Alpen Rose Restaurant & Cafe

We visited the Alpen Rose to take advantage of their 4 @ 4 Happy Hour. Tuesday through Saturday from 4PM to 6PM certain drinks are available for $ 4 and all of their «small plates» are half price. What a deal!
Hubby had the crab cakes and The Ludwig and I had the scallops with risotto and a «Michigan» salad. ALL of these things were delicious, cooked perfectly, served with care, and thoroughly enjoyed!
Dessert was a chocolate gluten free cupcake with raspberry icing. PERFECT! This restaurant offers a nice amount of gluten free options and has a café in the front stocked with other gluten free goodies!

Went there during the lunch buffet over all good experience the food was plenty and pretty tasty the turn over rate for the food pretty good. Had the soup veg. with sausage it was really good would went back just for that alone. Wait time wasn’t to bad especially for a sat. seated quickly and waitress took our drink order was back in no time. The only down turn was waiting for the check that took some time granted it was pretty busy. But waiting over 15min for the check is a bit long.

We had a Groupon for Alpen Rose and made a special trip back to eat here. The first thing that hits you when you walk up to it is that it looks extremely fancy. But we both had very casual clothing on (cargo pants and corduroy pants/​sweatshirt and long-​sleeve shirt). There was a couple of people very dressed up, but we also saw people in jeans and (holy crap!) shorts. (It was NOT warm outside.)
We passed by the dessert cart on the way in and I was entranced by the baked Alaska which was in the shape of a star. Hubby had to pull me away. The inside of the restaurant looks like a German ski lodge of sorts with lots of carved woodworking, glass and neat rustic fixtures which make you feel like you are in a cabin. The hostess was very friendly commenting that she thought something was going on because lots of people came in dressed very nicely. I said I had a sweatshirt on… We laughed.
The server was somewhat slow to take our order and bring our drinks. We just had cokes and their french onion soup as an appetizer. The soup was fantastic and had an overwhelming amount of onions in it, with a large croûton and just enough cheese. The broth was very flavorful and the soup was just the right amount, right temperature and one of the best french onion soups I have ever had.
Hubby had the Duck ala Orange. He said the duck was very good, not too greasy or fatty. However the sauce lacked flavor and in his opinion the sauce is what makes the dish.
He had some tree-​like looking broccoli with it, which of course he didn’t touch. (God forbid he should eat green veggies) It also came with potato au gratin in the shape of blocks (odd?) but he said it was very good — not too dry and a good amount of cheese.
I had the Weiner Schnitzel. It came with two good sized schnitzels, a pile of red cabbage and a mound of spaetzel. The weiner schnitzel had a nice amount of breading and was moist. The red cabbage had a good flavor, not overly vinegary, but a mixture of sweet and sour. The spaetzel was buttery and very good. (I’ve had bad spaetzel, this was good).
Dessert was take-​out german chocolate cake. It held up well on the 45 minute ride home and we shared it, which it was big enough for two people because it was extremely rich. Almost too rich. There was a thick heavy icing on top and the layers were mostly a fudge-​like chocolate with really no cake. There was a small layer of coconut cream but it was overpowered by the fudge-​like filling. Maybe next time I’d have the baked Alaska — it was just too cold to get that.
Service wasn’t great, he forgot to bring our refills until the time we were ready to leave. However, it wasn’t horrible either and I kind of felt sorry for him after another couple told him they needed their checks right away and then after he closed out the order, they wanted dessert.
We will definitely be back to this restaurant again when we are in town.

We had dinner at Alpen Rose for first time.
Great food and service. The prime rib was perfect. Great atmosphere.

It’s October & unfortunately, Alpen Rose (a German Restaurant) is not prepared — NO OCTOBERFEST BEER!!!
It is a cold rainy, Saturday evening & the restaurant is empty — we had made reservations for 3 & were seated at a HUGE table in the middle of the restaurant — When we asked the hostess if we could be seated at a smaller table, she told us (with a straight face) that there were none available!
Seriously, there was only 1 other table occupied — when I requested a cute little table in the corner, the hostess informed us it was reserved for the owner. Well, to be honest — we found that humorous since if I was the owner, I would be happy to seat patrons where they request & I would sit where available.
Fast forward to our departure 1 hour later — only 1 table has been occupied, in addition to ours. The cute corner table is still empty.
Our food was average & the bill expensive — wish we would have listed to our gut & left as the comical evening began.
No wonder the Alpen Rose was empty.

Food 4 stars– Forest mushroom soup was creamy and yet fresh. :-)
Wiener Schnitzels has two big piece of tender, bread crumbs crusted pork and braised red cabbage (favorite) the multi-​grains bread they served is good, hearty and full of flavor.
The pricing system sucks: bread for soup will cost $ 2.95 unless I order entrees: mushroom gravy for plain spätzle is another$ 3. It must be owned and run by the Dutch family in Holland.

This was our second time we have eaten here. It reminds me of Germany. The food is great great Resturant is a great choice. You won’t regret Took some stuff home from the bakery café up front excellent

Service was terrific. I was a bit disappointed that the Wiener schnitzel wasn’t veal, because I love veal, but was pork instead. It was delicious, though. Portions were substantial, bread was delicious, and we liked the Riesling. Loved the ambience; every room was beautiful – great attention to detail. A very lovely evening.

We stopped here because of the smell. Delicious. To start the host was absolutely amazing. He made a real effort to make us feel welcome. Our server Sara was great. We are from out of town and because of how wonderful our visit was we will for sure be back next time we are in town.

Nice breakfast menu. The place actually reminded me of Europe. It wasn’t too busy. The staff was nice. The café manager kept yelling at customers. I don’t think it was intentional but she literally came to our table to ask if we were done eating and she was screaming in our faces. It got offensive after a while. She needs a volume control.

Great service! Great food! Great brunch! Will definitely return. There is also a café for those on the go or want to quick bite. Liz was great! Thanks for the great service.

Reminds me of a Nordstrom café with a Dutch twist. Stumbled upon this place by just walking through downtown Holland. So quaint and delicious looking, I couldn’t resist having lunch here. I had the summer strawberry, pineapple quinoa salad. Dressing was amazing! A sugary lemon, very unique! My sisters had the crab cakes and they said they were excellent as well. Dessert trays looked beautiful; I sampled the crème brule and it was excellent! Overall, definitely a lady’s restaurant with the healthy choices and dessert trays! I will be back the next time I visit!

Very nice restaurant. My husband brought me here during the Tulip Festival. It is a very warm and inviting atmosphere with a padded bench with pillows to sit at all the wall for some tables. The walleye is spectacular. My husband had the apple chicken. The food, service, and atmosphere were very good overall.

Food was great tonight. Wiener schitzel perfect. Got a giant bowl of fruit this time instead of a starch. Grilled caesar was very good. They have an extensive lunch menu and buffet. Will need to try it. Service is always great. Save room for dessert.

Tasty in my belly!
I’ve been to Alpen Rose several times, especially when my office was a block away. During those days I would occasionally patronize the restaurant for the lunch buffet. It is on the more pricey side, but it changes often, the selection is the perfect amount, and they have stuff I never see at inferior buffet-​types. Like a cheese plate, exotic sounding soups, and the chicken — always delicious! Even when I’ve ordered from the menu, it’s fantastic!
My most recent visit was this morning. My office had a Christmas breakfast buffet for our clients. By far, the BEST breakfast buffet I’ve ever had. I know, I know, this is a bold statement, but having ordered from the menu for breakfast before, I was pleasantly surprised that the buffet was just as good as ordering from the menu.
You know how you plan to visit a buffet again to get just the «good» stuff? I couldn’t decide on just a few! The brioche French toast was the perfect amount of rich, sweet, and savory. Bacon was smoky and cooked perfectly, the eggs were something I strive to make myself. I was really impressed.
The staff were also excellent this morning. And it’s visits like this when I miss our office downtown, but they aren’t far away! I plan to visit again soon and I’m sure my office will continue to use Alpen Rose since it is so good and consistent!

As I joked to my friends, «we got suckered in here for the happy hour prices, and then it was all like ‘Welcome to my mansion!’»
The place was very nice but we were looking for a quick early dinner bite (around 5pm). All of their apps are ½ off during happy hour and we had some nice house wine for $ 4 as well. I got the cheesey (cheesy?) bread + the caprese salad ($ 5.95 for a small, was delicious but it was a bit expensive).
I’d come here again if in the area but would dress up a bit more (we were all wearing shorts or capris) and would get a more complete meal — those were about $ 15 – 20 though.

Elsa the owner has a grand slam with this wonderful cornerstone to the community. This is the #1 must visit restaurant in Holland.
The other much touted place on the lake has a view but this wonderful spot tops it in every way as it has luxurious wood paneling yet comfortably casual décor to not intimidate but invite.
For an intimate date or for my family of 7 this was everyone’s favorite. Top shelf meals as well as a brunch buffet for only $ 12.95 or 5.95 for kiddos. Great value, unlike a few of the other top end places.

Love the location and the outdoor seating.
The most impressive thing about their breakfast was that it wasn’t greasy. At all. At all. It’s a bit pricey for breakfast, but it’s worth it.
Service can be a bit leisurely. But that’s nice if you’re ready to slow down a bit and take your time.

Nice restaurant located on 8^th street in downtown holland. I was here for a wedding and the ambiance was nice but the food was a letdown.
They have a nice patio and the restaurant is pretty big as well. There is something about the décor that reminds me of a German Ski Lodge. See pics.
Overall I enjoyed my experience and would consider coming back for dinner.

Had an enjoyable meal here with my in laws. This place is huge, so don’t be discouraged if the front dining room looks a little slow. There are many.
On a Saturday morning at 10am we were seated immediately. The place looked pretty dead, with only two other tables seated, but I later saw more patrons as I headed to the ladies room.
Food was good. I had a Mexican Scramble, which was delicious and filling. The coffee was free flowing and did the job.
Décor is a little outdated, but I know it’s part of their German country charm.