Willow Rest

I just stopped by here this morning while I was in the area, and I really liked this place. It has an interesting feel– they have baked goods and prepared food for purchase, frozen goods, fresh produce, and theres also tables where you can sit down and order off a menu.
I got the baby spinach salad with grilled chicken and it was all super fresh and delicious, and my boyfriend got the burger which he loved. I also picked up some prepared roasted beets, mushrooms, and grilled salmon to have for later and they were great!
The atmosphere is really laid back and all of the workers are friendly and accommodating.
I’m not typically in this area, but I liked it so much here I will definitely make it a point to stop in next time I’m around.

I love this place a lot because of many reasons
1. Everyone is really friendly
2.They give great portions for the money
3. Everyday they have a blue plate special where you can pick out fresh vegetables and spectacular proteins and build your own plate.
4. All the food is very fresh and full of great flavor.
5. Honestly probably the best food in Gloucester area and you wouldn’t know from the outside.
With that being said just swing into the Willow rest grab s seat anywhere and enjoy. It’s worth it trust me

Fabulous food in a sweet setting. Wonderful, friendly service. Honest food at a reasonable price.

Simply amazing. By far the best Cuban sandwich I’ve ever had. I’m not a big reviewer on Unilocal,but this was worth it. If travel 5 hours just to eat it. Stop in, get some coffee and eat. You may need to go back a few times because it’s that good.

If you want good customer service don’t come here! I love to support local small businesses but unfortunately I couldn’t believe how rude the people were here and I’ll never be back.
The ordering system was not well thought out and very inconvenient to the buyer. As you can see another Unilocal reviews we aren’t the only ones with this opinion. When we got there there were two long lines with no signs indicating which line was for what. We came there to get some breakfast to go. We waited in one line for a while and we got to the counter just to be told (in a very rude way) that we were in the wrong line for ordering breakfast food to go and we needed to wait in the other very long line. So after waiting in this other long line we get to the counter order our food and then right in front of us there are various cookies we wanted to add to our order to go and now the lady is telling us that we need to be in the other line to order those cookies As well as paying for our order! So we asked the lady at the counter why should we have to wait in the other line when we already waited in 2 long lines and if we could just take care of it right there. So basically instead of being helpful when we got frustrated she told us that this is the way it is in a rude way and made us feel bad about it. Basically she was saying if you don’t like it you can leave. So we left goodbye.
It’s pretty bad if you have to walk out on a place that never happens with us but she made us feel so bad like she was doing us a favor. Thankfully we found on Unilocal that there was another great place with great reviews down the street called twin sisters where we had a great experience and a great breakfast.
Please give small businesses business that actually care about their customers. Not this place.

Terrible ordering system long lines bad customer service. I don’t like the way this place is run.

Their salmon burger, when they have it, is to die for. BEST EVER.
Their crab cake sandwich is the only crab cake I have ever liked in my life.
Their clam chowder is delicious and not too heavy.
Great coffee.
Great produce.
Friendly and helpful staff.
I only wish I could visit more often.

The best sandwiches!
Excellent hours, excellent sandwiches, and plenty of distractions to keep you occupied while you wait for your food. If you’re smart, you’ll call ahead! I wish they had more chips from which to choose, I always get stuck with the same ones… There are a few seats inside, but this place is ideal for picknicking, so I’ve never been seated. Parking in front of the shop or along the street to the side.

Awesome atmosphere, friendly staff, and most importantly: amazing food. So many healthy options at a great price. Love that they also sell fresh veggies and fruits. Definitely coming back again!

Food was good but atmosphere and space is strange. This small-​ish space is serving as a restaurant, gourmet gift/​food and grocery store. We made our way through tightly packed merchandise tables to the back of the place where there were a few small tables next to a cold doorway. The tables are crammed together so don’t expect any privacy, as we learned from the couple sitting next to us talking about their therapy sessions and health issues.
A waitress took our food order and you get up to pull your drinks and chips from the front of the store. I had a caprese sandwich which was very good, and my husband ordered some of the curry vegetable soup which was also good. He ordered a turkey sandwich for $ 8.99, but they brought him a different turkey sandwich on the menu for $ 7.99. If we went back, we would pick up sandwiches for the road.

Yesterday I had Apple and golden raisin pancakes just before 11:00 when the breakfast menu is over. I ordered it with the real syrup, $ 2:00 extra, and three long perfectly crispy rashers of bacon. The fluffy pancake, made slightly moist with syrup, contrasted with the crisp hardly cooked fresh apple. The only think that could have been improved would be to plump up the golden raisins. I just love the Willow.

I wanted to like this place. The sign inside says, if you’re eating inside take a seat. I did and several members of the staff walked by and said nothing. For at least 5 minutes. When I asked about placing an order for dinner she barked,“they are shorted staff and I would have to order at the counter.” I placed my order at the counter and sad down. My food was delivered and I had to ask for utensils. The food was good but their staff was having a very bad day.

Fantastic. I will go out of my way to go here again, starting tomorrow morning! It’s casual, kind of rustic, and clearly about serving tasty fresh food. I had super tasty split-​pea soup and a grilled cheese sandwich on multigrain bread with avocado and tomato. They did not skimp on the avocado – I had huge chunks of it throughout the sandwich, and that made me very happy. I wanted to try about half the items on the menu, which is always a good sign. I went for a late lunch/​early dinner around 3pm, which was perfect because I was the only person at the counter. I have heard it gets quite crowded. I hesitate to spread the word about gems like this, but at the same time I think the word needs to be spread because it’s so important to support local businesses that serve up uncommonly good food.

I loved this place. It’s a grocery and a restaurant. Everything is kind of slapped together and confusing. Staff is friendly and décor is cute.
I ordered cheesy grits and it was delicious. Perfect, though I’ve never had cheesy grits before. It was a generous serving and there was nectarine and grapefruit quarters included as garnish. I also had rye toast and it was great.
My only complaint is that the manager or owner touched my side when she came up to check on us. It scared the crap out of me. I don’t like to be touched by strangers.

Downgrading my review from March of this year from 5 stars to 4 stars. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the food and the atmosphere of Willow Rest, but the past three or four times that I’ve been there either by myself or with somebody else, the service has been disappointing. It has been to the point where I’ve had to go to the front and ask for somebody to come by the table so we could place an order. This has happened even on days where it wasn’t particularly busy.
I’ll grant that it was busy today (05÷04÷14) I went in hoping by myself and sat at their counter and waited a good 15 minutes, menu out in front of me. I was only noticed because of the people working there was stacking up menus on the counter and then wanted to know if she could take mine, asking if I’d already been helped. When I said ‘No.’, I’ll admit she looked surprised by my answer. I couldn’t help the tone of my voice, which I’m sure read as annoyed, or crabby, but her then asking me why I didn’t say anything and thinking that I was already set because I was reading my book just didn’t sit well with me. I probably could have just ordered food then, but I said I’d just go instead. I got up, paid for my coffee and left. Not sure when I’ll come back.
I think their service would benefit if they changed how you’d place your order. Given the style of business they are, I think it’d be much better to just place your order at the front counter before you sit down, and maybe I’ll try doing that next time. Or I’ll just call ahead. We’ll see.

Love this place! Funky, cute décor with jamin’ classic rock background music. Staff is friendly and food is delicious. I’ve only had breakfast here but everything looks awesome. I recommend the breakfast burrito with bacon — yum — it will definitely leave you stuffed.
I think everything is organic, they have a good selection of groceries (fruit/​veggies galore). Their asparagus is the biggest I’ve ever seen.

Always yummy! Stopped by this evening for a quick coffee and cake. Lemon rhubarb cake was yummy! I’ve also been here for breakfast (highly recommended) & lunch. The seating is limited, seriously limited… lol, but they’ll pack it up to go, or you can eat outside. Make the trip for breakfast, you can’t go wrong! And they have a great little produce market… AND Swedish Fish!

Melissa catered our wedding and did and absolutely amazing job. The food was delicious and the presentation was beautiful. We went into Willow Rest several times during the planning process, ate something there every time and loved it. She was a pleasure to work with and really helped me figure out the logistics, and menu. She had great suggestions. Willow Rest itself has a great, local atmosphere, and if you need a caterer, her prices are reasonable and her work is impeccable.

One of our favorite places. Delicious food, fair prices with a local atmosphere.
S and B Lanesville

This place is awesome. Its a produce stand, diner/​deli, High End Grocery (stuffed peppers, smoked duck con fit, Olives, etc.).
I got the Cuban, it comes in a square cardboard bucket with a knife and fork. Pulled pork instead of the traditional pork.
Outstanding and Original.