Latest reviews from Westvleteren

“Nothing better than a solid meal and all the goodies from the monastery . Absolutely a must visit place for all beer pilgrims. Also a souvenir shop. 50 euro with a taxi from Ypres. “

Cunningham 86 days ago

“If you are lucky You can make a deal with them infront and pick up the goodies at the door Anyway. Really nice to have been here You can anyway buy the good stuff at The Cafe In De Vrede at the same place“

Cunningham 86 days ago

“Visited September 2022. A quick stop in our route from Veurne to Ypres. Obviously, a detour from the route to pick up some fresh Westies. Tried the West 12 and 8. Both in good condition. Fair price, propper glassware and a nice patio to enjoy the beers. Next one please!“

Taboada 522 days ago

“As said before, hard to rate. Only pre-sale with a fixed pick-up time. So far so good. Presenting your invoice, small talk (the guy at the pick-up point isn`t a monk), maybe time to buy some cake or cookies. Thats it. But: It is an absolute nice feeling, standing at St. Sixtusabdij and waiting for two crate of this beer. Very friendly mindset, very relaxed.“

dunklermessias 1297 days ago

“Its is as large as the hole village. Just kidding, but compared with the village, it seems to be over-sized. Nice place to eat and - for sure- have a Westvleteren beer. All three available for fair prices and friendly and smart staff. Also the six-pack from the shop is - compared with some traders - fairly priced. Also nice to take a walk through the surroundings.“

dunklermessias 1297 days ago

“The place for Westvleteren fans. Near the Sint Sixtus Brewery. Big room, crowded, typical Belgian ambiance. Nice beers! Good local food. (11-2014).“

franclh 1447 days ago

“New modern restaurant and pub, serving Westvleteren beers, all styles. Very busy with people coming to collect crates of ordered beer, and while waiting have another beer and something to eat. Service is quick, quality of food is good, no question about the beer. A gift shop is there, you can buy beers at premium prices. Monks have to make living as well.“

vipinvelp 1662 days ago

“Retro rate, not sure why I've not rated before. As I'm sure many others have mentioned, this is the smart modern restaurant and gift shop opposite the monastery. Clearly this is geared up for large coach groups, given the size of the car park and huge terrace seating at the back. The gift shop which should (but may not, depending on availability) sell Westvleteren 6-pack boxes and glassware is immediately on your left. Usually a pallet of one of the beers will be in the middle of the floor; you're allowed to take two 6-packs. Sometimes there is nothing at all. The restaurant is spacious, clean, modern. Had an apple pie supposedly made with hops once, but it wasn't great. All three Westvleteren beers are always available here. When the sun is shining, it's a great place to sit and drink one of their beers whilst gazing over at the abbey hiding behind the surrounding wall.“

minutemat 1873 days ago

“This is a tough place to rate. Without the abbey, it would be a panni place with three beers. But because those beers are Westy's, it is actually special. I'm glad I went. I did not have room in my luggage to get the gift pack. It Is a special place, and a beautiful drive in Belgium.“

jsquire 2005 days ago

“This is the selling point of the monastery. If you have not called beforehand they won't even sell you the small non-beer products and refer you to the shop in the Cafe In de Vrede. Their counter is build from Westvleteren crates and looks quite nice though.“

King_Alex_II 2137 days ago

“Cafe next to Westvleteren where they sell the monastery products and serve some food. The Cafe has a nice outdoor terrace and a regular a bit boring interior that is crowded by seniors the are brought there by buses in large quantities. It is only worth it if you are really into Westvleteren and you are somewhere nearby. And make sure to have enough space in your luggage to bring a sixpack to impress your beer buddies ;-).“

King_Alex_II 2137 days ago

“Good for fulfilling your cravings for westys every once in a while. Haven't had the food so can't review that. The beers are pricy but tasty. Would've liked a more homy ambiance. Okay place.“

Mpuntmuts 2184 days ago

“Great place to drink Westvleteren beers. Surrounded by endless green fields and the Saint Sixtus Abby, where the beer is brewed. Just great.“

cesar_rey 2245 days ago

“Eigenlijk niet te spreken over hun manier van handelen. Regeltjes om ziek van te worden, onvriendelijk, ze verdienen niet dat iemand hun bier koopt, hoewel het zeer lekker is! Zowel mijn vader als ik hadden 2 bakken bier kunnen reserveren, omdat het voor ons 2,5 uur rijden is zijn wij samen opgereden. De broeder wou ons niet helpen en wij keerde met slechts 2 bakken naar huis omdat wij er maar 1 auto bij hadden.“

DraftWhisperer85 2247 days ago

“The food was basic but really delicious and their selection was good but not huge.“

BitterTapper5 2251 days ago

“De makkelijkste weg naar een Westvletteren. Het aangeboden eten is pover, de Westvletteren blond vind ik dan weer ondergewaardeerd wegens erg erg lekker“

DraftWhisperer85 2258 days ago

“It seems a lot of people mistake this (the abbey) for the café opposite the road (In de vrede), where is where you go to drink and eat. The abbey is closed to the general public and all you can do is buy some crates if you booked them in advance and you have an appointment or stroll around the monastery (scenic and quiet walk, so go for it if you take my advice). Then go and grab a seat at In de vrede and enjoy one of the finest ales in the world (be it 12, 8 or blonde) with some Trappist paté or cheese.“

huineman 2260 days ago

“Moet je natuurlijk eens bezocht hebben, maar verder van het goede bier, is het natuurlijk veel te hoog geprijsd. Leeft op de reputatie van het bier, maar is eerder een toeristische attractie dan een gezellige café. Te druk ook om te genieten van je bier. Beter naar een locaal café in de buurt te gaan en genieten van de West-Vlaamse sfeer in een bruine kroeg. Het bier is hetzelfde, maar de rest duizend keer beter.“

rodenbachvintage 2352 days ago

“If not for the scarsity of St. Sixtus abbey's stuff, it won't be worth a visit. Place itself reminds more of highway cafeteria, than sometinh associated with information center of official abbey, service is horrid - guys are arrogant without a cause. Food? Snacks and hot sandwich, which is just so overpriced. But here comes the beer... Except for that, least amusing place connected to any of belgium trappist abbey.“

deuxmortim 2359 days ago

“Visited with Shack and Muggins. A curious venue really, eplecially given the mystique about Westie beers. After a winding drive through the fields, you find yourself at a rather underwhelming modern brick building, very much fit for purpose but hardly romantic. Local radio on the stereo was playing Metallica! Full of older local people on our visit, men grinning as they escaped with their boxes of trappist ale The beers are available to drink in the cafe, and you can (probably) buy something to take away although exactly what depends on what they have that day. Food is simple but tasty. A curious experience...“

JorgeLee 2383 days ago

“Cafeteria perfecta para tomar la cerveza del monasterio Westvleteren, increíbles cervezas, dispone de tienda de cervezas y suvenir. Visita recomendable“

fombe89 2439 days ago

“I did the pilgrimage. From poperinge rentrd a bike and in about 20 mins across fields and hops crops i reached the place, the location ia beautiful and quite packed for a Thursday afternoon but there was some sort of festival today. Queued at the entrance, 2€ caution foe the glass and had all 3 of them with bread&cheese which was good. Staff is super fast and beers are top notch, nice biergarden atmosphere outside, all locals as far asi can tell. Lovely.“

JaKeAFC 2459 days ago

“This is the bar from the St. Sixtus Abbey in Westvleteren. In summer you can find a lot of cycling tourists here, which makes the ambiance level go up. Been there two times around may and two times the places was totally sold out. This makes is probably difficult for the staff (I think consisting of a lot volunteers, or guestworkers) to deliver the quality in service. They are not always as friendly as they should. And the way of pouring the beers is sometimes disrespectful for their (or any) beer. Selection of beers is limited (ofcourse) but you can get the more exclusive Westvleteren beers. The food menu is not the largest, but some snacks that perfectly go with the beer and biking trip. Prices are really acceptable for the portions and the beers. Well yeah, as a true beer lover, you have to do it once. But dont stop by several times if youre not a local. There are more nice places to discover.“

MrW 2544 days ago

“The cafe where you can purchase beer from the St. Sixtus abbey in Wesvleteren. It’s a beer pilgrimage that everyone needs to make. You have the options of the three beers, some would say the best Trappist beers in the world. Service is good, helpful and attentive, don’t really need to know much about beer. They also sell the cheese the abbey makes here as well, and some other products, but the cheese is very nice. The amount of beer you can buy varies based on how many people are coming there in a given week.“

jbruner 2568 days ago

“the one place to drink Westvleteren beers. we had an appetizer and dessert along with a #12 and #8. worth the stop if you happen to be visiting Ypres or get lucky enough to get through on the phone line for a couple cases of the "best beer in the world"“

strap 2646 days ago

“the place is like an highway bar, not so fascinating...is better to sit down outside: you are in the middle of the nature. you can drink all the three westvleteren, food is quite good...only fromage, jambon and patè, but quite good. “

juan13 2776 days ago

“Travelling here is as close as you can get to a pilgrimage for a beer geek. Had to call 700 times with 2 cell phones before I was able to get through to order, but we got great service at the site.“

ABS 2802 days ago

“Not sure if this really belongs in the database. Yes, you can buy the beer, only after calling in on the dates and times mentioned on the weekly changing schedule on-line and only for the scheduled beer (most of the times the 12). I typically go once or twice a year. In the first few years I’ve gone inside a couple of times, to attend the praying moments of the monks in the chapel.“

tderoeck 2895 days ago

“Quite a nice place belonging to an abbey in the middle of nowhere. Certainly worth the trip though as it is the birthplace of Westvleteren 12, a beer worth all the praises it gets. Obviously the restaurant serves only Westvleteren beers and does not overcharge for them - I mean 5€ for the 12? Come on, it’s cheaper than what some pubs try to pass shitty beer for. Food is decent if uncomplicated - definitely a place to visit considering its renown.“

KoNrRiI 2898 days ago

“27/03/2016. Nice and friendly people, nice food, You can drink and buy Westvleteren and there it stops. It’s not bad, but it’s nothing special except for the Westvleteren.“

Bierridder_S 2951 days ago

“pycha papu, pycha piwo, ale jednak turystyczna, nowoczesna knajpka“

rami_pl 2952 days ago

“Visited last year, service good, prices on the high side. Food was good, Beer is good ofcourse. service could be a bit better but good nonetheless.“

SVD 2988 days ago

“Visited last year. well how to rate this indeed, its interesting for sure. Nice view etc, service was good, selection... tricky its only 3 beers but well it westvleteren.“

SVD 2988 days ago

“Un endroit magique pour les amateurs de bières. A quelques pas de l’abbaye de st Sixtus, vous trouverez une boutique vendant les produits de cette abbaye dont les 3 bières des moines de Westvleteren. Un restaurant permet de goûter ces bières et les produits pour un prix acceptable. Le service est attentionné. Une belle adresse.“

Tometclo 2996 days ago

“I’m giving "In de Vrede" a high food score for two reasons: First, the grilled ham and cheese sandwich "Croque in de vrede" is the best you’ll ever taste. Second, their icecream with Westvleteren 12 is magnificent. Besides the beer served here, these 2 reasons alone are worth a visit. The service is pretty quick, but it shows the apathy of serving so many people every day. On a busy sunny day, or a calm cold day, it is always special to come and see that people from all over the world come here. “

Janneman 3012 days ago

“De enige plaats waar je makkelijk aan het meest gewilde bier ter wereld geraakt. Een beetje "koel" maar best "cool" als je weet dat het tegenover het befaamde trappistenklooster ligt...“

Boxereddy 3039 days ago

“Heaving canteen right out in the sticks. I drank a bottle of their beer, but got flustered and asked for ’a 10 please’ - a beer which clearly doesn’t exist. So I’m assuming I drank a 12. Anyway it was lovely and I supped it whilst sitting in the sunshine and staring across Belgian fields. On arrival there were notices up explaining that they had no beer for sale. By the time I left however, beer was for sale. So I got a box of 12 and a box of 8 - which pleased me enormously. Surely an unmissable treat, if you are anywhere near this part of lovely Belgium.“

DanielBrown 3121 days ago

“locale di mescita della famosa Westvleteren, dove si possono bere le 3 tipologie. Niente di che l’ambiente e il servizio ma ne vale la pena passare per la storicità e per assaggiare la tanto ambita birra“

birgik 3145 days ago

“Rode a bike from Poperinge to the cafe and got there shortly after they opened on a Saturday. It’s a modern looking cafe across the street from the abbey. I had one of each beer and actually enjoyed the blond the most. By the time I left, it was getting pretty crowded. I had the croque monsieur, which was ok. While you can get westy in other places in Belgium, this was quite an experience.“

LesIsMore 3150 days ago

“July 2015. Nest to the famous abbey, in the middle of nowhere. Pleasant place to taste this beers in the countryside even if some smokers can spoil this dreamy moment. Average service. Westvleteren Blond well appreciated after a 2 hours walk around the abbey.“

VDuquerroux 3172 days ago

“always crowded, often with beerdrinking cyclist-in-the-morning...and off you go with 2x12 in your body... anyway, nice place“

Steentje 3192 days ago