Woody’s Solana Beach

Out of Towner On a tip from the hotel, 3 of us went for dinner and had a nice surprise;
great variety menu, fresh tuna appetizers, Wednesday is Prime Rib, Wow. Our Server, «Jessica» was fantasticly polite and helpful. go to the friendliest place in town.

Woody’s was more of a bar than a restaurant. The gigantic dining area was big enough to throw a nice party.
Unfortunately the food lacked flavor and consistency. They flooded the market with vouchers and the kitchen just could not maintain any type of standards and this led to their demise.
This location in Solana beach is tricky, many restaurants have failed here, au revoir Woody’s.

We came here for lunch a few weeks ago. We saw that they take the Passport card, and figured we’d stop for lunch since we were in the area.
The waiter who seated us and took our order was nice and attentive enough, overall average service. The interior looks like and has the ambiance of a dive bar that was recently remodeled with a dining room. There really isn’t separation from the bar, it’s basically one big room. I didn’t find the ambiance to be very warm or inviting.
The food was 2 stars at best, I had a turkey sandwich that was really dry, plain and boring; I honestly could have made a better tasting sandwich at home. The fries that it came with definitely needed salt and weren’t anything special either. I thought that the price was a bit high for the quality of food as well.
Good location near the beach, pretty good service and below average food. We probably won’t be back.

They have incredibly horrible service! The waitress was very rude and the food was crappy. The only thing that has this place going is the décor.
ugh. Usually I am not that picky, so when I dislike a place. That means it must be pretty bad.

ho hum…
my first visit here… came with a group of 6 ladies for dinner. Reserations through open table for 6:15 on saturday night… no problems…
the restaurant was a bit empty …
we started with drinks (i had a mule)…served in a copper mug… good…some places are trying to pull off a mule in a glass. it tasted ok… nothing exciting.
shared a lobster quesadilla… meat was tender… but nothing exciting
i ordered the flat iron with fries and an artichoke…
my favorite part was the artichoke… yum…
fries were crisp…
steak was cooked perfectly medium (that’s what i ordered)…
water was never filled…
service was good enough…
food was overpriced for what it was…(i get it… they probably have a high rent)
she split our bill evenly among 5 people… but neglected to tell us that she included tip (never gave us a bill that showed us that)…fortunately i noticed that the bill seemed off… and i asked her if she included tip…“oh ya… i did”…that’s lame.
a musical act came in about 7 to play on their stage… volume was WAY to loud for dinner conversation… i was anxious to just get out of there at that point… and for those of you who don’t know me… i am all about going to loud shows… whether it be rock, pop, jazz or whatever… i live for shows… but this was just an odd and out of place situation…
overall impression… it was fine… nothing bad about any of it… i just have no reason to really want to go back… if the neighborhood folks are anything like myself or my friends… this place would never survive…
good luck woody’s…

I have been to Woody’s three times now and my four star review is an average of my experiences there.
My first two times at Woody’s were excellent. Happy hour chicken nachos for less than ten bucks that were delicious and great drink specials. Service was very good and the atmosphere is very comfortable.
This last time at Woody’s was a bit more disappointing. Apparently, they recently changed their happy hour, nixing the great chicken nachos and limiting some of the other good happy hour appetizer options as well. Service this most recent time was slow, and the server seemed almost annoyed that we were interested in happy hour appetizers.
I want to love Woody’s. Next time here will be make or break. 4 stars for now.

Great service & very tasty food. We just stopped in looking for a place to gave an appetizer & salad. We were not disappointed.
I will definitely go back.

Have eaten brunch here on numerous occasions and the food is always good; especially a fan of the crème brûlée french toast and the eggs benedict. $ 15 – 19 for bottomless mimosas (or 2 pints of your favorite beer, if you prefer), fresh muffins, homestyle potatoes, fresh fruit, and a breakfast plate is a steal. There is always too much food.
Hosted a bridal brunch here on a Saturday. Everyone’s food choice was made-​to-​order, so it was fresh and not sitting under a warmer. Cost was extremely reasonable. The service was awesome — I didn’t ask, but they even helped me pack up my car after the event! Planning the event was the most challenging part, because the owner runs both Woody’s locations (Solana Beach & Long Beach) so he was sometimes difficult to get in touch with; but, in the days before the event he answered both phone and e-​mail contact efficiently and he was present at the event, which went off without a hitch. The bride-​to-​be was thrilled with how things played out.
The bartenders are always smiling and helpful.
Cons: Sometimes the service can be a little slow; but it’s Sunday brunch … sit back and relax a little. If you are planning an event here, be prepared for it to take time to iron out details.

Went for brunch this past Sunday. Used and groupon and It was much needed as our brunch for 2 people 1 child ended up being over 85 $ before the groupon was applied.
As far as value goes the food was above average and our server was helpful and attentive. Not sure If I would come back just on price alone. Little did we know but they do bottomless mimosas for the brunch. We were one of the first groups in. We asked about them on our way out as EVERYONE had them! MAy The restaurant itself is set up nicely and was very clean.

Deal master Andy strikes again. Clearly I wouldnt ever come to Del Mar for any reason except for a meal with a deal, but also got to add on a free dessert. $ 15 for $ 30 of Sunday brunch food on Livingsocial, and then Foursquare check-​in for a free appetizer or dessert. Cha-​ching!
But deal or no deal, the food quality was sub-​par for anyone bold enough to charge $ 15+ per plate for a champagne brunch. It was actually surprisingly bad enough that I’d be audacious enough to give it two-​stars.
Food:
— Smoked Salmon Scramble ($ 16.95): This better have been dripping gold and melting in my mouth, but was completely not doing that. Imagined slightly dry scrambled eggs with little texture – something I would make on a pan at home because I couldnt care less how my food tasted. Then a few portions/​chunks of salmon, which honestly was far from juicy and more choppy, bland, did-​you-​just-​microwave-​this? There’s no character in the salmon and little entertainment – might as well have ordered chicken. I skipped the bagel and asked for spinach instead, which was flash boiled – nothing added. The meal comes with a small portion of fruit – this tipped over my already-​meh experience. How old were these melons? Why are you serving cheap melons that were soaked in its juices for a few days? Everyone’s experienced old melons before, and these were exactly them. I’m usually not picky with certain things but I couldn’t help feeling like my meal was so uninteresting that I ate out of hunger more than taste. DO NOT get this unless you want to waste your money. How could all portions of a meal be so out of sync and cheap?
— Appetizer muffin: I think these were blueberry muffins. Half of one per person, and seriously it was just a muffin.
— Unlimited Mimosa: Yeah, I dont drink so I didnt get it with the brunch meal. I got my cup of OJ, and that was my only cup.
— Crème Brule ($ 7.95): I knew that Nat liked this specific dessert so I got it, and it wasn’t bad. It was better than my meal, actually, in terms of taste and texture. The crispy sweet top mixed well with the soft and gooey insides.
Pros:
— Dark/​dim contemporary insides. Why were there a good number of people for brunch I have no clue.
— Helpful waitress!
Cons:
— Food quality is down the drain. I’m not even exaggerating.
— Way overpriced.
— Tricky parking.
Dear Unilocal readers, I am assuming I might get an angry message from the owner of this restaurant, but I’m not going to lie: Don’t come here. I won’t change my review. Don’t buy another deal from them. It’s honestly not worth your money or the drive. You can make better brunch food at home. Seriously. I warn you.

Actually, my preference would be a 1.5 star rating.
Went to Woody’s yesterday after the races at Del Mar. Had no trouble getting a reservation through Open Table just 15 minutes prior to the allotted time. Arrived to find the place busy, but not overwhelmingly so. Seated quickly… that was the LAST quick thing to happen!
Our server started off in a very friendly manner… and after that, we saw her so rarely her demeanor really didn’t matter. We asked for water several times after the initial glass (and before our meals had been served)…finally went up to the bar myself to get refills.
We waited for at least 45 minutes before our food was finally served by a different waiter/​busboy. At least it was hot. The salmon was cooked perfectly (I was worried it would be petrified) and my friend’s ahi was seared nicely. The food was good and flavorful, but nothing to make me sit up and state «OMG, I“m coming back to this place every week!!!»
We saw our server twice… once when she popped over to ask if everything was okay (but really didn’t seem interested) and again when she dropped off the check (and we were barely ½-​way through our meal). When we finished, my friend put her credit card in the check holder… and we waited and waited and waited for someone to finalize the payment. Actually had to push it to the end of the table and say «EXCUSE ME!» to our server to get it done.
This was my first — and likely LAST — visit to Woody’s. There are too many other places with better food and better service in and around the beach area.
Sorry Woody… you lose.

It is great that this restaurant is gone!
This restaurant was a huge disappointment.
Slow service: It took an hour to get our entrée. Bland food, overall lacking flavor. There is something wrong with the soda they serve, and the cups they serve it in are tiny. BUT if this was it, I’d still consider going again.
What really earned this restaurant one star was the rotten muscle I was served. Yes, they replaced the dish (I asked for a non-​seafood dish this time), but they still had the guts to charge me tax for the plate of rotten food that I sent back.
I know mistakes happen, and I can understand and forgive them… but they must be handled in the right way.

I really wanted to like Woody’s, but it just wasn’t what I had hoped.
I went for dinner last Saturday with my son and my husband. We had a Groupon for dinner that included an appetizer, two soups or salads and two entrees for $ 25. It sounded like a great deal, but in reality, not so much. Beers were $ 8 each, which is way high for a mid-​priced neighborhood joint (ie, not the Gaslamp or Petco Park). Our son’s milk was $ 2.75, plus another $ 2.75 for a refill. Really, almost $ 6 for two tiny cups of milk? Four beers, two milks and a kids grilled cheese came out to just over $ 50. No thanks.
The food was okay. The clam chowder was tasty, but not outstanding, and my steak was totally under-​seasoned. My husband said his salmon was decent but forgettable.
The saving grace of the evening was our server. She was friendly, fun and helpful. Unfortunately, a great server isn’t enough to bring me back to an otherwise underwhelming restaurant.

The friendly staff is the only thing saving Woody’s from a one-​star review.
This place is a swing and a miss. Unfortunately, we bought a bunch of Groupon deals for the champagne brunch with the hope that this would be a great new spot. But every time (five times) we have been disappointed tremendously. By our last visit, we started making bets about how bad the kitchen would mess up our order today.
Sure enough, we were right and both our orders were wrong. I had the burger and ordered it with mushrooms, BBQ and bacon. It arrived with bacon but no mushrooms or BBQ. My girlfriend’s meal was even more screwed up. She ordered the chicken sandwich (which had been great on the visit before) and it arrived with no lettuce or tomato on toasted bread and a side of fruit. On our previous visit, it was on a soft roll, with toppings and served with fruit and fries (as it’s listed on the menu).
I foresee this place not lasting more than six months due the kitchen’s inability to get orders correct. It’s unusual to see such strong service from the front of the house while the back of the house is a train wreck.

The restaurant is nicely decorated and situated in the little strip mall that has California Pizza Kitchen, which is much more easily seen from the road than Woody’s. There’s a cute bar as you walk in, and ample seating around. Went on a Sunday evening and was surprised how empty it was. The staff was really attentive, and the menu was fairly standard. I only ordered the bacon mac and cheese side dish since I wasn’t too hungry, but the dish was good, so there’s no real complaints.
I didn’t feel as though the menu was really inspired to get me to try something new or to spend the money on a full entrée that could have been hit or miss. I won’t be in a hurry to go back and try again, but I won’t kick the idea off the list either. Just kind of okay.

Woody’s is really struggling to get past a 3-​star rating for me. We returned over the weekend for a second try at brunch.
Although the service was better and they weren’t slammed as they were on our previous visit, the food was still mediocre at best. I tried the Belgian waffles with strawberries and was disappointed with the blandness. The waffles seemed too thick and were hard to swallow. The dish is served with three waffles and I could barely eat the one. My boyfriend wasn’t too impressed with his huevos rancheros either.
On the plus side, bottomless mimosas made the experience better and the muffins were delicious!
We still have three more brunch deals to use so we will continue our quest for a great dish at Woody’s.

Unilocal says it best when they say Woohoo!!! As good as it gets!!! Came in here Saturday night around 6 PM. There is plenty of parking located out front. We walked in and sat ourselves right away. This place has a nice vibe to it. You would think maybe food by day club by night but no worries just food and good drinks :)
The server was outstanding!!! And the Atmosphere including the bathrooms were very clean. No to the food!
I came in with a Groupon. The total bill would of been 77 dollars but with the Groupon we only paid $ 14.50 plus tip. What I ordered:
Ceviche: 11.95
Ahi Tower 12.95 (we came during happy hour so buy one appetizer get 2^nd one ½ off)
Lobster Macaroni and Cheese 18.95
Seared Lamb with mash potatoes and steamed seasoned vegetables 21.95
All the dishes were so yummy! I can still taste it! The portions were spot on!
The groupon also included 2 free glasses of wine.
This was not only a great deal but great food! I can see myself coming back and soon!

Came again for Taco Tuesday to finally try the Albacore tacos. Well, we were incredibly disappointed, what a bummer.
The fish was super dry and the sauce was different — the other one was flavorful, this didn’t taste like anything. There was a slice of avocado and a bit of shredded cabbage.
Overall, it just didn’t taste like much and I felt bad for recommending it to everyone!

I’ve been to Woody’s only a couple of time, but I already know that it will become a frequent spot for me. They have really excellent happy hour deals, and they also run deals while football games are on.
There are TVs everywhere, so sports are definitely there thing. I wasn’t able to identify any particular team loyalty.
It seems that they recently started doing Sunday brunch. We checked it out with a Groupon deal. The food was very good, and they offer bottomless mimosas. For two people, it ran around $ 35, which is great to me, especially considering the drinks! They were very attentive, and basically always had the champagne bottle on hand to top off your mimosa.

I was in Solana Beach for a meeting and had a few hours to kill. I passed by this place and decided to duck in for a Beer and a Snack. WHAT AN AWESOME SURPRISE!!! As I walked in, I was totally blown away by the inside. It’s in a strip mall setting, but the place was incredibly well laid out for what they had to work with. I was greeted by the Bartender, Rene, and she couldn’t have seemed happier to have another customer come in. Her service was probably the best I’ve seen up this way. What a great way to start off.
Luckily, for me at least, it was happy hour. Their happy hour kicks ass! $ 2 Fish Tacos (Not just on «Taco Tuesday»), ½ Price Appetizers, $ 5 House Wines (Mondavi Cab & Merlot), Cheap Pints of Stone IPA, PBR, Coronado Brewing Co. and Sculpin (Ballast Point). I tried the Ceviche Tostada and the Spicy Balsamic Chicken Wings. The Ceviche was insanely good. So Fresh! Seriously, it was better than Miguel’s in Puerto Nuevo, Baja. The wings were damn delicious as well! They were huge, cooked just right and the most uniquely unexpected sweet and spicy taste.
I didn’t get dinner, but the Dinner menu looks Off-​Tha-​Hook! The price points were excellent, considering it is in Solana Beach. The guy next to me got the Ribs. A whole rack was only $ 19 and the thing was falling off both sides of the plate and off the bone as he picked them up. I was tempted to snag one, but he was guarding his plate pretty well. There was a woman next to me that got the Black and Blue Salad and I’m pretty sure I heard her exude a few moans of ecstasy. I asked her how it was. She looked at me and said «holy Jesus, that was… Mmmmm». I’m not a big blue cheese fan and I’m pretty sure that wasn’t a complete sentence, but I was totally jealous.
I live down in Baja La Jolla (North Pacific Beach) and rarely leave the area to dine, but I would totally make this trip again. There are soooo many awesome qualities about this place and I can’t wait to go back! It was well worth being late to my meeting! *Hiccup*
Oh, and if you’re into Mojito’s, they grow their own Mint and Chocolate Mint. Thought that was pretty cool.
Cheers!!!