The story
LUMA, at Rue des Ecoles 20 in Nalinnes (6120), serves modern French bistro cooking in the Charleroi area of Belgium, and Gault&Millau gave it 13 points for 2026. The restaurant calls its approach bistronomy, a relaxed format built on refined regional produce.
Lucas Vanderschueren and Maxime Urbain run the kitchen. Vanderschueren previously cooked at Tribeca in Gerpinnes, and Urbain at Villain and Atelier de Bossimé. The house describes its cooking as creative and controlled, with plenty of colour on the plate and ingredients chosen for freshness.
One lunch menu included white asparagus wrapped in smoked salmon over sorrel and Korean mint pesto. Potato pressé came with Parmesan-stuffed morels and seasonal vegetables deglazed in port and butter. Dessert was rhubarb stewed in red wine with yogurt ice cream and macadamia crumble. Seasonal menus run at 65 € for four services and 90 € for six, with lamb, strawberries and a cheese trolley on the wider card.
The restaurant has two dining rooms, one opening onto a green garden, plus a veranda and a bar under a vaulted brick ceiling. Michelin lists LUMA as Recommended for 2026. Private dining is available for groups.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
Nestled inside a charming little maison de maître , complete with two cozy dining rooms, a kitchen that plays peekaboo with the veranda, a well-kept garden and a bar tucked under a vaulted brick ceiling, Luma feels like a lifeline. No, not from rising sea levels or climate change, but from something far more immediate: an ocean of suburban ugliness unapologetically whipped by the nearby Bultia shopping center. The kind of place that makes you lose all hope. And yet, like a poppy piecing through the concrete, this visually soothing oasis orchestrated by Lucas Vanderschueren (ex-Tribeca in Gerpinnes) and Maxime Urbain (ex-Villain and Atelier de Bossimé) puts a big smile back on your face. It’s nothing flashy, no, just dishes that awaken the senses. The day we went for lunch, seated in the dining room opening out on to the lush green garden, we were treated to: white asparagus lined neat in a row, enrobed in smoked salmon, resting on a bed of sorrel and Korean mint pesto; followed by a potato pressé served with Parmesan-stuffed morels and seasonal veg deglazed with port and butter from Ferme de Wungaert (located a mere five minutes away); and for the sweet finale, rhubarb stewed in red wine, yogurt ice cream and macadamia nut crumble – the perfect ending to set the record straight. · Frans Simoens
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