Culinary festival Antwerpen Proeft or Antwerp Tastes will be held from Thursday 1 May to Sunday 4 May 2025. This is earlier in the month of May than usual. 

Antwerpen Proeft is preparing for its 17th edition with an impressive and diverse line-up that includes 46 restaurants, star chefs, newcomers, and renowned names from culinary guides such as Michelin, Gault & Millau, and Fooding. 

The festival will take place from Thursday 1 May to Sunday 4 May 2025, in and around the Waagnatie in the Eilandje area of Antwerp. Over the course of four days, thousands of food lovers will have the opportunity to discover around 100 different dishes from Belgium’s most celebrated culinary talents.

Rookies and returnees

For the first time, restaurant Nuance from Duffel will participate in a multi-day culinary event. Chef Thierry Theys, who holds two Michelin stars and was named Gault&Millau’s Chef of the Year in 2022, sees the participation as a way to highlight the restaurant’s 15th anniversary. 

Fine Fleur, led by Thomas Diepersloot, also returns to the line-up, noting increased bookings from guests who first discovered the restaurant at Antwerpen Proeft. 

Among the other acclaimed names are Ukiyo, Uijttewaal, Het Gebaar, Le Grand Verre, De Arme Duivel, Zaowang, Little Beirut, Vicenza, Sora Kusina, and Atelier Roger van Damme, alongside street food concepts and artisanal producers such as Beni Falafel, Alma Libre, and The Lobsterman.

Debuts

This year’s programme includes a number of culinary debuts. De Arme Duivel, the popular Antwerp-based restaurant known for its authentic Flemish comfort food, will participate in a festival setting for the first time. Featured in the Sabato ‘The 100 Food‘ guide by De Tijd, the restaurant will serve its signature tartare tartufo. 

Similarly, Beni Falafel – a longstanding institution in Antwerp’s Jewish community and recently included in the Fooding guide – joins as a tribute to its late founder, Beni Barnatan. His successor Harris Malkoç sees this as an opportunity to introduce the iconic falafel to a new generation.

Star chefs

Antwerpen Proeft also welcomes star chefs Wout Bru and Roger van Damme. Bru, despite a serious fire at his Durbuy restaurant Wagyu in late 2024, will participate with his modern French fine dining restaurant Le Grand Verre. He sees the festival as a key moment of visibility, noting its strong impact on bookings. 

Roger van Damme will be present with both his Michelin-starred restaurant Het Gebaar and his new luxury tearoom, Atelier Roger van Damme, which opened in the historic monastery kitchens of Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp in November 2024. At the tearoom, visitors will be able to enjoy a refined high tea featuring homemade sandwiches, British scones, champagne, and signature desserts.

Several notable chefs will also be featured at the Star Chef of the Day stand. Simon van Dun (Dim Dining) will kick off the series on Thursday, followed by Roger van Damme on Friday, Nils Proost (Neon) on Saturday, and Ralf Berendsen (Restaurant La Butte aux Bois) on Sunday. 

Across the festival, a total of nine Michelin stars will be represented, making this edition of Antwerpen Proeft one of the most distinguished to date.

Cooking demonstrations

In addition to tasting dishes, visitors can enjoy free cooking demonstrations, masterclasses, and tastings on the ATAG Live Stage, as well as BBQ workshops hosted by Weber. 

Upon arrival, every guest receives a complimentary drink. As an added incentive, thirty free copies of Wout Bru’s cookbook ‘Chef Bru‘, ten copies of ‘SOS Piet Feest‘ by Piet Huysentruyt, and ten copies of ‘The Sweetest Table‘ by Sarah Renson will be distributed among the first 5,000 ticket buyers, in collaboration with publisher Lannoo.

Newcomers

A total of 22 participants are joining the festival for the first time. These newcomers join established favourites, creating a culinary spectrum that spans refined French and Mediterranean dishes, Middle Eastern and Asian street food, and Latin American specialities. 

Participating venues include Fine Fleur, Nuance, Ukiyo, Uijttewaal, Arrikiiati, Cannolo, De Moestuin – Heritage, In De Balans, Restaurant Hotel Riga, Mey, Wagyu District, Bast, Alma Libre, Beni Falafel, Aromas de los Andes, Wit Aaranya, Zoet by Gill Walschot, and Marylisse.

Discount for younger people

This year, Antwerpen Proeft is also introducing a new initiative to make the festival more accessible to young people, offering a 50% discount on tickets for those under a certain age. 

Standard tickets are available in advance for €10 at participating venues, €12 online, and €13.50 at the door. Tasting vouchers, used to purchase food and drinks on site, are priced at €1.50 each.

As always, Antwerpen Proeft continues to offer a unique culinary journey of discovery, with a vibrant atmosphere, a picturesque view of the Scheldt, and a gathering of some of the country’s finest chefs and food artisans — all in the gastronomic heart of Flanders.

Restaurant and dining reviews

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