Willow

Good food and service, but not great and not worth the $ 280 check. Came here on a Friday night and were seated promptly based on our reservations, which was nice. Bottom line was it was a 2.75 hour dinner. Service was very slow and we had to return my wife and daughter’s seafood entre’s due to undercooking. The server was gracious and the newly cooked entres were good, but this was about the longest dinner I have ever had — and that’s saying something.
About the food: the mushroom flat bread was amazing. And my cauliflower bisque was also excellent.
But I knew I was taking a chance with my «Duo of Potato Risotto and Wedges» entrée It was a fail — consistency and taste was basically like a bowl of mashed potatoes. My family’s entrees were better but they did have to wait another half an hour for their two seafood dishes.
Dessert was good, but not spectacular. Bourbon cake was fine. They gave us extra cookies to make up for the undercooked entrees which was nice, but the cookies were not chewy like I prefer.
Overall — nice atmosphere and appetizers. Slow service and undercooked entrees. I will come here again for lunch but not again for dinner.

It was pretty easy to tell why Willow is closing. The service is absolutely terrible and the food is not nearly good enough to make up for it. To begin, we ordered a drink at the bar while waiting for our table. It cost $ 12.50 for one drink that wasn’t very good. The bartender didn’t have half the ingredients, which was a bit odd because we ordered a drink that was listed on their menu, so he had to substitute in other random things.
Once we were finally seated, the longest dinner of my life began. All told, it took over two hours to eat dinner. It took 15 minutes from when we were seated for the waiter to take our orders. It took another 45 minutes for the food to come out. The rest of the time was consumed by waiting 15 minutes to get the bill, and then another 15 minutes for the waiter to process the credit card. We had to flag down someone to get our credit card back; I think the waiter was too ashamed to show his face again. I’d like to find out if the owners of Willow are opening up a new restaurant, so I can be sure never to go there.

This is my go-​to place for lunch meetings when I am in Arlington. I am saddened to learn that they are closing. September 19^th is their final day of business.
Their caesar salad is the best I’ve had hands down. It is so good that it has ruined caesar salads for me, I cannot order it at other restaurants now as they do not live up to Willows. I believe they made their own dressing and the real fresh anchovies adds a salty element.
Will miss this place for sure… Now off to look for another lunch place in the Ballston area.

I came here for one reason only, to try the burger that won for the DC Burger Bash for the third year in a row. I love burgers so I was excited to try it. However, it was highly disappointing. Nothing was special or exciting about the burger itself. I spent half the meal trying to figure out what made this burger so special, only to realize it was missing its «sauce». I asked the waitress about it and she went back into the kitchen only to realize they had run out. They tried to pull a fast one. Either way, I don’t think the sauce would have helped much. I would maybe go back and try something else, just not the burger.
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Ug. Rude, rude waiter. No wonder this place was only one fourth full. Everyone knows to avoid it I guess.
We went during restaurant week so had only a very limited menu. I had quinoa/​feta salad with no feta for my appetizer. Entrée was a steak as there was nothing else I could eat on the menu. They forgot to cook it. They forgot to include one of the listed sides. Another side, tomato soaked bread cubes, was inedible.
Bad food, I can handle as its still even better than what I cook. Attitude, I can’t take. When he took the steak back for cooking, he said the chef will fix his mistake. Then waiter kept saying that the cook was fixing the steak problem, while my partner had long finished her meal I asked a fourth time about my dinner. Eventually the waiter brought it back and said the chef had fixed his problem. Gimme a break! It’s your fu’n problem.
All meal I watched as the waiter served another table before us. He took our drink orders, disappeared, then came back without our drinks and took their drink orders. Next time we saw him, he was bringing their drinks. Eventually we got ours after he took their food orders.
After entrees, he asked the other table if they wanted coffee with their dessert. No offer to us of coffee. After their coffee, dessert, bill, yeah! We were served dessert! Mine was local peaches with cardboard, salt, and sugar.
Never again.

Willow is challenging. They are in a great location and their food is pretty good… the problem is everything else. For some reason, the owners and staff of Willow act like you’re lucky to be eating in their restaurant.
I work next door to their building and went to lunch with my coworkers for a birthday celebration. A couple of us were skeptical based on prior experiences, but we decided to go anyway. The waiter and the staff managed to turn what should have been a fun lunch into something that was quite stressful.
We all ordered off their lunch menu. To be totally transparent, there were a couple of special requests. Here’s the problems
1. One person ordered the 3-​taco lunch. Imagine our surprise when there were only 2 tacos on the plate. When questioned, the served said «they are bigger than usual, so you only get 2.» My coworker said that she did’t want them and ordered a burger. Once they took them away, they returned with an offer of 3 tacos.
2. Another person asked to not have the bacon butter on her burger. When it arrived it had the bacon butter and they took it away. It didn’t reappear until most of the party were done eating, and even then, it didn’t have catsup on the plate,
The whole thing was not much fun. I would suggest that the owners had better change the attitude there quickly or they are going to be quickly overtaken by restaurants like the new Kapnos Traverna — where you can get a meal that is just as good, with a much better dining experience.

Once again we tried Willow… a really lovely restaurant at one time but, alas, now a has-​been, for me anyway. My husband, who rarely complains about service or food, brought some friends here for dinner about a year ago. He was embarrassed by the poor service.
In May, hubbie and I had a really nice lunch so I brought my friend for lunch in June. Disappointment. We were served tepid soup without spoons. Sure, they heated up the soup and brought spoons finally but really? Ok, we gave this restaurant another try last night. Water was served to our table of 4. And then… nothing. Couldn’t help but notice the table next to us being served their drinks bit by bit. That is, a teapot but no cup, wine by the glass for one, minutes later, another wine, minutes later the cup and saucer for the tea. So clearly we were not the only ones getting somewhat slipshod service.
It got a little better for the others at our table when the food came because their dishes looked and tasted good (their dinner knives were missing though). Unfortunately for me, my «Crispy Foie Gras Stuffed Chicken Ballotine «looked more like a brown muddled stew. Come on Willow… simple attention to these obvious details would make a big difference. All in all, this restaurant has seen better days.

A true secret in Ballston. The service was very formal and grabbing a drink from the bartender was like talking to a classic bartender from NY or Boston where they appreciate the true art of bartending.
Great outdoor seating area. Food was great too. Very relaxing chill atmosphere. Would give it 5 stars but the environment was a little too quiet. Hopefully business picks up as its a nice spot for locals. Parking is great too with the parking garage being right next door.

This place still going strong with the expected quality and high costumer service. Went on Monday 3÷30÷15 and took advantage of the $ 10.00 counter lunch menu. I ordered the Steak and Cheese flatbread… OMG! On every bite you can taste every ingredient, no question one of the best flatbread I ever had and for the price in this kind of establishment, is very good. Highly recommended, 5*. Will come back.

«Proper attire required»
I was a bit worried as I showed up in my red jeans and blue sweater to be greeted by this cautionary sign. Willow is definitely a classy establishment — warm ambiance, fancy utensils, and an expensive menu. Nice for a special occasion only since the $$$ is highly relevant. Appetizers are around $ 11 – 15 and entrees $ 28-​$ 45.
I love going with my group of friends because we always order a variety of dishes and then spend the first ten minutes sharing our food around the table. As a result, I got to try a healthy number of dishes.
Appetizers:
–Calamari: nothing particularly outstanding here. Whatever breading they used wasn’t crispy enough to add a good texture.
–Gnocchi: definitely recommend this one — each piece of gnocchi melted in my mouth. I do wish there had been more flavor to the dish though — the butternut squash and bacon weren’t enough as a standalone.
–Lamb eggplant sausage: not sure if it was just the bite I had but the eggplant tasted extremely bitter. Plus, $ 12 for a tiny skewer? No thanks.
Entrees:
–Seared Yellowfin Tuna: I was very happy with my choice. I ordered it rare — so each piece was juicy with just a light searing on the edges. It came atop a bed of spinach and with two sides, cauliflower purée and a mushroom tart. The purée added a good flavor, especially when eaten with the tuna. What really struck me though was the decadence of the mushroom tart. I don’t know what they filled it with — cheese, butter, heavenly creamy something — but the richness was heavenly.
–Smoked duck breast: Unlike most duck dishes, which generally feature duck leg, this dish was duck breast, a much leaner cut of meat. I personally was a fan and impressed by the tenderness — though I think my friend would have preferred more fat. It came with lentils and shredded potatoes — decent sides that complemented the duck well.
–Lobster ravioli: If you’re expecting a pasta centric dish, this is not it. My friends were a bit confused when they received a heaping pile of seafood — scallops, fish, and a lobster tail — with almost no sign of ravioli barring three pieces at the bottom of the dish. That being said, I applaud Willow for not holding back on seafood — and eating this dish as more of a seafood stew made it very enjoyable.
–New York strip: Willow did a good job with this classic dish. I really enjoyed the pepper seasoning.
–Pork loin: Probably the prettiest dish in my opinion. The portion was huge — easily 10 oz. I normally don’t like pork but the bite I had was tender and had a subtle seasoning that I enjoyed.
–Cod: Another classic dish. It was well executed and the fish flaked easily with slight pressure from my fork. Not very memorable though.
Conclusion: Willow is a good option in Arlington if you’re craving upscale food and prefer subtler flavors. I finished my meal satiated without the heaviness that I normally associate with fancy American food. There’s nothing here that blew my mind (except maybe that mushroom tart) though — so I’ll probably save my money unless another special occasion arises.

Eh not too bad but nothing real special. I went in with sort of high expectations because I know a few people who had taken their dates here for V-​day and had talked it up. Really for the price it was pretty average.
The service was excellent. Very friendly knowledgeable server. The food was kind of disappointing, mostly because the portions were small, and that the food was sort of unremarkable in general. Filet Mignon medallions were kind of tough. The shrimp app is tiny. The Lobster 2 Ways dish didn’t have enough lobster but did taste alright. For the price, was kind of underwhelmed with the food.
The atmosphere is nice and it is a decent date spot, but I would definitely not recommend it for a «special» date like V-​day or an anniversary.

This place was so underwhelming that we actually ended up leaving after our first course.
I came here for restaurant week and almost immediately felt unwelcome. The hosts looked at us like we were aliens and seemed almost unwilling to even want to seat us.
The tables were so cramped that I learned the life stories of the strangers sitting on either side of us. There was also one section of the restaurant that looked a lot more elegant (white table cloths and bread) which was made me confused as to why we were seated in the reject section with no white tablecloth and no bread.
Anyway, after taking awhile to come over to our table, we finally placed our order. I got the shrimp salad, which was pretty awful. The shrimp was okay, but the salad was so bitter and the lemon was way too overpowering.
After that, we had a few questions for our waitress, but instead of coming over to our table, she visited the ones on either side of us, twice. Never got a «how’s your meal» or anything.
So we told them we were leaving and found a more suitable place. Maybe they were having an off day, but I won’t be back to double check.

Had reservations on a Friday night at 8 pm during restaurant week. The place was busy but we were seated immediately even though we were 15 minutes late. Our server greeted us right away and a bread plate and water followed. Everything from the wine to the dessert was delicious. The service was also on point.
Wild mushroom and white truffle bisque– creamy, rich taste, balanced mushroom and truffle flavor
Pork and mushroom flatbread– yum! Great portion for an app, loved the broccolini pesto sauce
**knocked points off for entrees getting dry because they both NEEDED sauce/​more sauce**
Pork belly wrapped Cheshire pork tenderloin porchetta– great portion, great flavor and cook but needed more sauce or jus for the portion.
Braised pot roast– great traditional pot roast flavor but so dry and tough. When you think braised, you think saucy and moist and fork friendly. We had to put the knife to work to cut it and the table next to us had to straight up ask for a steak knife.
Warm and sticky toffee pudding cake– rich and delicious
Grasshopper pie– nice and light, tastes like mint chocolate chip ice cream but in airy fluffy mousse texture.
This was my third time here and once again, very enjoyable, except for my boyfriends dry pot roast. Will probably still come back because overall it was good.

I had a great experience with Willow just last night. I went for restaurant week with a friend and my girlfriend. With that style of ordering, everything is ordered at once rather than course by course. We all ordered and received our first course, when halfway through, my girlfriend — who was already under the weather — decided that she needed to go home. The waiter was very understanding and was able to get stop preparation of the entrée. Not only that, but he provided a to-​go dessert for me to take home to my girlfriend, wishing her well. All this, and he didn’t charge me a dime for her meal. This is the type of service that will absolutely get me to come back again.
As far as the food goes, the pork flatbread was delicious and very hearty for an appetizer. The entrée I had (Seafood Fricassee) was good, but not memorable. The Grasshopper Pie was excellent!
Definitely would recommend Willow to anyone.

I was expecting a better vibe when I walked into Willow. Although there was a host and server at the host stand, neither greeted me. I continued in to meet my friend at a table she was already at. The restaurant itself is completely dated inside, but the menu is not. The menu changes seasonally (possibly more often), but the summer menu is all you can view online. Our server was good at what he does, but the kitchen declined to tell him what they were out of on the menu so two different times we had to change our order. My friend’s soup came out luke-​warm and she sent it back. When the server came back out with steaming hot soup he said that the warmer had been unplugged and no one in the kitchen had noticed. I gather that there is a communication issue between the kitchen and the front of house. That being said, all of the food we had was really good! I had a salad with blue cheese stuffed pears and prosciutto that was a wonderful balance of sweet and salty. My friend’s butternut squash soup was warm and creamy (once it was re-​heated). I had the clam’s casino crusted cod with gnocchi. It was rich tasting but didn’t weigh me down and the fish was cooked perfectly. My friend had the duck with lentils. It was great as well. Lentils were cooked perfectly and still had some texture left in them, which I love. We shared apple crisp for dessert; it wasn’t anything special. This was our second choice after we ordered our first choice and was told 10 minutes later they «couldn’t serve it.»
Overall, the food was great, décor was horrible, and the service was ok. I’ll be back to try the flat bread next time. Maybe I’ll sit at the bar to see if the atmosphere is any better…

HUGE fan of Willow’s lunch specials. they have a different lunch special Mon-​Fri and the menu changes often. the happy hour specials are good too!
I love coming here for lunch and happy hour. the staff is super friendly, the have great gluten free and vegetarian options. the baked goods are amazing too!
you must try the tator tots and puffs – amazing!!!

Have tried here several times. Their soups are great. I’ve tried butter quash bisque and lentil. The flatbreads are tasty and we ordered a cheese platter with four cheese last time we went. The stone platter was nicely decorated with honey, apples, smoked cheddar, blue cheese, figs, and thin slices of bread. I like the ambience both for lunch and dinner. The bartenders are nice and friendly.

My boyfriend and I visited this restaurant again recently to celebrate our anniversary. We were hoping that they’d have lobster on their menu again (as they did about a year or so ago when he visited), but they don’t seem to have lobster as a choice anymore. They did about 6 months ago, but we happened to be visiting during restaurant week, so we couldn’t choose that option. We were somewhat surprised that their drink menu was also not really varied anymore. They had completely changed the options. I ended up ordered a standard Manhattan and my bf ordered a rum and coke. The service was once again not that great.
The food was still delicious, though, even though the menu had completely changed. For appetizers, we got the Atlantic clams flatbread, which was amazing and quite large. We also ordered the brussels sprouts with bacon and mushroom. For my entrée, I ordered the medallions of filet mignon (Pepper-​Crusted Cast Iron Seared Steak, Creamy Spinach Tart, Portobello Mushroom Fries & Shallot-​Wine Reduction). It was pretty delicious and even the mushroom fries weren’t terrible (I’m not a big fan of mushrooms). My boyfriend ordered the Fennel and Black Pepper Crusted Yellowfin Tuna, which came with Wild Mushroom & Saint Andre Cheese Tart, Sweet Garlic Rainbow Chard, Fennel Soubise & Black Truffle «Jus.» He liked it a lot!
Overall, Willow was still a great experience, even without the lobster option we’d been looking forward to trying. It’s a romantic, classy restaurant and a nice place to celebrate an anniversary.

An overdue review from Summer Restaurant Week…
It was an unusually empty dining room for a lunch service for a Friday lunch service, but I was okay with that since I had heard some pretty good things about this place from other friends. With it being our first visit, we asked for suggestions from our server who was quite enthusiastic, friendly and knowledgeable.
Here’s the spread we decided on:
— Sweet orange chicken kabob with deviled eggs and tri-​color potatoes
— Calamari & Chorizo salad
— Double-​patty Burger with hand-​cut fries
— Clams Casino flatbread
— Peach & Blueberry Shortcake
— Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake
Highlights: Calamari & Chorizo Salad and the monstrously delicious Double-​patty Burger. The salad was unique and I’ve never seen calamari and chorizo in one dish before. The burger was perfectly cooked and well-​seasoned.
Lowlights: The chicken kabob was disappointingly dry and tough to eat. It had decent flavor but was generally unpleasant. Peach & Blueberry Shortcake was just okay, the shortcake was more akin to a dry sugar cookie and was my least favorite of the two desserts.
Overall, the service was excellent and the food is worth another visit. Their signature double-​patty burger is enough reason to come back. Willow has a classy vibe bordering on pretentious, but it was still a great experience.

Who knew you could find a classy joint like this in Arlington?
Met a dear friend for a catchup dinner here recently. Not a ketchup dinner, because we didn’t have fries or anything but a dinner to catch up on with one another because we hadn’t seen each other in two years.
Anyway, from start to finish this was a great place and I recommend it. Let me first say the service was top notch. Alex was not only friendly and knowledgeable, but also very easy on the eyes. He had great suggestions and we loved everything he recommended.
You know I love my beer and the beer list is very good. A lot of thought went into it, I can tell.
All of the food was good. My entrée of rack of pork was enormous! It was also well prepared and had great flavors. The dessert of pumpkin crème brûlée was outstanding. There was a real pumpkin taste and texture to it, without making it feel stringy. It was delicious.
However, the piece de resistance was the cauliflower and goat cheese bisque. It was AMAZE-​BALLS! I can’t believe to describe how smooth, creamy and delicious this was. As I’ve said of other types of food before, I’d like to fill a clean bathtub with this soup, then dive in and eat my way out (I’d likely do some personal trimming beforehand to reduce the risk of getting too much hair in the soup, but you know what I mean). I truly wished I could have filled up a few jugs with this bisque and carried it home with me.
Great service, terrific seasonal menu, great beer list… it’s a triple threat, folks. Take your special gal or guy to this place for a memorable dinner.