The story
Zarza, at Bondgenotenlaan 92 in Leuven, serves modern cuisine that Gault&Millau scored 14 in 2026, noting a kitchen showing ever more finesse.
Chef Gert Cordemans leads the kitchen. Le Fooding, which lists Zarza, singled out a Japanese amberjack ceviche with black radish and verjus, and pigeon breast with asparagus, wild garlic and shiitake. Dessert was a rhubarb millefeuille with wild rose sorbet.
Weekday lunch follows a market menu, and evenings offer only the tasting menu: five courses at €90, or six with cheese at €105. Recent plates include sea bass with tomato and basil, and baby lobster with artichoke and kimchi. Inside are armchairs, an upright piano and a timber-framed glass roof. In summer the renovated city garden opens.
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Upholstered armchairs, an upright piano, a glass roof with a timber frame, a large outdoor garden area: it’s here in this muted, borderline pretentious setting that chef Gert Cordemans enjoys tickling Leuven locals’ taste buds. The day we went for lunch, after a trio of amuse-bouches to get the appetite rolling, he came at us full steam ahead with some dazzling dishes: Japanese amberjack ceviche, ramenasse black radish and verjus, together all delicately explosive; sea bass cooked to perfection and served levitating on a cloud of peas with thyme; fresh homemade tagliatelle that were by the book, enhanced with king crab meat and herbs galore; followed by the star of the show, high-flying pigeon breast with a full-bodied jus, sitting pretty with asparagus, wild garlic and shitake mushrooms. Before finishing on a sweet note with tangy rhubarb millefeuille that was on the right side of sour, with vanilla cream and wild rose sorbet. // Barbara Gù
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