4 - Recognised
i
Vegetables and fruit lead the menu, and specialist vegetable guides describe that as the kitchen's defining feature. The year is split into five micro seasons so the menu follows the harvest, and produce often reaches the kitchen within hours of being picked. Ingredients come from named nearby growers, among them Plukhof, Bogaertsheide, Gebroeders Vercammen and Nooit Geweten Dat Je Dit Kon Eten, and the team visits farms weekly.
Peel, trimmings and bread crusts return as broths, ferments, charcuterie, kombucha and seasonal juices, single use plastics have been removed where possible, and renewable energy powers the kitchen. Meat is bought as whole carcasses, lamb is reared organically, and fish comes from the North Sea.
A four day working week and fixed service hours are part of how the team is looked after. Neon holds a Michelin Green Star, awarded in 2024 for its zero waste kitchen. It is listed in the We're Smart Green Guide Top 100 of the world's best vegetable restaurants and in the 360 Eat Guide.
The impact dimensions
Low waste & circular practices✓
Sustainable animal products✓
Named local producers across produce, fish and meat, with weekly farm visits verified independently.
Multiple named producers across several categories, with direct relationships corroborated outside the restaurant. The menu credits Gebroeders Vercammen, Nooit Geweten Dat Je Dit Kon Eten, Plukhof and Bogaertsheide. The Michelin Guide entry states the chef sources regional vegetables and fruit, North Sea fish and occasionally meat as whole carcasses.
The 360 Eat Guide listing notes that vegetables, herbs and fruit come from nearby farms and the team follows the harvest through weekly farm visits. Regional coverage reports multi-year partnerships with local farmers, and quotes the chef that vegetables arriving in the kitchen a few hours after harvest are the top class he works for.
Five micro seasons structure the year and each has its own menu rebuilt to follow the harvest.
The restaurant divides the year into five micro seasons rather than four, each with its own menu: winter from January to March, spring from April to June, summer from July to August, Indian summer from September to October, and autumn from November to December. The current menu is published as Indian Summer '26.
The Michelin Guide confirms the practice, noting the chef plays with the seasons and rolls out five set menus through the year. The 360 Eat Guide adds that the kitchen works around what the farms and seasons give, and the chef is quoted as obsessively occupied with the seasons.
Michelin awarded a Green Star in 2024 for zero-waste practice across food, packaging and energy.
Zero waste is the operating principle and it is independently recognised. Michelin awarded Neon a Green Star in 2024 specifically for its approach, with the inspector entry noting that zero waste inspires the chef's creativity and citing the kombucha as an example.
Practices are documented across all three sub-areas: vegetable and fruit trimmings brewed into kombucha and juices, stale bread crusts and scraps turned into broths and ferments, whole-carcass lamb with belly becoming charcuterie and heart dried and smoked as a seasoning. Single-use plastics have been eliminated where possible, and renewable energy powers the kitchen.
Organic whole-carcass lamb sourced from local suppliers; North Sea fish; no named butcher, fishmonger or certification.
Regional coverage reports the restaurant buys twelve organic lambs per sourcing cycle and breaks them down whole, with belly turned into charcuterie and heart dried and smoked as a seasoning. The Michelin Guide entry corroborates whole-carcass purchasing and states that fish comes from the North Sea and meat is used occasionally.
The restaurant's own site and regional coverage describe multi-year partnerships with local farmers and premium quality local sourcing, but no butcher or fishmonger is individually traceable, no MSC or equivalent seafood credential is evidenced, and no certifier is named for the organic lamb beyond the label itself. Foie gras was checked across the published menus and is not present.
Four-day working week and fixed service hours for the team; local makers commissioned for the fit-out.
The 360 Eat Guide listing states that a four day working week gives both people and produce room to thrive, and the restaurant's own site states that lunch closes at 16:00 and dinner at midnight so the team stays fresh. Regional press reports that the owners' definition of responsible practice extends to correct working conditions and a good work-life balance for staff.
On the social supplier side, the fit-out was commissioned from named local makers: Lemcool in Lier for refrigeration, Studio Beton for terrazzo cast from recycled dishware, and Onbetaalbar in Ghent for a reception wall built from reclaimed cathedral glass.
Vegetables and fruit lead every course, ranked 61st in the We're Smart Green Guide Top 100 vegetable restaurants globally.
Neon is listed in the We're Smart Green Guide Top 100 of the world's best vegetable restaurants, ranked number 61 in the 2025 edition. The Michelin Guide describes regional vegetables and fruit first, with North Sea fish and occasional meat following. The 360 Eat Guide listing states that vegetables lead while meat and fish play supporting roles.
The current seven course menu opens with two vegetable-led courses and closes with two fruit-led desserts. A full vegetarian menu is prepared on request, so animal proteins are optional as well as minimal. Regional coverage reports that the menu is around 90 per cent vegetable and fruit based, with fish or meat appearing on the plate but absent from many courses.
Sourcing signals
✓
Direct named-farm sourcing
The menu credits four named local producers: Gebroeders Vercammen, Nooit Geweten Dat Je Dit Kon Eten, Plukhof and Bogaertsheide. The 360 Eat Guide corroborates the direct relationship and notes the team's weekly farm visits.
Charcuterie, broths, ferments, kombucha and seasonal juices are all made in house from vegetable, fruit and meat trimmings. The Michelin Guide cites the kombucha and fermentations as examples.
