All the Food is Amazing, Service and Ambiance Wonderful I love this restaurant and will promote to everyone I know!!

A Cajun, creole dining gem in the Dimond. I had the best jambalaya, red beans and rice, and cornbread since I left Louisiana 50 years ago.

This AMAZING Chef catered my 60th BD celebration and they still talking about the delicious food that was served!! Amazing business woman and holds our culture dear to her heart along with the quality of food and service!! read more

Open for lunch Wednesday through Friday! Food was delicious and plenty to eat....will be back to try the oxtail for brunch. read more

See all

Amazing food, delicious Gumbo on Fridays. Short ribs are phenomenal. Great atmosphere.

First of All , ask yourself.. Do I want a good home made food full of flavors and a big portion? If your answer is YES to this ... go to Willows and Pine ... Me and my husband enjoyed an excellent soul satisfying food ... Yes the ambience is Great and the place is clean , Yes the customer service is Amazing.. Our special thanks to Kamila ... what an Excellent Customer Service Experience... her recommendation will not fail you , Alex was great as well . The owner came out to greet the customers...We thoroughly enjoyed the big portions of food . We Will Be Back Absolutely!!!!! This is a gem restaurant and I wish all the Best for their success in Oakland. Kamila you know we will be back for the peach dessert. read more

Stopped by here with hubby after getting a gracious recommendation. Hubby had shrimp & grits, no photo as he ate it swiftly as it was sooooo good & hot. He had the pomegranate ice tea. I indulged in the oxtails & grits, ohhhh my, it was fantastic, the meat literally fell off the bones. I managed to snag one of hubby's shrimp. Traded him for two oxtails which he devoured and grunted. Now that we're in a food coma, that's all folks. Give it a try, you'll be glad you did. Ok, Sandman is calling. read more

Willows & Pine - Oxtails & Grits, yummilicious - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Oakland, California

See all

The Food here is very flavorful you can't go wrong with anything on the menu!! Support family and black owned business

Food was good, service has some potential, and ambiance was nice. Enjoyed their seasonal watermelon salad

Great food and atmosphere, service on a Saturday was a little slow but, overall a good experience!

Fantastic Brunch! I'd heard good things about this fantastic find from friends and family. One day I by chance met the owner at the post office. Convinced by the interaction, I wandered inside this Southern Creole delight on a rainy Sunday and it was just what I needed to brighten my day. I started with a mango mimosa, shared a Biscuitee Doux, and finished with an oxtail and grits. The Atmosphere: You walk in to be greeted by welcoming smiles with RnB vibes lightly pushing through the speakers. (A dj had set up around noon close to my departure so I may have missed to Sunday funday vibes) The Food: Biscuitee Doux - a delicious warm biscuit with a goat cheese, caramel and peach compote. The owner brought us a second one after she realized we'd met prior. How kind! Oxtail & Grits - tinder meat and amazing flavor in every bite. The Service: Our server was very hospitable and the bar staff were very personable. The owner even came out to greet us and gifted us a Biscuitee Doux on the house. I will definitely be back once the Bay Area weather gets better. This is going to be my spring/summer spot when I'm looking for great vibes and even better food. read more

Willows & Pine - Oxtails n grits - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Oakland, California

See all

Great Food, Fabulous Service and were not going to forget the Ambiance. So happy this place was recommended.

I love Willows and Pine!! Their food is absolutely amazing! Ive been going here for a couple of years, and their food always taste better everytime I go. The service is never rude! Always sweet people helping me. They are always so hard working! You never wait to long for your food. Its never too loud, it's kid friendly too!! I would recommend this place to anybody! read more

Food was delicious and service was great. Very generous portions. Highly recommend it.

I ordered the short ribs via door dash. They were so good. The rice and gravy were delicious. And man, the cabbage was also really good. I'll definitely order again. This was my first time ordering from the restaurant. I've had their food at catered events and was always impressed, especially with the biscuits and gravy! I'm looking forward to dining at the restaurant! read more

Willows & Pine - Short ribs, with cabbage, rice and gravy and a side of dressing. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Oakland, California

Just had to stop eating dessert to write this review. It is 9 of us and we all enjoyed our meal. From Vegans to meat lovers, we all are very satisfied with our meal. We will definitely be back real soon. Our service was awesome and the owner or manager kept coming into our area to make sure we were satisfied. read more

What a wonderful experience at an Oakland gem. I had the chicken Etoufee and it immediately transformed my body and mind to New Orleans. Big bold flavors, great quality product and I am completely satisfied. My date had the chowder & was completely satisfied also. I hate it took me so long to visit, but now I am a customer for life. Great job - see you all soon. read more

Waited an hour in a mostly empty restaurant and was never served. Had to flag down a waiter to ask for coffee which I never received. Staff didn't even acknowledge our presence after seating us. Avoided eye contact and literally acted like we weren't there. The chef was sitting at a table next to us and didn't seem to care. We were trying to support our community and locally owned restaurants. Very disappointing behavior. After an hour we got up and left, walked a block to Lakeshore Cafe and were served immediately. Idk how the Willow and Pine folks stay in business. read more

Can't believe this place has been in our hood for a few years and we just tried it. Five of us had a wonderful time, food is the best, great service, too. Can't wait to go back! read more

Went there on an early Saturday morning after some local shopping and fell in love with the place! Love the staff, the space, the owner and most importantly (for this review) the food! We had the chicken and biscuit and the peach cobbler French toast. The biscuit was large and flaky and airy, delicious. The chicken gravy was well seasoned and spot on. The peaches were caramelized and tender and the French toast was well prepared and very good. Can't wait to go back and try the voodoo ! I take them very seriously so that will be the tell. read more

If I could give 6 stars, this would be it! Amazing top notch creole/cajun. Our first time here so we sampled many dishes. Everything we tasted was incredible, and as major foodies, that is saying something. The service was great, food came out quickly but all felt homemade in the best of ways. Super light mac and cheese, incredible split pea and kale soup that was smoky and thick, a biscuit crisp on the outside and soft as heaven inside, short ribs and greens in gravy, Brussels sprouts in a tangy sweet sauce, just the right amount of crisp without being over cooked. And the oyster mushroom sliders--we ate them all even though we were stuffed. Divine. Can't wait to come back and try the rest of the enticing menu. read more

Very friendly, family-run business. The only way you can tell they opened recently was that the folks at the bar seemed a little flustered when we walked in, and couldn't quite figure out if they should give us menus or wait for someone else to seat us. Loved the music selection, though it was a tad louder than we wanted for an otherwise quiet night out. We shared the short ribs and swapped in collards for cabbage, the side of cornbread and cabbage, the pomegranate lemonade, and beignets. The short ribs were good, but expensive. The collards were borderline undercooked, though my partner actually likes them that way. The only benefit I can see to eating this kind of dish out is that you can't decide on the spot to make short ribs in a slow cooker - it takes 8-ish hours to get them like this. The cornbread was ok, but slightly dry for my taste (I'm very picky about cornbread). The cabbage was kind of bland, but had some bell pepper in it, which was nice. The beignets were very good, but be warned, they're the heavy kind, not the puffy kind. They were out of powdered sugar, so they served them with "cracked honey" on top, which was delectable. I'm guessing it's a mix of melted honey and salted butter, not sure if there was anything else in it. The pomegranate lemonade was very good, with perfectly balanced flavor - not too tart, not too sweet. Overall it was a nice evening out, but pricey, and the menu is pretty small. Would definitely consider going back, if someone else is paying. read more

Received used Willows and Pine catering. The food, service, timeliness was outstanding! All of my guests enjoyed the food as well as interacting with the chef Michauxnee. All of the members of the African American Quilt Guild in attendance at the luncheon will be dining at Willows and Pine. read more

I had been wanting to go eat here for a while and when the opportunity presented itself me and my broke best friend had dinner. She ordered the red beans and rice, mac and cheese , with a side of cornbread, and maple lemonade. I ordered the Po'Thang sliders, which are mushroom sliders and Voodoo shrimp. The sliders came out first and they were delicious I would get them anytime and every time and would even try the mushroom entree. Now for me the beans Didn't Do It For Me they were cooked to tender but there was no creaminess to them they were slightly seasoned but not the bell pepper, celery, onions, and garlic that I'm used to( and I do make mines meatless except for that ending of butter) so they were not my favorite. My daughter thought that mac and cheese was okay she thought it would be better baked but not a total disappointment. The customer service and Hospitality was excellent. Definitely a great advantage to have a DJ to add some fun to the atmosphere. I thought the voodoo shrimp was well made with nice plump succulent shrimp. The verdict is still out on the lemonade because with the title Maple lemonade I thought it would be sweet but it's very much unsweetened or they may have forgotten the maple part of it it just wasn't anything other than a regular lemonade with a little more water. Would I go here again yes especially for the mushroom sliders or a mushroom entree I would like to try their cabbage but because I cooked this type of food at home it's hard for me to eat it without comparing it in my mind to the flavors I'm used to. read more

See all

Excellent ambiance, low key but elegant. Diverse clientele. The food IS BOMB. Service is great. Awesome local spot. Black owned.

My SO said the shrimp etouffee was the best he ever had. My jambalaya was really good too. It has a nice friendly atmosphere but our service was really slow. Maybe they were short staffed as there was only one lady waiting, hosting and making drinks and one busboy. Also a large party arrived after we were there. One other comment is that they need hush puppies and beignets on the menu. It's a big miss without them. Otherwise we liked and would come back or order out. read more

Came in for brunch with my girls. The food did not disappoint. The fried oyster mushrooms were delicious! We all had the biscuits which were light and delicious. The oxtails and grits had me dancing! Ooohhh wweee! Just delicious. I brought some leftovers home for my boyfriend and he loved it! Service was great. Lots of mimosas. I will most definitely be back sooner rather than later. Highly recommended. read more

Great vibe, delicious food, ample portions. It's a small space -- or so you think! Check out the back room -- great for a party or private event. Will be going again soon read more

Went for the second time last night and had the pork chops because they were out of the short ribs. Everything I've had at willows & Pine has been very good so this review/complaint isn't about the food. The bill came to about 64 dollars for two people and we have them $80 so roughly a $16 dollar tip. I ordered a side of mashed potatoes to go and it came to $11.02. My buddy gave her $11.00 and was the person taking the order asked for the 2 cents. Now this is a place that says they don't take cash (they do, and did last night) so he gave her another dollar. No change was given and he was pretty upset about the whole issue having given her a &16 tip and not given grace for 2 cents. Here's the issue. I personally felt like it was petty and told him I wasn't coming back. After he thought about he called me today and said he wasn't going back either. To lose two customers over 2 cents is ridiculous. read more

I absolutely adore Willows & Pine. Food was amazing and delicious. We ordered the oxtail grits, shrimp and grits, sausage, eggs (wasn't my fav) and Carmel Apple French toast. The chef was really nice including the servers. Nice ambiance, great place for large & small parties. read more

Willows & Pine - Watermelon salad - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Oakland, California

See all

The Gumbo I had was Delicious! The Ox Tails are to die for. I would definitely recommend and the Owner comes from the back of the kitchen often to ask about how well you're satisfied and that makes a warm welcoming, especially if it's your first visit. The Restaurant is small and just enough space to have a great experience around other Patrons. Beautiful Pictures of the Owners Family that was said to have been an inspiration from the Grandmother whom the vision was created behind. read more

Willows & Pine - Seafood Gumbo! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Oakland, California

"The best meal I've ever had!" my father when we went there together. He had the short ribs, along with the house salad. My jambalaya was also amazing. don't just come for the food, which is some of the best in Oakland, the rest and also has a great story to tell. The desserts looked wonderful, but we didn't have room. Maybe next time. read more

One of the best restaurants, if not THE best restaurant currently in oakland. Lovingly large portions Friendliest, beautiful staff Insane food. Everything is so delicious and cooked with an extra portion of love. If you're feeling happy, go to willows and pine. If you're feeling down, go to willows and pine. If you're feeling frustrated, go to willows and pine. If you're feeling bored, go to willow and pine. The short ribs, curry sea bass, etouffee, chowder, red beans and rice - all of it, will make you feel right again! read more

Went on a slow night, just two of us in the restaurant. Even then, it took an extremely long time for our food to arrive.... Still, liked the vibe of the restaurant and the food was decent. read more

YES, YES & OH YES...! Today was my first visit and I already know I'm going to be a regular. When I first walked in I realized the proprietor was in tune with the local culture and the importance of aesthetics and ambiance. This place is lovely but not overtly expressive. Subtle excellence...! The menu had the key dishes that I expected but honestly I was worried if they could live up to the hype..... Please hear me..... I knew the moment I saw my food moving in the direction of my table that they were going to live up to my expectations.... My initial reaction...., YES....!! MMMMMmmmmmm My review in a single word FIRE....!!! Make sure to get reservations as this place fills up with a half hour of opening.... Congratulations Willow and Pine read more

Willows & Pine - Decor - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Oakland, California

The entire experience was 10 out of 10 The staff was super nice and friendly the music was on point the ambiance was beautiful and the food outstanding I would recommend over and over again read more

Willows & Pine - Banana Pudding Waffle I was kinda skeptical my sister was so adamant about getting them and look here 10/10 it hit on every level - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Oakland, California

See all

The food was great! The service was even better. My wife and I was there at the end of the day and the servers enjoyed what they were doing.

My wife and I had a wonderful time as our first time at this restaurant. The food was excellent, the service was attentive and willing to chat, and the whole experience was great. One of the few restaurants that we've gone to in years that really made a great impression on us. We had the shrimp and crawfish chowder, and it's superb, one of my favorite chowders ever. It was creamy and all the vegetables were perfectly cooked. The shrimp and crawfish tails were plump and tasted wonderful. The jambalaya was also excellent with the rice being cooked correctly with well cooked shrimp and really nice spicy sausage. For dessert, we had the banana pudding waffle and another apple dessert that I can't see on their menu right now. The banana pudding was really really fantastic. The apple desert was good, but didn't compare to the other. The restaurant seems to be very much family and friends like and/or part of the community with lots of people seeming like they were locals. It doesn't hurt the experience at all, but you get lots of friendly loud greetings. The chef came and chatted with lots of diners and her recommendations were great and on point. Ambiance wise, it's fairly loud and friendly. There's just the 1 TV playing sports games. Staff was friendly, talkative, attentive, and fun. We made reservations, and you definitely needed them for a Saturday, even early like 6/630 when we arrived. We enjoyed our experience a lot and am looking to come back. Thank you. read more

Great service Friendly very home vibe the ambience was cozy intimate. The food was good large portions definitely shareable meals. Nice to take someone looking for soul food type of vibes. read more

Food for the soul, located in Oakland. Friendly and knowledgeable staff, the day I went there was not a wait time. We had the best started salad w a raspberry vinaigrette...so good and you can add protein. We also had dinner Short Rib w Cabbage rice and gravy with Mac and cheese. I will return. read more