Willows & Pine — Restaurant in Oakland

Was Jones’n for something savory, salty, buttery and just good ole comfort food last night and decided to check out a new spot Willows and Pine. So glad I did!!!

The good: The space, the vibe, the comfort and ease at which you feel immediately upon entering the space was palpable.

The great: Chef Michauxnée Olier came to greet me when I asked for Kai (I’ll get to why in a minute) to chop it up a bit and because of that interaction w/Chef I decided to stay awhile as I ordered pick up and just intended on picking up my food and thanking the young man Kai who took my order as he was just the most pleasant, attentive and accommodating person I’ve ever experienced taking a food order. And the only reason I even decided to do a pick up order instead of delivery as I wanted to again thank him personally and let him and the owner know just how pleasant of a young man he is.

The better: As I’m sitting at the bar I decided to have a drink and kick back for a few tics and catch the end of the game. I asked Kamila (the bartender) if she could recommend something and she served me up a Summer romance 💘 and it did not disappoint! It was refreshing, and just deliciously light and fruity and I don’t usually drink cocktails. Kamila was super dope and friendly too and we also discovered we shared an affinity for whisky 🥃 too so again, it’s just a WHOLE vibe going down with EVERYONE I’m interacting with in this spot, including the patrons! As I’m chopping it up with the rest of the folks at the bar a young man who I later find out is the son of the owner brings me a bowl of something and a spoon and he says compliments of the Chef, and your drink is the house too! I’m beside myself at this point and really feeling like I’m back home in Jersey. 💗 What was in this bowl was pure chowder crack! This shrimp and crawfish chowder was liquid GOLD- Savory, soulful, perfectly seasoned and the right consistency of the chowder as it was too thick or thin it had kale and potatoes and loaded with shrimp and crawfish! I don’t even do chowders and soup like that but this right here…OMG, it was pure HEAVEN!!! I was damn near speechless as I devoured all of it. My pick up order included and delivery from the previous night included the fried oyster mushrooms entree with cabbage and rice and beans, mac n cheese, extra gravy (just because the gravy is like that!) and the oyster mushroom sliders. Man, she puts her foot in those oyster mushrooms as they’re perfectly seasoned too and the cabbage looks plain but it AIN’T! I’ve been in the Oakland for 10 years now and this is by far the BEST soul food I’ve had and the HOSPITALITY is second to NONE! I really needed that experience as I have been feeling so homesick and had given up on finding any soul food in the bay area. Chef Michauxnée Olier, Kai, Kamila, Son and her Sister were there at the bar too so it was a whole FAMILY AFFAIR up in Willows and Pine and I truly want to say THANK YOU 🙏🏾 from all of my heart. This is my new and favorite spot and I will be sharing you with everyone I know- believe that!!! ✊🏾👌🏾🙌🏾🫶🏾

The best: The son (my apologies as his name escapes me) was super sweet and polite gentleman as he walked me out and asked where I was parked and ensured I got to my car safely!

Willows and Pine- Y’all ROCK!!!...

My wife and I had a wonderful time as our first time at this restaurant. The food was excellent, the service was attentive and willing to chat, and the whole experience was great. One of the few restaurants that we've gone to in years that really made a great impression on us.

We had the shrimp and crawfish chowder, and it's superb, one of my favorite chowders ever. It was creamy and all the vegetables were perfectly cooked. The shrimp and crawfish tails were plump and tasted wonderful. The jambalaya was also excellent with the rice being cooked correctly with well cooked shrimp and really nice spicy sausage.

For dessert, we had the banana pudding waffle and another apple dessert that I can't see on their menu right now. The banana pudding was really really fantastic. The apple desert was good, but didn't compare to the other.

The restaurant seems to be very much family and friends like and/or part of the community with lots of people seeming like they were locals. It doesn't hurt the experience at all, but you get lots of friendly loud greetings. The chef came and chatted with lots of diners and her recommendations were great and on point.

Ambiance wise, it's fairly loud and friendly. There's just the 1 TV playing sports games. Staff was friendly, talkative, attentive, and fun.

We made reservations, and you definitely needed them for a Saturday, even early like 6/630 when we arrived.

We enjoyed our experience a lot and am looking to come...

My sister brought me to this establishment after church. When we entered it was not your typical greeting “hello welcome in”’, it was “she will sear you” The owner was sitting at the first table so she could have made it more welcoming. It took a minute to be seated the hostess was unsure of where to seat us. We finally sat down and she brought some water glasses - mine was dirty so I asked for a clean glass. I then ordered the fried oyster mushrooms which she brought but I had to ask for a plate. The food was enjoyable, I had the salmon salad. When the check came, the same hostess/ waitress brought the check and was hovering for it to be paid right then. I asked for her to give us a minute. I paid on the QR code and we left. The owner still sat at the front table and she didn’t thank us for coming or any acknowledgment. It felt very unwelcoming so I just will...