Oak and Embers Tavern Hudson — Restaurant in Twinsburg Township

Huge Portions, below average service, lay off the BBQ sauce. That's the quick summary.

We went for my Birthday this week on Monday night. We called ahead with reservations and showed up early and were seated quickly in a half filled restaurant. They sat us right behind the hostess stand and in front of the kitchen door. And then we waited for over 10 minutes for someone to help us only because I had to find someone first. Mind you that all the servers were going by us as well as the hostesses to seat people. I first went to the bar where it seemed no one was interested that I walked up to it. Then I went back to my table, and then returned to the bar and finally someone acknowledged me and I told him we hadn't been helped yet. Our waitress came over and immediately went to "What can I get you to drink?" No apology or anything for not being there sooner. No "Hi I'm so and so", just what can I get you to drink.

We ordered Cheese curds and burnt ends for apps. My kids love cheese curds and I love burnt ends. Cheese curds were great. Burnt ends - not so much. They provided a huge amount for us to munch on, but they were so slathered in BBQ sauce I couldn't take any of the smoke.

My sons order chicken & waffles and the brisket sandwich. What a mountain of food when it showed up. All the portions were enormous which is great if you're not on a diet. I usually don't order much if anything because my 4 kids usually leave enough for me to eat. But I wanted my own so i ordered the smoked wings without sauce. These were probably the best thing on the menu as my girls ordered pulled pork, the half smoked chicken and a half rack of ribs. It was only $2 more for the half rack so i had them add it on.

Everything came out quick, the boys loved their food, but only ate about half understandably. I chowed my wings that were really good. Good smoke meat doesn't need sauce. Feel free to add if you like but it should stand on its own. The rids, chicken, and pulled pork came covered in sauce. It masked the smoke smell and flavor way too much. I should have asked for it on the side, but adding sauce shouldn't be the normal approach to smoked meat. Leave it alone and let the customer add it as they want. The sides were great all the way around. My wife loved her salad and craft beer. Kudos there.

I guess at the end of the night three things really hurt the experience - waiting and then having to find someone to help us who never apologized. The manager never came by to apologize or even ask us how our experience was either. And adding sauce to smoked meat that should have been left alone. All in all, I'd like to give it another shot and order my smoked meat without sauce just make...

"AM B." was my server on a Saturday afternoon. Maybe 20-25 people in the place. This was my first time at Oak & Embers.

I ordered food ahead for take-out, but decided to sit at the bar and have a beer with my pulled pork tacos. Problem 1) the girl at the front counter was more interested in her phone than greeting guests. Problem 2) Before my food was ready, I sat at the bar. AM B. didn't greet me, didn't say hello, hardly looked at me. I was the only person at the bar. Problem 3) She waited on and prepared and served drinks to two tables of 3 to 4 people, both of which were seated after I got to the bar. I went to washroom while she served tables. Problem 4) After 7-8 mins, she finally gave me a beer menu. I then waited another 5 mins before she took my order. While waiting, I went back to the front desk to pick up my food. Problem 5) I took my food to the bar, and it wasn't actually prepared. It was all in to-go containers and I had to make my tacos. Problem 6) AM B. never once looked to see that I was using my fingers to build my tacos. No silverware, no napkins, nothing. Not even a "do you need anything?" I proceeded to sit there, stare at her when she walked by, waiting to make eye contact so I could ask for napkins. I made a taco, ate it. Made another, ate it. Made a 3rd to go, and not once did she check on me. Problem 7) I put my CC out to pay, and she walked by it twice. I finally had to ask her for the bill. While she ran it, I went to the washroom again to clean my sticky fingers.

I then wrote on the receipt, "No napkins, no silverware, no service, no tip." I regret even paying $2 tip on the food pre-order.

On a positive note, the food was really good, and the nut brown ale was, also. The atmosphere and decor was nice for a Saturday afternoon. The bathroom needed cleaned, and it was cold in there. The restaurant and the food were 4 star.

The server needs relocated to dishwasher, because she...

May 21st. stopped by for dinner and to watch the playoff game. When we first entered we sat ourselves at a table because no one was at the hostess stand. After sitting down we watched what appeared to be the server walk by us 2 or 3 times with an annoyed look on her face but refusing to acknowledge us or offer a menu or even say hi or welcome. I assume she was getting off, because she eventually went to the bartender and pointed at us (with the same annoyed look) then walked by our table again with zero communication. Generally, this would have been more than enough for me to walk out and take my money somewhere else but the Cavs game was on and it was a Monday night...

The bartender made his way to our table and basically made up for what could have easily been a 1 star review without even ordering anything. He was very nice he wasn't pushy at all, he let us know about the kitchen hours and wanted to make sure we were able to get our meal orders in before it closed (in 15mins). He brought over menus and pointed out the items he liked on the menu along with what customers seemed to like the most. He also suggested drinks to try off the list.

While waiting for our food a dessert that looked really good was brought out by someone from the kitchen staff to another table, I stopped him on his way back to the kitchen to find out what it was. He was also very nice and accommodating and allowed me to order one and he offered to not to bring it out until after our food had came. Again, what you like to see from a restaurant, just a little extra step. And he even checked on us to see if we liked it!

Anyway food was great, drinks came out fast and as ordered, restaurant was clean and pretty big. 2 of the 3 staff members we encountered were terrific and saved this place from a horrible review on our first visit! I wish I could remember their names to give credit...