Mero in Antwerp joins the Michelin Guide selection
Ten months after opening in Antwerp, chef Altin Mero's restaurant Mero joins the Michelin Guide Belgium & Luxembourg selection, one of nine new entries this September.
Mero, the ten-month-old restaurant chef Altin Mero opened in Antwerp's Zuid district, has entered the Michelin Guide Belgium & Luxembourg selection this September, one of nine new addresses the guide added to its country listing this month.
The restaurant sits on Leopold de Waelstraat, steps from the KMSKA museum, in a dining room the guide describes as minimalist and Scandinavian, set with vintage ceramic tableware. Mero runs it with his sister Florena, who handles the front of house and administration while he works the pass.
The resume behind the Michelin Guide entry
I never restrict myself to one approach. If something tastes good, I combine it all.
Mero, 31, was born in Albania and moved to Greece with his family at five, growing up near Athens. He started in hospitality at fifteen, washing dishes and waiting tables, and moved into professional kitchens at eighteen.
His CV since then reads like a tour of Europe's top dining rooms: Pure C in Cadzand under Sergio Herman, two years at The Jane in Antwerp, then Noma in Copenhagen, Jordnær in Denmark and Frantzén in Stockholm, the kitchen he calls his biggest influence. A stint at Maison Pic in France and a head chef post on Santorini preceded his decision to open under his own name.
He calls the resulting style "biomatic": Mediterranean roots, Scandinavian restraint and bold Asian flavours, built on seasonal Belgian and Dutch produce and his own fermentations. "I never restrict myself to one approach," he has said. "If something tastes good, I combine it all."
Miso lamb and a monochrome plate
Michelin's inspectors single out a dish built entirely from black ingredients and a lamb saddle glazed in miso and served with tart green strawberries, calling the cooking polished with a bold, daring edge. Mero opened in November 2025; entering the guide's main selection less than a year later puts him ahead of most first-time owners.
The restaurant is one of nine additions to the Belgium and Luxembourg guide announced this month, alongside newcomers in Ghent, Liège and Kalmthout. Michelin runs the same monthly drip-feed elsewhere in the Benelux: in the Netherlands, nine restaurants joined the guide in September too. A first entry frequently precedes a star at the next ceremony.
Belgium and Luxembourg's last gala, in May, added ten new stars across the two countries. Whether Mero features at the next one will depend on how the kitchen holds up over a full year of scrutiny, not just its opening season.
