Café Hollander
Name of restaurant:
Café Hollander Madison
701 Hilldale Drive
Madison, WI 53705
Café Hollander
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Date of visit: Tuesday, October 25 @ 7:00pm
Star rating: 4 Tails
This week we headed to Café Hollander at Hilldale in Madison, WI. This location is a blast, right in the middle of the action of a shopping and entertainment district. It’s a fairly large restaurant, two stories, with a huge bar area, and ample outdoor seating as well. And, for a Tuesday night, was impressively busy. I always think you can gauge how good a place will be, by how busy it is, and if this random Tuesday was any indication, we knew we were about to be very pleased. And we were.
As we walked in, immediately the place is a vibe. The bartender was incredible even though we didn’t get to spend much time with him and then we were seated in a booth sort of away from folks as to not be super obnoxious to the other guests as we do our little show. Then Signe came to wait on us and she was fabulous. Very attentive, extraordinarily knowledgeable and mostly just incredibly sweet.
To start, the menu is exactly what we had hoped for. Twas extensive (like over 80 beers on one side extensive) to be sure, but inclusive with a solid Zero Proof section on the same menu everyone else is ordering drinks off of and with several solid options. Bridget had the Bourbon and Coffee as well as the Blueberry Smash (made with gin) off the Cocktail portion of the menu and Katy had a couple of her favorite beers from Athletic Brewing off of the Zero Proof portion of the menu. The Zero Proof was even well mixed in on the menu, right below wines, next to seltzers. Allowing everyone to have the same experience is so important, and these folks nailed it. Of note, the CSL (club soda with a lime) also came like a cocktail. Bonus points, Café Hollander!
After we drank and told all of our fabulous viewers about the drinks options and inclusive experience, we ordered some food. A great shrimp appetizer with amazing broccoli, a salad, some sliders and two different kinds of frites. Don’t sleep on all of the dipping sauces!
We were very happy with this experience start to finish and will absolutely be back with more friends and family. Highly recommend this as a spot where everyone can enjoy the experience, regardless of what’s in their glass.
Drinks: Great
Food: Great
Service: Great
