Dôme

Dôme occupies a restored 1893 butcher's shop in Zurenborg, the Art Nouveau district east of the central station. The building is a gem — tiled walls, an oak bar, and the signature stained-glass oculus above the main dining space that gives the restaurant its name. Chef-owner Julien Burlat opened Dôme in 2007 and earned a Michelin star in 2009; the restaurant has retained the star every year since, most recently in the 2026 Guide.

The cuisine is modern French with a specifically Languedocien inflection (Burlat is from the Aude). Signature dishes include a classical pigeon roti with juniper jus, a black truffle ravioli served from October through February, and a signature crème brûlée with orange blossom that has been on the menu since opening. The format is a short à la carte at lunch and a choice of tasting menus (five or seven courses) at dinner.

The dining room seats 42 — mid-sized for an Antwerp one-star — and is organised around the central dome. Service is led by co-owner Sophie Verbeke, Burlat's wife, and the wine list is a well-chosen 350 labels with a French backbone and a specific strength in aged Languedoc-Roussillon reds. The restaurant's adjacent Dôme Sur Mer is the casual sister establishment (seafood-focused, no Michelin star).

Lunch à la carte is €55 for two courses or €75 for three. Dinner tasting is €110 for five courses or €170 for seven; pairings are +€85. The reservation system is straightforward — most weeks have availability 2–3 weeks out.

Dôme is the Antwerp first-date restaurant. The Art Nouveau building, the stained-glass dome, the 42-cover intimacy, the French formal-but-relaxed register — every element is calibrated for a conversation-first dinner. The Zurenborg neighbourhood itself is an after-dinner walking district, which solves the what-next problem better than the harbour restaurants.