Woods Creek Tavern

Have visited this pub a few times now and had a good experience. The 11 cheese mac, bacon with chicken is fantastic. If you love beer and like try something new, you’ll have a great time working your way through their list of taps and rotating «visiting» ales.
It was Friday when we stopped in. My wife had a salad with grilled steak and she loved it. I couldn’t decide on what to eat, so the GM actually had offered to prepare something for me that was not on the menu. It was a BBQ beef brisket, on a pretzel role with pickle slices. Does that sound good but ordinary to you? One bite into it and I can assure you that if you love some brisket, and a mouth watering sandwich — this is the one to get.
Only one problem, it isn’t currently on the menu… ask for «Murphy’s BBQ Beef Brisket» when you visit and you may be served up this gastro-​surprise. My recommendation is to put it on the menu, it probably will become a favorite.
We met the GM (Patrick Murphy) good Irish guy, came out to introduce himself and we had a nice conversation. The people here are always friendly and that contributes to the overall experience of eating here. The Barkeeps (bartenders) are a fun lot and are happy to serve you up free tasters. This time we met Erica (originally from Argentina) and she was very engaging, fun and never did the smile leave her face.
There are other restaurants in the area that offer far less. It is nice to come away feeling like you got your money’s worth, that your patronage was valued and in the process you helped a local business continue to prosper. So bring your appetite and your money and enjoy your time at the Woods Creek Tavern.

Beer selection is usually pretty good, but the food is hit or miss. I’ve had the shrimp po boy twice, once it was pretty good, once it was gross. Too much mayonnaise in the sauce and just tasted weird. Maybe it was a growing pain. All I know is I was really hoping for it to be better. However the Chicago beef egg rolls are ridiculously awesome.

I would reccommend spending your money elswhere.

It’s extremely crammed in there no space at all. All the chairs are back to back no room to scoot in or out. The food is extremely greasy and not my favorite.

I wish we didn’t wait so long to try this place! My husband and I dined here tonight. Not sure why we haven’t been here sooner, but it was definitely a great experience. Our server was excellent! Friendly, helpful, and provided us great service. The food– it was AWESOME! We started off with the poppers. They were different than we expected… Not the traditional poppers we had pictured but they were very tasty. I ordered the caprese chicken sandwich and my husband ordered the BBQ bacon cheeseburger. Let me tell you it was the best chicken sandwich I have ever had, hands down. And I have tried A LOT of «caprese» sandwich/​pasta items. My husband said his burger was very good. Not the best he has ever had, but he was satisfied with it.
Overall, our experience was great.
Only negative thing we noticed was that the seating was very tight. But after all, it’s the «bar» kind of environment where you go to have some drinks and watch sports. Pretty typical.
Some feedback for the owners… The fries! I LOVE LOVE soggy fries (I won’t touch crispy ones. Just personal preference) so I was in heaven with their sweet potato fries! I would, however, consider having an «original» AND «extra crispy» option for fries. I feel there will be a lot more happy customers if there were an option!

We order Calamari at every establishment where it is offered. I could write a blog on Calamari, where to, and where not to order it. Today we stoped in to check the place out and of course we ordered the Calamari because it’s offered. It is by far the best I have had, and I have eaten a lot of Calamari all over the country. It is lightly breaded, lightly fryed and served with fryed Capers, jalapeños and drizzed with a spicy sause, EXCELLENT!!! And the Old Tanker on draft is a bit bitter with a fruity/​citrusy after bite and an excellent pairing.
It’s a Sports Bar atmosphere with lots of TVs minus the tacky sports décor. With that said, I’m looking at a lot of TVS, brick walls (nice brick walls) and a black metal ceiling. It’s missing something to absorb the acoustics, and I’m not talking about hanging a bunch of sports jerseys. We will be back for the Short Ribs.

Loved it!!! I typically use Unilocal when I’m out of town. It’s not often that I use it at home. I thought I would give it a try and it did not disappoint. Wood creek is a decent place. Nice atmosphere, great beer selection and interesting menu. Three of us ate out and everyone was happy with their meal. Service was good and the price was fair. I had the Caprese chicken sandwich and I thought it was very good. One of the people I was with also had the blackened chicken which was also top shelf. I will definitely go back and would recommend it to anyone.

We’ve been wanting to try this new spot, and tonight we finally had our chance. Arriving for an early dinner, we were greeted and sat quickly.
Fabulous! There were a handful of tables occupied, and about a dozen people at the bar. Considering the odd time on a Friday, we thought that to be a good sign.
Our server arrived and asked if we had ever dined there before, and then quickly explained the beer and wine options, as well as the soup of the day which she highlighted as being fantastic.
With her suggestions noted, she left us to review the menu and make our selections. Hubby decided on a burger. I was undecided. The server was so excited about the days soup, that it made me want that (kudos to her! She totally sold the soup with her enthusiasm!!), but I knew just soup was not quite enough. A meatless salad for $ 9-​$ 10 was not going to cut it. A small plate (appetizer)? Meh. Everything sounded heavy. Hubby convinced me to get the pastrami philly sandwich and that he would have some.
We placed our order, and within a few minutes our meals arrived. My soup came alongside the philly which was served open faced. Husbands burger and fries looked great.
The soup. Oh how I wanted to love it. The taste? Pure cornstarch. Total bummer as it had great potential (and a great marketer!).
The philly. Oh. My. Where do I start? So this Philly was made with pastrami, cheese, etc. I love pastrami for its texture and flavor. But this pastrami was so salty, and so chewy, I couldn’t eat beyond the first bite. I asked husband to try it to see if maybe I was just having an off day, but he could not muscle it down either.
Husbands burger and fries: he says his burger was OK. Not awful, but very greasy. The bun literally slipped out of his hand when he first took it to his mouth (I laughed, but stopped when I took a bite of my sandwich). The fries had zero flavor. Needed salt desperately.
Which makes no sense.
You butter your buns, but don’t salt the fries?
We looked around and there was no salt or pepper to be found nearby. Our server was awesome and was able to grab a salt shaker and pepper mill from the back… after about 5 minutes.
Pepper mill? Empty.
Salt? Near empty.
Like I said, we wanted to try this place. And I really wanted to like my meal, as did hubby, but… not even close.
The service was great. Friendly, informative, and concerned when I shared that the sandwich was really bad. (I didn’t bother saying anything about the soup, nor did hubby mention his burger because at that point we just wanted to get going) the server took my sandwich off the bill, but did share that other guests RAVE about that sandwich. (Leaving me wondering what is wrong with my tastebuds)
Will we go back? Yes. I think it’s only fair to try it once more. And, it would be a sin to not return and try one of the incredible beers off their never ending list.
Hopefully by our next visit the chef will have a better handle on how his recipes hold up and go out and adjust them accordingly. And maybe they’ll throw some (filled) salt and pepper shakers onto their tables or at their beverage stations so servers can quickly hand them over when requested.

Came in here with my date and the service was nice and fast. The beer selection is vast so we got a suggestion from the server that worked out well.
He ordered the rib sandwich which was huge and I got the poutine. Tip: don’t try to be healthy and order the broccoli instead of the fries, they are cooked in bacon grease (though I’m sure amazing, kind of defeats the purpose). Good was tasty– though with all that butter, cheese and meat I don’t know how you can’t go wrong.
The tables were placed a bit tightly so it got a little odd at times having the server’s bum resting precariously on our table as we were trying to eat and drink when she was getting the order of the table next to us.

This is a pretty solid spot. The only thing preventing a 5 star review was the «waiting» area. Or should I say the small place in front of the door between seated tables and the bar. Poor layout and design. I understand they probably focused more on framing in as many tables as possible. But if I was an elderly couple, it would be difficult to stand for even a 10 minute wait.
Besides that above, I don’t have complaints. The service was pretty good. Especially being busy on a Friday night. Everyone in my party ordered something different. I got the spicy burger, others ordered the Mac and cheese and the shrimp po’ boy.
The burger was good. Dry. But good. I’ve had better burgers from five guys. But the flavors were there. The house cut fries were a bit soggy. I prefer crunchy fries.
The Mac and cheese was incredible! Cheesy and just delicious.
The shrimp po’ boy was really good. Seasonings were spot on.
We also ordered desserts. The cheesecake is average. The pie in a jar (peanut butter cup something) was really good. Plus, you get a free mason jar!
Overall, I enjoyed this place. The nice beer selections and beer flights were a nice touch. I will be returning for seconds.

We’ve frequented this restaurant for months. Our first 4 visits, they were easily 5 stars. The calamari, Chicago egg rolls, burgers, and beef poutine are fantastic. Like stuff your mouth until you feel so full you feel sick good. Except the truffle fries. They weren’t crispy, a bit disappointing. Up until our last order, service was consistently excellent & food spectacular.
They lost a star. We ordered take out & although I requested ranch, confirmed it at pick up, and the hostess ringing me up read back my order when I paid, we didn’t receive any ranch. What I though was ranch turned out to be pungent horseradish sauce. Like so pungent it burned my eyes & nose and I started gagging & almost lost my stomach. Had I known it was horseradish, I wouldn’t have doused my food in it. First mistake. The second & biggest was serving us bad meat. The Chicago egg rolls which I so love were full rancid. We discovered it was the italian beef inside that literally tasted rotten. We couldn’t eat our takeout. I really hope it was a fluke night, but I was incredibly dissatisfied & let down during our last experience. I struggled with how many stars to dock. Serving rotten food is almost unforgivable, but as I said our previous experiences have been superior & I gave the restaurant the benefit of the doubt.

I’ve been reading a lot of reviews for this place, and finally decided to try it tonight. Many reviews were negative, but then I got to thinking that the ones that were, were from people going to this place on Friday and Saturday night between 6&8 pm! Here’s a clue– don’t go at prime time!
Anyway, we got here at 6 and decided to sit at the bar. Nice bar. Reminded me of the bar from «Cheers». We were greeted by the bartender immediately, and she was very nice. I decided to get a flight of beers. 5 for $ 10. Not bad. I chose out of a tough list and enjoyed them all. My wife and I ordered the «cheese and macaroni» with bacon to split. Good thing we split it because it was huge, rich and delicious. We also ordered the braised beef poutine. This was also fantastic, and we ended up taking it home. Can’t wait to go back and try more of their beers and food.

Pros: Excellent food and unique craft beers on tap. Definitely a beer snob paradise. Updated interior that is definitely aesthetically pleasing. Best burgers, Mac and cheese and Chicago egg rolls I’ve had.
Cons: No daily specials or happy hour. How do you build your regulars like this?
Interior needs sound dampening. The wall reverberate the sound and may even intensify it. Difficult to have a conversation if it is busy.
Neither pro or con: Seems to attempt to be more restaurant than bar. Similar to Duke O’Brien’s in Crystal lake without the bar atmosphere. The later it gets, the emptier it gets, unlike Duke’s which fashions itself as more of a bar later in the evening.
Final thoughts: Depending on what you are looking for, solid food and drink joint that has more restaurant vibe than evening/​bar/​nightlife style.

The burger was really good. Fries, blah.
Skip the Mac and cheese. It was so… dry. How is Mac and cheese fry? Too much hard cheese and not enough cream/​milk is my guess. The flavor was okay, but the cheese sauce wasn’t very… saucy.
I’d go back, but I’m not in a hurry or waiting for a table.

This place is great! The only reason I’m not doing 5 stars is that the service is not always top notch. The staff is friendly and attentive but you won’t get that sense of urgency. That said the vibe is a nice sports bar– TONS of TVS. BIG BAR. Great selection of beers. Food — outstanding. My dad ordered meatloaf I swear it was the size of a brick! And he says it was amazing. Today I had the turkey burger– wow! Incredible. The chili is YUMMY and my sister says they have the best burgers in the city. Clearly we are fans. Highly recommend!

«Good Food, Great Service… Late weekday hours»
Friend and I hit the local theater for an evening show and needed some food afterward. Luckily this place was open late and quite popular.
We had a couple the burgers with Fries, non alcoholic drinks and a desert each with tip that ran nearly $ 50.
The burgers were done well… tasty at maybe 8oz. Ample fries… the desert was a blueberry cheesecake.
Service was fantastic
Overall it was a little pricey for our tastes but good quality food.

We were seated before stated time. That was nice.
Our server was semi-​pleasant. That was nice.
They have a great beer selection. That was nice.
Lots of televisions showing various sports. That was nice.
Ordered the Blackened Bleu cheeseburger. That was NOT nice.
It was THE most vile burger I have ever eaten. I think the prep cook dumped the entire container of salt into the blackening seasoning, looked at his mistake for a few seconds, looked around to see if anyone noticed, shrugged his shoulders and said «Eff it» under his breath and then proceeded to smother my burger in this concoction. It was disgusting, I felt like a deer at the salt lick.
My fries were also too salty. I walked out of this joint feeling like my tongue had shriveled up into a raisin from all of the salt! NOT even the delicious Allagash White cured my parchedness. That was NOT nice either!
Needless to say, I most likely will not be returning.

We came here for the first time for a little date night. Our Cubbies were on, so that was nice.
They sat us fast, but put us in a tiny corner with a small table. Me being super pregnant, that was rough. We were right next to another table with 4 people.
Hey, it was a little awkward but I’m not the type to say anything. I just complain later, lol.
The menu was okay. We honestly didn’t know what to get. We kind of expected a more expanded menu. The waitress said that the burgers are really tasty and popular.
I decided to get the BBQ bacon burger and the hubby got the short ribs and the small town root beer.
The burger was great, good amount of bacon and sauce. The short ribs were amazing and boneless. We really enjoyed the sauce. I’d love to get them again! He really enjoyed the root beer as well. Definitely said it was stronger than expected. The garlic mash potatoes were tasty too. Thick in texture. The corn on the cob was a little over cooked and shriveled, lol…
We decided to get dessert since everyone was raving about them. We got the death by chocolate.
Umm. What the hell is it? A cold pudding with chocolate powder? Not a fan. We literally laughed when she brought it to the table. Oops! Sorry :/​
It was a waste of money. It wasn’t rich in chocolate that we were expecting.
It tasted like cold pudding with some powder on top mixed with some chocolate topping? We were disappointed. Next time we want to try the pie in the jar…
The ambience was fun since the Cubs were playing. The table next to us wasn’t too thrilled but whatever.
Looks like a good time if you want to sit at the bar and have a few expensive drinks and watch a game. The place overall looks small and crowded. But pretty.
We are coming back for the ribs! And begging them not to put us in a corner for time out. Lol

The BBBLT is worth the heart attack. This is the second time I have come here and the food and service have been good. The interior design is consistent with a gastro pub. The TV layouts are great for games.
I am giving this place five stars to offset the one star reviews, so will my wife. I think the people who gave this place a one star think its Applebee’s and are surprised that they don’t roll out a red carpet. This area is filled with people who think they know quality food because they’ve eaten at a semi quality steak house in downtown 5 years ago and compare everyplace they go to there after against it. Go down the street to Chili’s if you want your 32oz frosted watered down beer. Don’t ruin a newly opened privately owned businesses in our area without giving them a fair chance.
Thank you Nikki, James, Ashley, Kim, and Amy for your excellent service now for a second time. We will be back. Hopefully these reviewers (who go out so often) update their reviews. Hope the reviewers realize it’s a soft opening and the Woods Creek staff and ownership are doing an excellent job addressing issues and complaints before the grand opening. One week since our last visit and noticeable differences. Good luck and welcome to the neighborhood!

Finally! A restaurant in the area that isn’t a chain. Took the family to dinner. Place was busy and after a short wait was seated.
Sat down and immediately tended to by our waitress. She was attentive but didn’t hover. Drinks were refilled in a timely manner.
Food was very good. Wife had BBBLT and I had BBQ ribs. Kids had cheese and mac.
We skipped dessert but drooled over the options.
We will be back.