In de Vrede

In de VredeIn de Vrede
In de VredeIn de Vrede
Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

Donkerstraat 13
Westvleteren, 8640
Belgium

+32 57 40 03 77 | map
indevrede.be

Legally, the only retail vendor for the famous Westvleteren Trappist beers. Blonde, 8, and 12 are available, plus a selection of cheese and meats.
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.2
Reviews:
79
Ratings:
123
pDev:
9.52%
View: Place Reviews
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Ratings by DucksFan16:
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Rated by DucksFan16 from Tennessee

3.96/5  rDev -5.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3
06/25/2017
Jun 25, 2017
More User Ratings:
Photo of Sabtos
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

3.9/5  rDev -7.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 2 | selection: 5 | food: 4
It's been a long time, fat chance wish of mine to actually see this place in person, not really thinking I ever would, and always picturing it as some foggy, imperceptible fantasy as opposed to an opportunity within reach. As such, being alive and able to actually be here feels kind of surreal. So it was that this actually turned out to be the first bar I stepped foot in during my time in Belgium. We dove headlong into a 2 hour drive right after the Zuid-Midi rental car office fresh off the train from Paris.

The single lane paved roads throughout the countryside as you get ever nearer are just skinny enough to fit a Mini Cooper, despite being intended as two-way. The approach, once you hit those country roads, is about a half an hour off the highway and surrounded by thick, carefully groomed wheat and other crops the grouse hunt in. It's far more idyllic than I imagined, to be honest, and these rustic farm buildings are just beautiful in their own humble way. As, too, are the dirt mounds the farmers carefully sculpt for new crops.

As we step out of the car on this unseasonably hot, sunny day, it becomes apparent that the trees lining the entrance walkway are now much fuller than shown in the picture here on BeerAdvocate. The interior is also far more more spacious than I imagined, with a mildly high vaulted ceiling and plenty of sections full of tables to choose from. The outdoor patio has a large pergola to provide shade, where many cyclists chose to sit, while inside hosted a growing crowd of largely elderly folk, presumably local, but in far higher numbers than you often see, at least at any other bar I've ever been to. It kind of felt like church, in that way, and maybe a little like home.

Service is not unlike any other restaurant or bar, at least during my time in Europe, and while I didn't find it a bad experience, per se, it is what it is. You are usually required to flag someone down, for any and every wish and desire, including to pay the bill. Sometimes they are just too busy with other customers, or simply not present, so hopefully your glass is half full. If not, make sure it is the next time you start thinking you might need them.

The selection of beer is exactly what anyone going out of their way to come here should expect: Westvleteren Blond, 8 and 12, all served in proper glassware. However, they have a lot of other drinks and cocktails, and offer a food menu that may be a little more varied than I was expecting, with some soups and sandwiches and other potato-focused dishes. We had the leek soup with some monk's cheese and bread to go with our second beer, and it all felt very restorative.

That's as deep as we chose to get, as we had plenty of driving to do, and honestly, it was enough just to finally see it all first hand (including a short walk by the grounds outside). However, if I could stay nearby and cycle around the countryside for a few days while popping in for a pint, I think such a visit would be even more enjoyable.
Jul 06, 2023
 
Rated: 4.26 by MaximumYuks from Oregon

Jan 25, 2023
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Reviewed by OfficerKramitz from Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5
Definitely a must visit for a beer lover, you can purchase the bottles to go and sit in a huge room to enjoy one of the first great whales. Definitely recommend a bike ride through the hop fields to arrive.
Dec 31, 2020
 
Rated: 4.31 by ckeegan04 from Texas

Feb 14, 2020
 
Rated: 4.08 by Jgmiller829 from Massachusetts

Sep 13, 2019
 
Rated: 4.35 by Nichols33 from Massachusetts

Jul 05, 2018
 
Rated: 4.31 by Ichoosefiction from Belgium

Dec 16, 2017
 
Rated: 4.54 by bryst00 from California

Oct 19, 2017
 
Rated: 4.51 by mollykats from Pennsylvania

Sep 09, 2017
 
Rated: 3.88 by YvesB from Belgium

Jun 22, 2017
Photo of Voss
Reviewed by Voss from Italy

3.51/5  rDev -16.4%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4 | service: 1 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.5
Been there four times during last 11 years.
For a belgian beer lover, like me, it is a must. But it has its lackings.
You can taste the wonderful 3 westvleteren with a piece of the Abbey cheese or even a croc messieur on the outside in the beautiful belgian country, buy beers, glasses and other trappist products in the corner shop, the atmosphere is a mix of familiar (many locals on bike) and tourist, but sometimes it is very busy.
So far so good?
No
On their website you can find that westvletern 8 and 12 must not be refrigerated, but served at cellar temperature. Only the blond can be refrigerated and served cold.
So why in THE place (ideally the only place) were you could find westvleteren beers they serve them all cold? This is a non sense. So you can enjoy the blond but 8 and 12 are completely ruined. You can wait, try to warm the glass with your hands, but then carbonation is gone and the experience is totally ruined.
On a visit in 2013 I saw with my eyes they poured the beer with the bottle neck in the beer, killing taste and carbonation. It seems they have no respect for their own product.
So, nice place, nice surroundings, good (simple) food but awful service.
If you go to in de vrede order a beer but ask to have the bottle and pour it yourself: you will not have a 8 or a 12 at right temperature, but at least you can pour it as it deserves.
May 11, 2017
Photo of CraigTravor
Reviewed by CraigTravor from California

4.13/5  rDev -1.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.25
It is tough to fairly rate this place objectively. For selection, technically they don't have much.... But the 3 they have are phenomenal. The place is serene and new. The snack food is quite perfect. I am glad to finally visit.
Jul 04, 2016
 
Rated: 3.7 by aRedLetterLife from New Jersey

May 05, 2016
 
Rated: 4.2 by beerdeer from Belgium

Dec 01, 2015
 
Rated: 4.04 by jrfehon33 from Pennsylvania

Nov 07, 2015
 
Rated: 4.75 by mattmarka1 from Minnesota

Nov 05, 2015
 
Rated: 4.69 by jkhara12 from England

Nov 03, 2015
 
Rated: 4.39 by tjaleks from Illinois

Oct 29, 2015
Photo of Domingo
Reviewed by Domingo from Colorado

4.05/5  rDev -3.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
There isn't a lot to say about In De Vrede, but that's a good thing.
You want to drink the 3 Westvleteren beers and get some nice snack food? This is the place to do it. It's near Poperinge which is roughly a 2-hour drive from Brussels and hour drive from Brugge. In the grand scheme of things, that's not that far to drink 3 world-class beers.
As expected, it's isolated and located at the end of a winding series of country roads. The Abbey is just up the street, too. It's a beautiful area...even on a rainy day.
The menu is straightforward enough. They offer the 3 Westvleteren beers (Blonde, 8/Dubbel, and 12/Quad) and small sandwiches and snacks. I highly recommend the local cheese that is also made by the monks. It's delicious and approachable. The cake made with hops is also tasty and unique.
Service is fine. Typical for Belgium. Prices are extremely low considering the typical cost for Westvleteren bottles elsewhere.
Want beer to go? That can be a little trickier, but it IS available. When we arrived at noon on a Tuesday and there was a sign specifically stating (in English no less) that beer was currently unavailable. Pretty disheartening, huh? That said, at 1PM the sign mysteriously disappeared and a line formed by the gift shop. In other words, don't give up if you see the sign. 6-packs were 20 Euros each and they had all 3 varieties in branded boxes. Each person could buy up to 12 bottles. They appeared to have 40-50 visible boxes of each type, but I have no idea if there is more out of sight.
Westvleteren typically sells for 11-20 Euros per bottle in Brussels and the setting is beautiful, so I highly recommend making the trek if you can. I'll definitely be heading back when I go back to Belgium.
Sep 18, 2015
 
Rated: 3.94 by McMegaRad from Colorado

Sep 15, 2015
 
Rated: 4.31 by desint from Belgium

Aug 06, 2015
 
Rated: 4.18 by SCW from New York

Jun 01, 2015
Photo of Rifugium
Reviewed by Rifugium from North Dakota

3.66/5  rDev -12.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.25 | food: 3.5
This is the touristy portion of your Westvleteren trip. You visit the monastery and witness the serenity within, then get the contrasting atmosphere of this more commercialized restaurant. In de Vrede could easily be any basic family-focused eatery in the world, but when you make the trip to Westvleteren, you obviously should be going here.

Across the way from the brewery/abbey, a verdant walkway leads you to the In de Vrede. Inside is quite spacious with a lot of seating, and even early in the day, the place is packed. There is no bar, just table service. Beer selection is limited to the three abbey beers, as you would expect (bottle pours). You can purchase Westvleteren bottles many places in Belgium, but you'll probably never find them at the prices offered at the source. And if you're lucky--as I was--there may be 6-pack sales in the gift shop...look for a line to form suddenly, and you'll know that's what it's for. Twenty euros for 6 bottles of Westy12? Sure, I'll go for that. Plenty of other merch and dry goods available as well. Lining up for cases/crates at the brewery is not something I've personally experienced, so I have no real advice to give on that.

Service was spotty and somewhat hectic, but understandably so, as there were only a few servers tending a very large crowd. Food options were limited to snacky items and meat-and-cheese-plate style sandwiches; everything we had was tasty.

Westvleteren and In de Vrede makes for a good outing during a trip to Belgium. The restaurant isn't a place I'd normally go to if it were in a city (just not my preferred atmosphere when I'm enjoying a beer), but it's definitely a destination that's worth the trip. Make sure you visit De Struise as well, as it's only about 10 minutes away.
May 24, 2015
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

4.71/5  rDev +12.1%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
As this is the only place to get Westvleteren, the selection can’t be beat. Had the 12 with dinner, the 8 with dessert and finished with the blonde. Truly a day to be remembered...
May 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3.84 by HopBelT from Belgium

Mar 31, 2015
Photo of dabone
Rated by dabone from Washington

4.4/5  rDev +4.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Enjoyable place that serves Westys. Good atmosphere, good luck buying a six pack of 12's.
Mar 14, 2015
 
Rated: 4.4 by HookemHoos from Virginia

Mar 10, 2015
 
Rated: 4.39 by ninkasibrew from Lebanon

Feb 19, 2015
 
Rated: 4.48 by Highbury09 from North Carolina

Feb 12, 2015
Photo of GJ40
Reviewed by GJ40 from North Carolina

4.54/5  rDev +8.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 3.75 | selection: 5 | food: 4
We finally made the pilgrimage and it was well worth it. Unfortunately they weren't selling any beer in the shop. So we sat down and sampled the 6, 8 and 12 along with a cheese and bread plate. It was fantastic! The crowd seemed a mix of beer travelers, religious travelers and locals.

We came back the next day and they had all three beers for sale in the shop. Unfortunately, we were running low on space so we bought only a six of 8 and another of 12. I think we could have gotten double that.

The experience is somewhat limited but still well worth a visit.
Feb 06, 2015
 
Rated: 3.89 by simoen from Belgium

Dec 28, 2014
Photo of almostjay
Reviewed by almostjay from Virginia

4.28/5  rDev +1.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
This place feels pretty "antiseptic", but if you're in search of the XII (which I think people might not be anymore?) you should feel pretty grateful that this place exists. I think I had a ham and cheese sandwich while I was there as well, it was pretty good. Also, watch out for grain harvesters on the little rural roads as you head back to civilization.
Dec 22, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by Amehring from North Carolina

Dec 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by rodzm14 from Washington

Dec 04, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by samEBC from Belgium

Nov 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by reduction from Lebanon

Nov 06, 2014
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Reviewed by Footballtennishockeygolf from New Jersey

5/5  rDev +19%
Located about 45 minutes by foot from Poperinge which provides the best connections via train to the rest of Belgium. The walk is incredibly scenic as you walk amongst the very hop fields that are used to cultivate the ingredients that go into Westvleteren's beer. The pub pops up seemingly in the middle of nowhere along with the monastery right next door. The back porch offers a picturesque view of the countryside as you sample what is considered by some to be the best beer in the world. An amazing experience to say the least
Nov 01, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by JackNip from Delaware

Oct 24, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by WynnO from Florida

Sep 19, 2014
In de Vrede in Westvleteren, Belgium
Place rating: 4.2 out of 5 with 123 ratings