Fine Dining restaurant with a Michelin star and cuisine inspired from all around the world
🍷 Place Type:Luxury restaurant, Fine Dining
🍽️ Cuisine: Author’s, European, Fusion
🖐️ Suitable for: Couples, romantic dinner, special occasion, business lunch
⭐ Don’t miss: Tasting menu, Skrei
MICHELIN – 1 star
FRANQ is a fine dining restaurant with one Michelin star (2024) in the very centre of Antwerp, Belgium. It is located in the eponymous Hotel FRANQ, part of the Relais&Chateaux boutique collection.
The menu at FRANQ Restaurant is like a colourful carousel that teleports you to all continents, although according to the description on the website, chef Tim Mulleniere prepares dishes in a French-Belgian style. We ordered the tasting menu and were served everything from gourmet fries, the chef’s specialty, to bottarga (a traditional caviar delicacy from western Greece), to skrei (Arctic cod from Norway), and Thai-style sorbet for dessert.
The wine list is also varied and very extensive, so we trusted the sommelier’s choice to suggest the most suitable pairing for the menu. And we weren’t disappointed – we tried classics like Champagne, Chablis and Valpolicella, as well as interesting discoveries like wine from the Basque Country.
The FRANQ restaurant has no more than a dozen tables, in a relatively small and quite cozy room with a soothing decor with natural elements on one wall and a direct view of the kitchen. Where, contrary to rumours that chefs in such restaurants are working under unimaginable stress, the chefs seemed to be dancing, but so focused and absorbed in themselves, as if they were playing in a symphony.
More:
The Hotel FRANQ is part of the Relais&Chateaux in Antwerp, Belgium and is in a very convenient location in the city centre. The building formerly housed a bank and the lobby is spacious and pleasant and all the service predisposes for a wonderful experience. We had picked up a hotel that was a much more budget option, close to the Antwerp Opera House, which we were also very happy with.
Last visit: March 2024
*This rating is extremely relative, once we have decided to add the place to our list, we look forward to our next visit. You know there are restaurants with signature cuisine and more modest places and to us they are all WOW, but still let’s put them in some order.
But to explain briefly: a 10 is for a place that exceeds expectations for its category. 9 is for the best in its category, and anything above 8 we like a lot. 7 is more for an inconsistent 8. And for places below 7, I suggest we don’t discuss.
So, anything above 8 is so good that it’s worth frequent visits.
9+ will get restaurants with exceptional attention to detail and I personally recommend you don’t miss them.
What you will like:
⭐Interesting original cuisine with products and accents from around the world.
⭐ Option for both a la carte and tasting menu
⭐Excellent wine list and suggestions for wines by the glass, as well as the possibility of wine pairing with the menu
⭐Comfortable and elegant place and atmosphere
⭐Excellent service but without being overbearing or too demanding
⭐The restaurant is conveniently located in the centre of Antwerp
What to consider:
🔶 If you are going by car, it is advisable to park in one of the private paid parking lots nearby.
🔶 It’s always a good idea to book in advance, although it wasn’t very busy on our visit