Dogwood at The Pine Shed — Restaurant in Bend

You know what, I rarely write reviews, but Dogwood has gone too far. I don’t know if it’s the people they hire, or the way they train their servers, but my oh my are they aggressive. The service there is absurd… I’ve been several times, one of the times I went was during COVID, and they closed at 10. I was there at 8, stayed and had a drink, and at 9:30 I was asked if I wanted another - I said sure! By 9:40 they were aggressively saying “finish now you have to leave NOW.” I was shocked… why sell me a drink and then PUSH me out IMMEDIATELY? No last call. Ok, I said it’s COVID, sure I will hurry. 9:50 - “WE ARE CLOSED GET OUT.” I cannot exaggerate this, I have never been treated so terribly. We left. Whatever. Came back a few months later (the drinks are good, the atmosphere is fun for Bend!), and again… this time we were early, say 7pm. We got a drink… the server came around every 5 min to ask if we wanted another… I politely said “sure maybe in a minute.” Server jokes — “ok! I will count down a minute and check back in.” We laugh… he comes back after a literal minute. I say ok I have a full drink still, give me a few minutes. Server says “I will give you five minutes!!” And he literally checks his watch, continues to look at us (a couple trying to enjoy a date night) and then proceeds to come back and ask if we want a refill — our drinks are full!!!! We say just the check … and go to San Simon — INSANELY better service! Honestly, fix your act. You are so terrible with customers, always pushing and begging for more drinks. Cut the sales act, and let us enjoy our evening. For visitors or locals, try the neighbors — San Simon or Velvet, great drinks and...

This spot just opened and has great potential, but they have a lot to work on to get things firing on all cylinders. Starting with the Good: The food trucks are mostly very good, one of the better collection of food truck options in town. The cocktail list is creative and inspiring. This is one of the few spots in town that plays good music quite loud, which creates a fun lively atmosphere. If you are looking for a quiet spot to grab a drink and catch up with a friend, either come during the day or maybe try another spot in town. The design and layout of the bar is quite fun too. Now to what needs improvement: I have been 3 times now and the execution of the cocktails has missed the mark each time. One time too boozy, another time too sweet, another time too weak. Each bartender seems to be doing their own thing, and it all lacks consistency. Then the service. To be fair to the bartenders, the setup of the bar has them fighting an uphill battle. On a packed Friday night there were two bartenders servicing the entire bar area plus all the tables. I also only saw one server taking orders from the tables. If you were just in standing room, it is a pain in the ass to get a drink. They need more staff on Friday and Saturday nights ASAP. They need more bartenders and more servers taking orders from the tables. This is way too big of a bar to have such thin staffing.

Overall, cool vibe that fills a gap in town. Good food options. Drinks miss the mark. Service needs a lot of help. I’ll be happy to revisit this review as they...

Everything about this spot is fantastic. Whether you're in a group of six or just there with a friend, the Dogwood has a great atmosphere - one where you can be wrapped up in the conversation or just simply enjoying the art and design of the location. Every single drink we ordered was delicious, I genuinely don't think you can make a bad choice. And let's be honest, some cocktail bars/lounges make the drinks in spite of the alcohol or try to mask it - the Dogwood crafts every drink around the alcohol, not only highlighting it, but giving it a new twist you've never tried before. When you add in the great food options (the servings aren't massive, but absolutely perfect for sharing) to this already wonderful stop, it really can't be beat. And a final note about the staff - every person we interacted with (our server was awesome) was friendly and; even in the midst of a busy Saturday night, never once made us feel rushed or like we were taking space from the next person who could spend money. Stop on in at the Dogwood the next time you're in the area, try a drink you've never had before, order a bite to eat and just enjoy that small spots like this not only exist but show how it should be done...