Café Hollander - Tosa
| Address: | 7677 W State St, Wauwatosa, WI 53213, USA |
| Phone: | +1 414-475-6771 |
| Site: | cafehollander.com |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
| Working: | 8AM–12AM 8AM–12AM 8AM–12AM 8AM–12AM 8AM–12AM 8AM–12AM 8AM–12AM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
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Erica Steadman
My husband and I frequent this restaurant a lot. Especially on the weekends when its a nice day and we want to eat outside. The service is usually pretty good and the food is always delicious. But when my husband and I (and 5 month old baby) came to eat there last Sunday over Labor Day weekend, we saw something that was quite unusual for this restaurant - no umbrellas. The sun was blazing down on all of their patrons. We have a small baby and it would not have been a good idea to sit out there. But we didnt want to waste the nice day sitting inside either. It was 80 degrees, sunny and clear blue skies. So I went inside to ask about the umbrella situation. The hostess and what appeared to be the manager at the time were behind the desk. I asked if they would be putting out umbrellas today since it was so sunny and hot. The manager told us that there was a forecast of 15 - 20 mph winds and that there would be no umbrellas. I looked at him like he was crazy because there was only a slight breeze (hardly any of the trees were moving) outside. And that was that. There wasnt any attempt to try to accomodate us elsewhere or even try to move a table into the shade for us and our little one. So we just left and went and went shopping to buy food to eat on our own patio at home. But would have much rather enjoyed the nice day at whats usually a very accommodating and pleasant restaurant. And to be honest, Ive seen Cafe Hollander packed on nice days like that one. There really wasnt very many people there at all. Maybe putting out a few umbrellas would have garnered a few more customers. I know it would have for us. And now theyve just put my husband and I (frequent customers) in a bad mood. So we probably wont be returning for a while. Upper management should discuss this lack of accommodation with the front-house managers on staff.
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A Private User
Luckily this place is in a hot location.. I think people keep returning regularly because of the outdoor seating and great bloody marys. The abience is great.. The inside seating is interesting and pleasant, but the outdoor summer seating is awesome.. Hopefully they can get that situation with the pedestrian bridge fixed soon, so we can enjoy the full outdoor seating benefits. The food? Better than average but not excellent. Somewhat creative menu, but they could use more traditional food as well. The prices- for what you get are a dollar or two more than what youd expect to pay at similar "pubs".. Service- the weakest link.. Sometimes you get a good staff person, and sometimes you get a horrible one. Sometimes wed ask for something special with the meal like curry ketchup or ranch sauce, and then when the meal arrived it wouldnt be with the meal. Worse yet, they would forget it the second time after we reminded them about it. Also, sometimes you sit at your table for almost 5 minutes before waitstaff comes with menus or offering beverages.. 5 minutes at a restaurant table is an eternity when it comes to getting that initial visit. Someone on Urbanspoon or Yelp said something about "Dont complain about the service.. McDonalds service is bad but I bet you go there 3 times a week too." The difference? McDonalds burgers are at most $4 apiece.. Hollanders burgers are $8 or $9,. You also dont EXPECT good service from McDonalds. What a horrible comparison. So overall I do like Hollander but I really wish theyd spruce up the menu and/or re-train their staff to be more attentive, timely, and helpful.
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Kate L
New home is within walking distance, and we decided to try it out on a Sunday for brunch. Waitress was pleasant, but I would not say friendly or particularly attentive. After taking our order, we saw her once as she checked in after dropping food at an adjacent table, then once again for payment. We had passed up breakfast to try Hollander for brunch, and were fairly hungry. My husband ordered the Eggs Benedict ($9.99), I ordered the Hot Mess Skillet ($12.99), and our son, ever the adventurer, ordered the Sconnie Burger ($14.99). We figured at those prices, wed be taking food home, which was acceptable to us. VERY disappointed with portion size in relation to cost, and slightly disappointed in the quality of the meal. When the food showed up we discovered the Eggs Benedict very standard, top and bottom of nothing-special english muffin, acceptable egg consistency, and decent hollandaise sauce, with about 3/4 cup of overcooked (almost burned) potatoes. Though it was very tasty, the Hot Mess Skillet came in a cast iron dish 8" round and about 1.5" deep (yet plated on an insanely large plate, which made it look even smaller). The Sconnie burger arrived squished and seemed undersized, with four lukewarm cheese curds skewered at the top. DEFINITELY not worth $15. Overall, its a shame a place so close to our home has been crossed off our list of acceptable dining options.
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Aine M.
Went here once last summer and it was great. Went here again a few weeks ago and the food wasnt as great but still decent. It was the service that was mainly the issue. The server had a bit of an attitude from the time we were greeted. We asked for coffee with milk, not creamer. She brought it out and brought this tiny little jug (maybe an inch and a half tall) of milk. She said she hates to waste and most of the time people dont use all the milk so she just brought out this portion but if we needed more she would get it. Well my mom and I rashioned it out between ourselves and wanted more but with her attitude we didnt want to ask for anything. She could clearly see it was empty when she came back and never offered to get more.....that was just the beginning of our meal...before the food. That said, Ive been here a few times and the service was fairly good but that girl just ruined this location for me.
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John Bertucci
Cafe Hollander is one of, I think, two other "sister" bars in the Milwaukee area. They specialize in Belgium beer and have a crazy big selection. The prices can be steep as some beers are exclusively imported. I enjoy getting the "sampler" plate (or meter if theres enough friends) as I enjoy tasting a variety of beer. The Tosa location is real quaint. Its downtown, which is a wonderful area and the bar spreads some of its outdoor seating across the wide pedestrian stone bridge that goes over the river. A nice outdoor dinning experience, except if mosquitoes are bad. The food menu is reasonably small and way smaller than the beer menu. The food is good and offer a nice variety of options from burgers, pastas to fish. On a nice night, you can take a stroll around the downtown area to stretch your legs after dinner. The service was average, nothing to really talk about.
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Adam Wisowaty
Place just screams average to me. We went yesterday, my first time, my GF her second or third time. Awesome beer selection, will give it that all day! Beer is overpriced but understood with outdoor seating and such. Food, is seriously average, anyone who thinks it is amazing needs to get out of the city of Milwaukee or Tosa from time to time. We split a lb of mussels and a chopped chicken salad.. Both were just meh, the mussels were very small and the portion was lack luster. Service terrible, I know it was super busy so we did not make it a big deal even when we got the wrong check for triple what we ordered..LOL All in all, I do not think I would do back to eat, maybe a cold overpriced Belgian on a summer evening on the patio but that is about it.
