Driftwood

First time trying this restaurant and I am glad to have another farm to table type place like this in Springfield. Love the corner location downtown and that alone will contribute largely to their success. The décor and ambiance is somewhat cold and industrial and could be warmed up a bit, but is fine as it is.
Our server was pleasant, friendly and informative. She had unusually good timing which to me, is a very important attribute of a good server. We liked her.
We ordered a couple of small plates as starters. Pretzel Crusted Cheese Curds and Fried Chicken Skin. Both were good but the aioli with the curds was supposed to be spicy and all we could taste was the garlic emulsifier. Chicken skins are similar to pork rinds but hot and fresh from the oil. My wife ordered the Nola Shrimp & Grits with Andouille, my son had the Pork Belly with Waffles with Egg and Corn Infused Honey and I had the Pork Cheek with Chipotle Mac & Cheese. Being the alpha at the table, I freely sampled all dishes without retribution.
My dish was delightful as the pork cheek was tender and juicy and the Mac and cheese was savory and delicious. Was a little disappointed though because the chipotle flavor was very minimal. The shrimp and grits was not that great. The shrimp and sausage tasted too strong of Worcestershire and the cheddar grits were very bland. That was my thought and my wife felt similarly and given that she is a born and raised Georgian, she knows her grits. Would have liked a little more andouille in it but that is personal preference. The pork belly and waffles were pretty good. The pork belly was a little over cooked and tough to cut but went very well with the waffles and honey. Waffles were fricking delicious. Very good. I think the Driftwood could tighten up a little on consistency of their dishes but I will be back for another try.
I had Driftwood as a three rating to this point but have to bump to a four based on their cocktail menu, especially their excellent beer selection. It’s not unusually large but big enough and the quality of beer on the list is great. Loved seeing Rolling Meadows on the list too… Wish they would have had some of their Bourbon Barrel Stout that is in stores currently.
Prices were a little higher than I would have liked but I understand that going farm to table is a more expensive proposition for a restaurant and it still wasn’t that bad. Our bill for three people was still less than $ 100. Also props to Driftwood for quickly honoring the 20% off coupon I had for their restaurant from Unilocal!I’ve received pushback from other places when I’ve tried to use them.
All in all it was a good experience. I’ll be back to try again.

I enjoyed the appetizers. The toast balls were really good. Good wine options. Service was good. Shrimp n grits were tasty however all three of our entrees arrived barely lukewarm. Green chili gumbo was not good. Great concept — make sure the food is warm!

Food was fresh, flavorful, and the atmosphere was great. After dinner, popped over to the bar side and had a great cocktail. All the while with a great view of the old state capitol! Not to metnion all food was farm to table, and locally grown.

Very good food, sometimes good service sometimes just ok service. One of the nickel & dimers though, was charged $.50 for each carry out item! Try the brisket!

Awesome place. Went after dinner. Ryan was great.
I’ve heard that the beer nights are good. Food is farm to table.
Friendly service– great people

Traveling to Springfield for work, I recently hosted an event here. The food, atmosphere, and service was outstanding!
Planning this remotely, made me a tad nervous, until I really began working with the owner, and then I had confidence he was a true professional. They exceeded my expectations on every level. They were easy to work with and accommodating.
Our guests raved about the food. We were able to sample many of their signature dishes, along with some custom menu items the chef tailored for our group.
Whether stopping in for happy hour, dinner, or hosting a private event, I highly recommend Driftwood. It was truly a wonderful spot to seek out in Springfield.

I love the «grazing» and small plate concept, but I did not love what we ordered. The chop salad was dreadful. The pickle veggie plate was ok, but the kimchi was unpalatable and was literally the worst thing I’ve ever tasted. The only redeeming factor of our meal was the meatballs with the «corn pudding» which was creamy and delicious and absolutely perfect. That dish alone is easily 5 star worthy. I wanted to love everything about this place, but I just can’t.

Amazing food and great staff! Our table ordered half the menu and everything was just wonderful. It reminds me of restaurants in Vancouver that really focus on innovative menus.
The drink menu is incredible and the selection is huge. If you don’t know where to start, the bar tender can definitely make some suggestions.

The drinks were great! Old fashioned and other whiskey based cocktails hit the spot.
As far as food goes, we really enjoyed the meatballs but the peppers appetizer was bland.
Chicken and biscuit tasted great, watch out though it is a bit spicy. See
for a cheap gift certificate for the first time you go!

Food is delicious and different in a great way. The bartender Evan is the best mixologist I’ve seen he creates great cocktails on the fly. Fun to watch. Very inventive on the cocktails. Yummy

Had the zucchini fritters and they were easily the best I’ve ever had. The pot roast over mac and cheese was also excellent. If you’re in Springfield, you must try Driftwood!

I was in town visiting from Dallas and all I can say is this restaurant should come to Texas. They thoughtfully plan out an extensive small plate menu and an expansive cocktail menu that has something for everyone. We ordered almost half the dishes on the menu, four different coctails each and wound up spending 3 hours at dinner, totally satisfied and amazed that everything was delicious. The New Orleans influence was so perfectly thought out and executed. If you are in springfield for a day, a week, or permanently THIS is where you should come enjoy a meal. Picky eaters and food adventurers alike will find this menu to be savory, exciting and comforting.
Food aside, the service was impeccable. It breaks my heart that I cant regularly patronize this restaurant. Do yourself a favor and indulge in driftwood.

My wife and I ate here last night and we’re really excited to find a restaurant like this in Springfield. Farm-​to-​table small plate is the way to go. Food was very good, cocktails we’re delicious and the waitress was wonderful. It is a bit pricy, but you’re supporting a local restaurant and local farms, which is always going to cost a bit extra. We’ll certainly be back!

My husband and I love this place. the owner\chef always comes to our table. The waitresses are always helpful and attentive. The food is worthy of a city larger than Springfield. The menu changes seasonally since locally grown and raised food is used in their dishes. We usually share a few small plates a large plate and a dessert. We find the prices to be fair with the quality of the food.

Driftwood has become a favorite place to eat for my family. The chef and owner incorporate locally grown products to the greatest degree possible, including using produce from his own garden. I regularly see staff at the Saturday morning farmer’s market looking for ingredients as well. The food is awesome, and definitely out of the box for Springfield, IL. I especially recommend the pairing dinners they regularly do with local breweries/​distilleries/​etc.; they’re a wonderful experience!
***That being said, if you don’t grasp the small plates or tapas-​style/​concept of restaurant, you’re going to be woefully disappointed.*** The portions are meant more for tasting and sharing, not filling up on one choice. This isn’t a D’Arcy’s or a chain restaurant (not that there is anything at all wrong with those places!), so open your mind and you won’t be disappointed!

My boyfriend and I had to take a quick trip to Springfield from St. Louis and wanted to find a good restaurant to enjoy before heading home. We loved our visit to Driftwood!
The restaurant is in a great location with a nice vibe, especially on the bar side. We were served by the bartender who was very friendly and informative. Driftwood has a fabulous drink menu. Really well-​curated whiskey and beer selections. We enjoyed a few cocktails and generous whiskey pours.
We shared a few dishes including the cheese curds, mixed greens salad, deviled duck eggs, rabbit boudin, and a fresh strawberry tart. Everything was delicious with creative, surprising details and all the ingredients were super fresh and local. We got to briefly meet the chef/​owner and he seems like a great guy with a fantastic background at some of our favorite restaurants around St. Louis.
We left feeling sad that it was such a long drive to visit this place again!

Worst service and terrible lunch. Got seated and waited 10 minutes before getting up and getting our own menus. When the waitress finally came over we ordered ice tea, they hadn’t made any so she said it’d be 10 minutes. Ordered lunch salad and cheese curds. Cheese curds were good and salad was ok. However for $ 8 the lunch salad came out on tiny appetizer plate with a tablespoon of dressing. Never got refills on the tea. Ladies sitting next to us were seated before us and waitress screwed up their order which didn’t come out until after we were done eating. Would not recommend this place.

We’ve enjoyed both lunch and dinner here. I have to say lunch was kind of a miss, but dinner was awesome! It’s farm to table and small plates. That said we ordered a lot of stuff! Standouts were the pork belly, shrimp bog and chicken biscuit. Everything we had was excellent. Drinks are also great. Overall I feel this place is a great addition to Springfield!

We tried this place knowing that the prices are high and the portions are small.
We had the corn fritters and they were dry for my taste.
We also had the pretzel cheese curds. They were good.
My wife had the chicken gravy biscuit. And I had the brisket.
My wife said the chicken was good but was not worth the price.
My brisket was tough and chewy on top of about a cup or more of Mac and cheese.
I had 1 $ 5 beer and my wife had a $ 3 coke .
We ended with a desert of some kind of chocolate fried donut with some kind of cream sauce.
My wife is a fanatic for desert.
I tried the 3 small round donut hole looking treats as did my wife.
We left one on the dish since we did not care for another one.
That being said our bill was $ 53 without tip.
All I can say now is that I understand Organic is not cheap and the location has most likely high rent.
I will say I did have a coupon from my travel miles that cut the bill in half.
Will I return, I must say its not for us.
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This is a «farm to table» kind of place, so everything is supposed to be fresh and organic. Right off the bat, that makes me a bit nervous because as a farmer, I know that 95% of that is over-​hyped nonsense. However, our server was incredibly friendly, helpful, and not in the least bit pretentious as I imagine the staff at such places often are.
The menu is nicely arranged (although 1 page for food and 4 pages for drinks seems a bit unbalanced), but unless you are accustomed to trendy cooking methods and ingredients, you might need to ask what somethings actually are.
They have small and large dishes. The small dishes are big enough to share between a couple of people, but not at all for more than that. The large dishes are not very large, but they were quite filling.
Between the 5 people in my group, we ordered 5 separated large dishes and 3 smaller plates to share. Two people also had different wines. Everything we ordered was excellent, so I’d imagine anything you order would be good (Although I can’t speak for the seafood items as we all had chicken, pork, or beef). One thing I will note: the chicken skins are similar to pork rinds, but with chicken instead of pork. If you don’t like one, you won’t like the other.
The prices were a bit high for the portions, but with everything being organic and farm fresh, I would expect higher prices.
The atmosphere is also nice — casual, but still classy.