Michelin-starred Antwerp restaurant The Jane to move

With the former chapel that houses famous Antwerp restaurant The Jane up for rent from next spring or summer, head chef Nick Bril is seeking a new home for the two Michelin-starred establishment.

“After 10 years of excellence in an iconic chapel, we will soon be writing a new chapter in the history of The Jane,” the Dutch chef wrote on Instagram.

“And it will not only take place in a different way, but also in a different place. With the same enthusiasm, the same desire and the same determination.

“Looking back over the past decade gives me incredible satisfaction and pride, but I still have mixed feelings about saying goodbye to our magnificent site at Groen Kwartier.

“This is where we made history. We pushed our limits. And we have been rewarded by being ranked among the 50 best restaurants in the world.”

Bril said he wanted to opt for a smaller structure to respond to trends in the restaurant sector and that the future demands a different concept.

However he assured his followers and clients that The Jane would not leave Antwerp: “This is where I've found my home, with my family, my friends and my restaurant.”

According to Het Laatste Nieuws, the astronomical rent of €23,000 per month and staffing costs generated by the configuration of the site were a likely factor for Bril’s decision to break the lease that would have meant the restaurant staying put in the chapel until 2029.

In 2014, Dutch chef Sergio Herman and Bril launched The Jane restaurant in the chapel of the former military hospital on Paradeplein in the Groen Kwartier near Antwerp’s famous Art Nouveau Cogel-Oyslei area in the city’s Berchem district. One year later the restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star, with a second star given in 2017.

In 2015, The Jane, with its chapel designed by Dutch designer Piet Boon, was named the most beautiful restaurant in the world at London’s Restaurant and Bar Design Awards. The restaurant also won both the "best overall restaurant" and "best international restaurant" prizes.

In 2021, Herman and Bril parted company. Herman sold his shares in the restaurant to Bril, who has been at the helm since June 2021.