Willows & Pine

I can sympathize when a restaurant is short staffed and the food takes longer to come out. But I don't believe that should compromise the quality, especially at this price point. We did appetizers and dessert and the highlight was the dessert. The only thing I was looking forward to having was the Shrimp and Crawfish chowder, and to my disappointment they were already out only a couple of hours after opening. The Po'Thang Sliders were dry and chewy and looked nothing like the pictures they advertise. Nothing to write home about. The best part of the Chilean Sea Bass were the sides. The fish was cooked well but didn't have a distinct flavor. The menu seems to be modified from what's advertised. They were serving the short ribs as a sandwich on ciabata bread with fries. The short ribs were decent, and the bread was good, but the fries left so much to be desired. There was no seasoning whatsoever in either the sweet potato or the regular fries. Also, they were not crispy and had a recently-defrosted texture. Would rather have received some greens or rice instead. My wife had been looking forward to eating here for a while and we both were not impressed. Especially considering there is so much competition in Oakland for Southern food that's better tasting and less expensive. Now we know, I guess.

Great place for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner... all the above. The owner was wonderful and came to check on us in their overflow event space. She gave us the history of the family business and her vision of the building and what she wants to transform the space into. The food was wonderful and tasty and the servers were great...especially Bri. She was attentive and patient with our entire party. This is definitely a go to and I would love to collaborate using her event space for events that I throw. Thank you.

What can I say about this place besides that it is amazing? The food, the music, the atmosphere, the service - all a 10! We got the short ribs with mash, the sea bass, and the blackened catfish. Everything was delicious, but if I had to pick which one I’d come back for…it’d be those short ribs. They’re so tender and flavorful, I didn’t use my knife for nothing but to butter my cornbread. They’re desserts are a 10 too! You genuinely cannot go wrong coming here and coming back.

Let me start off with the food is amazing, there was a little bit of a wait to get my order taken, I even thought I was going to have to leave and go somewhere else because my lunch time is so short. I walked out, but one of the owners, I am assuming because I forgot to ask 😅, came after me and apologized, took my order right away and I got it soon after that. If you’re thinking of eating out, come here, in fact don’t even think about it just get in your car, walk, run, ride your bike and go. Everything about this place is phenomenal!

The food was delicious! The prix fixed brunch is more than enough to serve two to three people. It was my first time visiting, I was really unsure if it was a seat yourself kind of deal when my party and I first walked in. We stood at the counter for a minute before being greeted. The vibe was very relaxed and family oriented. I would go back again for the food even if it was for take out.