Local Restaurant Review at Cafe Hollander, 701 Hilldale Way, Madison, Wisconsin.
We went on a Thursday night. We arrived at 5:00 PM. Without a reservation, we were seated right away. The hostess was courteous. The restaurant has a very cool shabby chic vibe that is infused with bicycles. Carson couldn’t stop talking about the decor. There was also a large bar. We were served quickly by a waitress that was full of energy. We asked her what she liked and she gave recommendations. Matt and Carson decided to go heavy on the appetizers with a Bruschetta Flatbread that they snarfed down so fast I barely got a picture of it. They both thought it was amazing. We had also been told to try a Sweet Potato Frite Cone which was so good – we tried it with the Curry Ketchup and Garlic Aioli dipping sauces. Both were delicious.
Once our food came, we were already stuffed! Matt had the Dutch Quarter Jambalaya which he said was spicy, I had the Crispy Chicken Bowl which I added some of the garlic aioli to get even more flavor and Carson had the BLT & A which he mentioned that he wished he had been more adventurous with his selection as he had been so blown away by the appetizers. We ended up boxing up all of our main meals and taking them home because we were so full. For the road, Matt got an order of the gulden draak pecan pie w/ vanilla ice cream that he liked very much. Cafe Hollander is located on the back side of Hilldale on the West side of Madison. There was ample lot parking. The pricing was in the medium range. We felt it was a good value. Our team gave us a gift card for Christmas so that was how we paid. A fun thing to try in the future, would be the outdoor eating domes. Ambiance and food are both enjoyable – highly recommend!
Food Ratings:
Bruschetta Flat Bread -10+
Frites Cone – Sweet Potato – 10
Curry Ketchup – 10
Garlic Aioli – 10
BLT & A – 7
Crispy Chicken Bowl – 8
Dutch Quarter Jambalaya – 8
Gulden Draak Pecan Pie W/ Vanilla Ice Cream – 9