Latest reviews from Villers Devant Orval

“2018 visit to Orval Brewery ended with a late lunch in this cafe where the Petite Orval was enjoyed : great service & food selection , fabulous surrounding landscape .“

TrappistRates36 74 days ago

“Quite an ordinary café in itself, but with fantastic surroundings. And with fresh Petite Orval an tap! Good service.“

ekstedt 262 days ago

“Visit december 2019“

KegTickers59 1589 days ago

“A brasserie nearby the Orval Abbey, the one place to drink “the other Orval”. It’s a neat brasserie with a decent menu. Everything is tied to Orval beer and cheese or other local specialties. To be honest it’s a bit of a soulless place, but it was nice to have the Orval Vert. Which is somehow still called Petite Orval on RateBeer however that name doesn’t exist in the real world anno 2019, and probably hasn’t for a while. Food quality is decent but nothing to rave about. Portions are quite generous. You already read about the beer choice in every other review.“

sjogro 1729 days ago

“Visited with friends the 17th February 2019 - Very nice and modern place near to the Orval Abbey. Friendly staff and very clean place. We really enjoyed the moment. Beers available are Orval on bottle which can be young or old (2 years old) or Petit Orval, which is a draft and light alcohol version and quite hoppy. Or you can have Jupiler 0.0% :). We tried to cheese which is amazing great, 3 versions are available, young, old and with Orval. I recommend all of them. We didn't try the food but it looks great and for a good value! Highly recommended.“

sir__v 1883 days ago

“Orvalliflette en groene Orval, zijn de specialiteiten. De laatste keer dat ik er was had ik een groene Orval, een gewone Orval en een oude Orval gedronken, Zo kan je het verschil fijn proeven. Als gerecht had ik de Orval kaaskroketjes en een Tagliatelle met Orvalkaas genomen, miste was panache maar was zeker niet slecht! Op 12/12/18 at ik een zuurkoolschotel met prima artisanaal vlees, eenvoudig bereid maar dikke top kwaliteit!!“

DraftWhisperer85 1953 days ago

“Only place in the world where they serve the Orval Vert or Petit Orval, a nice and bitter, freshly hopped Orval cousin. They actually have three beers: Orval Vert, Orval and Orval 1 year old. While we were there several people around us complained about the lack of "normal" beer which is quite funny when you think of it. Food was fine, the "stoofvlees" in Orval beer was tasty and luckily came in a normal portion. Service was great: they speak French but also English and Dutch which doesn't come naturally in the restaurants in this part of Belgium. They offered to give an extra plate for my 1,5 year old son. The building itself is not very special, but the terrace has (partially) a great view on the monastery at the end of the road and everywhere you have the forest and hills to enjoy.“

tmibuckley1974 2091 days ago

“Nice place to visit in combination with the Orval Abbey, mainly because of the Green Orval (Petit Orval) and Original Orval. Did not try their food. Ambiance is ok but not that special. Modern and Orval related, of course. Pretty busy. Service is good, prices are fair. Go there to get the unique opportunity to taste the Green Orval, but don't expect too much of the place itself.“

EvNa 2097 days ago

“Just picture yourself at the heart of the Ardennes, surrounded by trees and birds and miles away from the nearest town when, in the middle of the forest, you happen to find an enormous and beautiful abbey and, just beside, this inn. There you can quench your thirst with just a couple of beers -but what beers! You get to taste the all-rare Petite Orval, to begin with, and then they cellar its big sister so you can have one older than 12 months. Really worth it (I'd say even if you're not a lot into beers, because it's rather a unique experience.)“

huineman 2241 days ago

“2016 August. Came there for the Petit Orval. Quite a long journey down there from Cologne, and back. So only had a handful of hours. Sat outside, enjoying the beautiful nature surrounding the place and Orval abbey itself. Food was simple and good, maybe lil bit to expensive for working class like me, but it's not that like i am complaining. Beer was just magical. A L’Ange Gardien is example of the case, where nor the food, nor the beer is the most important, but the whole package and experience. And it was the most pleasant one I had visiting trappist abbeys of Belgium.“

deuxmortim 2330 days ago

“Quite modern place next to the abbey. Must visit to try the Petit Orval. They also offer young and old Orval, the old one being at least one year old. Food was excellent aswell.“

rhoihessegold 2370 days ago

“Very cool to go and check out the grounds of the old abbey prior to visiting the cafe. The cafe is very nice, a good public face for the trappist abbey. Food was solid for what it is, cheese plates and sandwiches, salad, all made with stuff from the abbey. The one bottle, obviously, which is surprisingly quite different when fresh, and if you’re lucky they may have the Petit Orval on tap.“

jbruner 2539 days ago

“Visited last week, service was great, food was excellent, overall worth a visit.“

SVD 2829 days ago

“200m from Orval abbey. Not very far from Ange Gardien... I registered this place because of the quality of the food. Orval suits very well with their "jambon de Gaume" and their trout ***. Classic french restaurant inside. You won’t find Orval on tap... just Orval and other classic belgian ales. Ok service.“

VDuquerroux 2843 days ago

“The semi-official restaurant, next to the abbey. Except for the gift shop in the abbey itself, the closest you can get without special open brew days. And, of course, the famous Petit Orval is here, the only Orval on tap and quite frankly a stunning beer. Worth the visit alone! The food was very fresh, better than expected (although I didn;t care much for their bread). service is very(!) quick and friendly too although very young and thus not the most experienced. Doesn’t matter. Drink the super fresh orval with some better-than-expected food and life is good. Then get to the gift shop to stash up on cheap Orval beer and memorabilia.“

erickok 2939 days ago

“It was a sunny day when we visited. At the outside, the first floor was almost empty when we came in, so service was good, but in like 15 minutes it he was completly packed and the service totally failed... Only one guy to take orders, not the most efficient guy, so we had to wait a very long time to get an extra Orval, or the bill etc etc. But it’s always nice to drink a beer you can’t find anywhere else, it’s a nice place to hang out, prices are ok, so you should stop and have a drink when you’re there, but don’t have to high expectations... Update: visited this place 6-7 times already now. Last time was februar of 2016. Seems like they upped their service and quality of the food a little. Prices are sooo good! 2.5 euro for a glass of the petit Orval, 3 euro for a young one and 3.5 euro for a aged one (>1y). Try the meatballs with the Orval-potatoe!“

Mathieu87 2993 days ago

“Nice modern Orval’s restaurant near the abbey. The only place where "Petit Orval" can be drunk. And carry good appetizers and food. Too modern I would say, but the service is friendly and the surroundings are majestic.“

ruigo 3089 days ago

“This is a rating for the self guided tour around the monastery along with the restaurant. If you are there, make sure you walk the grounds as it is far worth the cost. What an experience from an historical aspect to see the remains of the original monastery. Nice gift shop to stop at and get beer or schwag. The restaurant itself offered a variety of Orvals (3 I recall!) and the food was decent. Had a 33cl of the aged Orval, mmm good!“

larryLSB 3198 days ago

“Orval’s restaurant, professionally run and probably the only place in Belgium where you can be sure to taste the green (’petit’) Orval - but do not go to this far-out place only for that, as this is probably just regular Orval diluted with water. The environment is beautiful, though, so if you visit the Orval abbey, make sure to stop by.“

Alengrin 3225 days ago

“My wife and I visited the abbey in hopes of trying the famed Petit Orval and exploring the monastery grounds. We did just that. The grounds are really very beautiful, and we took many pictures. We also visited the shop inside the walls of the monastery. That is the busiest place we visited in our whole european vacation! I would place money that over 100 cases of Orval left the shop in the ten minutes we were there. People were bringing dolly’s in just to take their haul out. I’m not quite sure what that is all about, but it seemed very odd to me, especially since you can buy that beer almost everywhere in Belgium, and all over the world. But on to the review of A L’Ange Gardien. It is located near the beginning of a long road that leads to the abbey itself. Very modern inside and out, with quite a lot of seating. The ability to speak some french will go a long ways here. This is about the only place we had any real language barrier with speaking English. Fortunately, though, we were able to place our order for a beer and a sampling of their cheese. Our order came out very quickly. The beer was alright and the cheese was pretty good, especially the 18 month. Pricing was decent as well. We spent less than 10 Euro on the visit. If you are a fan of Orval, I recommend making this trek and spending a couple hours.“

JStax 3243 days ago

“Located just a hundred metres from the abbey, this modern and spacious restaurant is now the only place where you can taste Petit Orval, which I duly did. The staff are busy but they do their job well, and they obviously know all the differences between the Orvals they serve :-) The food is great - I had Plat "Terroir", a selection of local meats and cheese with some bread and pickles. Yummy. Not expensive and definitely worth visiting, even if you have tasted the beer before. The view from the terrace is just superb. I will gladly come back here.“

Bamsen78 3554 days ago

“Restaurant that takes care of dining and drinking the hordes of tourists that make it to Orval. The beer selection is great, you can have old Orval (bottle), young Orval (bottle) or Petit Orval (tap) - what more can you want? The food is pretty bad, cafeteria level stuff, had some duck leg that was darn near inedible - probably should have gone with the orvaliflette, potatoes bacon and Orval cheese can’t go wrong. The service was pretty pro, nice and efficient. They have a shop with some cool merch as well, but the abbey is much better for that. Good place to drink some Orval.“

JulienHuxley 3561 days ago

“Just a few yards next to Orval Abbey. Beautiful view from the patio. Nice modern restaurant. Proper glassware. OK service. Petit Orval or "Orval vert" can only be drink here. Always a pleasure to stop there to drink an Orval with the sound of bells and fresh aromas from the Ardenne forest. A "return to roots" and a place of pilgrimage for me.“

VDuquerroux 3566 days ago

“Modern and touristy place in Orval. Only place where you can try petit Orval. Service ok but not exceptional.“

JefVerstraete 3578 days ago

“A very modern restaurant, but linked to Orval monastery. But main thing is they serve Petit Orval, which one can only buy here. So 15 out of 15 in rating on selection. Service is OK, regular. Beer is perfect, so was omelet.“

vipinvelp 3656 days ago

“This is a cafe near the monastery. The monastery itself is glorious, huge, old, ruins, big crates of beer and bricks of cheese. The cafe just down the road is kind of a let down. It has the atmosphere of a university cafeteria, with the disinterested service to match. You come here for the Orval Vert on tap, which at this point is just about the only way to get that beer. They also have some aged bottles of regular Orval, so theoretically you could put together a really cool tasting. But they haven’t really organized anything like that. What do I want? Atmosphere - like let me look at the monastery. Service - show some passion. These people are clearly jaded after so many tour buses. They have completely forgotten that they are in a beer pilgrimage site, serving one of the greatest beers ever made.“

Oakes 3681 days ago

“Le cadre d’Orval est magnifique, et il est vraiment sympa à voir. Le restaurant n’a rien d’exceptionnel même si la nourriture à base de bière est sympa, cependant les moines ont encore beaucoup de boulot sur le fromage il devrait faire un échange culturel avec des moines fromagers français. En revanche pour les geeks de la bière c’est le paradis car il ya le petit Orval, seul Orval à la pression au Monde.“

freretoc 3694 days ago

“Went there after visiting the Orval monastry to try the Petit Orval. The service was a bit slow but when we eventually had our food and drinks we really enjoyed it.“

thanatosti 3759 days ago

“Auberge de l’Ange De Gardien was our first stop on a day of driving through southern Belgium and was a great way to start. We were fortunate enough to have clear skies and shining sun while we wandered through the monastery and were then able to sit down and enjoy an Orval and try Petit Orval (which was actually better than expected). Auberge de l’Ange De Gardien is extremely modern and clean cut which is in stark contrast to the monastery. The service was very good and we shared some cheese made using Orval beer which was just OK. A must when in southern Belgium but not really a venue that you would need to return to.“

brim 3811 days ago

“I agree with the previous rater fully. The cafe was a sinful disappointment after the monastery visit. I was literally in tears walking through the sublime atmosphere of the monastery, especially when able to sit down by the legendary fountain. A huge fan of archaeological ruins, I spent much time (several hours) with the exhibits and the site. Afterwards, I was looking forward to the liquid sustenance to correspond with the spiritual sustenance but felt like the cafe is a deliberate antipode to the monastery! The decor is horrible, but that could be forgiven if everything else was in order. Service was indifferent, and occasionally rude. Food is good when you consider that they have the three different monk cheese made at the monastery (so you don’t have to buy a whole kilo yourself) but otherwise the menu is uninspired. Worst yet, the beers (especially the bottles) are served way too cold. What are they thinking?? There was no ceremony, no reverence for the beer at all. It was a great honor to come for the Petite Orval but the lack of both atmosphere and sincerity left a bad taste in the mouth.“

Beershine 3831 days ago

“pretty lame bar, low on ambiance and full of old people visiting Orval and non-beerdrinkers... but hey, they serve Petit orval (and thus raising the selection grade...) the food was good also!“

LomYst 3879 days ago

“Visited after my Orval abbey visit. As a place its nothing special. Very nice location and natural environment. BUT if you are a beer geek, you must go there after your Orval Abbey visit. Its the only place you can try the Orval petit on draft.“

greenclansman 3929 days ago

“Visited while driving through on the way from Germany to Paris. Nothing outstanding, but a must visit for beer geeks. Had some food and a draft Orval with the Family. Glad I stopped.“

sdcourtney 4028 days ago

“Petit Orval on draft, normal and old Orval in bottles. Great to have some beers and a meal after visiting the ruines. The food was nice too.“

jvdijk99 4201 days ago

“Jonge and Petit Orval. If you sit outside you can see the monastery. I was surprised how commercial it was and the number of tourists there were visitng. Bought a 12 pack of Orval at the shop for 16 Euro’s. Not the cheapest Orval in Belgium funny enough. The man in the shop told be that Petit Orval never had been bottled. I told him it wasnt true and we almost had a big embarrasing argument going on. Long away from Antwerp/Brussels (200Km). If located there it is a 1 day trip. Food at Ange Garden is delicious.“

Dedollewaitor 4242 days ago

“Very nice ( tough modern ) place that’s very nice to have a drink and grab something to eat ( of the very good menu btw ! ) when you’re visiting the Abbey. The beer altough offocurse Orval only has 2 beers is great and the food , if you offcourse like Abbey cuisine / Belgian food is very good ! very nice place , must say that !“

BelgBeerGeek 4265 days ago

“The trappist Abbey is a must visit for all beer geeks although it is a bit outside the beaten track in Belgium. The Orval beer is widespread and is even easy to get in Norway! But, I came to try Petit Orval (Orval Vert) fresh from tap. A lovely beer! At Ratebeer it is listed as 3,5 % and at Ange Gardien as 4,5 %. To bad that the service was extremely slow. Sitting by a table for 10-15 minutes waiting to order a beer is way to long. The place was not crowded at all. My message: Hurry up! (Visited July 3rd 2012)“

Bryne 4284 days ago

“They’ve got petit orval. That is it.“

rotjoch 4337 days ago

“Visited last Friday at lunch time, right after visiting the abbey grounds -which make for a lovely stroll and a good feel of the heritage. Ange Gardien is located in a rather big, quite modern building. When we were there, only the ground floor was open, which meant we had to wait about 15 minutes for a place to sit. Very decent food, well made and quite affordable. Choice of bottled fresh and aged Orval, and on draught the unique Orval Vert (green, petit Orval). The Orval Vert is utterly splendid when fresh, and when I was there it was fresh, really fresh. It would definitely be my session beer of choice (and I do envy the monks).
A MUST visit for beer lovers!“

Martinus 4351 days ago

“Visited twice, a few years back and last year, but unfortunately it was closed for renovation the last time. Spaceous building, only visited the ground floor, big benches, lots of tiles (looks a bit like a big butcher’s shop), a very old-fashioned Belgian style bar. Had the Petit Orval and the regular Orval which were great, some Orval cheese (not really spectacular, rather tasteless). Of course this is a must-visit when you’re in the area, if only for the Petit Orval. The surroundings and the abbey are beautiful, absolutely worth the trip. Like Rastacouere said, if you want to visit just one Trappist brewery, Orval should be your choice.“

Borresteijn 4351 days ago

“Notice: The Restaurant reopened on July 2011. It is especially significant that they serve Orval Vert 4.5 on tap exclusively. Food was nice but, to my disappointment, troutie was not treated any more.“

BriSava 4449 days ago

“The infamous Orval restaurant is located just a few hundred meters up the road to the grandest Trappist abbey. The restaurant is actually huge, on 3 or 4 levels with enormous windows. Surprisingly modern like most Trappist abbeys attached restaurants. While we visited on a weekend, this one was particularly touristic, even attracting a bus of Japanese despite the fairly remote location. The fresh Orval was served 4 months old, I’d have been curious to try it younger, but it was not possible. The diluted version is worth the curiosity and still a great beer by any standards, but inferior by a fair margin. While we ate well in all Trappist restaurants, L’Ange Gardien will hold a special place in my heart. The menu is very varied and interesting. I had an excellent Orvaliflette for a mere 9.30 euros and my girlfried had a foie gras and seasonal wild mushroom tagliatelle meal that was plain sublime. In the last few weeks, we’d had similar plates in many tables including Toqué, generally acknowledged as the best in Montreal and the Ange Gardien plate was actually tastier. The portion was huge, not even considering its 13 euros price tag and trust me none was leftover. Exceptionally photogenic areas. The beautiful surroundings including lakes, fountains and ruins can be visited for 5.50 euros, a no-brainer. If you’re going to visit one Trappist, pick Orval.“

Rastacouere 4547 days ago

“Currantly closed and being renovated. I hope they don’t spoil it in the same way that the Westmalle, Chimay and Westvleteren taps have been. They seem to be retaining the 1930 facade which is a good sign. Even with the cafe closed, it’s worth coming here to wander round the abbey ruins with the spectacular ’new’ abbey as a backdrop. My ratings will be updated after cafe re-opens in July.“

baxterfish 4699 days ago