White Buffalo
4040 Westcliff Dr, Hood River, OR, 97031
White Buffalo Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Hood River for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
4040 Westcliff Dr
Hood River, OR, 97031 - Phone (541) 386-5534
- Website https://www.whitebuffalowines.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Tue
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : No
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Quiet
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Amber W.
We were hesitant to go here because it looks like a dive in front of the vagabond inn. However, so glad we decided to go in!! The food is AMAZING!!! We visit hood river often and this is definitely the best place we've been to so far.
(5)Joan D.
We loved the pot pie and the veggie yellow curry. The bacon wrapped jalapeños are AMAZING. Plenty of gluten free options too! And they have wine flights. Did I mention the chicken in the pot pie is from a local farm? Attentive thoughtful service too.
(5)Shannon C.
By far a best kept secret.... We are on cloud nine after our amazing lunch! Grilled cheese and the jalapeño poppers where off the hook! Such a friendly staff! Can't wait for next time!!!
(5)Annalie D.
White Buffalo hosted our rehearsal dinner. The food and service were excellent. The strip steak and salmon were fantastic. I highly recommend this hidden gem.
(5)Christ F.
Go in the evenings for music and good wine, or stop in for lunch for a quite more personal experience!! Great food, good drink selection.
(5)Terry C.
Wow! We were so lucky to have found this great place on our road trip from Portland to Walla Walla! The food was excellent!! The adult grilled cheese sandwich was delicious, and the soup was great, too. We highly recommend this gem!
(5)Janice D.
This is a great stop not only for wine - the food here is great! Everything is made from scratch; fresh and delicious. The curry special was wonderful and the pot pies the people next to us were having looked amazing. They gobbled up every bite, so they must have been good. Service is friendly. Definitely recommend.
(5)Margaret L.
This place rocks! The maple bacon-wrapped stuffed jalapenos are to die for -- don't even think about it, just put your order in when you arrive. (I'd confirm they have them before you go there just for the jalapenos -- they smoke them for 2 hours so they can't just whip them up.) The food quality is exceptional and the proprietor, bartender and host, Mary, always finds time to chat despite holding down the fort. Technically, The White Buffalo is a retail wine shop specializing in Columbia Gorge and regional wines ... but it also sports a full dinner menu that includes grass fed Buffalo, a super rich and cheesy lasagna, and seasonal vegetarian raviolis. It's a small, locally-owned business so they do run out of entrees, but that just means what you get is fresh. In the summer they have a roomy outdoor picnic area in the back where they often do bar-b-q and wine tastings. Their location off the first Hood River exit 62 -- several miles from downtown, close to the Charburger -- is not prestigious -- but I've never had to wait to get a table (unlike downtown.) Look for the massive white buffalo statue out front.
(5)Danielle G.
The ravioli is amazing. Brown butter with Parmesan. The people are a delight. Quinoa salad is great and refreshing- and I'm from LA so I know quinoa salads. The olive oil and bread is worth the $5. Great service, amazing women that are so willing to give a word of advice on wine or totally cater to what your pallet needs! Love!!! Don't miss this one!
(5)Sean M.
All homemade organic food. The food is great. It is not the cheapest place but the Cowboy burger is awesome and worth it!! I didn't even need to put catchup on the burger and if you knew me this would be shocking. If you have never tried bison burgers you are in for a great surprise. Yes, it took a minute to get the food, but well worth the wait and the staff was very friendly. Really great surprising place...Enjoy!
(5)Archie P.
Where do I start? The great service, the friendly atmosphere. The amazing food. I'm not a big wine drinker but they were very knowledgable and brought out wines that I enjoyed. All the dishes we tried were made from the heart, you can taste the love that was put into making all the dishes.
(5)Brian H.
I have been there two times. Our last time (last night) will be our last visit there. And based on our experience i wouldn't be surprised if this place is out of business next time I'm in hood river. In all fairness, the first time we were there i got the impression that it had just recently opened. We enjoyed the food overall, but the service was extremely slow and the waitress didn't seem knowledgeable of the menu or specials. We had the bacon wrapped stuffed jalapeno poppers, and i really enjoyed them. .. also had the pot pie, my wife had pasta, that she described as "okay." Pot pie was awesome. The ambiance was ok, simple, clean, and cozy. The place was not busy either time and the food seemed to take forever. But the first time it was just my wife and i so we didn't mind the extra conversation time. Our second time here was a disaster. First, i found the description of the Spaghetti and meatballs misleading. "Bowl of soul" with local ground beef, smoked sausage, and tomato basil sauce served with noodles. When it came apparently the owner thinks spaghetti and meatballs are a soul dish, and the beef and sausage i assume we're ground up together because when i said, oops i don't think this is what i ordered the waitress said, "sure it is, buffalo meatballs and spaghetti." I asked to review the menu to read the description and she said ok. Then she went behind the counter turned and just overlooked the restaurant. (We were the only ones in the place.) In all honesty, the spaghetti was decent, my kids devoured it, but they should describe it as spaghetti and meatballs rather than something more extravagant. At any rate, the waitress clearly was not going to bring me the menu so i went to the bar. She remembered i asked for it, because as i approached she sort of shrugged her shoulders and said something like. "Oh ok, I'll get you that menu." As if i would forget or something. As i recalled, the meatballs were not buffalo, they were beef and supposedly sausage. Our first visit was decent enough that we were there again to share it with an out of state guest And our kids were there with us too. Back to while ordering. I asked what kind of juice they have, the waitress said they don't have juice. I then requested milk, the waitress said they don't have milk either. So i said, ok, i guess the kids would just have water. After i asked for a sample of v8 or tomato juice to see if they'd like that she offered up. Well, we do have lemonade. It was like i was speaking another language with the waitress, ok is not juice, but i was asking what they had the my kids might like to drink. (Keep in mind it was the same waitress we had the first time and our visit was seperate by a few months) so she should have a better knowledge of the menu and drinks. My out of town guest had chicken kabobs and rice, she was ok with. Kids, as i mentioned, devoured the spaghetti and meatballs, my wife had the pesto pasta special she describes as forgettable. I will give them credit for the beet salad, i had half a salad and it was very good. Now to the most notable criticism of the meal. The timing. Not only did the food take WAY TOO LONG, especially for being the only party in the restaurant and with having inpatient young kids with us, the order and timing was terrible. My salad came before anything else, even the poppers we ordered again. (The poppers this time we're only ok) but my wife's food didn't come out to her until the rest of us were almost finished with our meals. She insisted we not wait, but none of us would have guessed the special would come out after the rest of us were done eating! They offered us one desert for free for my wife, but we already had recalled their desserts are store bought and not homemade so we planned on not having desert. The cook came out and apologized to us. Saying sorry for the delay, "she's not a chef." We will never come back to this place, and unfortunately i believe it's only a short matter of time before this restaurant closes. Don't get duped by the ratings. It's inconsistent quality, extremely slow, go elsewhere.
(2)Yuki I.
Wow, usually when you think of the term 'mom and pop' this is what you should be thinking about. This place is small, that is by no means bad. When you pull up you question yourself if this is the place or not. It is. It is truly the definition of 'mom and pop', run by a wife who clearly loves, and has a good knowledge of wine (mother's note), Me being 20 unable to drink cared about the food more that had 4 and 5 stars all around. When I walked in I knew that food would not be coming out fast like a big budget olive garden or something like that, frankly some of the best things in life are worth waiting for. This was so true here, I ordered spaghetti and meatballs (original I know) took about 45 to an hourish for all of our food to come out. Gave my family just time for family to talk, though with me saying that, it was really really quiet. I refused to talk, because I know and my family knows I am a loud person by nature, When I talked it was basically my whisper of a whisper because when I tried to talk a little normal, everyone in the place would shut up and stare at me! I know I am interesting but d*mn. So when we finally got our food everything was hot and fresh. I ended up getting 4 meatballs instead of the 3 (said menu) cool cool. The pasta was cooked good, not raw or doughy, the sauce was good, in my opinion could have used a little thyme or basil to give it a pop but was still really good. Now for the part that was alright, my meatballs were a little on the dry side and were burnt a little from the pan, the sauce made up for this, without the sauce though this dish would have been too dry. All in all everyone was very pleased with their meals, we were a little bummed that the pot pie was out, the table next to us ordered the last of it and it looked so yummy! All in all this was an awesome cute little place to find, pretty good romantic spot not a first date in my opinion because of how quiet, but none the less would totally come back!
(5)Jane C.
Other than the loud table of folks next to us, we had a great experience. Whoever thought this was a dive is either a princess or stupid. It's a super cute, casual bistro with darn good food and amazing wine choices. Definitely one of the more repeatable dining options in Hood River. Away from the ridiculous Oak Street strip where your servers would much rather be windsurfing. We had the lauded bacon wrapped jalapeños which were great, the heavenly meatballs and the grownup grilled cheese. All were quite good, but the 5 stars is for the friendly and personable service throughout the meal.
(5)Megan B.
Super great food. The bison dog with the bacon onion jam is fantastic and their spinach salad is great also. The things they do with bacon here... I wanted the "grown up grilled cheese" but opted for the bison dog because I'd never had one, and my husband had the spinach salad and commented "this isn't even fair..." It wasn't fair for other people eating salads in other places. The wine selection looks great here, kid of bottles. A w beers on tap and lucky me, a few ciders too. I opted for an Atlas blackberry cider which was wonderful for summer. Great staff, great atmosphere, outdoor seating, and fantastic food. Hard to beat. Very hard to beat.
(4)Cyndi C.
We were staying at the adjacent Vagabond Lodge with our dog, so we thought the location with outdoor seating would be great. It was not. The service was sufferable. They were out of the appetizer from the online menu that LURED us, so we just ordered buffalo burgers. the burger came with chips or salad, so we opted for salad. then we waited. a very long time. i finally carried our water glasses back in for refills because it was HOT outside. at long last a girl in an apron came out carrying two of the appetizers that they claimed were gone. she told us they were the last two and apologized for the wait. see they ran out of lettuce, so they sent someone to the store to get salad. blink. blink. I was starving, so as I grabbed the offered forbidden appetizers from her, I assured her that chips would be fine, please bring our food. and maybe some water? the burgers came dry. no ketchup, mustard or mayo of any kind. very mediocre and quite forgettable food. even the appetizers which were bacon wrapped jalepeno poppers. Bottom line - if you are staying at the Vagabond Lodge, drive into town and find somewhere else to eat.
(2)Erica D.
Excellent food if you have tons of time. Service slow and poor. Plan on waiting an hour for your food to arrive. Place wasn't even very busy to explain slow service. Very disappointed.
(2)Cliff S.
We decided to give this place a try for lunch, despite some uneven Yelp reviews. True, prices appear a bit high ($17 for bison burger with cheese and onion & bacon jam) but the quality of the ingredients and the preparation were spot on. We'd both order it again and be happy paying. At the owners suggestion, we decided to split a tasting of 4 wines for $14. We let the owner choose local wines for us and the pours were generous 2 ouncers. At what amounts to $7 for a traditional 4 ounce glass, we found these prices were fair. If you're looking to slam down a few brews with the bra's, then this place probably isn't for you. But if you want variety and quality in what you eat, you'll like it!
(4)Melissa S.
Mary greeted us at the door. Ordered the buffalo burger it was cooked just right. Given two chocolate strawberries. Yum. Too full to drive home to Portland. Need to find a sunny spot and rest first.
(4)Darlene J.
This place is a gem for Hood River. Don't let the exterior scare you away-inside is a quaint bistro atmosphere. We started with the meat cheese plate, stuffed jalapeños and a flight of red wine. It was all fabulous. Mary the owner explained all of the wines, cheeses and meats. She opened up some very tasty wines just for us. Then we tried her house made sausage-fantastic! Not only did she season and stuff this delicious sausage, she also raised the pork herself. How fun and delicious! Friendly owner and staff.
(5)Emily L.
This place was awesome. Their spinach and artichoke dip was so delicious, even my boyfriend loved it and he doesn't even like spinach and artichoke dip. They accidently got me the Grown Up burger instead of the Cowboy burger, but I didn't really mind because that was my second choice. But they ended up giving us a completely free dessert to make up for it, so that was very nice of them. I will come here again next time in Hood River. :)
(5)Elaine L.
Well... I really wanted to like this place. I was excited by it's good YELP reviews, its vegan menu options, and the coincidence that we were staying next door, within walking distance, at the Vagabond Lodge (see my 4star review). Turns out, the two experiences didn't match... We went to the White Buffalo for dinner. There's zero atmosphere (their website is much more elegant), but there seemed to be a lively local vibe happening at the bar, and that drew us in. The inside is not a large area (it's an old gas station); the bar, and maybe six tables. Our party of four was seated right off. (Good start.) Our waitress introduced herself, and said she was new. (No biggie. I've been in the business for most of my working days, and respect waitresses, especially the new.) We ordered drinks. (They were delicious; local ales and an-out-of-this-world berry cider.) We ordered. (Just the usual, off the menu. No special requests). We enjoyed our drinks and conversation. More parties came in. Were seated. Ordered. Ate. Left. We ordered another round of drinks. More conversation, but by now the place was clearing out for a second time, toning down, heading for what felt like closing time, and we still hadn't been served dinner. We flagged someone down, as by now our (embarrassed?) waitress was avoiding us. We asked, "What's up?" Dinner came shortly after. It was forgettable. When we were done, the owner, who had been sitting at the bar all night, strolled over and began making many excuses for the long delay, none of which faulted her restaurant or staff. I could have handled a straight, "We lost your order," but the excuses were maddening. Apologies felt insincere. No comps of any kind were offered. I can chalk up the experience to one bad night in the restaurant - shit happens - but the way it was handled, for me, was unacceptable, and has me writing this poor review... Too bad. P.S. Please don't offer your Thai Curry as vegetarian and vegan when it has fish sauce in it. That's No Bueno.
(2)John G.
Looking for something good, this restaurant came up as #2 on yelp so we tried it out. Ended up being the first customers of the day and got the pleasure of meeting the staff and Mary the owner. A real pleasure as they were extremely welcoming and had a lot of great info on the local happenings and activities to be had in the area. The interior was warm and charming. They recommended the pot pie and shrimp curry. We also learned they had just whipped up some smoked bacon jalapeño poppers, home made. So we couldn't help ourselves. The pot pie was the best I've ever had. Comfort with a little more. It had just a hint of nutmeg which really did the trick. The curry was rich and creamy and not overdone and the shrimp, large and clean. You can request how spicy you want it. The poppers were amazing. The smokey sweet glaze of the bacon wrap paired just right with the cream cheese and jalapeño. They had Backwoods and Boneyard on tap as well as a couple ciders. They round everything out with a nice wine selection. In conclusion, good owner, staff, food, ambiance. Can't go wrong here. Look forward to coming back.
(5)Kat J.
First off we highly support local businesses. This restaurant was vastly recommended, small with only a few table(one waitress, one experienced waitress could handle the entire restaurant (wait only one did). Definitely must have been a bad night for the new waitress ! Didn't want to write this negative review however the service was NOT there. If we hadn't had our drinks we would have walked out-it was nearly two hours before our food came out (and only three tables had customers). The order was nothing-chicken skewer, soup-and don't remember what the others ordered. Other tables came and went . And there was not a person who acknowledged us until the very end. . We are extremely easy-going people and the manager apologized (BUT was it sincere or good acting??). Did she offer us a dessert, a drink, a glass of water-nothing! Come to think of it the waitress never did bring our water. The new server must have left town after she served our drinks and took our food order; because we only saw her once after that and that was after the other server asked if we needed anything. Please try this place because it is highly recommend and ran by a mom and daughter run it which the daughter, Sarah, was not there (could this have been the problem??)perhaps Saturday night was just a fluke with service. . .food was average. Sadly we had extremely wonderful service and a better meal at Best Western near Button Bridge.
(1)Veronica S.
I love the laid back atmosphere in this place. They have a great wine selection and the food is all homemade. Their onion bacon jam on the Grown Up Grilled Cheese is out of this world! They said they would soon have cocktails too. What more could you ask for???
(5)Kycgeek J.
The White Buffalo served up some excellent fillet with a special sauce of garlic. in a pesto appearsnce. Tne salmon was perfect, staff friendly and attentive. Not a wine person but the Polish Pilsner was very good.
(5)Angela F.
The owners were so nice helping me choose wine and offered up some very helpful parenting advice while they so kindly chilled my wine. The food smelled wonderful and we will be back next time we are in HR
(5)Kate H.
Amazing! Wine flights were so much fun. You get a 'data sheet' to keep track of which glass has what in it and record your notes and thoughts. The food was perfect! The onion-bacon jam is out if his world! The salads are huge and really fresh. These people know good food and good wine!
(5)Saint G.
Yelp says it is open. WB's own website says it is open. Paper on the door says they don't open until 3. Not cool. How about updating your website?
(1)Kathryn L.
The Grownup grilled cheese will blow your mind, it is so good! So is everything else here. The owners are really nice too. This place is a gem. It's a little deceptive because it doesn't look like much and it's not on the main streets of town, but it is our very favorite place to eat in Hood River. Heck, we've even made special trips from Portland here just for lunch. And don't be deceived by how quiet the place probably will be when you visit. They run a thriving catering business and the bistro is just a small part of their establishment. We always recommend this place to friends when they're going to Hood River.
(5)Marc S.
When my girlfriend, and I went here to have lunch we found that their menu was desperately lacking variety. Also, I can eat and enjoy just about anything but, the only thing I could find eatable was a bowl of chili. Oh, and they serve soda in a can for 1.50$, and sparkling water for 2.50 for a SMALL bottle. Closing at 8pm doesn't help much either. Did I mention that this place is small? However, there seems to be a large selection of wine, and a friendly staff; so if you're looking for some wine this is the place. Another good aspect about this place is that it virtually shares a parking lot with the Vagabond Lodge. So if you stay at the lodge all you have to do is take a quick walk to pickup a bottle of vino.
(3)B J.
This review is for Sara Gumm, a bartender at White Buffalo Wines. She recently bartended for our rehearsal and wedding reception. I had multiple guests and members of our family come up to me afterward and tell me how nice Sara was both nights. She frequently checked in with my husband and I to make sure our glasses were full amongst the chaos of the evenings. We never once had to worry about drinks being served and the lines flowed throughout the night and were never too long. We would hire Sara again in a heartbeat and highly recommend her to others!
(5)Jessica R.
I'm not sure what to yelp about first so in no particular order in total random as-they-pop-into-my-head order, here's what rocks about this place: --it's not in the overly touristy downtown area --we arrived close to closing and were welcomed in...genuinely --i was force-fed samples of a few wines before choosing my glass (glasses--who are we kidding?!) for the evening --our food was excellent with local ingredients and well prepared with lots of flavor --any wine you want--she's got it and is happy to help you choose --we were not rushed. when closing time came, we were told to enjoy ourselves since the workers would be sticking around for a post-work cocktail anyway --you get more than your money's worth here --there is a rad white buffalo in the parking lot that you can take wine-buzzed photos with Just stop there and you'll be glad you did.
(5)Barbara H.
This place is a gem in the rough. The locals hang out here so you know it's good. We went in on a Thursday night to find free wine tasting and great live music. The wine selection is excellent and they have hard cider and beer as well. Food was fresh and tasty. French onion soup, local greens salad, and fresh bread - delicious. My husband had the chicken pot pie which was very hardy and the ravioli were stuffed with butternut squash and Gorgonzola cheese. Yummy! Did I mention the friendly service? We'll definitely be back next time we're in Hood River.
(5)Michelle M.
My friends and I were visiting Hood River for a weekend and just kind of happened upon this place, but we were very glad to have found it. They were super nice and took last minute reservations for our large group (11 people). It was just the owner and cook there, but the service was great. I realized later that they stayed open an hour late for us, as well. The wine and the food were excellent and everything was very reasonably priced. They also had several vegetarian options, which I appreciate. It was a great time and I will definitely be back the next time I'm in Hood River.
(5)Kristi O.
My husband and I spent a couple days in Hood River between Christmas and New Years. This is a slow time of the year for tourists in Hood River and many of the wineries were not open that week, so one of the wineries recommended we check out White Buffalo for a wine tasting. We were very pleased with the recommendation! White Buffalo is ran by a mother-daughter team and we felt like we were having dinner and drinks with friends. We visited in the late afternoon for some wine and also had a cheese platter. The next day we stopped in for lunch before heading out of town. The homemade tomato soup paired very well with a Merlot-Syrah blend and the homemade chicken pot pie went wonderful with a local Mt. Hood Pinot Gris. The wine selection is vast. They cover everything from the local Columbia Gorge wineries to Italian and French wines. When speaking with the owner, we discovered that she lives on a farm and that is where many of the ingredients for their dishes comes from. The chicken in the pot pie was raised by her. The menu is limited, but everything is cooked to order and made with fresh ingredients. This is not a place to stop if you only have 30 minutes for lunch (unless you call ahead). But, it is a place to enjoy conversation and good wines while they make your meal. TIP: If you are interested in trying a wine that is not on the daily (by the glass) board, just ask. Also, ask questions so you can find the right wine for the meal you order - it really enhances the wine and the food. Another tip, they have FREE Thursday night wine tastings and occasionally do a dinner and wine pairing - check out their website for the details.
(5)Jimmy C.
My Girlfriend and I were looking forward to checking out what looked like the dive next to a hotel with vagabond in the title. Instead we were treated to a super cute bistro with great staff, awesome menu of house made and owner farmed food, nice wine selection and micros on tap. We went multiple times while we stayed there. A real treat.
(5)Tristin M.
This place is amazing! Great atmosphere, friendly people, amazing food, good prices. Tuesday night is a date night special- 2 people 4 course meal plus a bottle of wine for under $40. We're planning on becoming regulars!
(5)Robin J.
So if u have never stopped here -- u r missing out! She makes each meal TO ORDER, I'm talking lasagna and ice cream and all in between. Love it! Oh, and the sickest wine collection west if Walla Walla :)
(5)jerry k.
Another great meal!! The Grown-Up Grilled Cheese and Thai Curry were fantastic. Great job guys.
(5)Kristi O.
My husband and I spent a couple days in Hood River between Christmas and New Years. This is a slow time of the year for tourists in Hood River and many of the wineries were not open that week, so one of the wineries recommended we check out White Buffalo for a wine tasting. We were very pleased with the recommendation! White Buffalo is ran by a mother-daughter team and we felt like we were having dinner and drinks with friends. We visited in the late afternoon for some wine and also had a cheese platter. The next day we stopped in for lunch before heading out of town. The homemade tomato soup paired very well with a Merlot-Syrah blend and the homemade chicken pot pie went wonderful with a local Mt. Hood Pinot Gris. The wine selection is vast. They cover everything from the local Columbia Gorge wineries to Italian and French wines. When speaking with the owner, we discovered that she lives on a farm and that is where many of the ingredients for their dishes comes from. The chicken in the pot pie was raised by her. The menu is limited, but everything is cooked to order and made with fresh ingredients. This is not a place to stop if you only have 30 minutes for lunch (unless you call ahead). But, it is a place to enjoy conversation and good wines while they make your meal. TIP: If you are interested in trying a wine that is not on the daily (by the glass) board, just ask. Also, ask questions so you can find the right wine for the meal you order - it really enhances the wine and the food. Another tip, they have FREE Thursday night wine tastings and occasionally do a dinner and wine pairing - check out their website for the details.
(5)Jimmy C.
My Girlfriend and I were looking forward to checking out what looked like the dive next to a hotel with vagabond in the title. Instead we were treated to a super cute bistro with great staff, awesome menu of house made and owner farmed food, nice wine selection and micros on tap. We went multiple times while we stayed there. A real treat.
(5)Tristin M.
This place is amazing! Great atmosphere, friendly people, amazing food, good prices. Tuesday night is a date night special- 2 people 4 course meal plus a bottle of wine for under $40. We're planning on becoming regulars!
(5)Robin J.
So if u have never stopped here -- u r missing out! She makes each meal TO ORDER, I'm talking lasagna and ice cream and all in between. Love it! Oh, and the sickest wine collection west if Walla Walla :)
(5)jerry k.
Another great meal!! The Grown-Up Grilled Cheese and Thai Curry were fantastic. Great job guys.
(5)Yuki I.
Wow, usually when you think of the term 'mom and pop' this is what you should be thinking about. This place is small, that is by no means bad. When you pull up you question yourself if this is the place or not. It is. It is truly the definition of 'mom and pop', run by a wife who clearly loves, and has a good knowledge of wine (mother's note), Me being 20 unable to drink cared about the food more that had 4 and 5 stars all around. When I walked in I knew that food would not be coming out fast like a big budget olive garden or something like that, frankly some of the best things in life are worth waiting for. This was so true here, I ordered spaghetti and meatballs (original I know) took about 45 to an hourish for all of our food to come out. Gave my family just time for family to talk, though with me saying that, it was really really quiet. I refused to talk, because I know and my family knows I am a loud person by nature, When I talked it was basically my whisper of a whisper because when I tried to talk a little normal, everyone in the place would shut up and stare at me! I know I am interesting but d*mn. So when we finally got our food everything was hot and fresh. I ended up getting 4 meatballs instead of the 3 (said menu) cool cool. The pasta was cooked good, not raw or doughy, the sauce was good, in my opinion could have used a little thyme or basil to give it a pop but was still really good. Now for the part that was alright, my meatballs were a little on the dry side and were burnt a little from the pan, the sauce made up for this, without the sauce though this dish would have been too dry. All in all everyone was very pleased with their meals, we were a little bummed that the pot pie was out, the table next to us ordered the last of it and it looked so yummy! All in all this was an awesome cute little place to find, pretty good romantic spot not a first date in my opinion because of how quiet, but none the less would totally come back!
(5)Danielle G.
The ravioli is amazing. Brown butter with Parmesan. The people are a delight. Quinoa salad is great and refreshing- and I'm from LA so I know quinoa salads. The olive oil and bread is worth the $5. Great service, amazing women that are so willing to give a word of advice on wine or totally cater to what your pallet needs! Love!!! Don't miss this one!
(5)Sean M.
All homemade organic food. The food is great. It is not the cheapest place but the Cowboy burger is awesome and worth it!! I didn't even need to put catchup on the burger and if you knew me this would be shocking. If you have never tried bison burgers you are in for a great surprise. Yes, it took a minute to get the food, but well worth the wait and the staff was very friendly. Really great surprising place...Enjoy!
(5)Amber W.
We were hesitant to go here because it looks like a dive in front of the vagabond inn. However, so glad we decided to go in!! The food is AMAZING!!! We visit hood river often and this is definitely the best place we've been to so far.
(5)Joan D.
We loved the pot pie and the veggie yellow curry. The bacon wrapped jalapeños are AMAZING. Plenty of gluten free options too! And they have wine flights. Did I mention the chicken in the pot pie is from a local farm? Attentive thoughtful service too.
(5)Jane C.
Other than the loud table of folks next to us, we had a great experience. Whoever thought this was a dive is either a princess or stupid. It's a super cute, casual bistro with darn good food and amazing wine choices. Definitely one of the more repeatable dining options in Hood River. Away from the ridiculous Oak Street strip where your servers would much rather be windsurfing. We had the lauded bacon wrapped jalapeños which were great, the heavenly meatballs and the grownup grilled cheese. All were quite good, but the 5 stars is for the friendly and personable service throughout the meal.
(5)Megan B.
Super great food. The bison dog with the bacon onion jam is fantastic and their spinach salad is great also. The things they do with bacon here... I wanted the "grown up grilled cheese" but opted for the bison dog because I'd never had one, and my husband had the spinach salad and commented "this isn't even fair..." It wasn't fair for other people eating salads in other places. The wine selection looks great here, kid of bottles. A w beers on tap and lucky me, a few ciders too. I opted for an Atlas blackberry cider which was wonderful for summer. Great staff, great atmosphere, outdoor seating, and fantastic food. Hard to beat. Very hard to beat.
(4)Kathryn L.
The Grownup grilled cheese will blow your mind, it is so good! So is everything else here. The owners are really nice too. This place is a gem. It's a little deceptive because it doesn't look like much and it's not on the main streets of town, but it is our very favorite place to eat in Hood River. Heck, we've even made special trips from Portland here just for lunch. And don't be deceived by how quiet the place probably will be when you visit. They run a thriving catering business and the bistro is just a small part of their establishment. We always recommend this place to friends when they're going to Hood River.
(5)Shannon C.
By far a best kept secret.... We are on cloud nine after our amazing lunch! Grilled cheese and the jalapeño poppers where off the hook! Such a friendly staff! Can't wait for next time!!!
(5)Archie P.
Where do I start? The great service, the friendly atmosphere. The amazing food. I'm not a big wine drinker but they were very knowledgable and brought out wines that I enjoyed. All the dishes we tried were made from the heart, you can taste the love that was put into making all the dishes.
(5)Brian H.
I have been there two times. Our last time (last night) will be our last visit there. And based on our experience i wouldn't be surprised if this place is out of business next time I'm in hood river. In all fairness, the first time we were there i got the impression that it had just recently opened. We enjoyed the food overall, but the service was extremely slow and the waitress didn't seem knowledgeable of the menu or specials. We had the bacon wrapped stuffed jalapeno poppers, and i really enjoyed them. .. also had the pot pie, my wife had pasta, that she described as "okay." Pot pie was awesome. The ambiance was ok, simple, clean, and cozy. The place was not busy either time and the food seemed to take forever. But the first time it was just my wife and i so we didn't mind the extra conversation time. Our second time here was a disaster. First, i found the description of the Spaghetti and meatballs misleading. "Bowl of soul" with local ground beef, smoked sausage, and tomato basil sauce served with noodles. When it came apparently the owner thinks spaghetti and meatballs are a soul dish, and the beef and sausage i assume we're ground up together because when i said, oops i don't think this is what i ordered the waitress said, "sure it is, buffalo meatballs and spaghetti." I asked to review the menu to read the description and she said ok. Then she went behind the counter turned and just overlooked the restaurant. (We were the only ones in the place.) In all honesty, the spaghetti was decent, my kids devoured it, but they should describe it as spaghetti and meatballs rather than something more extravagant. At any rate, the waitress clearly was not going to bring me the menu so i went to the bar. She remembered i asked for it, because as i approached she sort of shrugged her shoulders and said something like. "Oh ok, I'll get you that menu." As if i would forget or something. As i recalled, the meatballs were not buffalo, they were beef and supposedly sausage. Our first visit was decent enough that we were there again to share it with an out of state guest And our kids were there with us too. Back to while ordering. I asked what kind of juice they have, the waitress said they don't have juice. I then requested milk, the waitress said they don't have milk either. So i said, ok, i guess the kids would just have water. After i asked for a sample of v8 or tomato juice to see if they'd like that she offered up. Well, we do have lemonade. It was like i was speaking another language with the waitress, ok is not juice, but i was asking what they had the my kids might like to drink. (Keep in mind it was the same waitress we had the first time and our visit was seperate by a few months) so she should have a better knowledge of the menu and drinks. My out of town guest had chicken kabobs and rice, she was ok with. Kids, as i mentioned, devoured the spaghetti and meatballs, my wife had the pesto pasta special she describes as forgettable. I will give them credit for the beet salad, i had half a salad and it was very good. Now to the most notable criticism of the meal. The timing. Not only did the food take WAY TOO LONG, especially for being the only party in the restaurant and with having inpatient young kids with us, the order and timing was terrible. My salad came before anything else, even the poppers we ordered again. (The poppers this time we're only ok) but my wife's food didn't come out to her until the rest of us were almost finished with our meals. She insisted we not wait, but none of us would have guessed the special would come out after the rest of us were done eating! They offered us one desert for free for my wife, but we already had recalled their desserts are store bought and not homemade so we planned on not having desert. The cook came out and apologized to us. Saying sorry for the delay, "she's not a chef." We will never come back to this place, and unfortunately i believe it's only a short matter of time before this restaurant closes. Don't get duped by the ratings. It's inconsistent quality, extremely slow, go elsewhere.
(2)Emily L.
This place was awesome. Their spinach and artichoke dip was so delicious, even my boyfriend loved it and he doesn't even like spinach and artichoke dip. They accidently got me the Grown Up burger instead of the Cowboy burger, but I didn't really mind because that was my second choice. But they ended up giving us a completely free dessert to make up for it, so that was very nice of them. I will come here again next time in Hood River. :)
(5)Annalie D.
White Buffalo hosted our rehearsal dinner. The food and service were excellent. The strip steak and salmon were fantastic. I highly recommend this hidden gem.
(5)Christ F.
Go in the evenings for music and good wine, or stop in for lunch for a quite more personal experience!! Great food, good drink selection.
(5)Terry C.
Wow! We were so lucky to have found this great place on our road trip from Portland to Walla Walla! The food was excellent!! The adult grilled cheese sandwich was delicious, and the soup was great, too. We highly recommend this gem!
(5)Janice D.
This is a great stop not only for wine - the food here is great! Everything is made from scratch; fresh and delicious. The curry special was wonderful and the pot pies the people next to us were having looked amazing. They gobbled up every bite, so they must have been good. Service is friendly. Definitely recommend.
(5)Barbara H.
This place is a gem in the rough. The locals hang out here so you know it's good. We went in on a Thursday night to find free wine tasting and great live music. The wine selection is excellent and they have hard cider and beer as well. Food was fresh and tasty. French onion soup, local greens salad, and fresh bread - delicious. My husband had the chicken pot pie which was very hardy and the ravioli were stuffed with butternut squash and Gorgonzola cheese. Yummy! Did I mention the friendly service? We'll definitely be back next time we're in Hood River.
(5)Darlene J.
This place is a gem for Hood River. Don't let the exterior scare you away-inside is a quaint bistro atmosphere. We started with the meat cheese plate, stuffed jalapeños and a flight of red wine. It was all fabulous. Mary the owner explained all of the wines, cheeses and meats. She opened up some very tasty wines just for us. Then we tried her house made sausage-fantastic! Not only did she season and stuff this delicious sausage, she also raised the pork herself. How fun and delicious! Friendly owner and staff.
(5)Cyndi C.
We were staying at the adjacent Vagabond Lodge with our dog, so we thought the location with outdoor seating would be great. It was not. The service was sufferable. They were out of the appetizer from the online menu that LURED us, so we just ordered buffalo burgers. the burger came with chips or salad, so we opted for salad. then we waited. a very long time. i finally carried our water glasses back in for refills because it was HOT outside. at long last a girl in an apron came out carrying two of the appetizers that they claimed were gone. she told us they were the last two and apologized for the wait. see they ran out of lettuce, so they sent someone to the store to get salad. blink. blink. I was starving, so as I grabbed the offered forbidden appetizers from her, I assured her that chips would be fine, please bring our food. and maybe some water? the burgers came dry. no ketchup, mustard or mayo of any kind. very mediocre and quite forgettable food. even the appetizers which were bacon wrapped jalepeno poppers. Bottom line - if you are staying at the Vagabond Lodge, drive into town and find somewhere else to eat.
(2)Erica D.
Excellent food if you have tons of time. Service slow and poor. Plan on waiting an hour for your food to arrive. Place wasn't even very busy to explain slow service. Very disappointed.
(2)Cliff S.
We decided to give this place a try for lunch, despite some uneven Yelp reviews. True, prices appear a bit high ($17 for bison burger with cheese and onion & bacon jam) but the quality of the ingredients and the preparation were spot on. We'd both order it again and be happy paying. At the owners suggestion, we decided to split a tasting of 4 wines for $14. We let the owner choose local wines for us and the pours were generous 2 ouncers. At what amounts to $7 for a traditional 4 ounce glass, we found these prices were fair. If you're looking to slam down a few brews with the bra's, then this place probably isn't for you. But if you want variety and quality in what you eat, you'll like it!
(4)Melissa S.
Mary greeted us at the door. Ordered the buffalo burger it was cooked just right. Given two chocolate strawberries. Yum. Too full to drive home to Portland. Need to find a sunny spot and rest first.
(4)Elaine L.
Well... I really wanted to like this place. I was excited by it's good YELP reviews, its vegan menu options, and the coincidence that we were staying next door, within walking distance, at the Vagabond Lodge (see my 4star review). Turns out, the two experiences didn't match... We went to the White Buffalo for dinner. There's zero atmosphere (their website is much more elegant), but there seemed to be a lively local vibe happening at the bar, and that drew us in. The inside is not a large area (it's an old gas station); the bar, and maybe six tables. Our party of four was seated right off. (Good start.) Our waitress introduced herself, and said she was new. (No biggie. I've been in the business for most of my working days, and respect waitresses, especially the new.) We ordered drinks. (They were delicious; local ales and an-out-of-this-world berry cider.) We ordered. (Just the usual, off the menu. No special requests). We enjoyed our drinks and conversation. More parties came in. Were seated. Ordered. Ate. Left. We ordered another round of drinks. More conversation, but by now the place was clearing out for a second time, toning down, heading for what felt like closing time, and we still hadn't been served dinner. We flagged someone down, as by now our (embarrassed?) waitress was avoiding us. We asked, "What's up?" Dinner came shortly after. It was forgettable. When we were done, the owner, who had been sitting at the bar all night, strolled over and began making many excuses for the long delay, none of which faulted her restaurant or staff. I could have handled a straight, "We lost your order," but the excuses were maddening. Apologies felt insincere. No comps of any kind were offered. I can chalk up the experience to one bad night in the restaurant - shit happens - but the way it was handled, for me, was unacceptable, and has me writing this poor review... Too bad. P.S. Please don't offer your Thai Curry as vegetarian and vegan when it has fish sauce in it. That's No Bueno.
(2)John G.
Looking for something good, this restaurant came up as #2 on yelp so we tried it out. Ended up being the first customers of the day and got the pleasure of meeting the staff and Mary the owner. A real pleasure as they were extremely welcoming and had a lot of great info on the local happenings and activities to be had in the area. The interior was warm and charming. They recommended the pot pie and shrimp curry. We also learned they had just whipped up some smoked bacon jalapeño poppers, home made. So we couldn't help ourselves. The pot pie was the best I've ever had. Comfort with a little more. It had just a hint of nutmeg which really did the trick. The curry was rich and creamy and not overdone and the shrimp, large and clean. You can request how spicy you want it. The poppers were amazing. The smokey sweet glaze of the bacon wrap paired just right with the cream cheese and jalapeño. They had Backwoods and Boneyard on tap as well as a couple ciders. They round everything out with a nice wine selection. In conclusion, good owner, staff, food, ambiance. Can't go wrong here. Look forward to coming back.
(5)Kat J.
First off we highly support local businesses. This restaurant was vastly recommended, small with only a few table(one waitress, one experienced waitress could handle the entire restaurant (wait only one did). Definitely must have been a bad night for the new waitress ! Didn't want to write this negative review however the service was NOT there. If we hadn't had our drinks we would have walked out-it was nearly two hours before our food came out (and only three tables had customers). The order was nothing-chicken skewer, soup-and don't remember what the others ordered. Other tables came and went . And there was not a person who acknowledged us until the very end. . We are extremely easy-going people and the manager apologized (BUT was it sincere or good acting??). Did she offer us a dessert, a drink, a glass of water-nothing! Come to think of it the waitress never did bring our water. The new server must have left town after she served our drinks and took our food order; because we only saw her once after that and that was after the other server asked if we needed anything. Please try this place because it is highly recommend and ran by a mom and daughter run it which the daughter, Sarah, was not there (could this have been the problem??)perhaps Saturday night was just a fluke with service. . .food was average. Sadly we had extremely wonderful service and a better meal at Best Western near Button Bridge.
(1)Veronica S.
I love the laid back atmosphere in this place. They have a great wine selection and the food is all homemade. Their onion bacon jam on the Grown Up Grilled Cheese is out of this world! They said they would soon have cocktails too. What more could you ask for???
(5)Kycgeek J.
The White Buffalo served up some excellent fillet with a special sauce of garlic. in a pesto appearsnce. Tne salmon was perfect, staff friendly and attentive. Not a wine person but the Polish Pilsner was very good.
(5)Angela F.
The owners were so nice helping me choose wine and offered up some very helpful parenting advice while they so kindly chilled my wine. The food smelled wonderful and we will be back next time we are in HR
(5)Kate H.
Amazing! Wine flights were so much fun. You get a 'data sheet' to keep track of which glass has what in it and record your notes and thoughts. The food was perfect! The onion-bacon jam is out if his world! The salads are huge and really fresh. These people know good food and good wine!
(5)Saint G.
Yelp says it is open. WB's own website says it is open. Paper on the door says they don't open until 3. Not cool. How about updating your website?
(1)Margaret L.
This place rocks! The maple bacon-wrapped stuffed jalapenos are to die for -- don't even think about it, just put your order in when you arrive. (I'd confirm they have them before you go there just for the jalapenos -- they smoke them for 2 hours so they can't just whip them up.) The food quality is exceptional and the proprietor, bartender and host, Mary, always finds time to chat despite holding down the fort. Technically, The White Buffalo is a retail wine shop specializing in Columbia Gorge and regional wines ... but it also sports a full dinner menu that includes grass fed Buffalo, a super rich and cheesy lasagna, and seasonal vegetarian raviolis. It's a small, locally-owned business so they do run out of entrees, but that just means what you get is fresh. In the summer they have a roomy outdoor picnic area in the back where they often do bar-b-q and wine tastings. Their location off the first Hood River exit 62 -- several miles from downtown, close to the Charburger -- is not prestigious -- but I've never had to wait to get a table (unlike downtown.) Look for the massive white buffalo statue out front.
(5)Marc S.
When my girlfriend, and I went here to have lunch we found that their menu was desperately lacking variety. Also, I can eat and enjoy just about anything but, the only thing I could find eatable was a bowl of chili. Oh, and they serve soda in a can for 1.50$, and sparkling water for 2.50 for a SMALL bottle. Closing at 8pm doesn't help much either. Did I mention that this place is small? However, there seems to be a large selection of wine, and a friendly staff; so if you're looking for some wine this is the place. Another good aspect about this place is that it virtually shares a parking lot with the Vagabond Lodge. So if you stay at the lodge all you have to do is take a quick walk to pickup a bottle of vino.
(3)B J.
This review is for Sara Gumm, a bartender at White Buffalo Wines. She recently bartended for our rehearsal and wedding reception. I had multiple guests and members of our family come up to me afterward and tell me how nice Sara was both nights. She frequently checked in with my husband and I to make sure our glasses were full amongst the chaos of the evenings. We never once had to worry about drinks being served and the lines flowed throughout the night and were never too long. We would hire Sara again in a heartbeat and highly recommend her to others!
(5)Jessica R.
I'm not sure what to yelp about first so in no particular order in total random as-they-pop-into-my-head order, here's what rocks about this place: --it's not in the overly touristy downtown area --we arrived close to closing and were welcomed in...genuinely --i was force-fed samples of a few wines before choosing my glass (glasses--who are we kidding?!) for the evening --our food was excellent with local ingredients and well prepared with lots of flavor --any wine you want--she's got it and is happy to help you choose --we were not rushed. when closing time came, we were told to enjoy ourselves since the workers would be sticking around for a post-work cocktail anyway --you get more than your money's worth here --there is a rad white buffalo in the parking lot that you can take wine-buzzed photos with Just stop there and you'll be glad you did.
(5)Michelle M.
My friends and I were visiting Hood River for a weekend and just kind of happened upon this place, but we were very glad to have found it. They were super nice and took last minute reservations for our large group (11 people). It was just the owner and cook there, but the service was great. I realized later that they stayed open an hour late for us, as well. The wine and the food were excellent and everything was very reasonably priced. They also had several vegetarian options, which I appreciate. It was a great time and I will definitely be back the next time I'm in Hood River.
(5)