Michelin presented the 2026 edition of its Netherlands guide at MECC Maastricht on 5 October. The selection lists 499 restaurants, of which 119 hold at least one star. Two restaurants were awarded two stars and seven received a first star. No restaurant was promoted to three stars, and De Librije in Zwolle remains the country’s only three-star address.

The new stars

According to Michelin’s announcement, the two new two-star restaurants are Azurite in Delft, led by chef Mario Ridder, and SUIS in Schin op Geul, led by Ralf Berendsen. The Netherlands now has 20 two-star restaurants and 98 with one star.

The seven new one-star restaurants are:

  • Ambrozijn, Valkenburg (chef Sven Nijenhuis)
  • Bij Sidney, Loenen aan de Vecht (chef Sidney Heinze)
  • De Cuijt, Mierlo (chefs Yukyung Lee and Koen van Weert)
  • Le Epifaan, Veeningen (chef Jarno Eggen)
  • Nassau, Groningen (chef Christian de Vries)
  • Rozewied, Kortgene (chefs Noëmie Haentjens and Ferdy van Rijswijk)
  • Wild Atelier, Hoog Soeren (chef Jonathan Zandbergen)

Ten restaurants were added to the Bib Gourmand category, which now has 77 entries. Michelin also gave its Young Chef Award to Noëmie Haentjens and Ferdy van Rijswijk of Rozewied, its Service Award to Château Neercanne in Maastricht, its Sommelier Award to Matthijs Vranken and Nouri Haj Romdhane of Brut172 in Reijmerstok, and its Opening of the Year Award to Restaurant Luwte in Groningen.

A flat total hides the churn

DutchNews reported that the total of 119 starred restaurants is the same as last year. Nine restaurants gained stars, so a similar number left the starred list.

NL Times reported that two-star restaurants Spectrum in Amsterdam and De Groene Lantaarn in Staphorst closed during the year, as did one-star Flicka in Kerkdriel. Both NL Times and DutchNews reported that Daalder and De Juwelier in Amsterdam lost their stars. NL Times also listed Da Vinci in Maasbracht, which had held a star for 27 years, among the deletions. DutchNews noted that no Amsterdam restaurant received a new star this year.

Several of the new entries are tied to earlier addresses. DutchNews reported that SUIS opened at the end of April after Mr Berendsen left La Butte aux Bois, and that Le Epifaan’s chef, Jarno Eggen, previously cooked at De Groene Lantaarn when it held two stars. SUIS therefore reached two stars in its first guide, within roughly five months of opening.

At De Librije, Michelin credited Thérèse Boer and chef Nelson Tanate with continuing the restaurant following the death of co-owner and chef Jonnie Boer in April 2025.

What Michelin said

Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, described the Netherlands as “one of Europe’s most dynamic and distinctive gastronomic destinations” and pointed to chefs developing more personal cooking rooted in local produce. Michelin also used the ceremony to introduce Mindful Voices, an editorial platform on working practices that features Jef Schuur of Bij Jef in Den Hoorn and Kees Meinderts of Mearkas in Eastermar.

Michelin does not publish commercial data with its selections, so the effect of the awards on bookings or pricing is not disclosed.

THD’s reading

The following points are THD analysis.

  • Analysis: the new stars are almost all outside the big cities. Delft, Schin op Geul, Kortgene, Veeningen and Hoog Soeren are small places. For regional hotels and inns, a starred restaurant nearby is a reason for an overnight stay, and room packages built around a table are the obvious response.
  • Analysis: stars follow chefs, which is a retention risk for hotels. SUIS earned two stars months after its chef left a hotel restaurant, and Le Epifaan’s star follows a chef from a closed two-star house. Owners that fund fine dining should weigh how much of the asset walks out with the chef.
  • Analysis: top-end dining remains fragile. Two two-star restaurants closed in twelve months. Recognition does not guarantee viable economics, a point worth remembering when underwriting a signature restaurant.
  • Analysis: Amsterdam drew a blank. With no new star and two deletions, the capital’s hotels have less new material for culinary marketing this year than those in Limburg or Groningen.