Belgian bar and restaurant Meyboom Brasserie opened in early October 2021, serving Belgian beers on its patio on Dallas’ Greenville Avenue.
The bar was a long time coming, after Meyboom co-owners April Segovia and Jeff Karetnick had already ditched one Greenville Avenue address for another because of concerns over parking. At its current home — at 2100 Greenville Avenue where Ragin’ Crab Cafe recently closed — Segovia and Karetnick are still renovating the interior while they serve beers outside.
It’s open Thursday through Saturday evenings only, for now.
The couple had originally planned on opening the bar in the former home of the San Francisco Rose on Greenville Avenue in August 2020. They completed the architectural and engineering plans and purchased equipment for the space, but after months of meeting with the city of Dallas’ Zoning Board of Adjustment, they say they couldn’t secure enough parking spaces to make the business viable.
“We went through a lot,” Segovia says.
“We’re still going to do this.”
At the new address a few blocks south, Segovia and Karetnick plan to open the same bar they’ve been dreaming up for several years now: a place that sells Belgian beers plus European food like Liège waffles, frites, Croque Madam and Croque Monsieur sandwiches, and seasonal quiches.
That part of Lowest Greenville is one of the most vibrant dining districts in Dallas right now.
The bar’s name refers to a parade that has taken place since the Middle Ages in Belgium. In 2020, when Segovia and Karetnick couldn’t open their bar on Aug. 9, the date of the annual Meyboom parade, they got married instead.
The two have traveled to Belgium several times together, and Karetnick says it’s the “best beer country in the world.” While some well-known Belgian beers like Delirium Tremens, Leffe Blond, Stella Artois and Hoegaarden Original White Ale are available in grocery stores and in some bars in Dallas, the couple wants to source harder-to-find Belgian beers, too.
Belgian beers will realistically make up about 20% of the beer list, Segovia says. They will also sell other European beers, plus American standards like Coors Light and Budweiser.
For the patio-only opening, their beer list is slimmed down to eight options. Delirium Tremens and Westmalle Dubbel have been the biggest sellers, Karetnick says.
Segovia and Karetnick plan to spend more time making cosmetic changes to the restaurant before it can open indoors. On the patio, they’ll display a replica of a famous Dutch statue called Manneken Pis. The “little peeing boy,” as he’s called, will be a working fountain.
“In Belgium, they dress him up for random occasions,” Segovia says. The couple recently bought a mask from New Orleans that they plan to place on the statue, perhaps around Mardi Gras.
Inside, they intend upon installing an M-shaped bar, chosen to represent Meyboom and the M Streets.
Meyboom will close at midnight, two hours earlier than closing time in most other parts of Dallas. The city enacted that rule in 2011, when Lowest Greenville underwent a significant redo.
Meyboom Brasserie is at 2100 Greenville Ave., Dallas. The patio opened Oct. 8, 2021; the indoor area is not yet ready.
Original story written July 19, 2021; updated Oct. 11, 2021 with news of the opening.
