Restaurant Willem Hiele

Restaurant Willem Hiele, Terroir Cooking in the Oostende Polders

Restaurant Willem Hiele is a Belgian fine-dining restaurant at Kapittelstraat 71 in Oudenburg-Oostende, in the De Grote Keignaert polder area. Chef Willem Hiele, born in 1981, grew up in Oostende and Koksijde in a fishing family and trained as a baker before developing his own style of terroir cooking, which he describes as both complex and simple.

The restaurant opened in 2022 in a 1971 Brutalist building by Belgian artist and architect Jacques Moeschal, in a natural polder landscape outside Oostende. Before this chapter, Hiele ran a restaurant in Koksijde in a former family fishing house dating to 1832, which he transformed in 2015.

A Menu Shaped by the Day’s Ingredients

The cooking starts with what is available: the menu changes daily according to the catch and produce on hand. A sequence of dishes makes up the full dining experience, using fresh local products and a measure of emotion and intuition that the chef identifies as a hallmark of his cooking.

The restaurant works with a network of small local producers and fishers. The kitchen’s rhythm is set by the sea and the unpredictability of nature.

Seasonal Menu: De Spoelakker

From September through December, the restaurant presents a seasonal menu celebrating local terroir, served Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at lunch. Called De Spoelakker, the menu costs €150 per person. The restaurant’s full dining experience remains available to guests who want to explore Willem Hiele’s longer menu.

Sustainability and Whole-Ingredient Cooking

The restaurant’s philosophy rests on several concrete principles:

• Short supply chain: direct partnerships with nearby farmers to reduce transportation distance and CO2 emissions and strengthen the local economy.
• Local ingredients: prioritizing nearby products, reducing reliance on industrial agriculture, and supporting regional farming diversity.
• Daily catch: selecting fish caught that same day, with responsible fisheries management in mind.
• Nose to tail: using the whole animal, whether meat or fish, to minimize food waste.
• Zero waste: using products throughout the week and creatively turning leftovers into new dishes or ingredients.

Recognition and Career

The restaurant holds one Michelin star, which it retained in 2024. It regained the star in 2023 and reached No. 68 in the OAD ranking. In 2021, Willem Hiele received his first Michelin star, rose to No. 57 on OAD’s European list, and entered The World’s 50 Best Restaurants at No. 77. That same year, he closed his Koksijde location for a new chapter.

Other milestones include the 2019 book Zeevuur / Seafire, published by Kannibaal, and that year’s Restaurant Philosophy Award from Gault & Millau. In 2018, Hiele joined the NorthSeaChefs research team, which advocates for North Sea fish. In 2017, he received his first mention in the Michelin Guide and a score of 15/20 with three toques from Gault & Millau. In 2016, Gault & Millau named him Discovery of the Year, awarding two toques and 15/20.

In 2020, he launched Bar / Brasserie / Boetiek Raphaël, an outdoor brasserie in the restaurant garden.

Events and Private Dining

The restaurant offers private events and meals in a quiet natural setting. Occasions include milestone birthdays, company product launches, and proposals. The team handles inquiries by email.

Team and Career Opportunities

The restaurant says it is continually looking for people to strengthen its team and offers the opportunity to develop professionally at its current location. It values both previous experience and curiosity to learn; interested applicants can get in touch by email.

Location and Contact

Kapittelstraat 71, 8460 Oudenburg-Oostende, Belgium · Phone: +32 (0)468 00 66 99 · Email: info@willemhiele.be · Hours: Dinner Thursday–Saturday at 7 p.m.; lunch Saturday and Sunday at noon and 12:30 p.m. Lunch Thursday and Friday by arrangement for events or private meals. Closed Monday–Wednesday.