Woodblock Redmond

“I came in for a late lunch on a Wednesday for my first time. I’ve read reviews as I frequently do before visiting a place and as is usually the case, people love to complain in reviews, and so I wasn’t sure what my experience would be. I can report that I received probably the warmest and friendliest service that I may have ever had at a restaurant. I sat at the bar and was taken care of by Jorge (I think) and a few other ladies, service was so friendly and warm but not overbearing. I also noticed how the bartenders interacted with one another and have nothing but positive things to say. I ordered the falafel and the curry soup which is not my typical kind of order but it was good. I came in right as happy hour was starting and he made sure I got the happy hour price when I tried to order off the lunch menu. Ambience is great, I felt the prices were fair for what you’d expect to pay for the meal in this area. I will definitely come back! My only critique is there are not a ton of food options on the menu for someone trying to eat a high protein/lower carb diet, but that’s true of a lot of places. Not a complaint, the menu looks great otherwise and a lot of variety.”

“Review based on one weekend brunch. Have been wanting to try this place for several years actually and finally dropped in for brunch. I did like my poached eggs. The avocado was a great match. Would have liked a little more crispness to the potatoes. It was not particularly crowded when I went in so there was no wait but there was a constant flow customers. I would go back again.”

“Opened on Memorial Day. Good food, nice servers. There are a few vegetarian options on the menu. My Impossible burger was good, I asked for it to be wrapped in lettuce. Not enough sauce but otherwise it tastes good. Friends like the food they ordered.”

“Stopped by Woodblock toward the end of brunch on a Saturday. The place was pretty dead, which had us optimistic. Quiet restaurant, plenty of staff around, should be smooth sailing. First little annoyance: we parked in the garage and noticed a list of businesses that validate parking. Woodblock isn't one of them. Not a dealbreaker, but at these prices it stood out. We were seated quickly and hit with the QR code menu. I get it, this is Redmond, but the novelty wore off a couple years after COVID. A physical menu isn't exactly ancient technology. One of the bartenders, or maybe the hostess, took our order. Beverage-wise, Woodblock impressed me. The cocktail list looked great, and they had several thoughtfully crafted NA options. I ordered the Stingray and it ended up being one of the highlights of the meal. Bright, refreshing, vibrant, and finished with a pleasant little afterburn that kept things interesting. We ordered the pork belly eggs benedict, biscuits and gravy with sausage links, and the bananas foster french toast. The biscuits themselves were excellent, but the portion felt small and the gravy was pretty middle-of-the-road. The sausage links were tasty. The Benedict was unfortunately the biggest miss, which was disappointing because it was the main reason we came. One poached egg was slightly overdone, the other was pretty jammy, and the breakfast potatoes were underseasoned and had that damp, steamy texture that suggests they sat covered for a while. Then there was the bananas foster french toast. Absolute redemption arc. My wife and I had to engage in diplomacy over who got the last bites. Easily one of the better french toasts I've had in recent memory. We didn't see our server much, but it looked like he was covering the floor while another employee was conducting interviews. He was friendly, professional, and comped the Benedict, which was appreciated. Overall, Woodblock felt like a 50/50 experience. The French toast and Stingray were genuinely memorable, but the lack of parking validation, credit card surcharge, and underwhelming Benedict make it hard to justify going out of our way for brunch again. That said, I'd absolutely come back for that french toast.”

“Charge for credit cards was a non starter. I am not a restaurant manager. I don't need to know or care about your expenses. I assume there are more than just credit card expenses. I did not se a fuel charge, a water charge , a service charge or anything else.”