If I could give The Wood 1.5 stars I might, 1 is low but they definitely do not deserve 2. I really wanted to like this place but as it turns out the food we selected was some of the worst I have had in Saint Louis. Â First the positives; the atmosphere, beers and service were good. But we came here to eat and were throughly disappointed. We had their nachos which were; overly salty chips, lettuce (yep lettuce), white cheese (not bad), nasty seasoned beef, a glop of packaged guacamole, some sour cream and tomatoes. Â This was more of a taco salad than a dish of nachos. No option for another meat or any thing normal like beans. Â For our main course we decided on pizza, which usually you can't go wrong with. Â To be fair I have to say I am not a big fan of STL Style Pizza, so we asked the waitress if it was STL Style crust, she said no it was more of a NY hand-tossed. Â What she didn't mention was it was loaded with liquid slop, provel cheese. Â Doesn't a restaurant owe it to the consumer to call out provel if they are going to serve it? Especially if they are going to attach NY style anything to it? After our meal I asked the waitress if provel was the only kind of cheese they had she said, yes and that some people really don't like it. Well we were 2 of those people we barely touched it. Â When we declined a to go box you would have thought she might have inquired more about our dissatisfaction. Â Looking back at it now she was probably use to our reaction. Â In all the menu was too big, it is like they are trying to be too many things without one speciality. Â
If you are looking for a place to watch a game and have some drinks that probably won't be too crowded this may be a good spot. Â It is a clean restaurant with nice (un-attentive) people working it. They seem to take pride in being "independent" and under new ownership/management. The website is surprisingly high tech and I think they even have an iphone app. Â For these reasons it is really hard to give them such a terrible review. Â But for $50 and a meal that feels as though it is burning through my chest at 1am I cannot justify anything more. Â I hope this review in some way might help them get on track. Â Unfortunately unless they totally rebrand the place I will not return.
There are few good things to be said about the Wood. Things I like:
1. Â The beer selection. GOOD beers to choose from. They've got the PBRs and such but they also have the "man beers"... you know, the kind that have a bunch of alcohol in them.
2. The bartender. She is frightening and not to be trifled with. I've seen her smile once and I've been here 3-4 times. She's on top of her game, and to be honest, I fear that if I didn't list her here, she might kill me.
3. One of the cooks. He's an old friend and one of the nicest people I've ever encountered.
Things I kinda like:
1. Trivia night.
Things that I don't like:
1. I never know if I should just seat myself or wait to be addressed. Then I am never sure if I should order from the bar or wait for a server... sometimes I just need instructions.
2. They are always out of everything. It takes me about 20 minutes to decide what I am going to order. Inevitably, they are going to be out of it. Let's get inventory together, folks.
3. The fact that trivia night allows a group of 30 people to be on the same team. That's a bunch a crap.
There's a lot to be said about a clean bar where you can find a prime table on a Saturday night at 8pm. Â While the wine list here isn't really up to par (3 choices for white wine - Chardonnay, Riesling & Pinot Grigio), it was good enough & my friend and I had a nice table by the window. Â
The jukebox has an excellent selection (provided that you're willing to pay approx $.72 per song).
I personally liked that it was fairly dead on a Saturday night, but can see where this might be a problem for the business, and for people looking to party. Â
I did like the space & the decor was very nice (bathrooms & otherwise). Â They have darts, pinball & some other game. Â I didn't find the bar service quite as accommodating as I prefer, but once seated at a table service was sufficient.
Depending on what you're looking for, this place isn't bad. Â Won't be rushing back for the food, as the potato skins were not great & the avocados on the salad were brown. Â But, if you're looking to talk & drink & listen to tunes, you could do much worse.
Good food only been once I do agree the onion rings are nothing to get excited about but my burger was cooked to order and came out just as I wanted medium the calamari was a great surprise you usually don't find the thicker cut strips at most places...hopefully they have wings next time
Review Source:After reading the reviews about this place, I wanted to review it myself. Â While, yes, I agree that the place can be hit or miss, I feel that for us it is usually a hit. Â We have been there a few times in the past few years for lunch or late night drinks. Â Once for trivia. Â All the times were ok, not necessarily memorable. Â Then we went on a Friday night a week or so ago. Â Our server was Becca. Â She was very sweet and attentive. Â She was knowledgable about the menu and the place. Â Our food and service was wonderful! Â I really recommend their pizza. Â Because of the reviews and things I have heard about the place, I decided to ask her what the story was on the place. Â She said they had changed ownership (probably the reason it has been hot and cold) and the new owners seemed to be more driven to make the place succeed. Â I notice on all the so-so reviews, it seems that customers want it to succeed as well. I especially want it to succeed because I am a small business owner in Maplewood. Â I just think it is such a cute place, good location, and great addition to Maplewood. Â Go try it out and support the Maplewood community please!
Review Source:A group of us met here to watch game 5 of the Cards/ Nationals NLDS on a Friday night. We were trying to think of somewhere that wouldn't get too crazy packed for the game (i.e. any regular sports bar) and we chose wisely! While it did fill up to standing room only, it never got sardine-packed. We got there about an hour early and were still able to snag a couple tables. Good number of TVs visible from most areas in the bar.
The wings were delish and service was pretty good. We'll be back to watch some games in the future.
I would LOVE to love The Wood. Great happy hour specials, pretty good food. What kills this place, is a combination of the service staff, and the kitchen. I don't curse often in my yelp reviews, but my experience would warrant it. Without going too far into detail-they were understaffed for weeknight service, I waited 45 min for them to bring out a cheeseburger & a cup of chili, and I had quite possibly the most inattentive waitress in the history of the service industry. The bartender is awesome, the happy hour specials are great, but I'm not sure they're worth a second visit to redeem themselves.
Review Source:For my boyfriend and I, this is our regular Tuesday night hang out place because they have free bar trivia here starting at 8pm on Tuesday's. $5 Wood burgers until 9 can't be beat either!
As much as I enjoy this place, their food can be a crap shoot at times. For a few weeks in a row it's REALLY good, the one week things will be burnt or sloppy or just not good. I don't usually order the same thing from week to week, so maybe that's why.
Anyway, pretty solid bar. Good apps and drinks and the bartenders are fun. Nice place to go to if you are in the area and looking for a bite or drink.
This review teeters on a four star posting, but just can't clear the hurdle.
Tuesday night my cohort and I stumbled upon The Wood in Maplewood and thought we would try out the new locale. Â The building itself is large and wide open. Â There are multiple televisions with a projection screen in the middle of a large empty floor. Â The long bar runs along the back wall and is fully stocked. Â The restaurant was clean, well lit, and looked like a good place to have dinner.
Our waitress was on the ball with menus and drinks. Â We were told about specials and given solid recommendations. Â
The two of us opted for the big burgers. Â Stephen ordered a Black and Blue burger medium rare while I went with the house special, ZEPHYR, medium. Â
The half pound Band B was properly cooked and well charred with thick cut 'shrooms and gooey lumps of blue cheese spilling from beneath the bun. Â The ZEPHYR was also well cooked and topped with grille onions, jalapenos, and pepper-jack cheese. Â
Both orders came with high stacks of onion rings (nothing special) and a wide array of beers on tap.
We were surprised that at 7:30 PM, on the dot, people poured through the door and set up shop in time for a trivia night. Â The easy pop culture questions created a fun atmosphere which was full of free drink prizes, audience participation, and great blue humor.
Again, our waitress was great. Â I'll go back again.
$8 a burger. Â About $10 a plate. Â We threw in a pizza during trivia too, but nothing to write home about one way or another. Â Beers were on par with other sports bar prices. Â Worth a shot.
LUNCH REVIEW
After reading many of the older reviews that had been slightly negative, I couldn't help but see for my self. Â While I will admit I was awfully skeptical due to the fact the place was empty and only had 1 person waiting and 1 person cooking at NOON (peak hours), but I did notice the place had a large dining area with a few arcade games and a decent looking bar. Â The bar seemed to be set up for more of an evening crowd and the dining area was a mix of high top bar tables and cozy diner booths. The 1 waitress seemed a bit snappy which would seem accurate considering there was no one there so she wasn't making money. Â
Plain and simple I ordered a PepperJack Cheese Burger with their fries and kept it simple. Â I ordered it medium and it was delivered medium, very juicy and seemed hand-pattied. Â The fries were seasoned uniquely and subtly. The seasoning on the burger was to my liking. Â A friend of mine ordred a turkey and artchoke panini and mixed veggies. Â The panini was a joke compared to some, noting the meat and other ingredients were obviously pre-frozen. There was an order of hot trashed wings specifically ordered as an appetizer but didn't come out until the rest of the food came out (roughly 30 minutes after ordering, which isn't bad, considering we were the ONLY people in this place).
Here are some suggestions for this place, get a wait staff, not one bitter bartender.
Drop the prices by a dollar and up the quality of your food, for instance, a friend of mine got the "Mixed Vegetables" and it was obvious they were frozen. Â Do a little promotion and buy some fresh meat and veggies. Â That makes the world of difference. SPECIALS SPECIALS SPECIALS. Â Get on groupon, <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaraunt.com&s=76748a9d229d46000e00baa8f02ce36f742a35e2ebc9fa48519ecb77420af335" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaraunt.com</a>, and pull in that Corporate lunch crowd. Â
This is my first ever review, but it's sad to see a place like this suffer so bad when in reality, some increase in business/staff/and pricing/specials would make this place succeed. Â It was not the best, but far from the worst. Â Give it a try.
I thought it was a bad sign when I went in to eat lunch at 12:20 and no one was there but a guy at the bar, however, I was wrong. Â I had not heard a lot about this place, good or bad, and had only been in there for a drink once. Â Nothing impressed me too much to this point. Â Today I went in and ordered food for the first time. Â I got the black and blue burger. Â I have eaten a black and blue burger at about 30 gazillion restaurants over the years and I will say with certainty that this was one of the finest I have ever had. (sidenote: Â I was hungry as hell, but I still know a good burger versus a piece of leather with cheese on it) Â I devoured the burger in minutes and felt like ordering another. Â If it weren't for my strict diet regimen of one meal per meal time I might have done it. Â It was fabulous... cooked perfectly to order and the applewood smoked bacon combined with the bleu cheese just made the excellently grilled burger delicious.
I'll be back...
The service this last time was just OK. Â Server did not smile and did not seem enthusiastic - looked at us a couple times like we were aliens while we were asking questions and ordering. Â On our last visit, the service is what made us want to come back. Â Service this last time (different person) is the reason we may not be back.
Menu is small-ish and food was ok. Â I wish they had more options. Â It's a decent location, and the live music was nice. Â Great variety of drinks and beers!
This place has potential but falls short every time.  We have dropped in the wood maybe 8 times in the past two years, and have yet to be impressed.  We are the early bar goers and typically visit  between 5 and 9pm during the week even when we are the only people in the place the bar service has always been mediocre at best.  The menu looks appetizing but consists of frozen food that I could pick up at Sam's club.
Review Source:I'm really sad about how the formerly rocktastic rockabilly bar that was here became "The Wood." We live a few blocks away, and really wanted to continue to have a great venue/bar/restaurant nearby to gather with friends. The decor consists of T.V. s. Bleh. The food is uninspired and well, bleh. A waitress came to our table after an hour and asked if we had a waitress. We did not. She asked if we wanted food. We did. She asked if we got our drinks at the bar. We had. She informed us that we must order our food at the bar. Soooo, you came over to wait on us after we had been sitting there for an hour to explain that you would not wait on us.... buh-bye.
Review Source:The atmoshpere here is much better than the food. Â Went with a large group and had the Boca burger which was average but since they often are in pubs it met my expectations, at least they have an alternative to grilled cheese and fries for us vegetarians! Â The service was decent and the place is very clean and friendly, it feels like a large neighborhood pub and there were other groups of all ages there. Â I also like the location in the heart of Maplewood. Â This place has lots of potential.
Review Source:Danielle B. is spot on with her asking The Wood to "DO BETTER!" Granted, my visit was during Maplewood's Let Them Eat Art, where the whole area was packed with people but when a waitress at The Wood told me they didn't have enough staff that night, well... I don't think that's a valid excuse. It's not like The Wood didn't know that Maplewood would be a bustling place on a hot summer night with people looking for a spot to nosh and drink.
Our waitress was nice enough but the service was slower than molasses. The drinks tasted watered down and the food was pitiful. My friend's chicken finger appetizer looked like pieces of meat pulled from the bone of what were chicken wings that were coated in saw dust and fried until burnt. The waitress apologized and didn't charge for this atrocious mess, but it shouldn't have even been brought to the table in the first place.
The Wood follows the bad reputation previous tenants Deluxe established - location with full potential that's greatly disappointing due to poor service and bad food. My internal Magic 8 Ball says: It'll be closed in 6-12 months.
I often end up at places mid afternoon when places are rarely busy so I have to qualify what I say on service but my visit to The Wood was in the middle of Maplewood Let Them Eat Art Friday and the place was packed. Â It probably worked in our favor that we sat right by the hostess. Â Because the place was so busy I understood the waitress was a bit overwhelmed but the hostess picked up the slack in getting what we needed and do so cheerfully. Â
I was here once before when all that was offered were a few fried choices, the kitchen having recently been closed down and while I don't get to Maplewood often, it was nice to see this place hopping with a nice selection on the menu. Â
Ordered was a California Club Sandwhich (very good) with some very good fries, and a house salad. Â Good quality stuff and very good service considering the crowd.
Disclaimer: I only had drinks here, not food. Is it still fair for me to review The Wood? Well, I'm reviewing it anyway!
Came here on a Thursday night around 9pm to meet a friend for drinks.
The place is huge and really clean. Lots of hightop tables and comfy booths.
There was a musician playing, and I felt kind of sorry for him, because other than me and my friend, there were only about 4 or 5 other people there. Yikes.
They seemed to have a nice variety of beers (both on tap and in bottles). I had no problems with my Blue Moon, and my friend enjoyed their Newcastle Brown Ale.
Our waitress was cordial and came around often to check on us.
I really don't have anything bad to say about The Wood. They even have their own parking lot, so I didn't have to struggle to parallel park!
I'll update my review if I come back for food, but for now The Wood gets four solid stars from me based on atmosphere, drinks, and service alone.
This place needs food help. Serious food help. I went with a large group of friends last weekend, and not a single person in our group liked or was impressed by the food. Actually, I take that back: we liked the onion rings.
I ordered the tomato-basil pizza, and was really disappointed. For the price point and the description, you'd expect fresh basil and nice tomatoes--not chopped salad tomatoes and dried basil flakes. And on top of that, the food came out cold. Just not good.
Since I was going meat-free Friday, I had pretzel sticks for the app: it was clear they were just frozen and microwaved. I mean, they were edible, but I could also have made them better if I bought them from Sam's and cooked them myself.
Also, the service was lacking. Our server was on her third day, and so while we understood why things were slow, beers didn't come out, etc., it was just somewhat frustrating. Tip to the owner: don't let such novice servers take large parties and/or Friday nights.
The only redeeming point about the place was that it was clean, open, and big. It's a shame--the bar has a ton of potential, if they would improve the food!
The Wood has some nice potential, but their food just stinks!
The menu is small, and between our group we tried multiple things. The nachos didn't look great, the queso dip was good, the wings were meh, and the potato skins were average. My friends' burger was well overcooked for what she asked for and the fries looked pitiful. I won't be coming back for food at this point.
Other than the food, the place has a nice vibe and looks brand spankin' new. They have a decent happy hour (1/2 off apps and domestic bottles) til 7pm on week nights. They also have a large stage for bands with an open area in the front perfect for cutting a rug. Based on these points, this is totally my kind of place. The problem is it is DEAD. Granted we went on a Tuesday evening, but it was happy hour and there was only one other group there. Hmmm. Maybe they can't compete with the other great bars up the street like Boogaloo and The Post?
I really want The Wood to make it so I have a great live music joint to hang out at close to home, but we will see what happens. I will have to be sure to check it out on a night where there is a band in hopes of a more fun and hoppin' atmosphere.
We went to The Wood last Saturday with a large group for a birthday party. Â The servers were very accommodating, the beer was cold and the band rocked! Â Really, what more can you ask for?
I didn't really have any food although they had set out appetizers for the party. Â Looked to be mini tacos, chicken wings... wait I did have a few chicken wings and they were tasty.. did I mention there was beer?? ...mini cold sandwiches and later I saw a few pizzas come out. Â Sorry not so much help on the food here.
I had a good time and wouldn't mind going back at all.
We had an unused groupon from earlier this summer...and apparently we didn't use it soon enough. Â We arrived to a big, empty room (granted, it was early (6:30) and it was a Thursday night) - but we had our choice of booths! Â The "menu" (if you can call it that) was chicken tenders, hot wings, mini tacos, pizza, pretzels and cheese, fries, cheese sticks (you get the gist). Â The server told us they're updating the menu - though I can't remember when she said it was happening - maybe next month? Â Clearly we missed the window of veggie wraps and hummus plates.
The service was fine (should have been b/c there were literally 5 other people in the place - all at the bar)...and I, for some reason, "checked in" on four square for the first time in months - and got a free PBR...so that was pretty great. Â
I don't recommend this place for food - but it might be fun when the music starts....
I didn't feel great about giving this place a one-star review without having actually ordered anything. So I went back for snacks and drinks.
I was there from 6:30-7:30 on a Tuesday night and was the only table in this expansive place. I actually felt bad... like I was keeping the place open.
Anyway, I ordered the chicken strips, mini-tacos and pretzels. As I pointed out in a previous review, they don't serve anything but 7 different appetizers now. Their online menu states that they have wings too, but they weren't on the table menu. Nothing was bad, nothing was good. I don't think they have a dishwasher because all the food was served on paper plates without silverware. Per online, Tuesday was supposed to include a special on PBR. But the server said they didn't have any.
The sad part about the place is that it's clear that it's not going to be around for much longer... but somebody really put some time and money in the place. The booths, lighting, tables, and TVs are all sheek and new.
Due to the negatives of the restricted menu, misinformation online, and the fact that it's a ghost town inside, I'm leaving my one-star rating as is.
From a vegetarian perspective: Â Decided to check this place out after buying a Groupon. Â Had been here before when the venue was Deluxe. Â it is a restaurant space that also features live bands after 10:00pm. Â We arrived about 8:30, just in time to see the band tuning up. Â Our waitress was at our table as soon as we sat down. Â She stopped by frequently to check on us and keep our drinks filled. Â We did not have an issue with service speed. Â The food was to our table in under 15 minutes.
Since the appetizers featured vegetarian chili I decided to give that a try. Â It was a nice mix of spicy/hot. Â I usually don't care for hot foods, but this was just on the edge of what I liked. Â Had to ask for some crackers to reduce the burn a bit. Â The additional veggies added to the chili was a nice touch. Â Beans still made up the majority of the dish, as it should be.
For the main entree I had a veggie wrap, which was served with fries. Â The wrap was large, slightly crunchy, and filled with a variety of veggies as well as feta cheese. Â Very filling and quite tasty. Â The fries were nothing special. Â I actually like my fires a bit on the bland side so I can taste the potatoes. Â These had a slightly bitter aftertaste. Â I would probably substitute these for something else next time.
Reasonable prices and an interesting venue would bring me back again.
We went here because I thought it was a diner. Â Apparently, it has changed to The Wood now, so we went in anyway. Â It was Monday trivia night which was pretty loud from the speakers, but we got used to talking around the questions. Â BTW, the trivia questions were pretty easy and it was a pretty small crowd.
I tried a cider from Ste. Genevieve which was quite good and I'd never seen before. Â Our waitress was very nice and attentive without being obnoxious. Â The house salad was nondescript -- chopped iceberg lettuce with cheese and onions, but a good size. Â
I ordered bacon-wrapped salmon on top of fresh spinach, which was actually must tastier than I expected. Â The salmon was cooked perfectly, very moist inside without being soggy. Â I adore bacon but it didn't really add much. Â The sin of the meal was the side of broccoli. Â It seemed to be from frozen instead of fresh -- totally mushy and yellowish instead of bright green. Â Totally disappointing next to the decent salmon and FRESH spinach.
My friend had chicken strips which were very large. Â They came with the house salad (which I ate) and mashed potatoes, which were homemade and lumpy and surprisingly spicy. Â He was pleased with his meal. Â
I'd probably go here again. Â The interior is large and clean, and the drink and menu selections have a few interesting items that would bring me back to try.
I feel violated. Â Took 20 minutes to get a menu. Â Took 40 minutes to get any food. Â French fries were burnt in old oil, and tasted horrible. Â Pizza was on a high-school-cafeteria crust with cheap and sparse toppings. Â Sierra Mist was flat. Â Does this place not hire bus boys? Â Waitresses are under staffed. Â Absolutely THE worst service and food I've ever had. Â Congratulations, Wood. Â You take the prize.
Review Source:I took my Groupon to The Wood on a Sunday evening. When we arrived, we were the only customers in the place, and an open mic night was scheduled to begin in 30 minutes. By the time we left about an hour later, there were maybe four or five other people there, and the open mic night MC had failed to show up.
The food was nothing special. For starters, they only serve pizza and appetizers on Sundays, which was very disappointing, as I had hoped to try some of their other offerings. But since we were hungry, we stayed.
We ordered the "Tower O' Rings" as an appetizer and a sausage and green pepper pizza. A few minutes later, our server returned and informed us that the kitchen didn't have enough onions to make the entire onion ring platter, so we chose to supplement it with some toasted ravioli. The ravioli was kind of oddly-shaped, but good. The marinara sauce that came with it was tasty, but way too chunky. The onion rings, however, were kind of weak. They were stringy, overly greasy, and didn't have nearly enough batter on them.
The menu describes the pizza as a "16 inch hand-tossed shell." What arrived was a big flatbread pizza -- tomato sauce, some cheese, and our selected toppings on focaccia. Focaccia is not the same as hand-tossed. The pizza itself was nothing to write home about. The toppings weren't of the best quality or quantity -- it sausage crumbles were reminiscent of a Totinos frozen pizza: greasy and skimpy. The focaccia crust wasn't bad, but I was disappointed by the difference between what was on the menu and what was actually served.
Also, I'm pretty sure they serve Vess soda. Nobody serves Vess soda. There's a very good reason for this: it's gross. I know it's cool to buy locally-produced stuff, but please leave the Vess to the chop suey places in the hood.
I got the impression that they were open despite not having all the ingredients they needed. Everything seemed sort of thrown together into a vague semblance of what was actually on the menu.
The service was amazing, though -- the best I've had in quite a while. Our waitress was very attentive and went out of her way to make sure we had everything we needed. If the food had even been mediocre, this might have been a four or five star review because of the staff. However, I think the issues on our visit had more to do with management decisions than with anything the servers and kitchen staff did or didn't do.
I'm hoping I visited on an off-night. I'll go back some other time, maybe on a Friday or Saturday, and hope that things have improved.
The lure of a recent Groupon for the Wood was too good to resist. Â The hubby and I walked on over for dinner during the week, it's great because it's right in our neck of the woods. Â For having a different special every night, it was pretty tame at about 6pm when we got there.
I had the Veggie Chili. Â It's like a thick tomato based vegetable soup with a chili kick. Â Lots of tomato, green pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, corn and beans. Â For those who think mostly chili beans when you hear chili, this one is not that way. Â I could have counted the number of beans I found. Â Nevertheless, it hit the spot and I'd get it again in a heartbeat on a cold day. Â
My husband ordered the chicken entree which was 6 breaded chicken tenders and mashed potatoes. Â The breading is a special blend they make that includes Japanese Panko bread crumbs. Â The chicken tenders looked so amazing when they arrived that I had to try one. Â Very moist chicken on the inside, coated with an amazingly crispy breading on the outside. Â So darn tootin' good we stopped at Shop 'n Save on the way home to pick up some Panko bread crumbs so I can experiment making my own.
Another table ordered a pizza, which also looked amazing. Â Sunday's the Wood has a pizza and pitcher special that we'll just have to stop in again to try. Â I also heard a rumor from our waitress that Sunday will be their karaoke night...so things could get entertaining.
A group of us decided to check out this little joint on a Wednesday night, it was OK.
The bartenders and waitresses were nice and quick. Dr. Zhivegas put on a good show.
The crowd was very mixed, but was generally older. However, a few weirdo's definitely stood out.
I might return, maybe.....if there is nothing else to do.