I was so excited to visit Cafe Hollander after seeing it was open, but was underwhelmed with both the food and service.
The space is the real highlight of this restaurant, being modern and sleek with ample outdoor space and quirky decorations (bikes on the ceiling!) and a vibrant open feel.
Cafe Hollander is associated with a few restaurants in Milwaukee and I've been to their Benelux restaurant in downtown Milwaukee, which I liked quite a bit. Unfortunately, Hollander Hilldale didn't stack up.
Hollander tries to pride itself on its beers because they have a large selection of Belgian beers, but they all seem similar and are marked up compared to similar restaurants. I struggled to find a beer that I found worth the price they wanted.
I really enjoy typical "Belgian" fare and thought the food would be better, but was pretty disappointed with my "Vedge" burger. The actual patty was pretty good, but the bun looked like it was store brand and at the bottom of the bag. The fries were also pretty tasteless and mooshy, nothing like other "frites" that I've had.
Combine lousy food and drink with a somewhat-absent waiter and you get 2 stars. The space is the best part of this place and I'll probably give it another try once it's warm outside.