Willow Bistro

Living in Canton is not an excuse for poor quality food. I was very hopeful but my hopes were dashed. Willow needs to take some advice on how to flavor pasta dishes from its amazing neighbor Lucca. I tried the overpriced vodka cream pasta which had neither vodka nor cream in its sauce. Sauce was watery and flavorless. The pasta was overdone and did not hold any of the sauce. I can forgive lackluster food but not negligent service. Service started well but after taking our order she disappeared. We did not hear a listing of nightly specials (that I am assuming-​after tasting the pasta — were more than likely not that special), nor were we offered coffee or dessert. I just drove back from lunch in Cleveland where I had amazing food-​which local restaurants in Canton need to take into consideration — we will take leave Canton and drive to Cleveland for better food options! Step it up!!!

This hidden wine bistro has the makings of a cozy, neighborhood winebar. The décor was soothing, the house red was smooth and well rounded, and the locals at the bar were laughing and enjoying the evening. The food, however, was quite a disappointment. The drunken pasta must still have been checked out on a bender somewhere, because the version we got was bland, uninspired but perfect if you don’t want strong flavor (or any flavor) and like overly large portions. The grilled salmon on top — although cooked perfectly — was over-​salted (but only on half) to the point where even Anne Burrell would agree. Our suggestions are to spice up the sauce (maybe cream, red pepper flakes, kalamata olives and parmesan shavings) and go with a chunky pasta that won’t loose the sauce. It would be great to see more small plates and offer ½ portions of pasta. The two star rating is for the ambience, the wine and the possibilities. The service was lackadaisical, inattentive and as uninspired as what passed for pasta.

The food was incredible as were the drink specials. the atmosphere is cozy and the service wonderful

A friend had visited Willow previously and recommended we go for an early dinner. She highly praised the Mediterranean rice which reminded her of a similar dish at another local restaurant.
She ordered linguine with chicken in a vodka red sauce. I ordered a pork chop with Mediterranean rice. Both dinners came with a salad which was unimpressive: lettuce, small rings of onion and croutons with a choice of dressings. Bread brought to the table was tasty and bllissfully warm! A small portion of flavored butter spread was insufficient for the amount of bread but more was provided when we asked for it.
Our dinners: My dinnermate remarked that she would have preferred a narrower noodle, perhaps fettuccine, but was told linquine was the only kind served. Flavor and portion size were satisfactory.
My pork chop was tender, juicy and tasty. The Mediterranean rice was equally good, a nice alternative to pilaf which is on the menu in many restaurants.
Décor was pleasant. Ceiling lighting is softened through a filter of gauze-​like cloth. The wait staff was welcoming and attentive.
We plan to visit again soon on a Friday or Saturday when prime rib is available. And I’ll go back yet again to have another pork chop! Yum!

Excellent find. We’ve ate at many great places, and this ranks right up there with many chef owned restaurants. We’ll be back.

I stumbled on this place while taking my son back to college and was completely surprised by this little gem. It must be a new as everything was fresh and clean but had a great atmosphere. It was pretty darn busy and did not have a huge seating area but they were able to get us in very quickly as we sat close to the bar area. The wait staff was very attentive and went over the specials and, of course, I asked their recommendation. I followed their lead and went with the prime rib, it was fantastic. It came with asparagus and mushroom risotto. Now, I know mushroom risotto and this was a close to my homemade risotto as I have eaten in the fanciest restaurants in the US. It was exceptional.
We also had a decent bottle of wine with dinner to top things off. If I had one thing negative would be a larger wine selection but the wines they had were solid wines.
I was pleasantly surprised as this may be my new go-​to in Canton.

Great food! Had beef kabob – it was delicious! Bread is superb– both light and filling! Second time here and the lemon drop martini was excellent again! Only complaint is that it was more expensive than last visit. Service was good, too. Not sure where to park my bike, Jason

Found this little place by accident during the summer. The kabobs are wonderful and are made using pieces of filet served with Mediterranean rice. It is my favorite there.
This place is a great alternative to the chain restaurants and is definitely worth a try.

This was a nice, surprising find… definitely flying under the radar. Located in a strip plaza, they don’t even have a permanent sign up yet. The vibe they are trying to create in there is a cool, calm bistro with a melting pot of food styles. You can get a burger here, a nice salmon dish, prime rib, various wraps and so on.
The food was quite good. The two things I was told that were a «must try» was the Mediterranean rice and the Katy fries. Neither disappointed and the rice is a really nice complement to about any dish. It sounds like they use a lot of prime rib — my itself or on a sandwich — so I’ll probably go that route the next time.
I like the environment they have here with paintings on the wall (although some seem out of place that doesn’t go quite with the rest of the place) and a nice clean bar. They don’t have much of a digital footprint so it may be tough to find a menu or get much details before you go, but take my word for it and try it for a nice casual dinner.

This is a solid 4 stars. This is a new place, or so I am told, and they are doing all the right things in my opinion. I got to try a lot off the menu and just about everything was good or great.
So to start we got fried ravioli and some wings with the willow sauce. The fried rav was good, nothing special. The wings we really good, I especially liked the willow sauce. The waitress compared it to a mix of mild sauce and honey mustard sauce and it was pretty accurate. And delicious. Then I got some French onion soup which was very good and a Grecian salad. Omg. I could eat that Grecian salad every day of my life. It was phenomenal. Then I got a willow wrap and it good, nothing special. I got to try the philly wrap, which they make with prime rib and it phenomenal as well. Probably the best thing we had on the table. I also tried the teriyaki salmon with Mediterranean rice. The salmon was good, cooked well and tasty but that Mediterranean rice was to die for. If you leave without trying it you are missing out. The Katy fries were unique and very good as well.
The service was pretty good, I would say it was the best I have had but def not the worst. I will absolutely be back here. I actually can’t wait to come back and try what else this little place has to offer.