Au Vieux Port

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Antwerp's Frenchiest Restaurant

Since 2007, Au Vieux Port has held its ground as a cornerstone of Antwerp's Eilandje neighbourhood — a place where classical French cooking is taken seriously, without apology. The restaurant carries its own self-description with quiet confidence: Antwerp's Frenchiest Restaurant.

The Kitchen and the Table

Chef Stijn Havermans has spent years refining the kind of French classics that most restaurants have long stopped attempting. The showpiece is the Canard à la Rouennaisse — a Rouen duck pressed tableside by Maître Tom Schoonbaert using an authentic Presse à Canard, a ritual that turns dinner into something closer to theatre. The duck is available year-round, though during game season it moves to reservation-only.

Beyond the duck, the menu follows the rhythm of the seasons. Expect pheasant Fine Champagne and saddle of hare Arlequin when the wild season arrives, alongside year-round anchors like eel in green herb sauce, free-range black-footed chicken from the Landes, and the much-praised Tarte au Boudin Basque. Daily market suggestions keep the kitchen honest and the menu alive.

The Wine Cellar

The wine programme is the work of Wine Director and co-owner Serge Verboven, whose cellar beneath the restaurant holds a considered selection of Bordeaux and Burgundy alongside well-represented bottles from Italy and Spain. Guests can explore the list by the glass, guided by the sommelier. The depth of that list earned recognition from Wine Spectator — first with an Award of Excellence, then upgraded in 2023 to the Best of Award of Excellence, the publication's mid-tier distinction reserved for lists of exceptional breadth and depth.

The Room

Au Vieux Port holds the Fine Dining in Antwerp label, and the experience lives up to it — a setting where tableside preparation, seasonal French cuisine, and serious wine come together without pretension. It is the kind of place that has earned its reputation over nearly two decades, one pressed duck at a time.