affordable 5 stars in Antwerp with a Michelin dinner
Antwerp is a popular destination for a few days of good food, drinks, shopping and sightseeing. it is important to find a hotel room in a strategic location. At Hotel FRANQ you are super central and also very well maintained, stylish and with renowned restaurants in the same building. Manners heard many good stories about the five million and settled close to it.
I know Antwerp quite well, but I had never been to FRANQ. A five star in the historic center that combines the charm of a chic old bank building with contemporary styling is high on my wish list. Although it is a luxury hotel and the restaurant has a star, it is very affordable, even in these inflationary times.
Accessible luxury
The beautiful building once housed a bank. Inside, many historical details and ornaments are still present. In the central hall you will be treated to the beautiful neoclassical architecture with high ceilings and marble floors. In the basement you will find an original mosaic floor and the old safe deposit boxes of the bank that have been converted into the richly stocked wine cellar of Michelin star Restaurant FRANQ. Chef Tim Meuleneire prepared fairly classic dishes with his own creative twist and a Mediterranean touch. Fortunately, all this beauty is more accessible than you might think, that’s the beautiful part.
We are particularly pleasantly surprised with the four-course menu, which is not only an excellent taste and beautiful configuration, but also a downfall of some spectacular amuse-bouches and entrées. Without giving away and revealing everything here, I dare to say that the balance between entertainment and added value is perfectly right. Come on, let me give away one amuse-bouche: we get a die of smoked eel fillet with salmon caviar as the numbers. This die is emitted under a bell jar with smoke from beech wood inside. The smell of this smoke takes me straight to the eel smokehouse and puts me in the right mood. Cheers!
Enjoy comfortably
At FRANQ they have a very extensive wine list and, as you can expect nowadays at a top establishment, they make good cocktails. We try many different wines (little bits, to taste) and cocktails. Tip: try the Belgian chardonnays! In addition to the star restaurant, there is also FRANQ Gastrobar. The food served here comes from the same kitchen and is certainly very good and very affordable. Here too we drink good cocktails, from the same bartender who made them the night before in FRANQ.
After two perfectly arranged evenings and two days of visiting museums, shops, bars and beautiful places, we are satisfied with our very comfortable bed. I read somewhere that the beds in these five million are supplied by the same supplier to the King of England. Those kinds of details, combined with the beautiful interior, the location, the history, the friendly staff and the restaurants, make Hotel FRANQ an absolute must, even if you know Antwerp well. Two Antwerp residents I speak to in the gastrobar know that I tell the locals and are very happy to come. If you think that Antwerp is well known, but have never bent inward in Hotel FRANQ, it is high time to change this.
Affordable five hundred FRANQ
Book here your stay. A package for two people, including breakfast and a four-course dinner in chef Tim Meuleneire’s star restaurant, can be booked from as little as 415 euros.
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Review: affordable 5-star hotel in Antwerp with a Michelin star