Willow & Whisk — Restaurant in Millburn

If you are in need of a restaurant to take someone you love, let Willow & Whisk be your pick. The food is not only delicious, it checks the box on EVERYTHING THAT YOU WANT IN A RESTAURANT VISIT.

BOX 1: Aesthetic - Beautiful construction of this location. The decor is very light hearted and welcoming. The layout of the restaurant is very open with the tables allowing just enough space between seats for privacy, and to make a cordial comment to someone sitting at another table. The lights, walls, and dish ware has a wonderful simplicity but is immensely photogenic. CHECK

BOX 2: Service - Our server was out of this world. The server was well informed of the restaurant, knew the menu inside and out and helped make suggestions. They clearly aimed to please, and had great taste because the dish they suggested was incredible. This has only happened a few times in my life where a server is so good at their job that I actually remember their performance. They were friendly, not overbearing, and checked in at just the right time, as if they were paying attention to how far I was into the dish. My wife, who told me about this restaurant, told me that she had visited before with her sister and their server was very kind to them as well. I'm not sure if W&W are only hiring the right people or if the training encourages this sort of behavior, but whatever it is should be taught widely. CHECK

BOX 3: Practicality - Menu - The menu includes well described crave-able dishes. The choice of dishes are easy to understand. These are not complicated dishes, but each of the described components of the dish makes everything sound so tasty.

Cleanliness/Restrooms - A restaurant of this size to have more than just two restrooms is fantastic. In addition these are "family" restrooms, not gender specific, with enough space for yourself and your child.

Price - Let's talk about the price. The price is surprisingly reasonable. More affordable than you would expect for the taste of the food. Affordable decadence is something that I wholeheartedly admire. Bringing delicious food to people of all socioeconomic backgrounds is worth celebrating. CHECK

BOX 4: Food - For the grand finale, the food, the absolutely delicious food, makes this place worth the visit. They really do have something special with their dishes. As someone who loves breakfast and brunch, W&W exceeded my expectations. We ordered the Whisk Omelette with Sweet Potato Fries, The Breakfast Burger (suggested by the server with Chicken Sausage to keep it light), Mini-Brioche French Toast, and the Brioche- French Toast with the Espresso Whipped Cream. Everything, everything, was incredible. Well cooked, well seasoned, perfectly salted. The chefs making these dishes are well researched in flavors. The dishes are beautifully "simple", but it's subtlety packs a punch. The Mini-Brioche-French Toast is a MUST, A MUST, perfect for sharing with friends. The Breakfast Burger is like an elevated McDonald's breakfast packed into a meal. It brought back so many childhood memories, of my Grandmother taking me to McDonald's for breakfast on Saturday morning. It's not too heavy, and it's both sweet and savory, very delicious. The Potatoes with the aioli sauce, does not disappoint. It's the best supporting role to the star of the dish. You will want more after your done. The Brioche- French Toast with the Espresso Whipped Cream another perfect display of subtlety with a punch. The Espresso whipped cream, is the standard for whipped cream now. The Whisk Omelette is such a perfectly savory bite. It's composed perfectly, and all of the components compliment each other. CHECK CHECK and CHECK

Please do not sleep on this place. If you have trouble deciding what to eat on a weekend afternoon, let Willow & Whisk be top choice. It is the standard for me on how a breakfast/brunch/lunch spot should function. I can't wait to try their "Mains" next time. I wish Willow & Whisk nothing but success for everyone involved. Your work is not in vain.

Stay beautiful, and make...

Food - The food quality was disappointing. The decaf coffee was served cold, even after requesting twice for it to be reheated. This was an unprecedented experience, as I have never encountered such an issue with coffee in any other restaurant. Additionally, the bacon was not crispy as expected, further detracting from the meal. Atmosphere/Service - While the main dining area had a pleasant vibe and atmosphere, our seating experience was disheartening. We were placed in a small, undesirable side area near the bathroom, which felt depressing. We questioned that apparently, there were some available tables for two in the main area, why we could not sit there. The reason given was that we did not have a reservation. However, another party seated next to us five minutes after us requested outdoor seating, and was accommodated promptly. When we asked to be moved, we were told there were openings and we would be seated in the main area after a quick cleanup. Despite waiting another five minutes, the table was still not ready due to a mix-up in the number of our party (incorrectly noted as three instead of two). Eventually, we were moved to the main room, but after waiting an additional 5 minutes, we were informed that we needed to reorder our food. Conversations with neighboring tables revealed that they were walk-ins without reservations, and one party mentioned they never make reservations at Willow & Whisk yet always get seated. This inconsistency in seating arrangements suggests that the host may be selectively deciding who gets priority, relegating some customers to less desirable seating despite available tables in the main room. Overall Experience - This was a very disappointing first visit. Unfortunately, it has left us hesitant to return due to the fear of encountering another unpleasant experience. There are better options nearby, such as Goldberg's, which offer superior food, hot coffee, and more affordable prices within a block or two. We hope that Willow & Whisk improves its customer service in the future. Until then, we recommend...

I had heard about Willow and Whisk since they opened and was curious about the food and the atmosphere. I finally got a chance to go for lunch with a friend today.

We didn't have a reservation and were seated in a side dining area, which wasn't as noisy as the main dining area. This is a great side room if you want to have a private party room for a larger group of people. Unfortunately for us, a very large group was there when we arrived and holding a conversation was nearly impossible. The main dining area was overly loud, so I would not have agreed to sit there.

The atmosphere is similar to a Time Out Marketplace, and the decor is quite nice. The restaurant did a very nice job updating it from the old Charlie Brown's that was here for many years.

The restaurant has New Jersey wines by the bottle for sale on their menu, but does not have a liquor license. ( I didn't understand what that meant, since I thought not having a license meant you can't serve alcohol, regardless of where it's from). The waitress told us you can bring your own wine, and there is no corkage fee. The other beverages include many options for various coffees, teas and mocktails.

The food menu had breakfast and lunch items. Our group of 2 had a good meal and a poor meal. My friend had the eggs benedict with salmon and hollandaise sauce which she said was to die for, while I had the ricotta pancakes, which I did not like. There are 3 large ricotta pancakes, the top layer smothered in lemon curd which was too sweet for me and covered with unstemmed blueberries - I wondered if they were even washed. The pancakes upset my stomach even before I left the restaurant - and didn't really do anything for me.

What was odd is that we ordered a golden milk (hot) which was served in a large cup with a spoon, but there was no saucer.. so we had to use the table as a place for the spoon. This grossed us out. My jasmine iced green tea was ok, again, nothing special.

I'm not sure I'd return. If it's this loud on a weekday for lunch - I can't imagine what it's like...