Café Botteltje — Restaurant in Ostend

I have been looking forward to visiting your restaurant for almost 2 years, but unfortunately it is a double disappointment for me. I had to wait a long time before we were served. When the waiter was already there and we wanted to order something else, he told us to wait a second and then he didn't come. I wanted to taste beers I didn't know, but unfortunately, I didn't even get a chance to taste them. So, after spending more than 2 hours with you, I got dinner, which I waited an hour for, and one beer. The service was totally amateurish, but I can forgive that. What I am unable to forgive is the attitude of the staff after we had to go to the bar to pay, because no one came up to us asking if we were missing anything and we got the bill with everything together. When I asked for the bill to be split, I got a refusal from the waiter saying it wasn't feasible. That's when I ran out of patience and started complaining. Instead of acknowledging mistakes and inadequacies in service, I got excuses and belittling. Your pro-customer attitude is ZERO! Below my rating I see how disrespectful and arrogant you are in responding to other comments. You should be ashamed of...

Been multiple times for beer but food..bah! Beer selection is great but... Food is subpar for price paid!! If frozen calamari saturated in fat with garbage tartar instead of tzatziki is your thing then pitter patter...steak with fries (tiny basket) was okay but just fries & steak for €20!! Also apparently chef doesn’t like to cook just fries so you need to order full meal. Nothing special other than a stop for a brew.

PS Your calamari was just frozen rings from a supermarket like Colruyt or Aldi & saturated in whatever fat you fry it in! & whilst your house tartar sauce tasted fine, it's not something traditionally served with calamari!!! As for your sarcasm regarding fritturs your not exactly a fine dining establishment! You're a public house with a great selection of beer but act as though you're above serving a belgian staple, namely friets! Needless to say, unless I'm really thirsty & want to try a new beer, I'll pass on your establishment & your inability to listen to a customer whose been multiple time to your establishment for both...

I visited this place twice during my trip to Oostende. It's very nice, located on a quiet street with a seating area outiside. On the first visit the bar staff was really helpful and recommended a few great beers to try, as they have a great selection of bottled beers. On the second visit the experience wasn't so great, a different waiter didn't allow me to have a look at what's available in the fridge to try something new, he didn't even inquire about what I was looking for which I believe is his duty when working in a place that offers such a broad range of different beers from little breweries around Belgium. (I then saw him bring a few bottles to show his collegue sitting at a different table to us..). But I will still rate this place 5 stars because the initial experience was great and the staff on my first visit were super polite...