We used to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries here because they had a great selection of items to choose from and the prime rib was fantastic. Well over the last few years not only has the service gotten worse so has the food. The menu is consistently smaller with each revision. With a name like the Hardwood you would expect a lot of steak or chicken options actually cooked on the hardwood oven but they have very few interesting options. The last time we stayed long enough to eat i had the chicken stir fry which was filling. Not tasty mind you just filling. We stopped in last night to give it one more try and yet again the menu has shrunk and the options look more like an appetizer menu than a whole restaurant menu so we walked back out and went someplace else. Too bad inattentive management and a lack of creativity is killing this place.
(1)
Daniel L.
We showed up to an empty restaurant and the service was slow. Ordered a Reuben and it was just toasted rye bread with the cold ingredients on it. My brother ordered the lamb chops and they were charred to the point that you didn't know it was lamb. Waiter was inexperienced but tried. Would not go back.
(1)
Richard T.
Their Rubens are delicious - stuffed mushrooms (IMHO) flavorless. Only two downsides I noticed during our group's recent outing to this restaurant... service was slightly less than mediocre and not very friendly and they keep the lighting too darn low in the dining room. We had to take out a flashlight to read the menu. Ambiance is one thing... nearly total darkness is another. I'd consider returning if I'm in that area again... just for their Rubens alone.
(3)
Chad W.
Hardwood...the local favorite. I've eaten at Hardwood Cafe ~50 times over the years (I grew up in the area) and I can't say I have anything bad to say about it. It's relatively cheap, service is never bad, and they always have a specials board. Is anything mind-blowing? No. Is anything bad? Not at all. I think a burger here runs you less than $7, and their hardwood salads are pretty tasty as well. Their claim to fame is that most everything is cooked in hardwood ovens, so that's relatively unique I suppose. I wouldn't go here for a gourmet meal...go when you want a good burger or chicken sandwich, and possibly an app or two. It also happens to have a monopoly in the area; it's a 10-15 minute drive to any other dining spot.
(3)
Michelle B.
I had the salmon Salad. Seems to be too little salmon for the value and severely overdressed with a so-so citrus dressing. My friend's "Pittsburgh" salad did look well done. and the sandwiches that came out also looked good. Friendly and attentive service, I can see what it's a local favorite.
(2)
Doug C.
Most everything is good, not great, one thing I do love is their Cajun chicken pasta. It is spicy as it should be. I would recommend that before anything else. Service has always been pleasant, beer is cold. Would I go out of my way to eat here? No.
(3)
Natalie Elizabeth M.
The resturant wasn't busy when we came in.. yet we were seated directily beside another table (with 20 other tables in the room) The server did not know ANYTHING about the wine list. She had to go ask the bartender. The clam chowder was pretty tastey. We got side salads w/our food. They were DROWNED in dressing. It was like a salad soup! We both probably only ate 3 bites? The sauce on my pasta (chefs recipe? or something) was watered down and lacked any flavor. I'm assuming the chef's recipe is made w/lleftover ingredients from weelemd :(
(2)
Hayden B.
We ate at the Hardwood tonight. We were seated immediatly the restaurant was not busy at all and the service was slow. It took about five or so minutes before the waitress asked what we wanted to drink. We had the wings and they tasted good, but there were six wings and they were the wing diddies, so they were relatively small and they were not worth six dollars. The wings were a nightly special. I ordered the Cajun chicken sandwich with fries. It was OK, but it was nothing amazing. My grandfather ordered the chicken parmesan. It was bland and flavorless, and the pasta was less than al dente. So it was a less than successful dinner. This is one of those places you go once and know not to go back.
(2)
Kelley K.
This is the only restaurant in its near area, which seems to be saving it's life. It used to be a good place and now it's awful. The last 4 visits have gotten progressively worse. The service staff is severely under trained. The food is mediocre at best when it doesn't get dried out by sitting under the heat lamps, because there's no teamwork with the staff bringing it to the table. Don't bother complaining because there's no management presence in dining room even paying attention to how poorly run the restaurant has become. The most recent visit, the server forgot to bring one of our items. Her response when we reminded her at the end of the meal floored all 5 of us. "Well, it's not very good anyway". Yikes! That really sums up this restaurant. Save your money and cook at home.
(1)
Dan S.
We arrived to an empty entry to be told by 3-4 waitresses over a 10min timeframe that they'd be right with us. After they finally overheard us complaining about the seemingly meaningless wait, thy rushed us to a table only to wait another 10 min before anyone waited on us. Food was pretty lousy. The pizza crust was dry/overlooked and tasted like a saltine. My wife got a grilled cheeseburger "special" that was so dry and over cooked that she couldn't eat it. There is obvious smoke/fire damage throughout the building that lends to a dirty atmosphere.
(1)
Helene A.
Very disappointed. This used to be one of our favorite restaurants. Tonight was horrible. The food was tasteless and boring. My husband had pork that had little flavor. My son and I had two different pizzas. We could have made better tasting pizzas ourself at home. The waitress had no idea how any of the specials tasted, when asked, and said that she hadn't served one of the specials at all that night. The waitress never even asked us if everything was okay. If she had, she certainly would have gotten an earful! We overheard the people behind us complaining as well. Definitely would not recommend until the food and service improve.
(1)
Brian C.
I had the wood-fire 1/2 chicken. It was delicious. The breast was ok. I would get a side of BBQ sauce for it. I am more of a dark meat person when it comes to chicken served this way. The sides were tasty too. The homemade potato chips with blue cheese dressing ( I think) was yummy. I will be back.
(4)
Amber G.
If you like Cajun chicken pasta this is the place to get it. This is my absolute favorite item on the menu. They have many other delicious menu options and specials. Restaurant has a classic relaxed feel.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Frank D.
We used to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries here because they had a great selection of items to choose from and the prime rib was fantastic. Well over the last few years not only has the service gotten worse so has the food. The menu is consistently smaller with each revision. With a name like the Hardwood you would expect a lot of steak or chicken options actually cooked on the hardwood oven but they have very few interesting options. The last time we stayed long enough to eat i had the chicken stir fry which was filling. Not tasty mind you just filling. We stopped in last night to give it one more try and yet again the menu has shrunk and the options look more like an appetizer menu than a whole restaurant menu so we walked back out and went someplace else. Too bad inattentive management and a lack of creativity is killing this place.
(1)Daniel L.
We showed up to an empty restaurant and the service was slow. Ordered a Reuben and it was just toasted rye bread with the cold ingredients on it. My brother ordered the lamb chops and they were charred to the point that you didn't know it was lamb. Waiter was inexperienced but tried. Would not go back.
(1)Richard T.
Their Rubens are delicious - stuffed mushrooms (IMHO) flavorless. Only two downsides I noticed during our group's recent outing to this restaurant... service was slightly less than mediocre and not very friendly and they keep the lighting too darn low in the dining room. We had to take out a flashlight to read the menu. Ambiance is one thing... nearly total darkness is another. I'd consider returning if I'm in that area again... just for their Rubens alone.
(3)Chad W.
Hardwood...the local favorite. I've eaten at Hardwood Cafe ~50 times over the years (I grew up in the area) and I can't say I have anything bad to say about it. It's relatively cheap, service is never bad, and they always have a specials board. Is anything mind-blowing? No. Is anything bad? Not at all. I think a burger here runs you less than $7, and their hardwood salads are pretty tasty as well. Their claim to fame is that most everything is cooked in hardwood ovens, so that's relatively unique I suppose. I wouldn't go here for a gourmet meal...go when you want a good burger or chicken sandwich, and possibly an app or two. It also happens to have a monopoly in the area; it's a 10-15 minute drive to any other dining spot.
(3)Michelle B.
I had the salmon Salad. Seems to be too little salmon for the value and severely overdressed with a so-so citrus dressing. My friend's "Pittsburgh" salad did look well done. and the sandwiches that came out also looked good. Friendly and attentive service, I can see what it's a local favorite.
(2)Doug C.
Most everything is good, not great, one thing I do love is their Cajun chicken pasta. It is spicy as it should be. I would recommend that before anything else. Service has always been pleasant, beer is cold. Would I go out of my way to eat here? No.
(3)Natalie Elizabeth M.
The resturant wasn't busy when we came in.. yet we were seated directily beside another table (with 20 other tables in the room) The server did not know ANYTHING about the wine list. She had to go ask the bartender. The clam chowder was pretty tastey. We got side salads w/our food. They were DROWNED in dressing. It was like a salad soup! We both probably only ate 3 bites? The sauce on my pasta (chefs recipe? or something) was watered down and lacked any flavor. I'm assuming the chef's recipe is made w/lleftover ingredients from weelemd :(
(2)Hayden B.
We ate at the Hardwood tonight. We were seated immediatly the restaurant was not busy at all and the service was slow. It took about five or so minutes before the waitress asked what we wanted to drink. We had the wings and they tasted good, but there were six wings and they were the wing diddies, so they were relatively small and they were not worth six dollars. The wings were a nightly special. I ordered the Cajun chicken sandwich with fries. It was OK, but it was nothing amazing. My grandfather ordered the chicken parmesan. It was bland and flavorless, and the pasta was less than al dente. So it was a less than successful dinner. This is one of those places you go once and know not to go back.
(2)Kelley K.
This is the only restaurant in its near area, which seems to be saving it's life. It used to be a good place and now it's awful. The last 4 visits have gotten progressively worse. The service staff is severely under trained. The food is mediocre at best when it doesn't get dried out by sitting under the heat lamps, because there's no teamwork with the staff bringing it to the table. Don't bother complaining because there's no management presence in dining room even paying attention to how poorly run the restaurant has become. The most recent visit, the server forgot to bring one of our items. Her response when we reminded her at the end of the meal floored all 5 of us. "Well, it's not very good anyway". Yikes! That really sums up this restaurant. Save your money and cook at home.
(1)Dan S.
We arrived to an empty entry to be told by 3-4 waitresses over a 10min timeframe that they'd be right with us. After they finally overheard us complaining about the seemingly meaningless wait, thy rushed us to a table only to wait another 10 min before anyone waited on us. Food was pretty lousy. The pizza crust was dry/overlooked and tasted like a saltine. My wife got a grilled cheeseburger "special" that was so dry and over cooked that she couldn't eat it. There is obvious smoke/fire damage throughout the building that lends to a dirty atmosphere.
(1)Helene A.
Very disappointed. This used to be one of our favorite restaurants. Tonight was horrible. The food was tasteless and boring. My husband had pork that had little flavor. My son and I had two different pizzas. We could have made better tasting pizzas ourself at home. The waitress had no idea how any of the specials tasted, when asked, and said that she hadn't served one of the specials at all that night. The waitress never even asked us if everything was okay. If she had, she certainly would have gotten an earful! We overheard the people behind us complaining as well. Definitely would not recommend until the food and service improve.
(1)Brian C.
I had the wood-fire 1/2 chicken. It was delicious. The breast was ok. I would get a side of BBQ sauce for it. I am more of a dark meat person when it comes to chicken served this way. The sides were tasty too. The homemade potato chips with blue cheese dressing ( I think) was yummy. I will be back.
(4)Amber G.
If you like Cajun chicken pasta this is the place to get it. This is my absolute favorite item on the menu. They have many other delicious menu options and specials. Restaurant has a classic relaxed feel.
(4)