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Categories: Pubs, Music Venues, Belgian
703 McKinney Ave- $1.00 off all draught beers and domestic bottled…
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Fri. 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
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Deep in the heart...of DOWNTOWN!
Sorry about that. Anyways, this place is pretty sweet. Live bands most nights. To which it gets really loud, obviously, but I had no voice when I left the place...literally YELLING!!! But so fun nonetheless.
You never know what the crowd is going to be like. Some bars in Dallas you go and its so annoying. I once went here on a Saturday night at 11:30pm and there were all of 5 other people there. Another time I went and it was PACKED!
Pool tables in the back by the stage. They have a GREAT outdoor patio. The people watching is also out of control.
I think its a great bar. Cool decorating and I think I may have seen a bong on the bar? Don't quote me on that...
I looked at the menu (for late night munchies) and the food doesn't look half bad. All dutch food and incredibly hard to pronounce.
This place is not your typical Dallas joint...really laid back, cool place. NEAT-O!
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Right by the old Starck club and Newport's near the West End.
Popped in on a Friday night - not many folks in the place. Has a nice deck/patio but it was too hot to sit outside. A band was setting up to play on the stage.
Nice setup inside, good decor. Interesting menu - had some lightly breaded meatballs with honey mustard sauce. They were tasty! French fries were good. Mushroom burger was just ok - wouldn't recommend that one. Good beer selection. Reminds me of a Old Monk feel a little bit but more open.
Great place to go if you want to chill with some friends off the regular McKinney/Uptown circuit.
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I can't believe this place only has one other review!
I had been wanting to go for 6 months or more and just never did... But it is every bit as good as i had expected. It may have more charm and appeal then any other pub in all of Dallas!
But, what actually got me in the door was their Tuesday Special 50% off all food except the Tenderloin. I had Fish and Chips and it was fantastic --- as good and perhaps better (will require more research) then Old Monk --- my number one place for it in Dallas.
my friend had Schnitzel and it was also fantastic.
They also have a great front patio that i plan on using soon. --- if you have not yet been then by all means go... it is well worth it.
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Finally made it down to Cafe Rembrandt to see what all the fuss was about, and it was well earned if you ask me.
The parking lot was pretty full when we got there so I was expecting the worst as far as places to sit and more importantly how long it would take for me to get a drink, but my fears were washed away as soon as we opened the door. The place was full but there were still tables, and as soon as we were inside the door a waitress was there with a menu in hand to show us the beer selection. Seriously? My own little neighborhood Cheers is the only other place I've visited that comes even close to this kind of service. . .and that's because I'm in there at least twice a week (that's what she said? or would he say it?)
I initially was eager to try this place out because of their awesome whiskey list. I gave up beer for Lent so it's nice to see a place that caters to my favorite liquor so well. They've also got absinthe, but it's the junky watered down American version so it's a pass in my book (what can you do).
Too bad my everything went out the window when I saw they had Piraat on tap. On tap people! This is a beer you can't enjoy out of the bottle, it's 10% alcohol goodness must be served out of a keg or you're missing out.
I decided I wasn't going to miss out.
The rest of the night was a blur of what could only be described as beer hedonism at its finest. Piraat was my gateway beer and from there it was a stream of Chimay, Maredsous, Czechvar, Dogfish and several others. It was glorious!
We sat upstairs so we could enjoy the live band (incredible), but be able to carry on a conversation at the same time. I liked it so much here that the circling packs of douchebags didn't even get me down. . .a miracle in these modern downtown times.
I'm reserving a 5th star until I try the food, but judging from everyone's praise it should be updated after my next trip.
Of course, I had to write this stupid review during my lunch break and now all I can think about is beer.
Cheers!
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I came up here to meet some fellow yelpers and to try out some half priced Dutch food on a Tuesday for a UYE (Unofficial Yelp Event) and it was pretty sweet!
First of all, they have a pretty good selection of beers. I mean if they don't have what you normally drink they'll have a pretty good substitute. I'm pretty open to different kinds of beers so this visit I had me a Shiner, a Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout (they even have the SS glass!), and a Franconia Hefeweizen, that's made right here in McKinney!
For my food I had an appetizer of the Patat Speciaal which consisted of mayo and curry ketchup. I was pretty much in disbelief about the mayo thing like when Vincent heard about it from Jules in Pulp Fiction. It sounds gross, but don't knock it until you try it! The mayo is not your usual Miracle Whip and the curry ketchup is pretty damn good and both topped with diced onions. I asked Feren (sp?), our server, where one would go to buy this curry ketchup, but she claims they make it in the back and she even recommended that I try Henk's to see if they have it. Thanks for the tip, Feren!
I also got to try some of Nickie G's balls. Man, these meaty balls tasted great in my mouth! Okay okay, they're called Bitterballen, but there was nothing bitter about these balls! I'd have these balls back in my mouth any day! Haha.
Then for my main dish I ordered the Wiener Schnitzel, which came with some really buttery steamed veggies and some fries with more of that curry ketchup. The Wiener Schnitzel is basically a fried pork cutlet. If you've ever tried the tonkatsu at a Japanese place, this is pretty much similar.
To top off my meal, I had a Hot Cocoa with dark rum. It came with a piece of chocolate which I immediately put into the cup to help make it extra chocolaty. You could smell the rum alcohol evaporating and I think this is why they add a lot of rum. The first sip was pretty strong! You could probably get drunk just by inhaling the evaporating alcohol. Ahh, good times.
What really made this visit nice was the present company of some cool Yelpers and we all got to know just a little bit more about each other than we expected. ;-)
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We went to Cafe Rembrandt on Valentine's Day to see the Velvet Kittens burlesque show. My initial impression of Cafe Rembrandt was spot on. This place is awesome! The atmosphere, the service, the food, the drinks, the free parking (in downtown Dallas, c'mon!), everything.
The only suggestion I have for you if you're going to see the Velvet Kittens, who play a monthly show, is to make a reservation and either request a front and center table - you won't be able to see the floor work (!) - or watch the show from upstairs. I still didn't make it upstairs to check out the cool artwork, but that just gives me an excuse to go back. And believe me, I'll be back.
People thought this was:
I wasn't planning on attending the UYE at Cafe Rembrandt. I can't tell you how glad I am to have… Read more »
This is one of those places that you don't want to tell anyone about... even your grandmother. Especially your grandmother... ya know she gonna be all over town runnin' her mouth about this cool Dutch venue. Those bridge games are all about gabbin' and talkin' smack. Psssh. Women.
I took the lovely Andrea R here on our tour de Dallas. We were pretty full from grazing all day, but Claire T was super adamant about trying the bitterballs. The bitter what? That's right. The bitter balls, folks. She was not kidding. These are delish.
Walk into the hidden laid back and dimly lit spacious environment and pull up a stool at the bar, or a table for four on the main floor. If you're hungry (and even when you're not) get crazy with the menu. Know that you have to order the butterballs though. I'd also suggest the patat frites, cheese board and prosciutto di honeydew.
Once a month on Saturday, a burlesque group comes in and shakes their thang. You really can't beat a place that is still much of a secret with a great beer selection, tasty food menu, awesome employees, and hot ladies dancin' around in next to nothing. Just sayin'.
Next time you are craving a nice Black Velvet and dutch bitterball, hit my homies up over there. Also, join us on the 20th for a UYE! http://www.yelp.com/ev...
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It's happy hour time in Dallas and where should we go...
Melody L: I've been wanting to try Cafe Rembrandt. And while we're there I've heard they have these fried balls filled with...
Me: Chocolate!
Melody: No...
Me: Cheese!!
Melody No....they are filled with meat and yelpers love them
Me: Ew, gross, no thank you...
10 minutes later we arrived at Cafe Rembrandt with much thanks to Melody's trusty GPS....gotta love the GPS. Right away I loved the atmosphere and we made ourselves right at home at the bar.
They had quite an impressive beer menu to choose from and while I'm more of a wine/hard alcohol type of gal, Melody seemed to enjoy her Black Velvet.
Being in an adventurous mood I decided to try these meat filled balls, which we soon found out were called bitterballs. 5 mini fried balls filled with meat with a bit of dijon mustard on the side. I can admit when I'm wrong and I was wrong to say ew to such delicious little balls. They were the best darn balls I've ever put in my mouth. Oh, stop laughing you pervs and try the bitterballs...
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Stopped into Cafe Rembrandt today around 6:30. It was dead. I mean so dead, a funeral could have broken out. there were a total of 5 people in the whole place. I sat at the bar, and the bartender was very friendly.
I got a couple good beers on tap and fish and chips. As soon as it came i regretted that choice. Doesn't seem like what I should have ordered. The food was pretty meh. The beer selection was nice. The place would have been much cooler if there was a crowd.
Apparently they just started being open on Sunday's, so maybe that was part of it. I would check it out on a friday night, but i'm guessing ill never go back
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I went to the UYE at Cafe Rembrandt last week and still love this place. Why did I wait so long to come back?
I tried the Franconia Hefeweizen on draught, which is apparently produced locally. It's my new favorite beer! Sometimes hefeweizens start tasting like V8 juice to me, but this one was just right. I might have to visit the brewery up in McKinney to check out their other stuff.
Food and service were just as good as the last time. I am boring so I ordered the bitter balls and mussels, just like last time. The mussels were different but just as tasty. As others have mentioned, our waitress Farren was an absolute doll and easily managed our large party's separate checks. She didn't seem put out at all, which is refreshing! The service industry needs more Farrens.
Patronize, people!
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I went to Cafe Rembrandt because my boyfriend's band was playing there. This is the first of what… Read more »
This place is cool. I went there on Saturday before the Spazmatics (!!!!) concert. The drinks were good. Our waitress introduced us to Vegas Bomb shots. Ever heard of that before? (You probably have, I know I just need to get out more!) WOAH BABY! Vegas was the bomb. Several times over, and so I was a very happy K. Ordered the spinach salad, added chicken, nixed the tomatoes and the funny dressing, added balsamic v. YUMMMMMM
I plan on coming back!
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I went here one night with my girlfriend and her Austin visitors to check out the Velvet Kittens burlesque show. Honestly, I didn't know what to make of a Dutch pub but I was pleasantly surprised by the great selection of beers and the wide array of tasty food on the menu.
Of course, I couldn't shy away from the interesting martinis and they did not disappoint. Multiple flavors, large sizes, good price and a friendly wait staff eager to keep bringing them to the table. In fact our server was so gracious, that she apologized when a nearby table started smoking and being obnoxious.
Overall, this place turned out to have a much more welcome vibe than I expected on first blush. It has a lot of room, with a wide-open floor on the bottom and nice catwalks up top. The walls are adorned with a variety of Dutch arts and local favorites. A free burlesque shows certainly makes it worth you while as well.
Of course, beware the 21 year-old who think that they are stars of The Hills. We got stuck next to a birthday party of the most inane, self-absorbed lot. Birthday girl thought she should try and outshine the show since she was wearing a boa. Stick to rocking the local Sonic, LC! A Velvet Kitten you are not!
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Located at the tail end of McKinney in the shadow of Stemmons and Woodall Rodgers Freeway is this little gem of a place.
On a Monday, the place is nearly deserted, but the service is attentive, the food is top-notch, and the beer/wine/scotch selection is quite nice.
Our food was done perfectly, as ordered, and was very tasty. I heartily recommend the burger if you eat here. That said, an appetizer of baguette and herbed butter also hit the spot. I believe the herbed butter might have bad some olive oil mixed it. Very spreadable and very tasty.
Free parking outside the front door and a great, chill atmosphere make the place worth a return trip. Wonder what it's like on weekends from the other reviews. Half price food on Tuesdays. Definitely a solid 4 to 4 1/2 stars.
EDITED: Was open as of YESTERDAY.... ? Says closed now?
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Outstanding beer, food, and atmosphere. The Velvet Kittens, Art Nomads, and the band with the undersized instruments were all awesome.
We've eaten the kip schnitzel, the wiener schnitzel, the patat frites speciaal, the house chocolate dessert, the meatball appetizer, and goat cheese salad, all with happiness. The curry ketchup is a house recipe and always welcome on the frites and the schnitzels. There are unique beers - Blanche du Bruxelles, for example - available on draft.
It is a good value. Tuesday is half-price food night.
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Long long ago, when the Brewery was not exactly a place you went after dark, a buddy chose this haunt as one of the stops in his murder mystery tour. I still want to think of this area of town as that sooty, smoky place where dark corners have eyes and the doors of the speakeasy's have slots that open to check you out before you enter. After the West End got all cleaned up there was still a bit of sinisterness if you drove to the end of McKinney. At least a little. At least that's what I still imagine when I go there.
Inside Rembrandt's you are confronted with a large great-room, balcony seating and a dark woody glow throughout. They carry several fine Belgian Ales and other drafts and bottles as well. While we didn't try any of the wines, the list was decent and the prices quite reasonable.
Mrs. G and I went on a Saturday night rather early. I concur with another yelp-er in that this place was far from full. The band was setting up and periodically releasing noises that made everyone wince, however, the manager came over and apologized to us personally for the horrible noise. A really classy move. The wait staff follows their leader. Genuinely friendly waitresses who took great care of us all the time.
I would call their menu mainly bar food, but good bar food. Mrs. G loved her mushroom burger and my fish/chips were good as well. We had the meatballs with peanut sauce for an appetizer - very tasty and even better at something like $4.50 for 8 or so small meatballs.
We can't comment on the bands as we had other places to go that nite for music, but they claim they have bands with no cover on Friday's and Saturday's.
I suppose the days of speakeasy's, gangsters and dark corners with eyes have long left this part of town but, if you're heading down McKinney looking for a quick meal and some great beer, drive all the way to the end, take a right and stop a while at Rembrandt's.
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Finally made it back to Cafe Rembrandt to meet up with some festive yelpers...it only took me 9 months! It is exactly the same except there were more people there on a Tuesday night than there were on a Saturday night back in May. This is a good thing - we want this place to stay around for a long while.
The ambiance of this place is dark and just cool. Again, it is really like a brown cafe in Holland except for the really expansive size. The upstairs would be perfect for a private event. This would also be a perfect place for a first or second date...quiet, dark, kind of romantic and foreign, where you could sit and talk for a few hours.
They have half price food on Tuesday which made me much more likely to go all crazy and order half the menu. I resisted though and only ordered two items. I had to have the bitterballen again because those things are fried meaty deliciousness. I shared my balls with Joseph B and he had to agree...my balls are delicious! hehe (Making balls jokes absolutely NEVER gets old) I also had the chicken sate which they have now put on the menu. This is chicken on a skewer (a kebob if you will) and then covered with a peanut sauce...kind of like Thai peanut sauce if you've ever had that. It came with a salad and your choice of fries or baked potato or something else...I had the fries and requested the curry ketchup which was YUM. The chicken sate definitely reminded me of my stint in Holland, although maybe a little bit more chicken would be welcomed for the $14 price tag that it normally costs. Tried Joseph's mayo and it tasted very similar to the mayo they serve in Holland with the patat frites. Then I proceeded to try everyone else's food like Megan's goat cheese and Joseph's Weiner schnitzel. Both were yum. Next time I am going to get the broodje kroket (the kroket being the same as the bitter ball but smashed on a sandwich...um YUM) and also the Dutch apple pie. The Dutch are not necessarily known for their creative or imaginative culinary treats but this is solid comfort food with a fresh twist and that is what they do best. Now if they would only do a rijsttafel once a month or something!!
I would also like to mention in its own paragraph: they have absinthe. So if you are looking to hang out with the green fairy you can do it here...just don't get all hammered and kiss your sister afterwards like in Euro Trip.
Service was killer as before. She started separate tabs for everyone, remembered everyone's names, and was quick with the drinks and the food. Plus she was friendly and seemed glad to be at work rather than annoyed to have to serve us.
Overall I am digging this place even more than I did the first time and may actually find myself going back more often to have some food and maybe see the burlesque show they put on a couple times a month.
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I had to go visit Cafe Rembrandt since I spent a month in Holland during college and went back on… Read more »
Came here for a group gathering--Tuesday's they have 1/2 priced food, so you know I was down. I wasn't too hungry and wanted to try a couple of things so I ordered the seafood chowder (harderwijker) and the fries (patat speciaal).
The chowder was a step above campbell's, using the mini frozen shrimp and imitation crab it seemed, but still quite creamy and pretty tasty.
The fries were small--like Mickey D's small or smaller and came with mayo, curry ketchup, and diced onions..these 3 items are in little containers and i wasn't sure what to do with the onions until the German girl I was with taught me a trick of dip mayo, dip ketchup, roll over onions. I loveloveloved the curry ketchup. If only the fries were more Wendy's and not McDonalds I would have made this one of my favorite ways to eat fries!
The waitress, Laurel was a complete doll and checked on us enough and refilled drinks etc.
I had a good time there with good company, chill atmosphere, and music. I agree with Tori that the location is weird, but at least there's plenty of parking. Hey we could have a UYE here or something.
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I went to Cafe Rembrandt last night. This place is way cool. I had the Blanche de Bruxelles beer, and it was fantastic. I wish I could remember the bartendars name. She was a welth of knowledge on all of the drinks, and was fun to chat with. The bar only had a few people in it so I hope other nights are more crowded. I will definitly be returning.
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Went again last night for the Velvet Kitten's show, 3rd time for me! I guess you can say I'm a fan. Really enjoy the show; new elements added each time. For me to drive this far I have to have a good reason.
Dropped in for the first time Sat night, 2/14. Went to see the Velvet Kittens burlesque show.
I had…
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I really wanted to like this place more than I did. It has such potential as one of the only truly Dutch bars in Dallas . But, the location kinda sucks. My friends and I met for a late dinner on Friday night around 9pm. We were keeping our fingers crossed that it wouldn't be too packed to enjoy a meal before listening to some live music. To our surprise there was only one other table seated. The lack of people kinda brought us down a notch. I thought I'd make up for it by ordering some authentic Dutch food, but the waitress was rushing me and my friends were starving so I picked the first thing that sounded good which was a blue cheese flank steak. It was average,nothing to write home about. I guess for 15 bucks I can't complain. My baked potato was undercooked and it came with a side of veggies which I didn't know about. They tasted like frozen veggies and were still cold in the middle. Yuck.
I'll come back to check out the burlesque show and to have some drinks (they have my favorite Framboise) but most likely I probably won't bother eating here again. It did start getting crowded around 10 when the blues band started playing. The music was much too loud to hear each other, but would be fun for a typical Friday night out.
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Cool place! Went there on a week night, not a lot of people there but the bar is pretty cool. The food was fantastic. Plus, they have great beers. I like the place because it is totally casual and no attitude.
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Nice ambiance, good food. The only thing it has going against it is the relative obscurity of its location. It's hard to find. You'll have a good time once here, though.
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