The m-shaped bar at Meyboom Brasserie fosters conversation. Photography by Kathy Tran.
Customers who order a beer at Meyboom Brasserie won’t get a glass filled to the brim with a golden or brown liquid, topped with a thin layer of foam. They won’t get something in a bottle, either.
Instead, the bartender will pour the beer into a glass, paying close attention to the head, the bubbly layer that sits atop the brew.
That’s because April Segovia and Jeff Karetnick, the owners of the Lowest Greenville bar, have an appreciation for and understanding of the Belgian way of enjoying beer. Without about two fingers’ worth of head, the beer won’t taste the way it really should. It won’t be as fresh for as long.
The married couple first experienced the culture around the beverage during a 2019 trip to Belgium.
“For lunch, we’d see people having a beer with their meal,” Segovia says. “And we also noticed that they respect how it’s poured.”
At the time, they were both working in the corporate world. Karetnick, who has an MBA from SMU, minored in hospitality and had an interest in opening a bar. He also has a sommelier certificate and Wine & Spirit Education Trust Level 2 awards in wine and spirits and a WSET Level 1 award in sake. Segovia, another SMU alumnus, was confident that her background in corporate retail and category management would prepare her for business ownership.
They hadn’t seen anything in the United States like what they experienced in Europe, so on their way home, they formulated the idea to bring a Belgian-style bar to Dallas.
Both received their Cicerone Certification, and they took a second trip overseas, where they met glassmakers, visited breweries and tasted.
Originally, they wanted to open in the old San Francisco Rose on Greenville near Marquita. But they ran into issues with parking, so they moved south to the old Ragin’ Crab, which came with a patio, more foot traffic and a parking lot.
They didn’t know when they decided to lease the property that they would have to gut the place. The renovation project resulted in new air conditioning units and ductwork, along with an expanded kitchen.
While construction was ongoing inside, the owners set up shop outside, selling to customers on the patio.
The interior opened in September 2022, about a year after Segovia and Karetnick began their sidewalk service. Front doors open to an m-shaped counter meant to foster conversation among those bellied up to the bar. The owners decorated the space with items they purchased in Europe — copper lamps, a coat hanger, a waffle iron sconce and some pictures, for example.
Despite the visual interest of the Old World artifacts, beer is the main attraction at Meyboom. There are nine varieties on tap, with styles including golden ale, pale ale, triple and quadruple.
Belgian beers are served in particular glasses and poured to a particular level. Some of the glasses have a nucleation point, a laser etching at the base that helps keep the beverage fresh by producing carbon dioxide bubbles. Though some customers may think they’re not getting enough beer based on how the drink looks in the glass, Meyboom’s owners beg to differ.
“We’ll do it the proper way that’s been going on for centuries over there,” Karetnick says.
The Delirium Tremens beer, which has a pink elephant on the label, is one of the most popular orders. At 8.5% alcohol by volume, it’s not meant for chugging, and its alcohol level isn’t unusual for the Belgian beers, which start at $8.
Meyboom was the first bar in Texas to offer St. Bernardus Wit, a white beer made at the St. Bernardus brewery in Watou, Belgium.
The bar treats beer like others treat wine (though, in February, Meyboom did launch an online wine store, Kenny’s Wine Shop, to sell rare bottles and honor Karetnick’s father, Kenny Karetnick, who died in February 2015). Some of the beer varieties can be aged; there’s a Trappist beer and cheese pairing, and there’s a beer club, where participants get a beer and its glassware each month, along with a discount on the beer of the week. Not to mention, Segovia and Karetnick developed the food menu around the beer.
Bitterballen, fried Dutch meatballs, are a great accompaniment to the fermented drinks, Segovia says. Beer-battered cod is a commonly requested item. Also offered are Belgian waffles, which are sweeter than what diners might expect, and Brussels sprouts served with beer cheese.
Many foods often eaten in Belgium are stews or come with heavy sauces, made for a climate much cooler than Texas’, Segovia says. So she and Karetnick decided to incorporate Belgian flavors into items such as the marinated chicken tenders.
Yet some traditional dishes remain, including one on the new dinner menu: moules-frites, mussels with french fries. It’s Belgium’s national dish, and Meyboom prepares it the authentic way.
“What they do over there is, it’s hand-peeled, hand-cut, fried twice,” he says. “So that’s what we do.”
Meyboom Brasserie, 2100 Greenville Ave.
