The Netherlands, MaastrichtFebruary 28, 2025, by Maartje

Le Bon Vivant: most literal 'hidden gem' in Maastricht

Eat & Drink
The Netherlands, Maastricht, February 28, 2025, by Maartje

Le Bon Vivant: most literal 'hidden gem' in Maastricht

Who during a getaway in Maastricht wants to move with the times, these days join us fine dining restaurant and wine bar Wy, in the heart of the Jekerkwartier. Or does that, also in the Jekerkwartier, at Bar Beurre, the hippest newcomer of the moment. But if you want to be at the forefront, ahead, you should make reservations as soon as possible at The Bon Vivant. This business may not be located in the Jekerkwartier, but in an equally special location… Hidden beneath the bustling streets of Maastricht, in a beautiful vaulted cellar, just off the beaten track. Le Bon Vivant: Maastricht's most literal 'hidden gem'.

Le Bon Vivant, Maastricht

Le Bon Vivant, Maastricht

It is such an ancient marl cellar with gently sloping vaults and weathered terracotta tiles where Maastricht likes to keep its best secrets. (Yes, a list with more of these kinds of underground places will follow soon). Whoever descends into Le Bon Vivant – if you find it at all, because you walk right past it – will gradually find themselves in an ambiance that feels like a warm secret. Yes, hidden gems It could hardly be more literal and you know, at Bart's we love those kinds of places. 

Anyway, why are you leading the way here? Well, owner Björn Dijkstra, who has been running his business for quite a few years now, is aiming for a star. That was always a dream, but after surviving the corona crisis and the arrival of his daughter, he felt it was time to turn that dream into a rock-solid goal. Cooking at the highest possible level is what he wants, and that simply includes a star. This year, and next year too. The self made chef realized his ambition. And we can certainly appreciate that; a chef who dares to express an ambition like this. He expanded his team, hired reinforcements and went back to the drawing board: what story does he want to tell with his dishes? What role does the special location play in his story? After all, that his location is not an average restaurant, that becomes clear from the first step down. In the centuries-old marl cellar at Capucijnenstraat 91 with the warm lighting and the historic stone walls you will also find a well, which takes you back to Roman times. It was the Marres family who brewed beer here. Now Le Bon Vivant, partly thanks to host-sommelier Adem Çiçek, does little with beer, but it does make this restaurant a place where history and gastronomy merge. 

In fact, it makes Le Bon Vivant a place of delicious contradictions. In a building where beer was once brewed, wine is now served. Where clogs once clinked, glasses now clink. And surrounded by stones that are hundreds of years old, innovative combinations now lie on your plate like paintings. We mention an amuse of burrata espuma, basil, fennel and sorbet of apple and ceviche. Or farm duck with a delicate pistachio touch, served with beetroot in surprising structures, creamy duxelles, the sweet depth of amarena cherry and a creamy albufera jus. Yes, we could go on like this for a while, but it really is a case of being there is experiencing it. So in short: at Le Bon Vivant they serve layered dishes that they know how to combine perfectly with soft, refined wines. 

That Dijkstra and his team are on the right track is already evident from the rise in the Gault & Millau. There he achieved no less than 14 points. Not that we are Bart's for points, mind you, but rather 'full of expectation' than fully booked. So whoever makes a reservation now, well, he is ahead. Ahead! 

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