02/05/08

Romantic restaurant and great food!

by august26

I was very pleased with my experience at Woodward's Garden. The service was great (I am pretty sure it was one of the owners) and the meal was fantastic. It was nice because you didn?t feel rushed through your meal.(mine was a salad, then my entree and we or desert. There was no get out of here vibe that most restaurants put on you once you've stopped eating. That alone makes Woodward's stand out in the crowd.

• Pros: fresh flowers on each table, great food, wine, service
• Cons: parking was a bit hard.

01/14/08

alas, a disappointment

by graymalkin

it all started with making the reservation:

they were rather abrupt with us and made us believe that they were bending over backwards to "fit us in" & although we were making reservations the same day of our dinner, i did not expect the attitude. being an optimist, though, i was secure in knowing that the reservation was secure and i was looking forward to the experience. once there, the restaurant was half empty during prime dining hours and i began to wonder what else was in store for us since one would think that they would be happy to have our business.

we were greeted very coldly by a woman who turned-out also to be our server. she was very off-putting and really made the experience rather sour as she remained cold and aloof throughout the entire evening -- not even a glimmer of a smile crossing her face. we were dressed well & polite so i was all the more confused by her behaviour but i'm just not capable of being rude and tried to be a pleasant patron. again, though, i thought that the food can make up for the poor service but alas, no. the food was mediocre at best and certainly not worth the cost.

also of note: the layout of the space was very peculiar with a tall bar that faces the corner entry & a rather cold "back room" which could really use a little tlc. they really did not take advantage of their very promising space and it's my professional opinion that they should fire their architect.

one positive thing to mention, though, the wine was quite delicious.

but alas, i will not go back.

• Pros: potentially amazing space if someone else were to take it over & remodel it.
• Cons: cold & aloof staff.

09/27/07

Attention Foodies

by sfmove2006

I decided I had to try this spot after seeing this restaurant featured on PBS' s"Check, Please! Bay Area" program. The experience lived up to all my expectations. I agree with the previous reviewer, who felt that the location near the freeway made you feel like you were in an intimate New York restaurant, with the cars whizzing by. My boyfriend and I went during prime time, on a Saturday night but I never felt the service was rushed, or "weird" as some of the previous reviewers had experienced. Perhaps they've just upped the ante, service-wise, since those reviews were written. But the main reason to come to this spot is not the service, it's the food - all of the dishes we had were obviously made with the freshest ingredients available, and with lots of care. I felt the prices were very fair, and comparable to what you'd pay for other restaurants of this caliber. But what I really loved was the wine list - interesting, hard-to-find wines that were extremely reasonable given the quality. The mark-ups were much lower than what I've seen from the competition. If you consider yourself a foodie and haven't already discovered this hidden treasure, you really should go. It doesn't disappoint!

• Pros: The wine list, and the amazing food

09/24/07

What a find - great food and wine

by newenglandtransplant

Looking for a great restaurant then you should try Woodward's Garden. It's tucked away under the freeway overpass which makes it an interesting spot. We sat by the window and the cars buzzing by was reminiscent of a busy New York street and added to the ambiance. OK on to the food and wine. There were 2 of us dining and we thoughly enjoyed the experience. Try the salad with shaved cheese and the figs with prosciutto, the north american halibut and finish your meal off with the creme brule with dark chocolate. Yummy. We had a bottle of the Fort Ross Chardonnay which was reasonably priced and very tasty. Looking for a new spot? Try Woodward's Garden.

• Pros: reasonably priced wine list, ingredients, deserts

03/18/07

Really wanted to like this place

by laneylaine

A friend recommended this restaurant. I loved the atmosphere of the place when we walked in. The menu looked great and the restaurant had a really comfortable, "locals" feel to it. I am not a high-maintenance restaurant go-er by any means, but I do like to get what I pay for. And for these prices, I was rather disappointed. Service was awkward and I sensed that they were understaffed--the 2 servers were rushing around and weren't particularly warm. I didn't get the feeling that they wanted us to be there. The quality of the ingredients was excellent, but the flavors were too heavy and overpowered the flavors of each dish's main ingredient(s). Too salty/heavy overall. For example, the sauce on the trout bruschetta was too creamy/salty. The Grilled Pork Chop was tender and juicy, but also too salty...and the bed of veggies underneath was drowning in oil. For the same price, Town Hall's pork chop wins hands down. Like I said, I really wanted to like this place and I think it has potential....If prices had been about 30% cheaper, I'd go back for another visit.

• Pros: Ambience, Local spot
• Cons: Apathetic service, Food needs refinement

11/20/06

Romantic???

by dewalker

If you consider worrying whether your car will still be there after you meal romantic, then by all means. Romantic. The food is capably done, but it's a hard swallow to pay those prices when you're dining in that neighborhood, under a freeway ramp.

11/01/06

Went in with too many expecctations...

by shoegal84

My boyfriend had been wanting to try this place out, so for his birthday I decided to take him here. We had read all of the reviews, seen the menu and were so excited. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a let down - not entirely, just a bit.

The space is so quaint, and I loved that I felt as if I was in a friend's home. The staff was so attentive, but the food was not as tasty as I would have hoped, and was a bit on the salty side. I think it is a little pricey for what it is, but maybe we just went on an off night.

• Pros: Romantic and cozy.
• Cons: The food left a little to be desired.

08/29/06

Delicious!

by wvtoca

The food here was amazing. Although their menu is small everything sounded amazing and it changes according to what foods are in season. I am a vegetarian as well, so there were fewer options, but I didn't care because what I could eat, was delicious. I would definitly reccomend it. I liked that while the food was upscale, the restaurant itself, was warm and inviting. If you sit in the front room you get to see all of your meal being prepared as you order it.

• Pros: Food, homey feel, small and locally owned
• Cons: too pricey to eat there as often as you would want to!

08/18/06

pretty good food, not that romantic

by dinkin

I heard such nice things about the atmosphere of this place but it was nothing special. Most of the dishes were tasty, particularly the pork chop and the corn chowder. The wine list had very few moderately priced selections. I don't know - can't see any reason to go back in a city with so many places to try.

06/28/06

best comfort food and very romantic

by jadefox415

i came here on my birthday and it was by far the best food i have had in a long time. their portions are generous, and the food was flavorful and hearty. it is located underneath the freeway, a little strange, but i think that if it was located anywhere else it would be super packed. the service was a little spotty, but honestly, the food speaks for itself, when most resturants are going smaller portions, it is represhing to finally eat at a place where the portions are real. i really liked this place, i have lived in sf for 15 years always meaning to go to this place and i finally have and i wish i had gone earlier. the prices are reasonable too.

• Pros: yummy food and generous portions!
• Cons: no cons