Wool Growers Restaurant is Olive Garden on steroids! I love coming here and getting "the set-up" that is equivalent to Olive Garden's soup/salad/breadsticks. My main dish has to be the pickled tongue sandwich. It's Basque food at its finest. Not everyone is a fan of pickled tongue, but for me it tastes just like roast beef if it were pickled. So delicious! I tried the oxtail stew for the first time and it tasted warm and comforting. Like those ones you'd have as a kid from out of a Campbell's can, except way better! Their whole staff is very friendly and attentive, which is saying something, especially if you're seated in their Banquet Room. There's a ton of people in there! I love that the main entrance feels very "hole in the wall." It's tucked away in Old Town Kern and is one of those places you just need to experience. It has such a cozy, homey vibe, which makes it great for all sorts of family celebrations. I love walking down the hallway with all the frames hanging on the walls. Wool Growers is a classic. Highly recommend!! read more

Wool Growers Restaurant - Pickled Tongue Sandwich - Basque Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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A local gem and a lovely traditional restaurant that serves homestyle Basque cuisine. Portion is always generous, and the food is super hearty and tasty. I always enjoy slurping their vegetable soup that comes as soon as I am seated! Meats are cooked right all the time, and all the veggies are fresh and flavorful! Service is friendly all the time. Thus I always try to stop by when I'm passing through Bakersfield- but just be mindful of their business hours before visiting! read more

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When you think of Bakersfield, you have to think of tradition. This is what this place is. It has history, good food, and family style meals. The service was good. They have a banquet room if doing an event. They have a full service bar. I would definitely come back and recommend this place to all. read more

We finally were able to try basque food. Everyone I talked to recommended wool growers. The service was excellent. We were seated pretty quickly. I love the atmosphere of the restaurant. It feels like you're friends with everybody or it's like a family gathering. It's hard to explain. But it is very pricey. I got the set up and my grandson ordered the tri tip. I ordered the bloody mary, which was very small for the cost and my grandson got a soda. The tri tip with gravy was very tasty, but sliced very thin and a little chewy. We enjoyed everything in the set up. read more

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Food was fresh. Service was on point. Decorations around the restaurant takes you back in time. Nice family dinner.

Restaurant located in Bakersfield that has like an old-timey institutional vibe to it. Service is attentive and very friendly. They specialize in Basque French food. By the time I left, I feel like this is one of the places that gets really popular for weekend dinners in the area. The building itself from the outside, and when you walk in feels slightly dated, but that adds to the charm of it all. I came in earlier on a Friday evening so I was able to get seated right away. But I can tell this place was getting busier and busier. It also helps that I think this space is huge. From the outside it doesn't look like it, but it goes all the way back. The menu prices looked a little pricey at first, but I didn't realize the entire feast that was coming my way when I ordered. I got the oxtail stew with carrots. As soon as I ordered, some of the dishes started coming out. When you order Andrea here it comes with soup, bread, some beans and salsa, a salad, some veggies, some pasta, and fries. An absolute feast. And everything was really good with fresh ingredients. The oxtail do is very comforting and right up my alley. I couldn't even finish half of what I got so I ended up taking a lot of food to go. Definitely inclined to take more people with me the next time lol. This place seems like it would be good for celebrations or group dinners. It reminds me of a progression similar to an old style restaurant that I went to with my girlfriend in college. An old school Italian restaurant in the North Beach area of San Francisco. I typically don't see that style of service had a lot of the new restaurants. If I'm in the area, I definitely would love to come back to this restaurant. Try some other items on the menu. read more

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Food is so good and I love the pickled tongue and the garlic fried chicken is my absolute favorite and the bread mmm

I'm changing my rating to a 5. this is a meal I remember years later for the beans, the soup and the service.

This is must stop for lunch or dinner . The also offer the group lunch or dinner in back dining room they offer a comunal dining area for family style meal. I had my lunch in the dining room which was exceptional service read more

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The worst beef dip I've ever had! Yikes. The set up was good as usual Prices are fair Service is awesome An oldie but a goodie! Still Just don't order the beef dip! read more

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Excellent service, Excellent Food Always visit this restaurant every time Im in town. read more

I already miss the set up! Had a few bites of the delicious stew and was able to take most home. All was amazing. We ordered the beef tongue for the table-outstanding! Was visiting a friend in Bakersfield and am ready to visit again. Service was too notch. Everyone so friendly. read more

Wool Growers Restaurant - Oct - Basque Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Bakersfield is known for their Basque cuisine and I hear Wool Growers is THEE place to experience Basque food. It is an elaborate family style meal, so bring your appetite so you can properly enjoy this feast. Basque food has its' origin in Basque Country which is a region in northern Spain which also extends into France, so you will see both of those countries' touches in the menu. They are known or their quality ingredients prepared simply but delicious. Since it was my first time trying Basque, my broworkers insisted that I try the the full meal set-up experience with my lunch. I had their Shrimp Scampi ($24) and added on the full Set-Up ($4). Just as they warned, I'd be full before my entree came out. Bread and butter were complimentary for the table. The set-up is so intense. It had a vegetable soup, beans, tomatoes, salad, fries and green beans as the vegetable during our visit. I had to really pace myself and barely sample the other items to get to my shrimp scampi. It was really delicious. So excited I finally got to try Basque cuisine. I really wanted to try the escargot too, but there was already so much food from the set-up. read more

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This place is the best of the best! The service and the food is excellent! I'd give it six stars if I could! read more

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This place is phenomenal. I had a 6 course meal for 35 dollars! The soup was amazing as was the salad and bread. The pinto beans were so fresh and tasty. The fried chicken was perfectly cooked and succulent, and I have never tasted such fresh homemade fries. I happened to be visting from the Antelope Valley but it would be well worth the 90 minute drive to eat here regularly. read more

Always a great meal, and the atmosphere harkens back to simpler, better times in America. It's lovely to eat wonderful food among other families enjoying old-town Bakersfield history. read more

Don't know why we gave up on Woolgrowers before our last visit a year ago. We always ate at Noriegas before they closed the old hotel location. We went to Woolgrowers with not much anticipation a year ago when staying overnight in Bakersfield. We were surprised that we were lucky to snagg a table in the bar without reservations. This time we reserved a week ahead and arriving at 7 we were surprised to find the bar empty as well as the dining room. By 8:00 the dining room was at about 80% capacity. This was on a Saturday night during the long president dat weekend. The meal was great and traditional. Had the garlic fried chicken and ordered the tongue since it wasn't included on the setup. We were informed by the bartender that the Chalet Basque was now run by Chinese. Most basque places aren't really Basque owned. The Woolgrowers is Basque owned and in the same family. read more

I usually don't write reviews unless a place is either amazing or truly awful. Unfortunately, this one falls into the second category. Honestly, it's one of the worst dining experiences I've had. My wife and I were driving from LA back to San Francisco and wanted a nice sit-down meal, so my wife found this place on Yelp. Big mistake. The food was very poorly cooked and way too salty. They taste like buffet food, low quality food. The only thing that was remotely okay was the soup. Service didn't help either. The waitress didn't even check if we were done and just took the soup away. Then we waited almost an hour for our entrée, which ended up tasting just as bad. We paid about $80 including a 15% tip (I was polite enough to even pay for the rude and terrible service), and honestly, we would've been much happier grabbing fast food off the highway. read more

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I have never been to a basque restaurant before but this place was very good. Very yummy. The server gave me plenty of recommendations and i went with the recommended JC sandwich! My friend ordered the Fried Chicken & the server recommended adding garlic butter on top. So he got it on the side and tried that out and he was surprised at how good it tasted and kept adding more to his chicken haha. Everything that came along with our food tasted soo good as well such as the salad, the fries, and the bread. Would love to come back again and try new dishes :) read more

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The trick is to pace oneself because the large plates keep coming one after another before the meat entree. I haven't been to a Basque restaurant since the 1970's when there were several in San Francisco's North Beach. The portions were generous even back then and it was the food to enjoy for a large group of cost conscious college students. I don't remember all the dishes served back then but I do remember the gargantuan portions. Wool Growers did not disappoint. After waiting for our table at the well-stocked bar, we were ushered to our table in the adjoining room. The waitress brought two waves of appetizers ranging from thickly sliced Pyrenees bread, spicy salsa, pinto beans, vegetable soup, green salad, tomato salad, and pickled tongue. We added the tongue to the fixed menu and we were glad we did. The tongue was thinly sliced, tender, and not over-sauced to mask its delicate flavor. It was my favorite appetizer. The other appetizers were serviceable. We picked what we liked and left the rest. The next wave was the side dishes, which included rice, penne in tomato sauce, fries, and overcooked green beans. The entrees arrived last, and they were outstanding. Fans of bone meat, the three of us ordered oxtail stew and lamb chops. The beefy flavored oxtail pieces were succulent and chunks of sweet carrots in the stew were delicious. The lamb chops were cooked to perfection and the seasoning brought out the essential flavor of grilled lamb. If not for the strategy of exercising restraint and picking and choosing among the vast dishes leading up to the entree, we would not have enjoyed these outstanding entrees right down to the bare bones. read more

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Very disappointing. I now remember why I went there 10 years ago and never returned until today. Cold, stale bread. Microwaved leftover tri tip. Dry and overcooked fried chicken. Green beans from a can. The best part of lunch was the French fries. I won't be returning. read more

Awesome place to eat in Bakersfield. Staff was friendly, accommodating and attentive. Wife had filet with Scampi and I had Scampi. Steak cooked perfectly, tasted great. Started meal off with Picons and Oxtail, excellent. Old school atmosphere and friendly patrons. Bought homemade Chorizo from JC, can't wait to try it. Highly recommend. read more

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So, so good. I loved the style of serving and the courses were all delicious. We had the garlic fried chicken and it was amazing. It was a very positive experience. read more

Always great food and incredible service. Been eating here well over 35 years. Wouldn't change a thing. Thanks for everything. Merry Christmas everyone! read more

Wool Growers Restaurant - Best beer and great grub. - Basque Near Me - Bakersfield, California

We went to woolgrowers to celebrate a birthday. Food was cold and service was really terrible. Would NOT recommend and will NOT be back.

I've been interested in Bakersfield lately. When relevant to the conversation, I have extolled the virtues of Bakersfield to my interlocutors. "The Bakersfield sound, man! Buck and Merle, how cool were they? And that's where they're from. Nashville gets all this hype, but the cooler stuff came from California." To that, I might get a nod of the head. "And they have a bunch of Basque restaurants! Apparently, Basque shepherds immigrated at some point, stuck around, but held on to their identity." Still, no one's interested in going with me to Bakersfield. People from LA and San Fran see Bakersfield as a place filled with backward hicks. For all the snobs with a low opinion of the jewel of Kern County, you need to step into the dining room at Wool Growers. People from L.A. and the Bay Area comport themselves like an upturned garbage can compared to the tidy manner of the Wool Growers' staff and clientele. I went on a Thursday for lunch and everyone looked like they might just as well be at an Easter celebration. Having already been to my local Basque restaurant, I was familiar with the heartwarming effect the food can have. It's not fancy. In fact, you can probably make it at home, but that's kind of the point. In this charming dining room, attached to a charming banquet room and bar, with a charming sign out front, you feel like you are being treated to a feast by your aunt or grandmother. Or, perhaps, the aunt or grandmother of your Basque friend. The tomato/ piperade type salad was tremendous with local tomatoes and bell peppers in season. I assume they're local since I kept passing trucks on both the 5 and 99 freeways hauling massive loads of tomatoes. The soups were honest and delicious. The clam chowder is not the typical heavily creamed affair. Most of the thickening is done with the starch from potato, and is enriched with milk. Much lighter and perfect for the July heat of the valley. The beans are tasty and become even better with the spicey tomatoey salsa. You also receive bread, a lettuce based salad, and a vegetable soup. All this is complimentary with your meal. My meal was the pickled tongue sandwich (tongue of beef). I realized later that it would have been more appropriate had I ordered a lamb dish, seeing as how I was in a place for shepherds. But the pickled tongue sandwich proved to be a phenom nonetheless. The tongue meat isn't pickled in the way of a jarred preserve. At least that was not my impression. It seemed to me that it was prepared in a sort of escabeche: cooked in a boiling mixture of water and vinegar. It was certainly acidic. Yet the offaly tongue savor was still noticeable. And the sandwich's condiment was a very decadent compound butter with garlic and parsley. The staff was exceptionally attentive and polite. I had a couple of restless toddlers with me. The staff may have been annoyed with the children's behavior, but if that was the case, they masked it entirely. Very warm welcoming people. read more

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Excellent food and service! Highly recommended to everyone who loves good family meals. Such a wonderful place. read more

Quality has certainly declined since my last visit in 2009. I was most disappointed in the bread - store bought and dry. The French fries were delicious, however. read more

We have been customers of Woolgrowers for many years and the service is excellent and food is still superb. However the prices especially the sides of Blue Cheese and Pickled Tongue seem high and they used to be included with the set up. I understand prices have gone up. It seems especially restaurants nickle and dime you to death. One restaurant raises a price on an item and they all raise their prices. Some are institutions and they can get away with raising prices I feel unnecessary. read more

When we arrived at 5pm, when they opened there was plenty of parking. The neon sign was a nice touch to the exterior of the restaurant. When we walked in you can't see the front desk. We only knew to look as another women walked across us and said she's going to check in. The front desk is tucked into the dining room, across from the bar. We walked up to the front desk and asked for a table for 2. She first said is a table ok, then she looked at her seating chart and said there is a booth if you want in. It looked like everything was reserved and we were lucky to get seated. As it turns out while seated, all of the booths were accounted for, but there were a couple of tables available for those of us who didn't make reservations. The place was much lighter and brighter than I expected. The wall paper has a light background and the walls are painted a light color. For some reason knowing it's an older establishment I thought it would be dimly lit and over crowded with tables. As it turns out there is a chandelier every few feet and it really lights up the place. Since we've been in Bakersfield we've heard about this place and it's gotten lots of hype so we had big expectations for our dinner. Unfortunately with it built up so big, it was a little of a disappointment. The spread was as expected. And we paced ourselves so not to fill up on one item. I wish I had kept the soup bowl and not let them take it as I really wanted more soup. They clear the dishes as you go through the meal to make room for more dishes. The dinner included: The Set up- (You can order just this and skip the main entree.) Bread- Cold French bread- good with butter Cabbage soup- I liked this best out of all the dishes that was served Beans- Tasted like Baked Beans, They were really good Salsa- Spicy. It really perks up the dishes Tomato salad- pickled tomatoes (Tomatoes in vinegar dressing) Really good, but vinegary Green salad- A bit too much dressing Vegetable of the day- Carrots- Very good Spaghetti with meat sauce and parmesan cheese on top. Very good French Fries- Needed more salt or ketchup, which is on the table. I got the fried chicken with garlic- It was very dry. I was really disappointed. It came out with a wing, leg, part of a breast and thigh. Perfect for one person. I ate it all. The portion was small enough that you can eat nice servings of the set up and have room for your chicken dinner. He got the pork chops. He got two small pork chops. It was good, but a small portion. If you eat a hearty set up you will be full at the end of your meal. I've tried it once and don't think I'd come back again. I am glad I went to give it a try and see what all the hype was about. If you haven't experienced Basque food I recommend you give it a try. Know there is a lot of food so pace your self. You can take home what you don't finish. read more

Wool Growers Restaurant - Arrived - Basque Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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The food never disappoints. Always same day or night. Service is always fast and friendly. They even know you by name. The crowd is always just happy to be there and even smile at you when you're sitting next to them. You'll leave happy and full for 2-3 days. read more

Wool Growers Restaurant - Moscow mule special - Basque Near Me - Bakersfield, California

There's nothing quite like a Basque dinner. Truly. While Bakersfield might not be at the top of your list for travel destinations, the Basque meals are something unique to the area that are absolutely worth the visit. Wool Growers in particularly is exceptional! Here's how it works: the set up consists of a multi course dining experience. Bread, salad, soup, salsa, beans, fries, spaghetti, tomatos, cottage cheese. The plates just keep coming and if you want more, all you have to do is ask. You can choose to just get the set up or add an entree. I got the sole which was buttery and delicious! The tongue is definitely worth adding if you like something pickled and tender. They have drinks including a solid house wine to share by the bottle. If I had one gripe, it's that they move really fast and sometimes you just want a little more time to savor it up. Be sure to make a reservation! They have multiple rooms including private dining rooms for large parties. read more

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During my recent trip to Bakersfield, I asked my work colleague to pick a "must-do" spot in town for dinner - she immediately suggested Basque food, which is a local favorite. I'd never tried Basque before. In fact, I had never heard of it as a cuisine! A quick check of Wikipedia refers to Basque food as "the cuisine of the Basque Country and includes meats and fish grilled over hot coals, marmitako and lamb stews, cod, Tolosa bean dishes, paprikas from Lekeitio, pintxos, Idiazabal sheep's cheese, txakoli, and Basque cider." Further research revealed that Basque Country is an area "straddling the border between France and Spain on the coast of the Bay of Biscay." But I digress. Comforting, warming, and soothing are three words that immediately come to mind now that I've enjoyed a Basque dinner. And Wool Growers did not disappoint. My co-worker had recommended not eating before going here for dinner, and she wasn't lying. The food starts pretty much when you arrive, with several side dishes (such as soup, salad, and spaghetti) served family-style before the main courses even arrived. To say I was stuffed before my entree was sitting in front of me is an understatement (and I was being careful so as not to get too full). The food was all quite delicious, and the service fast and friendly. We were sitting in a back area of the restaurant, which was kind of loud and had more of a family atmosphere - nothing wrong with that, but for the relatively lofty prices I would expect something slightly more intimate. Still, this was a must-do Bakersfield experience I won't soon forget, and hope to do again someday. Oh, and don't forget to order a bottle of their house red wine - it went perfectly with the tasty food! read more

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Wool Growers is a fun Basque dining experience. We ordered the lamb chops and they were delicious! They had a great outer char and were tender on the inside. That being said the rest of the meal is so so. Everything was nothing to write home about and just average. Overall, the service was good and the other than the lamb chops the food is ok. read more

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Spectacular. Very well maintained family style restaurant. Great service. Excellent food. We stopped here for lunch en route to Davis from San Diego. Started with soup and bread, then had lettuce salad and tomato salad and bread. Then lamb with fries, and sides of beans and salsa. One of the best lunches I've ever had while driving for the day. Pro tip: at least on this Saturday they were open at 11, not the listed 11:30. Try the door. read more

Went to Bakersfield for a meeting and was excited to go to Wool Growers. I've dined here every time I've traveled to the city for meetings. To be perfectly honest the place seemed changed, mainly the attitude of everyone from the cashier to the waiters. The food was still genuine and abundant basque. But everyone who I saw working there looked angry at the world. No smiles, projecting attitude, put down the servings and immediately walk away not missing a step. I started thinking I'd rather be at a buffet and serve myself. To be fair, I have friends who live in Bakersfield and who dine there and at nearby Benji's. They tell me I must have gone on a "bad" day. To be frank, I'd still gonna back next time I'm there. But first impressions can make a difference between coming back and never returning. My experience was not a first impression and I'm glad it wasn't. read more

I really love live music but not when it overtakes the entire dinner and you can't hear the servers or others at the table.

DO NOT GO. Bakersfield, you deserve far better than this. On 2/26/2026 at around 7:00 PM, we had one of the worst dining experiences we've ever paid for -- and we paid a lot. After a long wait, a tall, well-built waitress abruptly dropped the so-called "complimentary" items onto our table while we had not ordered any dish. No explanation. No courtesy. We later realized there is effectively a mandatory $23 per person minimum -- even if you only drink water. That should be made clear upfront. Instead, it felt deceptive. The "complimentary" soup, beans, bread, and tomato sauce were shockingly low quality -- bland, poorly presented, and comparable to cheap cafeteria food. The service was just as bad. The waitress's attitude was cold, dismissive, and openly irritated, as if we were bothering her simply by being customers. We genuinely felt unwelcome. While waiting, we saw another review mentioning that the service seemed better toward white customers. Sadly, based on what we observed that evening, we left wondering the same thing. We tried to stay hopeful and ordered marinated beef tongue and Chicken Cordon Bleu with Madeira sauce. That was a mistake. After another long wait -- during which it felt like we were being punished for being their guests -- the food arrived. The salad was overwhelmingly salty. The sliced carrots and spaghetti with tomato sauce looked and tasted worse than dorm cafeteria food cooked by students. The marinated beef tongue was bland and had an unpleasant smell. The only way to swallow it was to mix it with the over-salted salad. The "Chicken Cordon Bleu" was not even stuffed. It was simply a breaded chicken breast with white sauce poured on top. Call it what it is. Don't charge premium prices for an ordinary country-style chicken breast. When asked, "How's everything?" I couldn't think of anything polite to say, so I said nothing and forced a polite smile. The food was poor. The service was insulting. The pricing felt deceptive. This was not just disappointing -- it was infuriating. Avoid this place. read more

Great food, fast service. The ox tail stew is amazing. Lamp chops, Cordon Bleu, all great. read more

Came to Bakersfield today with my better half to see a comic we've been wanting to see live for a long time. We go to comic concerts like two the three comics a yr not counting the cruise ship vacation that we see. When we arrived to pickup our order truly I didn't know what to expect an basque restaurant I'm thinking a whole bunch of white ppl which is ok so we walk in a it's just like I thought a bunch of white people and Mexican people having a good time and sitting at communal tables which I'm used too I go to bbq restaurant all over so no biggie. I go to the register and two lovely women help me with my order it was a Togo we had a concert to get to. They were so nice the place was full and it was hopping. Now why we came we ordered the fried chicken dinner with a setup. Now the chicken looked pretty good except I needed salt, pepper hot sauce ketchup, but mostly just needed seasoning. As for the sides or the set up as they call it, they give you pasta which needed seasoning rice which did not need seasoning, but I don't eat rice. They gave us a salad. The dressing was good bread which was good. The burnt cheesecake they could do better mine was better and they give you some soup which I didn't eat and something else but I can't remember. Oh yeah the beans they are. Excellent. They're the best beans I've ever tasted like top five outside of my house other than thatI don't think I would go back. I think I will try another restaurant in the area another Basque restaurant. The corn needed seasoning also. read more