Willow Tree Restaurant Menu

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Visit below restaurant in Saginaw for healthy meals suggestion.

Visit below restaurant in Saginaw for healthy meals suggestion.

  • George L.

    My wife and I visited the Saginaw Willow Tree location recently for lunch. It was our first visit. By way of background, we have travelled internationally a great deal and have eaten in many restaurants ranging from excellent high end to excellent street food (e.g. Athens gyro stands) to crummy high end (ugh!) and, yes, McDonalds (ugh!) and its clones. We know a good restaurant when we eat at one and we know a bad one, as well. I ordered the French onion soup ($6) and the lamb gyro ($9) with "freedom fries" upgrade ($3). My wife (wisely, it turned out) skipped the soup and had the grouper over mashed red potatoes special ($14). The onion soup was...amazing. Onion soup is supposed to come with a nice sheath of melted cheese on top (often oozing onto the sides of the bowl) over an onion broth containing onion fragments, preferably caramelized. It is supposed to have onion flavor and croutons may be served with or in the broth. This portion came with globs of melted cheese in an open broth and with onion broth spilled onto the plate below the bowl. The broth had very little onion flavor and maybe one or two small onion fragments in it (not caramelized). There were a few croutons in the broth with all the life boiled out of them. There was also, and I am not making this up, a thin slice of potato in the broth. I am not sure what it was doing there, although more about this later, but it did not belong there. Oh, and the soup was served with two small packets of stale Nabisco crackers. And I mean stale. I took one bite and put them aside. The waitress made the mistake of asking me how the soup was. I asked her if she really wanted to know. She said "yes" and the result was the soup was removed from the bill. Worst French onion soup I have ever eaten. OK, maybe the Lipton dry mix I use when making hamburgers may be worse. My wife's grouper was presented laying atop a mound of mashed potatoes on a really big plate. This little bit of food on a huge plate may look cute in magazines, but it looks ridiculous when presented to a paying customer. It leads to the reaction "Hey, did you forget to put the sides on plate?" Would it have been too costly to put a few slices of squash or some other inexpensive vegetable on the $14 plate? Anyway, the fish was well cooked if pretty flavorless and the mashed potatoes were good. The large plate with little food issue could have been dealt with if the filet was placed next to the potatoes and not atop them. A side benefit would be that the grouper skin, which may have been appealingly crispy coming out of the pan, was a soggy mess after sitting on the potatoes. Bad idea, executive chef. My lamb gyro was presented in a slightly over-toasted pita bread roll with not nearly enough seasoning and next to no tzatziki sauce. It was not bad, it was just not good and no threat whatsoever to the street vendors who sell gyros in Athens for about 1/3 what Willow Tree charges. I don't object to the $9 cost; I do object to the mediocrity. The fries were OK, but the potatoes were past their prime or an ill-chosen variety. McDonald's has nothing to fear from Willow Tree fries. There was also the small, but annoying, matter of the $3 cost of the portion of "Freedom Fries". The gyro is supposed to come with home-made potato chips. The waitress offered and I accepted the "upgrade" to "Freedom Fries". Now, since no potato chips were served (unless we consider that single slice of potato in my onion soup to represent my missing portion of home-made potato chips), I wonder why I was charged the full price of an order of "Freedom fries" after being deprived of my home-made potato chips. Not a big deal, as I said, but a little annoying. The restaurant itself looks nice and the waitress was polite and efficient. I asked about the presence of the potato slice in the soup, but she explained she was not from the area and perhaps it is a local variation of French onion soup. I.e., she did not know what the heck it was doing there, either. I later mentioned to the manager that he might want to open a fresh box of Nabisco saltines as what they were serving was stale and he mumbled something about the kitchen just having opened a new box. And that was about it. He did NOT ask how we had enjoyed our meal. No fool he! All in all, a pretty seriously disappointing meal and one that tells us not to bother coming back. It may well be that this joint can put together a good meal if you pick the right day and menu selections, but with their level of pricing they should be on their best game every day and with every dish...and they are not. I later spoke with my stock broker who has eaten at Willow Tree several times and he was not surprised with our experience. The place opened very well, but seems to be losing popularity/customers and that sort of thing often leads down a death spiral of fewer and fewer customers and lower quality standards. He was actually a little surprised it is still open.

    (2)
  • Matthew D.

    We went to the Willow Tree on Mothers Day and I must say the experience was horrible. First there was 11 in our party and the table was split by two servers. That is typically not a problem, but for some reason the servers did not enter the orders in the system at the same time. Five members in our group received their food after an hour. Ten the rest of us waited another 45 min. So half of the group was done and ready to leave. When our food came out, I would say it was ok. Never got a table visit from the management, after working in the industry I have come to expect that. We didn't want anything, just an apology. Out of the three checks, all were wrong. Over charges on everyone of them. We ordered two kids meals the steak and the shrimp. On the bill they charged us for an adult shrimp meal. The server argued with us. Saying that we ordered it. My daughter is three, why in the world would anybody order an adult meal for a three year old. Very disappointed in the whole experience and will not return. It's sad because I heard great things.

    (1)
  • Janis V.

    The food was wonderful, but the service wasn't. Eleven of us had reservations for Mother's Day so they were expecting us. It took an hour before we received any bread and we had 2 small children to try to keep entertained during that time. Didn't know that we needed to bring our own crayons and paper to fill the time. Basically, the bills were mixed up, we were charged for items that were to be included in the entre. We were there for 3.5 hours. Didn't expect to spend all of Mother's Day afternoon at the restaurant. Will most likely not return.

    (2)
  • Tracy P.

    FOOD --- Lots of interesting choices on the menu. Entrees seemed to be priced about right. The Salmon Olympian was 1 star --- dry, overcooked and bland. The Chicken Scaloppini Marsala was 4 stars --- very good. Both of our salads (the Tomato, and the Goat Cheese) were very good. Our dinner companions both had the steaks and without any complaints. The wine list, extensive but expensive, could be significantly improved by providing a vintage and a small description of the wine. We didn't recognize many of them and the waiter wasn't much help. FACILITIES -- The music is WAY too loud which of course caused everyone to raise their voices, even the waiter. And they seemed to run the AC for 5 minutes, then turn on the heat for 5 minutes, then turn on the AC for 5 minutes, then turn . . . well you get the idea. I did find it odd that a "fine dining" restaurant used white butcher block paper over the table linens. Oh well, I guess you have to save money somewhere. SERVICE -- Our waiter tried to impress us by running quickly through all the specials in a fast manner. Ho hum! Then he tried to take our orders without paper/pen. He eventually got it right but no one was entertained by his over-the-top and phony performance. It was unnecessary and a schmaltzy display. The final blow was when he couldn't answer simple questions about one of he wines. Nice touch that the manager came by. BOTTOM LINE -- I'll definitely go back and give the Willow Tree another chance or two, mostly because there were several things on the menu. It seems like this place is right on the cusp of being a really good restaurant but will probably be held back by some of its inconsistencies, some which cannot easily be changed.

    (3)
  • Mike K.

    All around great restaurant. Food is always perfect and tasty. Wait staff knows menu top to bottom including how food is prepared. I have eaten at top restaurants in almost every country in the world and in 48 states. This is one of my favorites. West Branch location also.

    (5)
  • Shannon S.

    This is the best restaurant in Saginaw. The food was good each time we went. Mostly the staff was great, although I have to say, they don't give a damn about you until they know you are their table. We sat at the front waiting to be seated for about 15 minutes each time without being acknowledged and despite being seen. Still dramatically overpriced for the menu and being in Saginaw but prefer this to Jake's any day.

    (3)
  • Greg P.

    I'm a bit on the fence with this place but I unfortunately had to give it a two star rating because of a recent incident. I've always been a fan of the willow tree anywhere I can find it. A tad overpriced but always delicious. We came here over the weekend for a late lunch.. My friend and I were debating trying the chicken piccata. As not to have two of the same dishes, I chose another chicken dish. The waitress took a little while check on us and to refill our water.. But the soups (lobster bisque and French onion soup) were excellent... Then she brought the dishes out, she told us the chef said it'd be the best chicken piccata we ever had.. And it was. My dish was unbelievably bland, especially for one "loaded" with garlic and feta.. I sent it back complaining it didn't fit the description. They refused to take it off the bill, so I had the manager come out. He offered to bring it out with a fresh layer of sauce with more garlic in it. They brought it out... Decently better, but nothing amazing. Then they brought out this amazing coconut cake (on the house) because of my complaint. All was well, or so I thought... When I left, my friend started feeling poorly.. Her stomach started acting up. I hadn't eaten much of her chicken so I didn't feel it.. We wrote it off as her having eaten a bad chunk of chicken... Then I ate the rest of my leftovers at home, (a chicken dish) and within hours I got hit too. We both agree it had to have been the chicken... We got completely different dishes but all we had in common was the chicken. It's either undercooked or low quality.. But try to be careful with the meats. Food poisoning isn't any fun. Thanks Willow... I'd have preferred my money back.

    (2)
  • David F.

    Okay. 3 words. Chilean. Sea. Bass. Phenomenal ambiance. Extremely underrated. Superb crab cake. You really need to take the time to stop in and enjoy.

    (5)
  • Conrad S.

    I want to start off by saying, there are a lot of reviews for this restaurant, but it chooses to only show 9. Take the time to look at the others before heading here. Anyways, back to the review.I came here the other day with a friend. She had tried it once very recently with a group of 6 people and absolutely loved it. I didn't realize the Willow Tree was supposed to be a swanky restaurant, because it's in the Fashion Square mall, where the old Ruby Tuesdays used to be. The decor is nice, a little dark for my taste. Even the lighting could be a tad brighter, but it is very nice inside. (I hope they change the banner on the outside of the restaurant, because it looks very out of place, like a cheap print they got online, but hey, it's a mall restaurant). We started out with the lobster bisque, which was really really good. Could have used more lobster, since I'm pretty sure I got one spoonful of lobster. The food was just OK. Steak was medium, when I asked for medium rare, but closer to the bone it was perfect. The claws were rubbery, the asparagus was dry, shriveled and crispy. Just not what I expect for a $50 plate. However, I wasn't buying, and I didn't want to be one of 'those' people that sends back food. Had I realized how much it cost, I would have been very disappointed. Maybe it was just an off day for them, but I can't see any reason to go back. Perhaps their flagship restaurant is better.

    (2)
  • Julius W.

    Simply over priced, below average food.lamb had no taste.salad was dry and the veges were not fresh. The desert was a low okay.

    (2)
  • Linda S.

    I am in Saginaw for business and went in for dinner. I had an excellent experience. Great wine choices and service from Josh; and the food was top notch. I would definitely go back.

    (5)
  • Paul D.

    We went there on Thanksgiving so we didn't have to cook and it was worth it...We found out after walking in that they only served the "traditional" thanksgiving dinner and we were going to leave but when we told the waiter, they made a exception and served us one of the best rib-eyes ever...Martinis were great and the atmosphere was quite...Clean and affordable...Try it out

    (5)
  • Joanne S.

    We had a very good meal and very reasonably priced. Variety good, clean, very friendly, we will definitely return with friends!!

    (4)
  • Liz F.

    First of all, I'm never a fan of restaurants in a mall - too much of a get in/get out feeling and it's still a mall!!!! And it looked like a mall restaurant. Ordered the saganaki as an appetizer along with the ahi tuna - good saganaki but the tuna was over-spiced with Cajun like spices and wasabi and soy sauce. Kind of weird... They had halibut on the menu and since we're in the heart of halibut season, I decided to try it. The way it was offered was on a saffron risotto cake with lobster pieces and other seafood on top. I changed it up and asked for it just grilled with asparagus and new potatoes. It was a big portion and it came out overcooked so dry and hard. For $34, it was somewhat of a disappointment. The table ordered three desserts - one hit and two misses. Cake was dry with not enough chocolate sauce, apple purse was delicious and creme brûlée was average. All in all, just slightly above average due to service and wine list.

    (3)
  • Justin M.

    I have eaten here four times and the food has always been good. They have a lot of daily specials, and multiple good fish dishes. Stay away from the house cab as it is a little boring, go with the pinot noir. Service can be a bit slow if your in a hurry, but it is one of better restaurants in Saginaw. Remember we need to support non chains in this city as we have very few good ones. Update: As this restaurant matures it keeps getting better. The servers do a great job at remmbering regulars and even say hi even if they are not waiting on you. Service is getting quicker, and the lunchs are etreamly tasty and reasonably price. This is probabliy the best date restaurant in Saginaw if you want to impress that special someone in you life.

    (5)
  • Charlie F.

    Great service. Ribs were falling off of the bone and delicious. Nice lobster bisque. Ask for Tracy, she is attentive. This may sound silly, but the ribs came with one of my favorite knives ever. A strong heavy knife; I do not like flatware that apologizes for it self

    (4)
  • John M.

    Fifth visit in just over eight months. In the past have been very satisfied however at this visit our meal and the service was disappointing.

    (2)
  • Dwight M.

    Grsat staff and probably the best Saginaw as to offer. Out here is the land of fast food. I had the sea bass, it was the best meal available anywhere nearby. This is the best in Saginaw for my money

    (4)
  • Claudia Z.

    Awesome food and environment. The waiters are always well prepared, know the menu so well, and are very friendly. The food is truly delicious!

    (5)
  • Justin S.

    Soup kitchen food is better than the food at the Willow Tree. I'm shocked they're still in business. Some years ago, they gave me a gift certificate for complaining, and I just gave it away. It was just that bad. It's embarrassing. I wouldn't recommend that anyone ever go here. Service was fine, but man, the food was such a letdown. They just don't even try.

    (1)
  • Ken R.

    Visited for our anniversary dinner. From the attentive wait staff to the wine list to the food (filet mignon), everything was wonderful.

    (5)
  • Stephanie R.

    My husband and I ate here for a date night sans kids. I had eaten at several of the former restaurants in this location which I would rate as average. I think Willow Tree is the best one. Even though it's located inside the mall, it does have a very nice atmosphere and good service.The food was very good and reasonably priced. We were able to use coupons from our Entertainment Book to save money. Ample portions allowed us to take leftovers with us for another meal at home. I think it's time for another date night with my husband: We will be back!

    (4)
  • Anthony F.

    I really enjoyed this place. Food- I ordered the filet mignon with crab legs and asparagus. The steak was cooked exactly the way I ordered it and tasted absolutely amazing. My girlfriend ordered a stuffed salmon. I tried it but didn't care for the sauce they used. She liked It though. Service- service was pretty good. Our waitress recited by memory the list of daily specials which was very impressive. She was nice and also looked like Rachel ray. Decor- was a little dark, but the candle on the table added some romanticism. I found it odd that they used large sheets of deli paper to cover the table. I really enjoyed this place and will be sure to return.

    (5)
  • Josh S.

    Pretentious is a nice way of describing this place. Walking in past the wall of wine bottles to a nice tablecloth, you might think this was a decent, if not nice, place to eat. Well, as long as you don't eat here, you should be fine. Get a drink from the bar, and some of their homemade chips, but then get out. They have the standard below-average lineup of salad and sandwiches, but then they attempt to impress you with the fancy seafood entrees. Rule of thumb, if the cook can't make a decent burger, watch out. In this case, the burgers come from frozen patties and taste like unflavored dog food. If this place lasts until Christmas, I'll be shocked.

    (1)

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Opening Hours

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Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Good for Kids : No
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Classy
    Noise Level : Quiet
    Alcohol : Full Bar
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Has TV : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : Yes

Willow Tree Restaurant

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