Wild Garlic Grill — Restaurant in Oro Valley

It was Valentine's Day. We hadn't been to Wild Garlic since they moved from 1st Ave., and we were looking forward to it on this special day. We arrived a half-hour before our reservations, hoping to sit at the bar for a bit before dinner. Instead, we encountered a long line of people with reservations that went out the door and down the sidewalk. A light rain shower had closed down the outdoor seating which means nobody was being seated. We waited in that line for an hour before finally arriving at the podium. We were offered a high-top in the far corner next to the bar, but by then we had heard enough of the screaming bartenders ("Where are the straws!!!"), that I held out for the dining room. Already, I'm thinking that any business that is thrown into such chaos by a light rain shower needs to fundamentally re-think it's business operations.

We sat at the table a half-hour late, thanks only to our having arrived a half-hour early. We'd thought that with the outside not being served, there'd be abundant staff for top notch service inside. We were very wrong. Ten minutes after seating, we were able to place our drinks order. A little after that, the bread arrived. But: no bread plates. Okay, maybe we're doing this European style where we just sit our bread on the tablecloth. But also: No silverware, no napkins. No way to pat the butter. A few minutes later, we noticed beautiful salads brought out for the couple at the table to our left. They, too, sat there staring for some ten minutes because they also had no cutlery. It took many more minutes before we could flag someone down.

Our main meals arrived; I had the filet mignon. I had a table knife and fork, but no steak knife for the steak. Again, I sat and stared at my food for ten minutes before I could obtain the elusive knife and begin eating.

As we finished our dinner, the couple sitting to our right got up and left. The staff re-made the table with a fresh tablecloth and two gleaming bread plates, taunting us. Meanwhile we ordered desert and two coffees. The desert arrived, but no coffee. The check arrive, and still no coffee. The waiter said they were brewing a fresh pot. The waiter returned and collected the check and credit card, but still no coffee. He returned with the folio and thanked us. I asked, "So, are we not getting coffee?" The coffee finally (!) arrived.

The food was fantastic. Some of the best in town. The service was atrocious at every step, up there with the very worst I've ever experienced in my 64 years. This morning, I'm still angry that I paid so much on such a special day for such a terrible experience. Valentine's Day dinner was ruined, thanks to constantly having to nag and wait for the basics. If I had brought guest along from out of town (as we do), I would have been thoroughly embarrassed. Thoroughly. I can't imagine coming back again, and I certainly can't recommend Wild Garlic Grill to...

I really wanted to like this place—my family spoke highly of it, and I came in hopeful—but unfortunately, there were several disappointments that I feel compelled to share.

To give you some background, I spent over 26 years in the hospitality industry, finishing my career as a General Manager and Sommelier in a fine dining restaurant. I understand the flow, standards, and nuances of service—and I also understand that mistakes can happen. But when dining at a higher price point, it’s the little things that make or break an experience.

Let me start with the positives: the décor is beautiful. We were warmly greeted by a friendly host who acknowledged our reservation, walked us through the dining room, and engaged us in casual conversation about our evening and the occasion. That was a great first impression.

I also appreciated the use of white linen on the tables—a classic touch that's becoming rare. That said, the tablecloths throughout the restaurant were inconsistently aligned, which gave a slightly disheveled appearance that detracted from an otherwise elegant setting.

Our server was friendly and knowledgeable. She presented the evening’s specials with enthusiasm—so much so that it felt like an entirely different menu, which was great. She answered all of our questions thoroughly, and our drinks order was taken promptly. Wine service began well with a proper presentation and initial pour. However, we didn’t see her again for wine service after that. We ordered a second bottle—fresh glasses were offered, which was appreciated—but again, no follow-up service for pouring. We were left to top off our own glasses, which isn’t the end of the world, but at this level of dining, it's one of those details that should be automatic.

The most disappointing part of the evening, though, was the pacing and execution of the meal. Our entrees were brought to the table while my brother-in-law and I were still enjoying our wedge salads. We didn’t ask for an "order-fire" service, and I had hoped for a brief pause between courses. The restaurant wasn’t particularly busy, so the rushed pacing felt unnecessary and disruptive to the flow of the evening.

To top it off, I ordered the tuna special and asked for it as rare as the chef recommends. It came out rare—great—but was served on a scalding hot plate. Why? By the time I was halfway through, the tuna had cooked itself to a medium-rare temperature. It completely undermined the delicacy and intention behind ordering it rare in the first place.

Maybe I need to adjust my expectations in today’s dining world, but when you’re paying a premium, certain standards should be met—especially in execution, pacing, and attentiveness. I genuinely wanted to love this experience, and while there were bright spots, the overall service fell short of what I’d expect...

I had not been to the garlic grill for about 7 years. That first visit was amazing. Now, it was one of our worst eating out experiences in several years. If you spend over 140 bucks for two people eating reasonably, you expect some pretty damn good meals, treatment and atmosphere. We got none of it. The first grew up was that we called ahead and told them that we wanted to avoid the crowds because my girlfriend had a kidney transplant and did not have and a covid vaccines and wanted to avoid people as much as possible. We asked what time to come in and we were told 4:30. It should have been two to three hours earlier because in a short amount of time the place was packed. Out of the five cooks that we saw, four of them either had no mask on it all or had it down below their nose most of the time. What a joke. Our meal took well over an hour to receive. And by the end of our dinner there were telling us that they didn't want to rush us but people were waiting for our table. Really? And to top it off, my gal order duck and it was too tough to eat. Even though she took leftovers home oh, she ended up throwing it away because it was too tough. It was probably old meet to begin with let alone taking into consideration how it was cooked. It was normally her favorite meal and having it come in that matter was really disappointing to her. They did not offer to take it off the bill but gave us one free desert of their choosing which turned out to be something my gal didn't like. So she was completely disappointed with her meal except for one wine which was okay. I had a chicken dish that was cooked quite well and tender. But I ordered the garlic fries as a upcharge to the meal and was quite disappointed with those. I could go virtually anywhere else in Tucson and get better fries with no Upcharge. They do give good portion sizes though. When we ordered drinks, they did not listen to my special directions for a sidecar. Yes there are many different recipes for sidecar and that's why we told them specifically how to make it. It was okay but it contains lemon and then they put an orange slice on the top as dressing. Didn't go together. Sorry bartender. You flunked. For the price, it was a disaster. We could hardly believe how bad it was compared to our visit many years ago when we truly loved it. The next day, we had to go to The Eclectic Cafe where we had a great meal at reasonable prices. It was our way of coming out of the stress and p t s d of the earlier evening at the wild garlic Grill. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Sorry restaurant oh, you need to...