Café Hollander

botham

Illinois

4.7/5  rDev +17.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$$

cafe hollander is a wonderful place to grab a brew, but you will pay for it. the beers are served correctly, in the right glassware, and at the right temperature. these guys know how to serve brews! the only downfalls here are that the selection is heavily biased towards the Belgians, with a mediocre selection of others at best. The prices are also pretty substantial, but still good for a once in a while experience.

i got a Westmalle Trappist Ale for $9. served in a chalice at the perfect temperature (for 9 bucks, it better be).

the food is great as well (try the frites, trust me). good quality and service as well. the food is reasonable, not as expensive as the beers.

check Cafe Hollander out if you are on the eastside of Milwaukee, you will not be dissipointed. cheers!

08-11-2007 03:20:44 | More by botham

zeff80

Missouri

4.7/5  rDev +17.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

While in Milwaukee with my wife's family, my father-in-law asked a local for a good lunch place. The woman recommended Cafe Hollander. After my father-in-law punched the address into his Garmin, he said to me, "The specialize in Belgian beer." My first thought was, okay they got 5-10 bottles of Belgian beer. Man, was I wrong! They have 20 to 25 tap handles that are all Belgian (a couple were Belgian-style beers from the U.S.)!!! Anyplace that has a beer menu that reads like a small book earns high marks from me. It's a cool Euro-cafe in a triangular shaped building. The beer quality was outstanding. Every beer that I sampled tasted great. The tap beers were served in the correct glass. By correct glass I mean that my Corsendonk Christmas Ale was served in a painted "Corsendonk Christmas Ale" goblet. So cool! The service was slow but I still gave it a 4 because they knew how to treat us (a large group with a toddler and an infant) right. Kids menu was great - instead of a huge entree that my daughter couldn't finish, they had several small items pieced together. As for the food frites were amazing with great sauces. The soft pretzels were delicious, too. I ordered sliders for lunch (it's actually an appetizer). They had smoked gouda, caramelized onions and a pretzel bun. It went great with beer #2, Witkap-Pater Singel. None of us ordered a bottled beer, so I can't speak about the freshness of bottles. My father-in-law (a wine guy) thought the beer was expensive, but I disagree. $7.50 for a tap pull of a Belgian that most likely runs $5+ for a 12oz bottle in a liquor store seems like a deal to me. If you like Belgian beers, do NOT miss this place.

01-07-2010 15:02:52 | More by zeff80

evanackerman

Minnesota

4.64/5  rDev +16%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

wow, if you're a fan of Belgian beer it can't get much better than this, very extensive list, I went with my dad and the only thing that was a bit of a problem was the lack of selection for someone more accustomed to drinking American macros or Euro light lagers but at least it forced him to try some new things.

I enjoyed the selection of larger bottles available at a reasonable price.
I did not sample the food but would love to on a return trip, very nice place, reasonable pricing, friendly service. overall a great bar.

08-17-2008 01:14:31 | More by evanackerman

DabblinWiscCraft

Wisconsin

4.38/5  rDev +9.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I lived within walking distance of Cafe Hollander for about two years, but somehow I didn't set foot there until over a year had passed. It's a great spot for a pub of this kind, located on Downer where everything has a nice kind of retro feel to it. The building itself is beautiful, with lots of windows, brick, wood floors, and a cool Dutch cycling theme. The wait staff and bartenders have been good every time we're there: Sometimes the place gets so busy that we don't hear from a server for a while, but they have all been friendly and helpful. The beer menu is a treat unto itself--I think I spent about a half hour trying to read through it the first time I was there. Mostly Belgian brews on tap, and there is a nice selection. I've recently been trying some Unibroue offerings, as well. They are definitely a beer-centric establishment, and it shines through in everything. All the food I've tried there is great: Really tasty burgers, frites, and I thought their Friday fish fry was very good, as well. The taps and other rare bottles can be a bit spendy, but I thought many of the taps and the food were pretty reasonable for Milwaukee pub dining--especially considering the quality you're getting.

Cafe Hollander has quickly become my go-to pub. It has one of the best patios in town, nice hard-to-find beer offerings, and the whole dining experience has never disappointed. If you get to Milwaukee and want a great brunch/lunch spot, you really should check it out. (Incidentally, they also have some of the best Bloody Marys in town.)

07-11-2011 07:40:14 | More by DabblinWiscCraft

campbellj21

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Was in Milwaukee this week on business and stopped by this place for an early dinner/drinks. Good selection of Belgian Beers and some selection of other styles. I really enjoyed how they served the beer in the glass it is supposed to be served in. The waiters/waitresses were friendly and knowledgeable, and one even pointed me to a liquor store that I could pick up some of the selections they were offering at the cafe. I had the Hollander Burger and my wife had the Mashed potatoes over Sausage, both were delicious. The atmosphere in the outside seeting was more than pleasant, this place has become a must GO whenever I make my way back to Milwaukee.

06-19-2009 16:37:16 | More by campbellj21

sabalon

Maine

4.2/5  rDev +5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

i went for a beer and a small bite at 2pm on a weekday, so it was a very sparse. i was the only one at the bar and there were 3 couples scattered. again it was raining, so i lost the chance to capture some of the beer bar atmosphere.

that being said, i sat at the bar, and the bartender was very friendly and attentive. as was the waitress towards the table guests. the only reason i took service down a notch rating it was, while i was there, a customer came in to gather a togo order, and the bartender was almost dismissive of him. minimal interaction.

other than that, i tried a cup of the beef-turkey chili, and i must say it was wonderful. very thick and flavorful. just what the doctor ordered on a rainy and chilly february day.

On tap i ordered the Grimbergen Abbey Ale. always a nice touch when a beer is served in its own glassware. the head was thick and held wonderfully. the beer was dark and solid, and went well with my chili.

overall, the place was very clean and tidy. my timing was off, so i couldn't see the place in action, but otherwise a pleasant experience. so many beers, so little time there, i shall be back

02-12-2009 10:27:33 | More by sabalon

beerquestman

Wisconsin

4.2/5  rDev +5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

The best Belgian beer selection in Wisconsin, and maybe in the Midwest. They have great food (their frites and burgers are awesome). I've been here a bunch of times. They have a few good deals on some exceptional beers, but expensive is the norm.

Some people critique them for being Belgian focused, but they are a Belgian themed bar/restaurant. Thats what you should have. Do they have the best deals int he world... no. Do they have the world's best beer selection...no. Do they have a great atmosphere, some great food and high quality Belgian beers? Yes, they do. So I like to visit once in a while, btu could not afford to be a regular there.

01-23-2011 23:59:48 | More by beerquestman

Brewsconsin

Wisconsin

4.13/5  rDev +3.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

I've been here a handful of times. A few times for breakfast, and other times for a few beers.

They have a nice list of beers. I enjoyed reading through their beer menu. Always good to be at a place where they stress serving it in the correct glass!

Prices will add up pretty quick, especially with food.

I've only had breakfast here and they serve you a good meal. Various delicious breakfast meals. They also have pretty good bloody marys. I've certainly had better, but nothing to complain about. However, once with one of their bloodys, the chaser they served (i don't know what that was) seemed very skunky. It caught me off guard and seem to have a pungent taste.

Great place over all though.

04-18-2009 01:51:19 | More by Brewsconsin

dirtylou

Washington

4.13/5  rDev +3.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

stopped in this place for dinner when an attempt at eating at sister-restaurant Trocadero was trumped by a corporate event

as i walked in, somewhat dejected from the Trocadero-incident, i am greeted by a warm wooden interior and a line of taps that showed great promise. flipping through the duvel-lined beer menu, there are close to 20 taps and many bottles. The menu is organized by style, and the front few pages are taps.

i browsed the bottle selection but stuck to strictly taps on this visit. all of the taps were belgian, with the rare exception of an american-belgian. there were 5 winter-season belgian offerings, which i thought was a nice touch. i went with corsendonk christmas ale and gouden carolus noel.

food was just ok i thought - a lot of sandwiches but kind of strange entrees (pot pies, meat loaf, etc) that didnt really match the belgian beer focus in my eyes. they had a few varietals of mussels but i didnt see anyone eating them, so i stayed away.

prices were fair - 7ish for high-end belgian taps.

cool place, nice vibe

12-06-2009 18:31:09 | More by dirtylou

orbitalr0x

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev +2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$$

Stopped here after Discount Liquor thanks to autmunaldave, as I had never heard of this place before. More of a restaurant than a bar, upon entering you can either head to the bar or be seated at a table. The tables span the floor surrounding the horseshoe shaped back in the middle. Lots of dark wood here with an urban-hip sort of upscale atmosphere, dimly lit.

This is a Belgian centric bar with 12 Belgian brews on tap including Delerium Tremens, Tripel Karmeliet and more. Plenty for everyone to find a favorite. There's also a nice bottle list here as well that was quite impressive, again with Belgians being the focus.

Mussels and frites are on the menu along with plenty of other more American selections. I went with a burger with smoked gouda, ale onions and coarse ground mustard. Ran me about $10 and was tasty, however the overall food didn't blow me away and the prices were a bit on the high side overall.

Our server was attentive and always there to fill up water and ask if we needed anything. Overall, Cafe Hollander was a nice place to go, especially if you enjoy Belgian beers. Just be ready to pay a little more than you might elsewhere.

12-01-2008 02:22:46 | More by orbitalr0x