Wood Tavern — Restaurant in Oakland

Had a marvelous time celebrating my birthday at Wood Tavern. It's bustling in there, but the service and the quality of the food made it very special.

I don't drink alcohol so I had a bit of a pout when I didn't see any mocktails on the drinks menu. Asking the server, he verbally listed off some very interesting options, and I asked for something citrusy, bubbly, not too sweet. It came to the table gorgeous with a little pansy flower in it, and was perfect for my tastes.

Started with a seasonal salad of stone fruit, hazelnut and arugula, quite good! We had the ribeye steak mains. Amazing crunchy sear. Savory but not too salty. Although the horseradish potato side was a bit much on its own, it made for the perfect bite with the steak. Smoky seared asparagus alongside. Ample serving size that left me enough for two more meals at home.

I begged off of ordering dessert because I had a gigantic homebaked chocolate cake waiting for me at home. The server kindly presented me with some free sorbet with a candle, calling it a palette cleanser.

Somehow in researching affordable steak meals I happened upon a very old menu image that had the steak at around $35, so I'm providing a legible set of images of the current June 2025 menu for you. Also, I don't go to fancy meals often enough and I was unsettled when the busser took my leftovers and didn't bring them back boxed until we got the check. I'll know for next time.

Outside of special occasions, I'd love to return for appetizers and mocktails or dessert and coffee on a weekday.

I'm grateful for my experience at...

What a find! We were walking down the street in Berkeley, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. We had had a small snack of Brussel sprouts earlier, and we were still a little bit hungry. It was a little after 3 PM, and we noticed the Wood Tavern had just opened. It was just opening for the afternoon dining period from 3:00 to 5:30 pm. From the outside, it was a small business, and the door was open, so we walked in. There was a large bar on the right, with only one person sitting there. People were starting to trickle in.

We sat at the tables next to the window where we could watch people walk by on the beautiful autumn day. Actually, we were just gonna have a small amount of food because we were on our way to watch a movie. I decided on a Hot Pastrami sandwich—which was HUGE and delicious!!! It also included a small side of massaged Cole Slaw made with cilantro and olive oil—yum, yum—it was so delicious that I am going to try to recreate it at home. My partner had a Niman Ranch Burger with a HUGE order of fries. There were some slices of some “homemade pickles with the burger—which was a nice touch! We were both able to save half of our sandwiches for after our afternoon movie.

The restaurant was clean and in order. The staff is friendly and professional. This restaurant is easy to navigate if one is a wheelchair. The food Ishmael delicious!!! We definitely plan on going here again—and next time include trying one of...

This place justified its popularity. The atmosphere is friendly, with the bartender Wes being an affable host who recognized and chatted with a surprising number of customers seated to either side of me. It was so relaxed that I found myself in multiple conversations with my neighbors at the bar. I started with the smoked duck charcuterie board and thought it was a great opener, perfectly portioned. If I had to level one criticism it would be that the crostini was a bit thin and thoroughly crisped throughout, where I would prefer a softer center. For the main course I ordered the much praised pork chop, which came in a sweet marsala cream sauce. It reminded me a bit of the pairing of apple and pork with its savory sweetness complimented by thick bits of deeply colored bacon and brightly colored peas, carrots and potatoes lending texture and color to the plate.

Finally for dessert I had the kumquat cheesecake. I think this was probably my favorite thing. The orange like citrus and natural bitterness of the kumquat skin was perfect to contrast the sweetness of their candied sauce and compliment the really fresh and light cheesecake.

Overall, this place is very good. Clearly it also has a loyal customer base, much of which is probably due to their welcoming staff, but also...