Nutwood — Restaurant in Winter Haven

I've seen this adorable restaurant many times while driving downtown and finally made a brunch reservation for myself and my mom. When we arrived, we were seated right away. I ordered the Chicken and Waffle and my mother the Brioche Benedict. We were served our meals after a lengthy 55min wait. After about 35min into our wait, we were told that they had a 9-top come in and caused a bit of a delay. The server was kind and apologetic and we said ok. When our food came out, it looked...not like what I'd seen in photos on their website or other customer photos online, but most of the online reviews were good so we continued to try our meals. For the Chicken and Waffles: The menu did not state that the fried chicken would be dark, skin on thigh meat. I've ordered this dish at several other places before and it's always been white breast meat, and because the menu didn't say dark meat, I incorrectly assumed it would be white meat. Unfortunately I greatly dislike dark meat and just took a few bites around the edge of the chicken that was lighter meat, but it was primarily inedible. The waffle, however, tasted pretty good. For the Brioche Benedict: This was unlike anything I'd ever seen. The Brioche bread tasted like it had been deep fried and was very oily. The Hollandaise sauce was a strange deep orange color, and at first my mother and I thought it was some sort of cheese sauce. Upon tasting it, it didn't taste like either Hollandaise or cheese sauce. This would have been ok it it had still had good flavor, but it didn't. The country potatoes that came with it were very large, unseasoned(not even salt), and dried out pieces of potato. When the server dropped our meals off at the table, she mentioned free dessert to take home due to our long wait. When she came back to check on us after delivering the food we indicated we were done. Both of our plates were still nearly full but at no point did she ask if our meals were ok before removing them. She took our plates and returned with the check. She was sure to mention that, as a courtesy for our long wait, she took the iced tea and coffee off of the check instead of complimentary desserts because we'd indicated we were done and ready to leave. I guess dessert to-go wasn't an option. We were never rude, and we never complained about the food. I like to try new places and the ones I like, I return to, and the ones I don't like I simply don't go back. This is a place I would not return to or recommend. The restaurant itself, though, is...

**EDIT: Shortly after leaving this review, Nutwood contacted us and attempted to make it right. While we didn't take them up on the offer, we appreciate them taking time to reach out. So I'm changing our review from 2 stars.

We came because of the high reviews. My wife and I came for their special Valentine's Day dinner menu. It was 5 courses. The first course was a puff pastry about as wide as a quarter and about an inch tall with some ricotta and honey. Only one per person. It tasted okay but because of the small portion, you couldn't really experience the flavor. The second course was a soup or salad. We opted for the butternut squash soup with maple and cherry. This was the best part of the meal. Though the bowl was only half full, it tasted pretty good. Plus the bowls were hugely chipped in multiple places. The third course was a small serving of risotto, only about the size of my wife's palm. It was covered with balsamic vinegar and that's all you could really taste. The fourth course we picked the steak based on the server's recommendation. This was good but it was sat on top of a piece of brioche bread that was soggy and was not cohesive to the dish. The dessert was just a solid chocolate heart that felt like it was frozen and was extremely hard to eat. My wife couldn't even finish it. We finished our meal and we were still hungry. Overall, the serving sizes were extremely small for the price paid. It was $75 per person before tax and tip. You may like this more if you're more artsy with your food. The service was just okay. You didn't have the same consistent server. They just came and went and they seemed to run around figuring out what needed to be done. It didn't feel like upscale service. It felt like they just delivered and cleared plates and that was it. Parking was atrocious!!! The restaurant is in and old house so there's no real parking lot. So we ended up pinned in until the person next to us came and we both had to reposition our cars for us to get out of the lot. Overall we would not...

I went here with my boyfriend and it was our first date in Winter Haven. We wanted some place that feel cozy and original. And my boyfriend recommended this place. It was so romantic and super cozy. The entrance has hanging lights which gives you a warm welcome feeling. Inside, they have tables already set and it feel so romantic. Their menu changes every week/day because it’s super fresh. The server was wonderful and recommended us a few options. I would recommend bringing family and friends here.

Update: Thursday, December 22, 2022 It’s been a very long time since we came back here since we moved to Apollo Beach. But this place is so special to me. My boyfriend and I came here for our first date. The food here is so fresh and their menu always changes so you never get bored. We came by today since we are in town and they welcome us with open arms (we arrived 30 minutes before closing). Mandy is such an amazing waitress. She is super friendly and welcoming! Tonight’s dinner is super delicious and flavorful, as always. My boyfriend and I love coming here because it feels like home. The environment is very romantic, quiet, and relaxing. 100% recommend coming here for a night out, date night, holiday, family dinner, etc.

Update: October 19, 2023 This place is special to my boyfriend and I. Everytime we go anywhere near here, we always go out of our way to come here. The food, the atmosphere, the service is outta this world. They change their menu every time we come and each flavor blend in so well with the food. We enjoy the feeling of home and the welcoming feeling of everyone. This is such a hidden gem and they should get more...