La Villa Lorraine named opening of year

Belgian fine dining had a weirdly split-screen night on May 4 in Antwerp. Michelin handed La Villa Lorraine a brand-new “Opening of the Year” award, which sounds like a launch story. But the same guide also took away the Brussels institution’s star after a chef change. That tension is basically the whole story — Michelin liked the reboot, but it still wants the kitchen to prove itself again. ### What actually happened at La Villa Lorraine? La Villa Lorraine, on Avenue du Vivier d’Oie in Brussels, won Michelin’s first “Opening of the Year” award during the 2026 Belgium and Luxembourg ceremony in Antwerp. The catch is that this was not a brand-new address. It’s a restaurant with more than 70 years of history that reopened in January 2026 under chef Ruben Christiaens after Yves Mattagne left for Botanic Sanctuary in Antwerp. Michelin’s read was clear: this was a serious reinvention, not just a cosmetic reset. (bruzz.be) ### Why did it lose a star anyway? Because Michelin treats a major chef change like a real reset. La Villa Lorraine had already slipped from two stars to one, and this year it lost that remaining star as the new team took over. Michelin can admire the direction and still hold back on the macaron. That sounds harsh, but it’s consistent with(bruzz.be)n the plate right now. (bruzz.be) ### So what did Michelin like? The guide’s own framing was that La Villa Lorraine reinvented itself again — more relaxed, but still elegant. That matters because the restaurant is trying to move away from the stiff, old-school image that can cling to grand dining rooms. Michelin wasn’t rewarding nostalgia. It was rewarding a successful rep(bruzz.be)bruzz.be) ### Who else stood out? Abel Demeestere, just 27, won the Young Chef Award for EST in Heverlee. Michelin highlighted how he revived the family restaurant Arenberg with his partner and gave it a more vibrant identity. In the star list itself, Alain Bianchin’s La Table-Lasne in Ohain was the lone new one-star winner on the francophone side of Belgium — a fast comeback after his move from Jezus-Eik. (guide.michelin.com) ### Was this a big year for stars? Yes, but mostly outside Brussels. Michelin’s 2026 Belgium-Luxembourg guide lists 764 restaurants in total, with 139 starred: 2 with three stars, 22 with two, and 115 with one. Two restaurants moved up to two stars — Cuines 33 in Knokke and The Jane in Antwerp — while 10 restaurants earned a first star. Michelin kept Belgium’s three-star top tier unchanged with Zilte and Boury. (guide.michelin.com) ### Why does Brussels look bruised? Because the capital got no new stars at all, and three restaurants lost one: La Villa Lorraine, Le Pigeon Noir, and Senzanome. Brussels still has three two-star restaurants — Bozar Restaurant, La Paix, and Le Chalet de la Forêt — but the one-star bench is thinner than before. So even with La Villa Lorraine grabbing one of the ceremony’s headline awards, the city’s overall Michelin map got weaker. (bruzz.be) ### Is “opening of the year” a consolation prize? Not really. It’s more like Michelin saying, “Come look at this place now.” Stars judge current standing. This award points to trajectory. For La Villa Lorraine, that is valuable on its own, because a rebooted grand restaurant needs diners to believe the new version is worth trying before th(bruzz.be)lin took away the star, then put the reopening in the spotlight anyway. That tells you where Belgian fine dining is heading — less deference to legacy, more attention to whether a famous room can reinvent itself and still feel alive.