The story
HOP Gastrobar at Vaartkom 1A in Leuven is a seasonal bistro with a modern kitchen, listed as Recommended by the Michelin Guide in 2026. Guests sit at tables or at the counter facing the open kitchen.
Chef Bream Verbeken builds the cooking around Belgian seasonal produce from family farms and organic market gardens near Leuven. The menu is fixed, with a choice between meat and vegetarian for the main course, and a fully vegetarian menu is also available. Sourdough bread and pastry are made in house every day. Gault&Millau scored the restaurant 13 in 2026.
The Friday lunch has drawn particular praise. Dishes have included beer yeast with burrata, crawfish croquettes with a yuzu dip, and raw Scottish salmon with rhubarb escabeche and yellow beet cream. Roasted cauliflower comes with buttermilk sauce, Vadouvan-spiced mousseline and parsnip hummus. Dessert has been sorrel ice cream with rhubarb and white chocolate cream.
The room is light and brutalist, with floor-to-ceiling windows over the canal. The terrace looks onto the water and does not take reservations. Each course comes with a pairing of your choice: craft beer, a natural wine from Europe, or a house-made 0.0% drink.
Recognition
Details
History
Light, brutalist decor, countertop seating overlooking the bar and kitchen, and floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of Leuven canal… This is where chef Bream Verbeken celebrates local producers in his incredible dishes, showcased on the mind-blowing Friday lunch menu. Out of the gate, appetizers of beer yeast and burrata; crawfish croquettes with a yuzu dip; followed by Label Rouge Scottish salmon served raw with a rhubarb escabeche and yellow beet cream; or toasted brioche with wild garlic, sunchoke and pistachio – or with lightly grilled sardine for the non-vegetarian option; awesome roasted sprouting cauliflower with a buttermilk sauce, Vadouvan-spiced mousseline, Iranian dried lime and parsnip hummus – like something straight out of Ottolenghi’s own kitchens; or tender supreme of free-range chicken prepared in a leek ballotine with a punchy chervil green sauce, ijskegel (white icicle radish) and sautéed leeks; and for a sweet finish, sorrel ice cream, rhubarb, white chocolate cream and crumble. · Pat Net
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