Nijmegen restaurant De Nieuwe Winkel has been chosen as the best plant-based restaurant in the world by a jury of experts at the Gastronomic Forum in Barcelona.

De Nieuwe Winkel, which also has two Michelin stars, was last year’s number two in the ranking developed by the ‘We’re Smart’ green restaurant guide.

‘Rarely is the story so perfectly told, the flavours so well balanced, innovation so truly innovative, and the knowledge and motivation of the team so strong as it is here,’ the jury said when picking this year’s winner.

Chef Emile van der Staak told local broadcaster Omroep Gelderland that plant based food is on the rise. ‘More and more people are realising that eating so much fish and meat is harming the planet,’ he said. ‘And people are willing to adjust their behaviour if there are good alternatives. And we are offering an alternative to the traditional approach.’

🏆 🌿♻️🌎 Congratulations to Nijmegen restaurant @denieuwewinkel which was today crowned for being the best vegetable restaurant in the world! https://t.co/BwWiNOTShu pic.twitter.com/u90leaSTl6

— Visit Netherlands (@Visit_NL) November 8, 2022

The restaurant, which offers a three course menu for €65 or nine for €140, experiments with different methods of both cooking and preservation. Its young turnip dish, for example, is served with grated, pickled egg yolk and it uses Dutch pearl barley to make a miso style broth.

De Nieuwe Winkel is currently fully booked until the end of February.