Den Olifant Ieper — Restaurant in Ypres

This is a beautiful loft apartment that is situated very close to the city centre of Ypres.

We were met by the host when we arrived. He showed us up the two flights of stairs to the loft apartment, which is above his restaurant, Den Olifant, which is located on the ground floor.

We booked our stay of 3 nights on Airbnb. The communication was easy. The host showed us around the bright, light, spacious and airy apartment. We were shown the honesty fridge, a great little feature which had a very clear and concise price list. The fridge contained reasonably priced beers (many sold on draught in the city), plus coca-cola, ŕose & white wine plus champagne.

Despite there being 8 of us we found the split level apartment to be spacious and roomy and at no time was it cramp or uncomfortable. There are 3 bedrooms, one on the upper level. There is an air conditioning unit, plus windows that open to both the front and rear elevation.

The location is great. It is no more than 5 minutes walk to the city centre where there are an abundance of cafés, bars and restaurants. There is also a Carrefour express within walking distance plus a Lidl store no more than 5 minutes away on the outskirts of the city.

The host is very courteous and on hand to provide advice about parking, shops and bars, if needed. And by all accounts runs a very good restaurant (also on Google).

Would I stay here again, most definitely. It's so convenient. It took us just over an hour to get to the apartment from Calais and from most museums and cemeteries the apartment is around 20 minutes. It makes for a great city break. We really enjoyed our stay & hope to return in 2023👌.

The nearby Menin Gate is about a 10 to 15 minute walk, and is well worth a visit at the daily memorial service at 8pm, although it's best to arrive at 7.30pm CET.

The nearest car park is less than 5 minutes away. Parking in the street outside the apartment is free. Great for dropping off cases and bags.

Check out the Den Olifant Ieper entry on Google for the restaurant. I've reviewed a few bars, cafés and restaurants as well as several museums & Commonwealth cemeteries; all worth visiting. My favourite being the Passchendaele memorial museum. So why not check out some of those reviews to help...

Den Olifant lies in the heart of Ypers and is surrounded by the wanderfull old architecture of ancient Ypres. Of course the city has fully been renovated after the blast of world war 2, when it's was fully demolished, but the rebuild is splendid. Enjoying a beautiful interior makes your food even more delicious. The whole experience already begins when entering the restaurant. A pitoresque walk way guides you inside. The interior can be described as Scandinavian, minimalist design style. When ordering your food, the whole table can choose at most 3 different dishes. I ate the Hamburger XL, which is definitely the one you would prefer if you are a big eater. One downside was the waiting time. I don not know if it was just for us, but we had to wait a long time. Although this downside, it was absolutely worthwhile waiting for, because the food tasted delicious. In short, go to Ypres and enjoy the...

Excellent food, excellent service, excellent menu options that keep on being updated regularly- definitely make it one of the best, if not the best restaurant, in Ieper.

They have quite a few vegan and vegetarian options to choose from- and this just doesn't mean spaghetti or a pizza, they have really well thought out plant based dishes. They also offer the drinks with plant based milk such as oatmilk or coconut milk (chai or warm chocolate drink).

The ambience is excellent and is perfect for a warm summer lunch or even for a cozy evening dinner. They also have big tables for bigger groups and families. The fact that they're always crowded shows how popular this place is. I would really recommend people to visit this place as it is totally...