The story
Het Vliegend Tapijt is a contemporary bistro at Pottelberg 189 in Kortrijk, Belgium, and Gault&Millau scored it 14 points for 2026. It is a second-generation family restaurant, now run by chef Felix François and his wife Nel Desmet.
Felix François builds his menus around seasonal produce from the region, often bought from local growers. His kitchen is creative but keeps ingredients recognisable. Gault&Millau notes his no-nonsense approach, with dishes that avoid unnecessary decoration. He trained at 't Oud Konijntje and La Durée before taking over the restaurant from his parents.
Le Fooding's lunch report describes a steamed pollack steak in fennel mousseline with a frothy mussel jus, and a daikon millefeuille layered with pea cream. The menu has featured gravad lax of halibut with pomelo and rabbit with green cabbage and Jerusalem artichoke. The kitchen also serves a bite-sized version of the traditional Kortrijkse Knibbels, a fritter finished with caramel sauce, which Le Fooding describes as the chef's award-winning take on the classic.
The dining room is informal and stripped back, with a relaxed, friendly mood. Nel leads the wine selection, which focuses on organic, biodynamic and natural bottles made without added cultivated yeasts or artificial aromas. Non-alcoholic drinks can be paired with each course on request.
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History
Felix François didn’t fall far from the tapijt. Having earned his stripes at ’t Oud Konijntje and La Durée, he then took over the family restaurant Het Vliegend Tapijt with his wife Nel Desmet, 10 years ago. All that’s left of his parents’ old-school bistro is the name, swapping the traditional vibes for stripped-back interiors and refining his dad’s generous cuisine with verve. That day at lunch: an invigorating elixir of yuzu and pineapple white tea paired with a trio of appetizers – a flaky mushroom pastry, a crunchy sesame and ras el-hanout carrot roll with a butternut layer, a leek round rolled in nori with a smoky leek mayo; followed by a dapper daikon millefeuille layered with pea cream, topped with a thick cottage cheese sauce and a drizzle of wild garlic oil; unusual hops shoots paired with cured egg yolk and chunks of smoked cod, doused in a chervil and wheat beer sauce; beautiful steamed pollack steak nestled in fennel mousseline, whipped into action by a frothy mussel jus, paired with pretty charred pointed cabbage and peanut crumble; before a delectable siphoned chocolate mousse, blood orange sorbet and crispy chocolate tuiles. On top of that, a bite-sized pastry as an added bonus: the chef’s (award-winning) interpretation of the traditional Kortrijkse Knibbels, a nap-inducing sweet fritter topped with caramel sauce. //Alba Nebbioli
Just outside Kortrijk lies the iconic restaurant Het Vliegend Tapijt. Chef Felix François is known there for his no-nonsense approach: dishes without unnecessary embellishment, with a focus on local and fresh products. His clear philosophy...
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