes complete with a beautiful vegetable garden, chicken coop, and beehives. In the kitchen, the emphasis is on seasonal food, from the freshness and vibrant colours of spring to the mushrooms, root vegetables, and spicy flavours of autumn.

Arabelle refers to her cooking style as ‘intuitive’, focusing on what feels good to our bodies depending on the weather and seasons. She also integrates what she’s learned from herbalism, naturopathy, and Ayurveda cooking into her cuisine.

Menus are updated regularly depending on the garden harvest but it remains one of the best restaurants with vegan options in Belgium. Arabelle also offers gluten-, lactose-, and sugar-free dishes. Fermentation and pickling ensure minimum waste in the kitchen while a substantial wine cellar completes the experience.

The restaurant is just over an hour from the City of Spa, so why not head there for a post-pampering treat following a stint at one of Belgium’s best wellness retreats?

Looking for a wallet-friendly vegan restaurant in Brussels? Copper Branch may be a chain but we would be remiss not to mention this fast-food destination on our list as it’s ideal for those looking for a quick plant-based pick-me-up.

The Canadian brand offers a 100% vegetable menu and its mission is to serve simple, healthy, and high-quality dishes at a reasonable price. Health-conscious wholefoods that are good for the Earth shouldn’t necessarily cost the Earth and Copper Branch is here to ensure that they don’t.

Carefully chosen ingredients come together in well-rounded meals that will leave you energised and ready to take on the day. We particularly recommend the power bowls where you can choose a base (options include brown rice, quinoa, and konjac noodles), followed by a protein (tempeh, tofu, teriyaki, or carrot keftedes) and a range of toppings such as spiced chickpeas and edamame salad.

Follow up with a power smoothie full of plant-based goodness, including spinach, strawberry, banana, cocoa, cinnamon, and hemp seeds.

One of the big perks of vegetarian and vegan food is the fact that it’s super healthy. Nowhere is this more true than at Les 4 Jeudis where the chef uses complex lacto-fermentation processes to ensure that the vegetables retain their impressive nutrient profile.

Think citrus-marinated veggie carpaccio served with a goji berry sauce. Butternut squash tabbouleh with curry. Chinese cabbage with fennel and a fruity vinaigrette. Lentil burgers with turnip, mushroom cream, and buckwheat. Or how does a creamy apple and date mousse with chocolate crumble sound for dessert?

Portions are generous, the atmosphere is friendly and welcoming, everything is cooked to perfection, service is attentive, and there’s also a selection of ethical and sustainable drinks.

The only downside is that it’s only open at lunchtime.