Willow & Whisk — Restaurant in Wyckoff

Ok so where do i get started? Came here with my cousin and sister after my cousin had recommended dining here for breakfast since she’s visited once. We walked into the restaurant and saw it was very busy for a Thursday morning which was very interesting. My first reaction to the atmosphere was wow I was in awe. It’s such a beautiful place to eat in. I love the trees that they have in two different spots. We were told there would be about a 30-45 minute wait but would go by rather quickly because most tables were closing out their tabs. After about 20 minutes or so we got texted to come in. We got seated at our table, only down fall they’re not quick enough to get the tableware set up for the next people to be seated. So as we sat one of the workers came and placed our place mats and napkins and utensils. Not a huge deal but just kinda eh for me I’d like my stuff to be all setup when I’m seated. Our server came immediately to our table gave us our menus. They have a great selection of foods to choose from a little challenging when there’s great options. After a few minutes our server came back took our drink order and even our food order because we already knew what we wanted. I ordered a Ghirardelli hot chocolate with Nutella $4 for this not bad. My main was avocado toast with a poached egg and side of breakfast potatoes. Also shared the blueberry lemon poppers I believe was the name. Super yummy and loved the lemon cured to dip into. All the food came out fairly quick which I definitely can’t complain about. So the only thing that was horrible tasting and I ended up throwing the money in the garbage and wasted was the hot chocolate. I had to get it twice first time was barely lukewarm and wasn’t good tasting and second time was a little bit warmer but still tasted horrible. Added sugar no help sadly. I definitely enjoyed my avocado toast it was really good but wished they had larger eggs and not tiny petite ones. The breakfast potatoes were good tasting but a little too small and burnt for my liking. That should be fixed because i really didn’t enjoy it like I wanted to. I tried my cousins mini brioche French toast basically little bites and those were so delicious especially with a strawberry. I definitely would go back again to try more food and I surely recommend people to come...

This morning 8/17 I came to this restaurant with a reservation to celebrate our friend’s birthday. Initial impressions were positive - the hosts were super nice and the interior of the place was giving what we wanted. Our reservation was for 8 am which is when the restaurant opened so the place was still pretty empty.

Our host greeted us and we ordered. While waiting for our meal, our server, Tayshon, came over to give us extra napkins. Instead of maybe handing us the napkins or setting it at the table properly, he threw it at us at as if he was dealing cards. That kinda took us aback because hello are we at a casino and I didn’t know? Our group didn’t mention anything to avoid any issues. When our meal came, we asked for hot sauce and ketchup. We got what we asked for but in the middle of our meal, he just came over and grabbed the condiments off the table without even checking in with our table if we were done using it. Initially, I thought oh maybe the restaurant doesn’t have enough condiments for every table and he needed to get it back so it can be shared with others - I have no problem with this. But the gag to me is, I took one last look around as we were leaving the restaurant and lo and behold, there’s condiments in each table. So I don’t really understand what was going on there. As a server myself for 4 years, the way we were treated/taken care of at the restaurant was something that I would never do because it gives off a very disrespectful vibe. There was a huge gap in communication and to me that’s the most important thing. Asking us if we were done using the condiments would’ve gone a long way and with the money we spent at that restaurant compared to our service we received just left a really bad taste in my mouth. I feel like I sat there very uncomfortable because I don’t know what would be the next thing to happen. I did ask for the condiments back but I was prepared just in case he asked me to go long and expect me to catch the condiments since he wants to throw stuff.

Nonetheless, the food and presentation were great. And we didn't even leave a bad tip either because I understand how the industry works. Just not sure if it’s worth coming back after spending that money and getting the service that...

If you are considering hosting a party at Willow &Whisk... DO NOT. As the owner stated to us, "we are a restaurant first" and be sure that his event staff will act as such. Do not get us wrong, the place is beautiful, and at least all of our pictures from the evening look beautiful, however, this is about the only decent takeaway from the evening.

1. Be aware that you are given 30 minutes and 30 minutes ONLY to set up for your event (and they will hold you to this. In fact, they will make you wait outside in the cold while holding all of your decor until that clock strikes half past three. The 30 minute set up IS clearly outlined in the contract, but the lack of hospitality during the entire process is extremely evident.
2. Be aware that you will pay a hefty price for food (which is understandable), however, it will leave much to be desired. I should say that my family and I have gone to W&W for brunch and have absolutely loved the food, so this was a HUGE disappointment.
3. It is BYOB (which is an aspect we LOVED and a main reason we booked the place). That being said, YOU as the HOST will need to be aware of the bar at all times due to the fact that the staff is no where to be found during your event (as the host, I spent most of my time switching out empty bottles for full bottles and searching for the staff to retrieve glasses that were needed, water ect.) For the price you pay for your event, this is unacceptable. PS You pay an additional $50 for this "bar set-up"
4. The end time is 7pm sharp (which is completely fine and clearly outlined in the contract) BUT just be aware that at 6:59 your guests will have their wine glasses taken from their hands, and you will have the staff moving quickly past you putting up the chairs and clearing the tables ( which will be ironic because this type of service fails to be seen during the event- ex: tables left with dirty food plates for the entirety of the event/ water glasses left unfilled/ guests missing food etc)

I fear that this trendy/vibey place with an aesthetic that is perfect for instagram will soon lose its luster. Soon, a similar place will pop up, but the difference will be the people. It will have an owner and staff who are kind and hospitable. Word...