In de Vrede — Restaurant in Vleteren

If I could give a half star it would be 4 and a half star. My prevention from giving it 5 is the lack of operation hrs posted for the gift shop and the fluctuation of time between the time given by the wait staff and actual time the gift shop staff member opened her door. If you cannot get thru on the phone lines to order your 2 case or crate min, coming here is your viable alternative. I have tried calling for the last 3yrs and have not succeeded.

If you want to make the day trip well worth your while, come there on a cold rainy blustery weekend day and get warm while you while you wait. The visitors center opens at 10, so under these weather conditions only the near by locals come out to pick up the 2 six pack min of Westvleteren 12 or 8. I stayed an hr and a half and was still the only person with foreign plates in the parking lot. I had no problem purchasing two 6 packs of the westvleteren 12. Probably could have gotten 1or 2 more, but no need to be greedy. I saw the locals come out with more than the max 2 sixes of either brand.

Overall, I had a nice time and will come back again. I just recommend that you choose you weekend to go wisely. Arrive early or at opening hrs of the gift shop, on a rainy weekend and you are still going to be able to get your 8 or 12. And from what I read in other posts, Sunny spring and early summer days the visitors center has a line waiting for the shop to open. So avoid the lines and plan wisely. A little rain...

What a place!! Obviously exceptional since it’s the only place (almost) where you can buy Westvleteren, but the atmosphere is quite amazing too. You know that everyone in that place is there to enjoy one of the best beer in this world, everyone is there to enjoy themselves and you can see that everyone has a glimmer in their eyes, they’re filled with amazement and the overall atmosphere oozes with positive vibes.

We tried the blond, 8 and 12 and also ordered a plate of cheese, bitterballen, burger and I tried the In de Vrede coupe.

The beers are ok, not in the sense that they’re bad, but in comparison to a well 2y aged Westvleteren, they aren’t as good since they’re served young. That’s a bit of a disappointment if you had the aged beer, but it’s still a good beer.

The food was nice but also basic. The platter of cheese goes well with the beer, the bitterballen were way better than any I’ve had in Amsterdam and the burger was fine. The In de Vrede coupe was a special desert and something I would definitely consider a must try. It has a peculiar taste and a nice creation.

The shop also sells amazing products. I would highly recommend to buy the Belval cheese. They don’t always have it, but if they do, don’t miss it. It goes perfectly with the...

Visited on 9th July 2014

Made the "pilgrimage" the Westvleteren whilst staying in the area watching the Tour de France.

An immaculate, almost clinical restaurant with a small gift shop at the entrance. The shop was full and there was a queue waiting to get in there. We walked straight into the vast restaurant, which was packed, and had the fortune of a table becoming free as we walked passed! We grabbed it and made ourselves comfortable. We were seen to fairly quickly by a young lad, who was very happy to speak English, we asked for the three beers, a meat platter and a cheese platter. Considering the volume of customers, and previous reviews I was pleasantly surprised with the speed in which, firstly the beers and then the food was served. As for the beers, what can I say that hasn’t already been said! The food, that was fine, the cheese from the monastery was very good. After we had sampled the beers and the food. We popped into the shop. The "8" was the only beer available at the time, so I took a case and a large slab of the cheese, plus a cracking pâté washed in "12"! As a restaurant, so-so, as a beer destination, a must on...