Café Benelux & Market

Café Benelux & MarketCafé Benelux & Market
Café Benelux & MarketCafé Benelux & Market
Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

346 N Broadway
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53202-5816
United States

(414) 501-2500 | map
cafebenelux.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.2
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
31
pDev:
10%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Beerfayce:
Photo of Beerfayce
Reviewed by Beerfayce from Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -16.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3
I have a good friend bartending at Benelux and have visited a few times, once for dinner, once for drinks and appetizers, and once a stop by the bar.

Entering Benelux requires one to walk past large displays of specialty items, mostly glassware, setting the tone for what is to come.This restaurant is tastefully done in light wood with plenty of relevant Euro and Belgian beer signs and other breweriana. The main dining room is fairly large and open with a beautiful wooden staircase dividing the space; a small and comfortable bar area sits near the South wall with a "market" (per the neighboring Public Market) on the East side of the restaurant selling deli and take out options. Heading upstairs will take you to a glass enclosure, which helps to flood the dining room with light during the daytime, leading to the rooftop for open-air seating.

My first experience was dinner in the main dining room the opening Friday, so I expected some chaos and a crowd as well. My friend had prepared me for the amount of Belgian beer on tap and I was not disappointed; great representation of both bottles and tap focused on Belgian and specialty European beers. I went with the "High Speed Wit", an apparent exclusive from Van Steenberge, and my friend had an Ephemere, also on tap. My beer was served incorrectly in a tulip, but the server noted it before I inquired and immediately offered to comp it for me, which I appreciated. The Mahi-cake sandwich and burger we ordered were decent, if slightly pricey at $13 each. The dining floor seemed to be packed with confused servers and workers running about, but again I expected this as both the opening weekend and because of the quality of service that I have experienced at other restaurants in the same group. Besides the beer mistake and a server attempting to serve us another table's food, everything was decent, although nothing to rave about.

My second trip happened the next week Sunday afternoon with 2 friends- we took seating on the rooftop to enjoy the warm weather and some good beer. Service was worse than my initial experience, with 4 instances of food or drinks that we didn't order coming to our table and long absences by our server (granted, it was packed again). The food was also less impressive: we elected to order and share appetizers and ended up with some tasteless crab croquettes and some house-made "tater tots" that were unpleasant and gummy. The beer was still very good, and served correctly- we were able to try unfamiliar bottles of Scaldis and Dupont, tapper of Hommel beer (not my favorite) and standbys such as Piraat, Chimay, and the rest of the "exclusive" Van Steen tap series, a Dubbel and a Grand Cru.

I hope that they can improve the many service issues and even out some of the food quality as time goes by, but although I won't forsake any of my favorite bars to come to Benelux I will still make stops here from time to time if I want to lighten my wallet and enjoy a great variety of Belgians.
Jun 22, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.51/5  rDev +7.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Set right by the downtown market, sitting on the porch on a warm Wisconsin day with a belgian ale from the tap and frites with mayoanise of course is a perfect combination for your visit to Milwaukee. Everything we drank here was superb, including some rarities from Belgium. We will be back, one of our favorites in MKE
Oct 22, 2022
Photo of cratez
Reviewed by cratez from Canada (ON)

3.71/5  rDev -11.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.5
Visited with my wife on a recent trip to Holland, MI and Milwaukee, WI.

Tried the following:
Lowlands Hollander Belgian IPA (draft)
St. Bernardus Abt 12 (draft)

The Lowlands was decent while the St. Bernardus was drinking beautifully (and in its proper, branded glassware). Tap selection was Belgian-focused but slightly disappointing as I had tried most of the beers on offer. But they deserve points for nailing the European café theme. Pleasant, casual atmosphere at the bar with some games on the flat screens and a nice view of the patio/streetscape. Service was good as the bartender provided samples and did a commendable job of describing the beers. Our overall experience was above average, and we would probably come back.
Apr 13, 2020
 
Rated: 4.29 by ahuey333 from Wisconsin

Mar 29, 2020
Photo of Barnoloid
Reviewed by Barnoloid from Illinois

4.04/5  rDev -3.8%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4
A terrific place to drop in for a meal and a few ales in Milwaukee - this rooftop deck they have is hard to beat. A real mix of patrons, from suited and booted business types to chilled out guys in shorts (yours truly). The beer list is dense and deep, with expected focus on the Belgian side. They have some solid partner brewed ales that are made especially for this local chain. Food is enjoyable belgian meat. frites and mussels
Sep 04, 2017
 
Rated: 4.31 by hoosier222002 from Illinois

Jul 02, 2017
Photo of Dharmelink
Rated by Dharmelink from Wisconsin

4.35/5  rDev +3.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.25
Was there as a last stop at a bachelor party. Awesome if you're into Belgian apes.
Mar 18, 2017
 
Rated: 3 by psoriasaurus from Thailand

Sep 02, 2016
 
Rated: 4.05 by user785335 from Florida

Dec 25, 2015
 
Rated: 4.14 by Angerhaus from Rhode Island

Nov 25, 2015
 
Rated: 4.16 by adamranders from Wisconsin

Oct 24, 2015
Photo of bowzer4birdie
Rated by bowzer4birdie from Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4
One of the best places (if not the best) to grab a Belgian brew in Milwaukee.
Jun 25, 2015
 
Rated: 4.46 by Hendrick24 from Wisconsin

Jun 17, 2015
 
Rated: 4.56 by therealJAYZ from Pennsylvania

May 31, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by brandoman63 from Illinois

Mar 23, 2015
 
Rated: 5 by Markriha from Wisconsin

Dec 09, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by NicolaHopFreak from Hungary

Nov 22, 2014
Photo of pat61
Reviewed by pat61 from Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -10.7%
I would give this place a very high rating for its beer and atmosphere but I would give it barely passing marks for its food. If you want to drink good, interesting beer go here. If you want good food, go somewhere else.
Sep 10, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by mkenole from Wisconsin

Jul 27, 2014
 
Rated: 3.96 by Eman17 from Illinois

Jul 24, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Hrodebert from Michigan

Jul 21, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by heatrate from Wisconsin

Jul 20, 2014
 
 
Rated: 4.25 by TX-Badger from Texas

Jun 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by beersdmf17 from Illinois

Jun 09, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by JVan from Illinois

Apr 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Mugenlude from Wisconsin

Dec 05, 2013
Photo of UtisTheLaw
Reviewed by UtisTheLaw from Texas

3.91/5  rDev -6.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.25 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Visited a friend in Mulwaukee, and he knows of my interest in beer. The restaurant is large with both indoor and rooftop seating. The beer selection, at least coming from Texas, was very impressive. That being said, I have a knack for ordering beers on the menu that places do not have in stock. With a selection of what appeared to be well over 200 beers in bottles and draught, I believe I picked three different times to no avail. Granted, I was eventually brought a Hannsen's Geueze that was no longer in the system, and ended up being charged less than retail for it.

We had brunch, very good french toast, which was aided by a great view and nice weather. I believe my friend enjoyed his eggs. This would be a good place to bring anyone from out of town, and also a nice selection for locals.
Aug 29, 2013
Photo of ForWhatAlesYou
Reviewed by ForWhatAlesYou from Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
A must in Milwaukee.

My family and I recently spent a few days absorbing the beer culture in Milwaukee and Benelux was certainly a diamond in the rough. We arrived here on a tip from our hotel bartender and immediately fell for the ambiance and decor. We entered in through the market side (very cool that this place has a market). We were immediately greeted, seated and very well served. Our server was very helpful and casually friendly and he wasn't shy about discussing beer and brewing even though his personal knowledge base was not huge. He was very interested in knowing more about beer in general and didn't mind learning a little bit from his patron.

We were there for breakfast and enjoyed gigantic pannekoekens, one with hame and a wonderful Belgian beer cheese sauce. We also tried 2 of their signature bloody marys and these were delicious as well. Each was served with a bump of a Belgian wit (this comes from a brewery in Belgium that they exclusively contrat with).

The beer list (book) was extensive and well organized. It was very well made and looked expensive which was really cool considering the fact that they print a new one monthly. My server even allowed me to take one with me which I was happy to do.

I will be back to Milwaukee and will certainly keep Benelux on my itinerary.
Nov 27, 2011
Photo of crossovert
Reviewed by crossovert from Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -11.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 2 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
One of my friends told me about this place, so I went before a Labor Day party before picking up a growler at whole foods.

We sat up on the roof. It is a very nice biergarten, very americanized but still pleasant with nice views of the city.

It was still brunch time and I got the Hodge Podge which was basically just some breakfast foods thrown on a plate, but it was tasty and filling, no way I could finish it. I tried some of thier house beers and they actually are pretty good, especially the Grand Cru. Also had Duvel Single and Regular, good temps. The beer menu is more expansive than the other Lowlands Cafes with an especially interesting IPA selection. They also appear to change the bottle menu monthly.

The place is decked out in Belgian decor and you can also but a lot of souvenirs in the shop.

Overall it is pretty much a must stop in Milwaukee for beer wankers even though my review score isn't that high, maybe the system on this site is screwy or maybe I just prefer atmosphere over service by a mile but it wasn't like the service was bad, just average.

Went again, ordered only 2 beers and they brought the wrong ones both times, the waitresses here don't know jack shit.
Sep 06, 2011
Photo of beerwolf77
Reviewed by beerwolf77 from Wisconsin

4.08/5  rDev -2.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Stopped in here with the wife and some friends recently.

First off I love the decor and atmosphere here. I've been to all the Lowlands establishments and this one just does it for me. The blonde wood, the tables, the cool stair case with open air sky light, the garage doors, the roof top. I love how you can purchase all the glassware they use as well other breweriana. It's also cool that they have a solid selection of beers to go.

The food was pretty good. No surprise from these guys. Service was a touch slow but friendly. The beer menu is long and Belgian influenced. I ordered a 3F oude gueuze with my breakfast. At first they claimed it was sold out. Happily about 10 minutes later the waitress returned and said they found a bottle. Score!

Prices were a bit high but that's a given from the Lowlands group. Maybe not an everyday place but this will certainly go into my regular weekend brunch rotation.
Aug 11, 2011
Café Benelux & Market in Milwaukee, WI
Place rating: 4.2 out of 5 with 31 ratings