My
spouse and I visited Dutch Fred’s for dinner on a Sunday evening in
mid-February 2020. Dutch Fred’s is open daily for dinner, drinks, and late
night, as well as for lunch on Tuesdays through Fridays and brunch on weekends.
Guests can book a spot using the online Open Table reservation system.
Dutch
Fred’s opened in 2016 on West 47th Street near 8th Avenue in Midtown
West/Theatre District/Hell’s Kitchen. The restaurant gets its name from a
policeman who named the neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen when he witnessed a riot
there during the time of prohibition. The owners of Dutch Fred’s also operate
other Manhattan bars/restaurants including the Mean Fiddler, Tanner Smith’s,
Haswell Green’s, Three Monkeys, and Vida Verde. The restaurant space offers
table seating in the front, a long, busy, and buzzing bar in the middle (with
high-top tables adjacent), and a more quiet dining room in the rear. Old
photographs, tile floors, tin ceilings, interesting lighting, and wood-paneled
walls complete the décor.
Dutch
Fred’s serves Continental cuisine. We shared three dishes: the pork belly bao
buns (with cucumbers and kimchi mayo), the Thai deviled eggs (an interesting
presentation, with half eggs perched atop tiny slices of toast and layered
sneakily with Jalapeno slices), and the arugula flatbread (with goat cheese,
sundried tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar). We originally ordered the
Mediterranean flatbread (with ham, mozzarella, peppers, tomatoes, onion,
artichokes, and olives), but our server soon returned to say that they were out
of that item. We were pleased with the extensive food menu offered, because we
had previously passed on visiting this establishment when we researched it
online because we thought it was primarily a drinking establishment (and while it
does offer a nice menu of craft cocktails, beer, and wine, it also offers lots
of food choices).
We
enjoyed our meal at Dutch Fred’s, and we will likely return next time we are attending
a theatre show nearby.
