Café "In de Vrede"

dstc

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +6.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

I spent a couple of hours here while waiting to pick up my cases of Westy. Nice little gift shop on the left as you walk in where you can buy assorted items including cheese, t-shirts and a nice mix pack of Westy with a glass.

Got a table near a window and started drinking fine Westy brews. The place was fairly empty at 1:00 in the afternoon but started to fill in the next couple of hours (closer to pick-up time which starts at 3:00). Only food we ate was a cheese plate and bread but it was delicious and of course the beer was awesome. The have a small play area out front that kept my 5yo busy, nice touch.

Definitely worth spending some time here if you can make it. Was an awesome experience.

12-11-2009 15:39:42 | More by dstc

GRUUMSH

Belgium

3.86/5  rDev -7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 3.25 | selection: 3 | food: 4 | $$$

Of course the choice in beers is very limited and prices may be a bit steep for Belgian Standards but what you get is very, very, very good:)
Most of the time the place is packed with people and some patience may be required.
The service is good and efficiënt. Nothing out of the ordinary there.
One thing is for sure: Those monks have a very good bussiness plan:)

05-15-2013 07:02:45 | More by GRUUMSH

kojevergas

California

4.08/5  rDev -1.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5 | $

Okay, yes, technically the selection is quite limited. But come on now.

The food is simple but refreshing and good, and pairs nicely with their beers.

Obviously, the quality is brilliant. Why else would you come here? It's in the middle of nowhere.

Prices are unbeatable. World class beers for hardly anything.

Great craic to be had here with other visitors. People here are in the know; you don't just stumble in here by accident.

Great service. I've never been when they didn't have gift packs for sale. Every time I've gone, Westvleteren 12 has been available. The servers usually speak at least three languages.

Lots of beer pilgrims show up, and sometimes the Americans can be really annoying with their ignorance and volume, but other than that the environment is fine.

Rarely gets crowded except on release dates.

Definitely somewhere every beer advocate needs to go.

11-06-2012 19:51:21 | More by kojevergas

JimDH

Kentucky

4.4/5  rDev +6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Riding a bicycle from the train station in Poperinge, out the narrow Sint-Sixtusstraat through hop farms, built the anticipation nicely for my first visit--and first taste of Westvleteren.

The patio was closed for the season, but the cafe was reasonably crowded early on the weekday afternoon. The descriptions of the place as a cafeteria aren't terribly far off, though the atmosphere is more comfortable than that--a lunch cafe rather than a dinner cafe. Many apparently-local retirees were there for lunch with coffee or blonde beer.

I received reasonably prompt service and had no significant communication problems, given that I only speak English. I had a chicken aspic sandwich, which was okay. I've learned since that the cheese sandwich is the best dish (and that the ice cream is excellent too).

The gift shop offered gift boxes--two blondes, an 8, a 12 and a chalice for 23 Euro--but had no six packs available when I was there.

I'm not sure why there are minor complaints about the beer selection. The reason we travel to In de Vrede is for the outstanding Westvletern beers, and I enjoyed each of them.

03-09-2012 06:32:00 | More by JimDH

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.6/5  rDev +10.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$

This is one of the places that I most anticipated going when we went to Belgium. While I had previously had all three of the Westvleteren offerings, I was beyond excited to be able to try them at the source.

The atmosphere wasnt quite what I was expecting. The cafe has very modern decor and appears to be a bit of a tourist trap. That aspect of this place is not terribly appealing. However, that has to be balanced again the fact that this is the Westvleteren cafe and there is indeed something magical about having the abbey's beers at one of the cafe's tables.

The selection is exactly as you would expect -- you have a choice between all three Westvleteren beers. I started with the Blonde and Amy had a 12. We later each had an 8, of course taking sips from each other's choices along the way.

The service was quite good. The server was attentive and had no problem communicating with us in English.

I only had the Westy-infused ice cream and a small sandwich, so I can't comment too much on the food, but the ice cream was quite enjoyable. The menu is fairly limited.

All in all, this is a great place to visit. Aside from the cafe, there is also the small shop where you can by glassware ad up to six bottles to go, mixing and matching among whichever of the three beers are available to go at the time.

02-27-2012 12:40:44 | More by Thorpe429

thepeter

United Kingdom (England)

3.68/5  rDev -11.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $$

Wide open outside both in front and in the back. inside and out it was more modern than I was expecting, looked like a nice cafeteria with lot's of peopl efrom the comunity having lunch or a snack alongside a world class beer. Just pretty cool to see a pair of grandma's splitting a soup and sandwich each with their own full glass of Westvleteren (no sharing there!) Service was OK, as we only spooke English and our server did not she seemed to try and avoid us, had to get up to get extra napkins and mustard myself. As far as selection, they had 3 beers, be it three of the best beers, still 3 beers means I cannot go scoring this place a 4 or 5 (any othe rplace would get way lower. that being said, quality is way up there. Food was okay, we just got a cheese plate and a sausage . . . the sandwiches looked good, my bad for not getting one. Value was very good as the Westy's were not overpriced like they are everywhere else in the world. The fresh 12 is a bit young but I had to have one (and so do you!), the 8 was very good but the fresh Blonde blew them all away, FANTASTIC!!! If I ever end up there again I will just drink a few of those and be very happy.

01-10-2012 23:58:08 | More by thepeter

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +1.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $

I've been here twice. Both times during the drive (kindly provided by weissbierdrinker...you're the best!) the anticipation is something you don't experience often. The hype and culmination of something coming together is a feeling you don't get alot.

The drive is quite nice, going past hop fields and coming up to the abbey where you always see a monk outside. The two times I was there, construction was taking place, so as per the usual sights in Europe, it was covered in scaffolding and cranes, etc.

We stopped to return bottles and a crate and were told we could buy some beer as well. Maximum of two packs of three beers including the blonde, 8, and 12. Naturally we both took two packs of the three beers and chatted with the beer pick-up monky dude next to skids of westvleteren 12 stacked higher than I stand.

Now to the bar. It's a weird, modern styled place, like a conference centre restaurant with a nice patio that we sat at both times. The service is a little slow but the place gets really busy sometimes and the wait staff work their hardest.

The beers are dirt cheap. How the world allows 'the best beer in the world' to be sold for under five euro is beyond me. The food menu is limited but the cheese sandwich is tasty and comes with some little pickles. You can buy beer when you're leaving the cafe if you're lucky, but only in gift packs, as well as cheese, etc.

The pilgrimage here is definately part of the experience. It's isolation takes effort to get to, but it's worth the trip to try these beers. Doesn't even come close to some of the other great selections in Belgium or the Netherlands, but hell, for some of the best regarded beers in the world, it's a good spot.

11-20-2011 18:05:51 | More by tbeckett

LambicKing

Virginia

4.15/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Made the trek out to Westvleteren 4 times to enjoy some food and beers at In de Vrede with family and friends. Each time I was not disappointed, but not blown away either.

The crowd is usually pretty large - ~25 or so tables (inside and outside) - and usually pretty loud. Patrons range from toddlers to elderly. Might be petty, but usually lots of house flies in the restaurant in warmer months - pet peeve of mine, although I doubt unsightly fly tape/paper is the answer.

The fare is pretty light and limited (pates, salads, sandwiches, etc). I wish there were a few more hearty items on the food menu to pair with the beers. Stews, full dinners, etc, would be nice.

Each time I enjoyed a Westy 12 here, the beer seemed "too young"...flavors weren't yet mature and the beer was a bit too hot, compared to older vintages. Then again, it's easy to take shots at one of the best beers in the world. The 8 ended up being much better IMO.

If you show up hoping to take home some beer (and didn't get it from the abbey), you will want to arrive in the "off days" (Tues, Wed) when they first open for the day. If you arrive in the afternoon on a Saturday, there will be no chance of beer on the shelves. Gift packs, cheese, snacks have always been available when I was there.

The cafe is certainly a money-maker for the abbey. In the end, it's a must visit for any Belgian beer fan, or beer fan in general. It's like visiting a religious shrine.

08-24-2011 19:15:52 | More by LambicKing

Damian

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -3.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 4.5 | $$

My father and I made a point to visit Café "In de Vrede" during our trip to Belgium this past summer. After touring De Struise Brouwers, we drove a few miles down the road and then through a seemingly endless maze of corn fields before reaching the iconic café of the Westvleteren Abbey. Anticipating something that had a sort of monastic appearance and rustic charm, I was disappointed initially by its country club-esque looking exterior. The interior was unfortunately not much better. The one interesting thing, however, were the ancient looking empty Westvleteren bottles and bottling equipment that adorned the place.

The tables at In de Vrede are set up in long rows, so meeting people while you enjoy a few beers is inevitable. We happened to sit next to a friendly couple who lived in the area. When my father explained to the woman how much he enjoyed a kriek that he tried the previous day, she retorted, "Kriek is beer for a woman. Gueuze is beer for a man." We all had a good laugh at her comment.

The only beers served at the café are, as you might expect, Westvleteren abbey beers - and that was perfectly fine by me. My dad and I enjoyed a couple of Westvleteren 12's with our meal. We ordered the house specialty, a head cheese sandwich. Although many people might be put off by the idea of eating fatty chicken and pork bits suspended in a gelatinous substance, the sandwich was outstanding. In fact, I consider it to be one of the culinary highlights of the trip. For dessert, I tried the Westvleteren 12 ice cream, which was topped with a Westvleteren 12 reduction and served in a Westvleteren chalice. Need I say more?

After lunch, we stopped at the gift shop, which sells Westvleteren beer gift boxes (all three Westvlereren beers and a Westvleteren chalice for 15€), Westvleteren infused cheese and some cured meats.

Prices at the restaurant, as well as in the gift shop, were very reasonable. Service was quite friendly and attentive, and our waiter was gracious enough to translate items off the Flemish menu.

Contrary to what many might think, finding Westvleteren beers in Belgium is not an easy task. For those looking to purchase some (or many) bottles, In de Vrede might be one of your only chances to do so. While the casual beer tourist might be a bit put off by the lengthy drive to the café from any of the major nearby cities, if you schedule a tour at the nearby De Struise Brouwers as well, this can definitely be a worthwhile excursion.

08-14-2011 11:37:04 | More by Damian

Squelch

United Kingdom (England)

4.45/5  rDev +7.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 3 | $

It's not the food that brings you to this place, nor the quality, nor the view, nor the service. The only reason you go here is because THEY HAVE WESTY ON TAP!!

I tried all 3 of the famous trappists beers. All were great, but the 8 stood out for me and my wife. We ordered sandwiches which were standard fare but again you go here because THEY HAVE WESTYS ON TAP!!!!

of course my wife and kids didn't understand we were eating and drinking in the Mecca of beer, however, I totally appreciated going here. Good luck if you're driving because the lanes are narrow and the bike riders frequent.

08-01-2011 20:15:26 | More by Squelch