Butcher’s Brewhuis Cafe' & Event Venue — Restaurant in Pella

Butcher's Brewhuis is one of those locations that is brimming with potential. A two-story bar and eatery with a rooftop view to boot? Sign me up. Sadly, its stunning atmosphere is marred by inconsistency of service and a bit of an identity complex.

First thing you'll notice when entering Butcher's is how well of a job they did with the renovation. I mean, the place is beautiful. Exposed brick, tasteful lighting fixtures, and rustic branding details are scattered about. Not to mention the massive floor-to-ceiling bar that stands proud on the second floor. It's got real charm.

However, it's never a great sign when an establishment's best quality is its atmosphere. Let's start with the menu.

For a restaurant that is adjacent to a meat market, you'd expect more than a single steak entrée on the core dinner menu. They have rotating specials, but it seems like a real missed opportunity to not have brisket or a filet as a mainstay. Appetizers are fine. The Giant Pretzel is a great dish to share with friends while enjoying a beer.

The drink menu at Butcher's has changed more times than Miley Cyrus's career trajectory. I love the idea of a rotating cocktail menu, but they should slow it down and nail some of the basics before getting creative. Too many of their returning features are so sweet they ought to be served with a fluoride rinse and a side of Pepto (e.g. The Dutch Letter). Luckily, their Old Fashioned is notably better than de Kelder's attempt.

But Butcher's biggest problem is its consistency — or lack thereof. I've had as many good experiences as subpar ones during their dinner service. From room temperature food to waiting nearly 20 minutes for the drink I ordered, Butcher's has its fair share of staffing complications. I understand that good help is hard to find right now, but when paying as much or more than Liberty Street Kitchen for food that is this inconsistent, it's a tough pill to swallow.

If Butcher's Brewhuis can figure out their operational shortcomings and rework their menus and prices a bit, I imagine that my review score will...

To start, this is not a gluten free friendly place.

Went to lunch and ordered the turkey & havarti with a gluten free bun & coleslaw, my boyfriend ordered the double Dutch sandwich. The guy we ordered with also wasn’t super personable. Maybe work on being more knowledgeable of your menu.

I went to pick up our order when our buzzer went off and there were two ordered up there so I asked which was mine. The 3 meant behind the counter didn’t even look at me or acknowledge my presence. I asked again asking which one had the gluten free bun, and one pointed.

I was so appalled that no one acknowledged me I grabbed the order and went upstairs where we decided to sit. Then realized they forgot my coleslaw. Went back down and said asked if they could get me coleslaw and the guy responded very rudely like “honey we will get you your coleslaw.”

Forward to finally eating, my sandwich I ordered clearly did not have a gluten free bun we paired $2 extra dollars for. I thought his sandwich maybe had the gluten free bun but we couldn’t tell so I was nervous to eat either sandwich. We agreed that the food had good flavor but unfortunately I couldn’t enjoy my lunch because of the fear of my gluten allergy.

The market next door...

We tried this place a total of six times. It's inconsistent at best. I ordered a New York strip medium rare, it comes extremely well done. I sent it back to only have the same steak returned ten minutes later stating it was the last steak. Also ordered sautéed mushrooms that did not come until after the steak was returned to me, maybe 4 or 5 mushrooms chopped up or whatever was left on the grill. Expected better service for a $40 steak instead they would comp me a glass of wine that was $9. Ordered my second glass of wine to only have a different kind of wine brought to me. I didn't drink or finish my steak. I never once returned food until dining here. The first time we ate there, we was brought the wrong food altogether, second time, was similar to the last. Total bill was $98. 22, paid for a poorly cooked steak, under cooked brussel sprouts and mushrooms that showed up extremely late. Will not be returning nor...