White Oak

From a long and diverse activities all day, I and my sister decided to have a dinner here at White Oak. The place was good (suggested by our common friend) and comfortable.
We had meat topped with leaves burger with duck egg and fries while my sister ordered a leafy and pasta. It’s not that it’s better than our mom’s cook but this was really rattlinand delicious!
The staff and the service were spectacular! Definitely one of the best restaurant here at new York!

Food was great. Wait time was little long but worth it. Service was exceptional. Will def be back. Owner was highly attentive and hooked us up with wine. Great little spot.

Beautiful backyard, attentive service, unfortunately mediocre food.

Excellent food and service. Very pleasant. I’ve been there several times, and always leave happy.

Great atmosphere, but the food could be A LOT better, especially at the price point. My duck breast, potatoes and brussel sprouts were oily a d devoid or any flavor whatsoever. My date’s pork chop was somewhat better, but the sweet potato mash looked gross on the plate and didn’t taste much better. The profiteroles were hard, like they had been baked days ago and stuffed with cream when ordered. Sorry, but this restaurant needs a new chef.

Had a very nice dinner on New Year’s Eve with a friend at White Oak. We had made a res on Open Table and were seated promptly upon arrival. The staff was extremely gracious although our waiter, while VERY sweet, did not appear to speak english, making for a bit of a communication breakdown.
We ordered the french onion soup and mussels for starters. The mussels were plentiful and tasty, the soup could have used a lot more cheese broiled over the top. For dinner I had the roasted pork, which was quite good and my friend had the duck confit grilled cheese which she said was delicious. Her sandwich also came with really tasty french fries, that we liked so much that we ordered more!
The restaurant had a festive atmosphere and the owner (?) came over and offered us a free glass of champagne. Lovely.
We had a quiet, restful dinner and home were home in plenty of time to ring in the new year with the crowd.

Excellent brunch. Not a ton of options to return but what they serve will have you returning!
Great waiting staff. Very friendly and gets to know patrons well!

You guys!!! I would have taken a picture but my mouth didn’t leave the Duck Confit Grilled Cheese since it left my plate. Holy good heavens! I’m somewhat of a sandwich aficionado and this cannot be beat. Soft buttery brioche bread that was the fluffiest and crispest I’ve ever had. Almost sweet, caramelized. The duck, wow… Cooked to perfection. And Gruyère? Self explanatory. RUN don’t walk and order this NOW. I can’t speak to the rest of the menu but this is worth a lot more than $ 15 (please don’t raise the price because I said that) but SERIOUSLY. I’m going to ask to shake the chef’s hand when I finish writing this. BRAVO.
Also, BONUS, their musical taste is ON POINT. The Head and The Heart, City and Color, Bön Iver? Yep. You should stop by. You won’t be mad.

Walked in here today on a whim, so glad I did– I was completely impressed by this place. I rarely write reviews but needed to let everyone know how great our experience was! Beautiful décor, super nice and attentive bar tender (Mark) acting as our server, tasty and large $ 7 Bloody Mary’s, and a really solid meal– perfectly cooked eggs, large serving of smoked salmon, tasty potatoes and side salad. My fiancé and I both agreed that it was one of the better brunches we’ve had in the smith/​court street area. Going back tomorrow with our friends!

The service at this place was attentive and on point, the space is huge, and the food was great! Surprised this place doesn’t have more fantastic reviews because it’s well-​deserved.
I ordered a chicken kale Caesar salad with no anchovies and it was so flavorful. The dressing was perfectly applied (too much can soak the kale, too little leaves it textureless and flavorless), the chicken was tender and juicy, and the croutons were slightly sweet! Delicious.
Can’t wait to come back!

I stopped by with friends a few months ago for oyster happy hour, which was pretty good. And over the weekend, I finally came by for brunch. I ordered their crab cake benedict (delicious) and bloody mary (very good mix, wasn’t spicy). Other people in my party ordered the burger and duck waffle sandwich, which they enjoyed. All around good experience, but more like 3.5 stars.

I see that the lovely couple that couldn’t sit next to us (because we had an 18 month old with us) wrote a scathing review of this place. I want to write a review in response — and I went on here cause they seemed like the type to go on Unilocal and complain.
This is a great restaurant with wonderful ambiance. Sara was our server and she was a real sweetheart! The restaurant seemed a bit understaffed but she really handled it with class (even the rude impatient couple).
My omelette was wonderful — the omelette of the day (spinach and goat cheese). And you can’t go wrong with fresh cut fries!

White Oak is by far my favorite spot on Smith Street! I have eaten here a few times with friends and family. On each occasion we have eaten amazing food and had terrific service! This past weekend I came for dinner and had another wonderful experience.
I love that White Oak offers intimate dining both inside and outside in the beautiful garden. This past weekend we sat inside enjoying the AC and ambiance. Every table is made from wood which compliments the gorgeous wooden bar and exposed brick wall. The candles and plants truly bring a warm vibe into the restaurant.
We ordered the brussel sprouts and mussels to start and they were amazing! We found ourselves dipping the bread into the mussels jus because it was simply too delicious to go to waste! We ordered the Portobello Burger sandwich and Burger, both were absolutely delicious. My favorite part about the burger is the fixings, I don’t know what the sauce is-​but it’s amazing! The best part was yet to come, we ordered crème brule and chocolate mousse for dessert both were incredible.
Overall, White Oak offers delicious dining and a wonderful experience with kind and helpful staff that know how to take care of their customers. I think White Oak would also be an awesome venue for a small party or event given their backyard space.

As other reviewers have said, I have no clue how White Oak doesn’t have a 5 star rating!
This is such a wonderful place with the most delicious food and kindest owners. I came here for the first time on Bastille Day to escape the heat and rowdy celebrations. I was welcomed by the nicest bartender (also the owner) and glorious air conditioning.
I wasn’t too hungry, but when I saw the duck confit and waffles on the brunch menu… I knew I had to try it.
Wow. Just, wow. The duck was perfectly cooked and flavorful, the waffles were light and fluffy and the duck bacon was just awesome. Even the side of slaw was good! I ordered a glass of prosecco as well and the owner kept filling me up (no complaints!) So I figured I’d be looking at quite the bill. Nope. He only charged me for the one glass.
Now THAT is how you run a business and gather repeat customers. When I told the owner it was my first time at White Oak, he truly made every effort to make me feel welcome. And everyone at the bar was super friendly, too.
I will absolutely be back, and now when anyone asks me where to brunch in Cobble Hill, this is where I’m sending them.
*Oddly enough, my sister also tried White Oak for brunch that same day and had just as awesome an experience with the owner. So, there you go, folks!
Bravo, White Oak.

Best brunch in Boerum Hill. Came on Saturday with my sister. We sat inside because there was a baby shower outside. Definitely a nice backyard for events.
Can’t imagine all these bad reviews ate at the same place. Everything arrived quickly and the place was packed. Chef was very accommodating to me being vegan. He made the portabello burger vegan friendly and added a salad. Plus I got to have a side of potatoes because they were cooked in oil not butter! My sister had the vanilla french toast and she was impressed.
Overall such a fun spot. I loved the music and it was a great atmosphere. Will be back soon to try for dinner.

I am shocked, truly shocked, this doesn’t have 5 stars. Are you people nuts? This has the greatest patio on Smith Street, reasonable prices and a superb happy hour. FOR SHAME, Unilocal!
So, fine, I’ll keep it to myself. A few friends and I enjoyed a glorious patio brunch recently, with no wait, for something like $ 16 w/​coffee.
And the bar? It’s awesome. A local eatery I used to frequent has since decayed, so I’m thinking this might be my new go-​to nightcap. They’ve also got a great AC system, which will be good when it gets hotter this summer.

«The struggle is real.»
«Don’t come here if you’re hungry.»
«Is this supposed to be funny?»
These are some of the quotes from friends during our brunch experience at White Oak. Okay, I admit the last one was from me. I said it three times during the meal.
The pros: the outside patio is adorable. The staff is nice and hard working. The food is — for the most part — well done and delicious.
I dined with 5 friends. As we sat down, half ordered coffee. The other half, margaritas (we live it up). Margaritas weren’t on the menu but we asked our waiter if they had a full bar and could make them. He assured us he could. My friends who ordered coffee didn’t have a problem, except for maybe slow service in refills. The margaritas, however, were served in whiskey glasses and were ¾ ice. «Is this supposed to be funny?» moment #1.
We asked the waiter/​bartender what was up with the glasses as none of us had ever been served a margarita in a glass so small. He claimed it was norm in the area… after he realized that excuse didn’t make sense, we were offered a second mini margarita on the house (which arrived well after the first shot of margarita was finished). Also, the limes rimming the margaritas were old and browning. The complaint here was that if you aren’t accustomed to serving margaritas or didn’t have the supplies/​glassware to do so, you should have said something and we would have ordered something else.
Let’s get back to the food… 45 minutes after being seated, we were served dinner rolls. We were told, «enough for one each!» as if that was good thing after waiting 45 minutes. Did I mention this was after the Brooklyn ½ marathon? My friends were ravenous.
20 minutes later, our food was served. One friend ordered the Eggs Benedict with hollandaise sauce on the side. The hollandaise sauce was not on the side. It didn’t take long for her to be served another plate, but her Eggs Benedict had an egg shell in. «Is this supposed to be funny?» moment #2.
Another friend ordered a side of bacon. Two pieces were cooked fine. The third was nearly raw. She returned it and asked for a replacement. 15 minutes later, when she had finished her meal, she was served one crisp, burnt piece of bacon. «Is this supposed to be funny?» moment #3.
As a side note, I ordered the duck confit omelette which I was overall happy with mostly because I like duck. The omelette was a little undercooked for my liking but the flavors were on-​point. The side salad was nicely done but the roasted potatoes were greasy and a tad soggy.
After the bacon incident, we asked to speak to the manager. We learned that the manager is also the chef AND the owner of White Oak. He made us wait about 15 minutes. When he finally came out, we tried to inform him about the delayed service time, the bacon, the eggs, the margaritas, etc. We were never able to finish a sentence. The manager/​chef/​owner cut of us each time we opened our mouths. He was arrogant and rude. After admitting that he had no manager or head waiter on the floor, he asked us if we knew someone who could fill the position. He did not apologize or even acknowledge our concerns and complaints. Instead, he asked us twice what we wanted to do. He thought we were just trying to get out of the bill. A friend offered that we pay half of the bill. In which he agreed and told her she was a good negotiator. This left a bad taste in all our mouths as it was never our intention to skip out or reduce our bill. We were trying to give him feedback.
So remember how earlier I said that staff is nice and hard working? The staff is so hard working that they were sweating profusely. They were clearly stressed, confused, and without management. Everyone seemed to be running around clueless, including the manager/​chef/​owner. Good luck, White Oak.

Man oh man was this a disaster of meal.
I stopped by before they opened for dinner and made a reservation for the outdoor patio for 5 people. The bartender said it wasn’t a problem. My friends came to the restaurant but I was running late. When I came in I saw them sitting at a table inside. I asked why they weren’t seated outside since they gave the name of the reservation when they came in and the same bartender said there wasn’t room outside. What’s the point of taking a reservation for an outdoor table?
Anyway we order our food from the bartender/​waiter/​busboy. Realize the place is really under-​staffed and wait… and wait… and wait…
Something like half an hour later, the bartender/​waiter comes back and tells my friend that the muscles she ordered will not be coming as two other tables that had ordered the same thing have sent them back. Eeek. I mean thanks for the honestly but can’t you just say you ran out instead of saying you’ve been serving bad seafood?
My friend orders something else on the menu and in the meantime we get a second order of crostinis which we haven’t ordered and have been sent in error. The waiter is nice and lets us keep them on the house but it becomes very clear that this restaurant is having a seriously off night. Finally after something like an hour past our initial order time, three out of the 5 of us get our food, 2 steaks and a fish. One of the steaks is very cold while the other is warm and the fish is hot. We realize the kitchen’s timing is completely off at about the same time as one of our friends chokes on the free crostini and pulls out a very long hair out of his throat. Yes that’s as gross as it sounds.
We all look dubiously at the rest of the food on our table. There is no server nearby and hasn’t been for a very long time. Eventually it’s an hour and a half since we’ve ordered and one more dish comes out of the kitchen. The guy who choked on the hair is still waiting for his meal, a mere grilled cheese sandwich! This is when my husband reaches his limit and asks to speak to the manager.
The manager/​owner is a nice older man, extremely apologetic and offers the whole meal on the house before he even reaches our table to hear the complaints. I guess he’s just as aware as we are that things are not running smoothly this night. He even encouraged us to order more drinks/​food but at that point we just wanted to get out of there.
In conclusion, this was perhaps the worst meal that has ever been served to me. It was definitely the first time I’ve ever had an entire meal comped. And while I won’t be back any time soon I do appreciate the owner’s gesture at trying to make everything better. I also acknowledge that the restaurant was under-​staffed that night and it was one of the first warm enough nights of the year to have the large back yard seating area open. Unfortunately, none of these excuses make me want to dine at at White Oak again.

I wanted to go here after reading all the Unilocal reviews about oyster happy hours and such. We were warmly welcomed into the restaurant, which was nice, although it did strike me odd that this place was quite empty at close to 7 on a Friday night. We then realized why.
Apparently, they’ve made some changes and oyster happy hour is only on Tuesdays (how random is that?). Also, there was no happy hour on Friday, not sure if they have it any other days. We ended up grabbing a drink, since we were already here, but we didn’t linger. The glass of red I ordered was fine, but nothing special.

Here for the $ 1 oyster happy hour! Such a good deal for fresh oysters and a decent list of draft beers. The bar interior was tastefully done, with rustic brick walls and beautifully crafted unfinished bar. And I always appreciate hooks on the underside of the bar top (can I please get an Amen, ladies?!) The backyard/​garden is very spacious with lots of seating, but unfortunately is not handicap accessible. There’s an open air bar out here too, which I imagine could be open to quite a lively outdoor party when the weather gets warmer!
The waitress was friendly and attentive, and the owner (I assume) was very welcoming as well. It’s a place I’ll definitely come back to!
**Edit:
Happy Hour $ 5 beer is only available at the bar!

We were attracted to this restaurant by the advertisement that said free Bloody Mary for brunch on weekends– and we’re so glad that we did! White Oak offered a decent selection for brunch.
It was relatively busy when we stepped in at 1:30 pm. The waiter lead us to our table and took our orders right away. She came back with gorgeous glasses of Bloody Mary accompanied with bread and butter to nibble on while waiting for our main entrée.
I selected a grass fed burger from the brunch menu. It was an 8oz burger topped with bacon, gruyère, lettuce, tomato, pickled onion, aioli spread on brioche with additional sunny side up duck egg for extra $ 2. It was served with home made potato fries, coleslaw and pickled relish. It was juicy and delicious-​probably one of the best burger meals I had in awhile. The duck egg blended well with the burger.
I really loved the neatness and the simplicity of this restaurant which was even more pronounced by its great customer service. I definitely recommend this place for their brunch menu. I will come back and try their beautiful back patio in the summer.

I have eaten here. Had the shrimp bisque and a really great drink that I’ll write about later. It’s easy to find, say hi to the bartender, he’s awesome.
The service was great, the place is cute.
Can’t WAIT to expand on this review.

White Oak serves a delectable brunch with lovely décor, a backyard garden, and great service. The food was great and the server (Alex) was so handsome and complimentary as to inspire girly giggles from a few at our table. I’m a fan.
On this particularly rainy Sunday at 1:30 pm, we had a reservation for three, but had to increase to five when we walked in. The hostess said «no problem! we’re waiting for a table to clear out and we’ll get you settled!» Unfortch, the previous table decided to extend their stay another 20 minutes. Lucky for us, that meant Alex comped mimosas and coffee for our group. Well done at managing expectations and not making anyone feel bad. We weren’t in a rush so this was especially nice of them.
We had all perused the menu during our wait and I was surprised by how many tasty things I wanted. We ordered:
Shrimp polenta
Eggs Benedict
Norwegian benedict (with gravlax)
I also wanted to try the duck omelette, the burger, the almond french toast, and the pulled pork. Alas, for another visit!
My dish was superb. The shrimp was fresh, deveined, and mixed well with the bacon and creamy cornmeal. There was a tasty broth mixed in which made the dish flavorful and rich without being a tummy ache. I neglected to sample the other plates, but seeing as they all went back to the kitchen wiped clean, the dishes must have been good. I would love to come back and try the other options for brunch, or even dinner.
Water glasses were always at least half full. They refreshed my coffee twice. The dishes came promptly and were cleared soon after the last person had put her utensils «at rest.»
Prices are good for a nice brunch spot in yuppie Brooklyn, averaging $ 15 – 20 a person, depending if they drink or order additional sides.

White Oak took over the space that used to be Apt 138. The most major renovations were to the backyard and basement. You can now get to the backyard from the ground floor and don’t have to go through the basement. The basement is also now devoid of any games. I guess it was time to grow up.
Came here with a friend for drinks and oysters. Their happy hour lasts until 8, and they have $ 5 drafts and $ 1 oysters. The Blue Point oysters were good, but I’ve had better. I’m just glad there’s a place close by with oysters again. They have some surprisingly good beers available for HH as well, which is a plus. Didn’t know Kelso made a Carroll Gardens wheat beer, but they do and White Oak serves it (plus, it’s pretty damn good).
Backyard is as lovely as always, and the waitresses were quick and friendly.