La Distillerie (Luxembourg) is the Best Vegetables Restaurant in the World

We’re Smart® Awards unveil the world’s top vegetables restaurants

September 21, 2020

Brussels, 21 September 2020 - We're Smart® Green Guide, the reference in the culinary world for vegetables, announced the best vegetables restaurants and companies in the world on 21 September. La Distillerie (Château Bourglinster - Luxembourg), head chef René Mathieu, was voted the Best Vegetables Restaurant in the World. Xavier Pellicer, top chef of the restaurant of the same name in Barcelona, is included in the prestigious list of "Plant-Based Untouchable Chefs" for his years of dedication and pioneering work in vegetable cuisine.

Hundreds of restaurants worldwide were visited by the jury of We’re Smart® last year. The team judges the restaurants on the proportion of fruit and vegetables in the menus, as well as on culinary creativity, ecological footprint and surprising taste combinations. Each year, the jury also crowns companies that are exceptionally committed to healthy and sustainable food and projects.

Frank Fol, The Vegetables Chef® and founder of We're Smart®: "With our annual awards show, we bring together vegetable lovers worldwide. Thanks to these interesting cross-pollinations, we are evolving towards smarter solutions for our bodies, nature and the world".

This year's We're Smart® Awards were presented online by Frank Fol, The Vegetables Chef®, and presenter Ilse De Vis in the presence of top chefs Sang Hoon Degeimbre (L'air du temps), Christophe Hardiquest (Bon Bon), and Emile Van der Staak (De Nieuwe Winkel).

La Distillerie in 1st place TOP 100 Best Vegetables Restaurants in the World

The new number 1 in the Top 100 of the best vegetables restaurants in the world is La Distillerie (Luxembourg) of "5-radish" rated vegetables chef René Mathieu.

"René Mathieu is a pioneer in natural cuisine. He tastefully conjures up ingredients from the fields and forests around Château Bourglinster. With so much passion and talent in one person, this is justifiably the new global 'place to be' for creative vegetable cuisine," says Frank Fol.

Top 10

La Distillerie (Bourglinster, Luxembourg) - Chef René Mathieu
Vrijmoed (Gent, Belgium) - Chef Michaël Vrijmoed
Bord’eau (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) - Chef Bas van Kranen
Piazza Duomo (Alba, Italy) - Chef Enrico Crippa
L’Oustau de Baumanières (Les Baux-de-Provence, France) - Chefs Jean-André Charial and Glen Viel
L’Arpège (Paris, France) - Chef Alain Passard
Graanmarkt 13 (Antwerp, Belgium) - Chef Seppe Nobels
HumusxHortense (Brussels, Belgium) - Chef Nicolas Decloedt
Arabelle (Marcin, Belgium) - Chef Arabelle Meirlan
Joia (Milan, Italy) - Chef Pietro Leeman

We’re Smart® Future Awards 2020

We’re Smart® rewards companies and individuals who actively contribute to a healthy and ecological world with the Future Awards.

Product of the year: gourmet tomato juice Mary V from chef Nick Bril (The Jane)
Project of the year: airline Luxair joins forces with chef René Mathieu for plant-based meals
Medium of the year: Kachen Magazine, a unique, trilingual, international culinary magazine from Luxembourg with a special focus on vegetable dishes and chefs
Innovation of the year: Pretexte, 100% vegetable, lactose and gluten-free products
Communication of the year: From Waste to Taste with their projects for less food waste
Special Future Award: Sang Hoon Degeimbre - Pioneer Plant-Based Fermentation for his pioneering work on fermentation

We’re Smart® Best Vegetables Restaurants by Country

These thirteen restaurants emerged as winners in their country thanks to an innovative approach and exceptional taste combinations:

Belgium: Bon Bon, Brussels
Canada: Langdon Country House, Ontario
Denmark: Geranium, Copenhagen
Finland: Grön, Helsinki
France: Le Clos des Sens, Annecy
Italy: Chef Luigi Taglienti, Milano
Japan: Inua, Tokyo
The Netherlands: De Nieuwe Winkel, Nijmegen
Peru: Statera, Lima
Russia: Twins Garden, Moscow
Spain: Gatblau, Barcelona
United Kingdom: Lyle’s, London
United States: Eleven Madison, New York

Chef Xavier Pellicer (Spain) is “Untouchable”

Spain's top chef Xavier Pellicer received one of the most prestigious awards this year: Person of the Year. The award rewards exceptional passion and dedication to fruit and vegetables.

"Xavier Pellicer, as a vegetables chef, is an example to all chefs worldwide. After 2 years as number 1 of the TOP 100 Best Vegetables Restaurants in the world, he now joins the universe of 'Plant-Based Untouchables Chefs', the vegetable paradise," explains Frank Fol.