Almond Wood — Restaurant in Patterson

We were hoping to have a nice family dinner outing but had the most awful experience. Getting a table was no trouble but then we were just left there. After a while and not having seen any staff we finally tracked someone down and asked about getting a menu and some drinks. Only then were we informed that this is now a self serve restaurant. Apparently there's a QR code on the napkin dispenser and we were supposed to order our own cups for drinks. Nobody explained this to us when they seated us, they just walked away and left us to figure it out? We have four young children and not all the free hands to be scanning codes on our phones and figuring out this self service on our own. Finally a young man told us he could order them for us, which we thanked him for. Then he asked for payment before bringing the cups. Apparently you pay as you order things so we just ordered our whole meal with the drinks to prepay for it all. We ordered the family combo meal and had our selection of meats, sides and bread. Food was delivered to table in larger containers and trays and then we were just left again. We had to track someone down to get something to serve and put our food on. (Did they expect us to all grab forks and eat out of one macaroni and cheese dish??!!) The server brought us the tiniest cardboard bowls that were way smaller than ONE RIB. We could not even put ten bites of food in them. Finally we found someone else who got us larger cardboard bowls to serve our food in. But I could not even cut my meat to eat it because the cardboard was shredding under my tri tip which was barely even cutting it because they only had butter knives. We could not believe they didn't even have dishes for us to eat our food on and that we had to track someone down to even get anything to serve and eat our food on. Staff was scarce and the only waitress we saw took care of one large group at the end of the restaurant then would disappear right behind their table into the kitchen. We saw no other tables being taken care of and had we not tracked down people on our own we wouldn't have gotten anywhere. Hands down worst experience we've ever had. It's a far cry from the Apricot Wood we knew and loved and while the food might still be great that isn't even enough to get us to order from there ever again. Do better...

We had high hopes for this location but were disappointed. We came in on a Tuesday (buy 1 get 1 free on pizza). So of course we ordered pizza and wings. Service: Great greeting from the staff upon entering. The older lady was a somewhat rude when she took our drink order though. Not sure why she felt the need to argue with a small child about their Mr. Pibb tasting the same as Dr. Pepper but to each their own. Our server was pleasant and attentive. Food: The wings had a strange taste (rancid or old oil), a bit hard to chew, and not at all juicy or flavorful. The pizza crust lacked any flavor the chicken pizza was too overwhelming with a bbq sauce however, the plain cheese was the best and most palatable portion of our meal. Options: gluten-free and vegetarian options are available here. Atmosphere: quiet, spacious dining area. Mid-day there were not too many other patrons. Older waitress (drink order) kept talking to a table behind us off and on gossiping and it was annoying. Cleanliness: Restaurant dining area was clean. Sadly, the women's restroom had no paper towels or hand soap! That was a nasty surprise post meal as we saw female staff and other customers coming in and out throughout our meal. We did let the staff about this before we left. Overall thoughts: the food quality is not on par with the price. Either improve the food quality or lower prices. Fresh cooking oil is...

I used to think this was the only good place to eat in Patterson, but the cook/owner’s customer service is unbelievably awful. I ordered two chicken sandwiches, one French fry, and grilled corn. When I got home, I discovered they had given me two corns and two fries instead, and the food was cold — the fries were overcooked, the sandwiches were overdone, and the corn was burnt.

I called the restaurant, and the staff told me to bring the order back so they could fix it. When I returned, I explained that their online app must have a glitch, because it duplicated my order. This never used to happen, and I’ve been supporting this place since it opened. I was willing to place another order, but instead of correcting the mistake, the cook/owner came out and told me, “Let’s just call it a day.” I didn’t even understand at first — since the staff had specifically asked me to bring it back so they could make it right.

In the end, I was refunded, but I left hungry and disappointed. This restaurant used to be good, and my family in Patterson even supported it proudly. Unfortunately, our feelings have completely changed. If you do eat here, I recommend dining in and checking your order carefully before leaving. Or don’t complain just eat whatever they serve or how they serve it! We won’t be going back...