Sweet Tea & Bourbon ~ Mike Bonfanti
+4.5
I have passed the Backwoods Bistro on numerous occasions. Sitting prominently on the edge of downtown at 401 E. Tennessee Street, the comedy club turned eatery has always been a place I was curious about, but never visited. On a recent Friday evening, Kirsten suggested we give it a whirl, and not knowing what to expect, we stopped in for dinner. It turned out to be one of the best decisions we made that entire week.
This has got to be one of the most unique and delicious places to eat here in Tallahassee. The blue and black Mac will have you in a tizzy with late night cravings! It's definitely a MUST try!
Solid experience at Backwoods Bistro tonight. Food came very quickly, server was pleasant, and the menu had a nice selection. One member of our table had a fried green tomato B.L.T- awesome! Another had the Fried Oysters Florentine pasta, and the oysters were fried to perfection. My brother really enjoyed his chicken sandwich, complete with a fried egg. However, I wasn't extremely impressed with my appetizer, a garlic artichoke and mushroom dish. It came topped with a sea of oil, and the cheese was very gluey and unappetizing. But based on the other dishes, I would definitely return.
Awesome taste, good prices and high quality food!!. We ordered take out burgers with fries and were amazed at the quality and quantity of food we received. The 8 oz burgers are fantastic. I ordered them as cooked but still juicy the waitress knew what I meant and the cook delivered. We tried each of the fries and we both prefer the beer battered straight fries. Everything was fresh and full of flavor and we couldn't even finish them. We enjoyed them so much we returned for a second take out of the same thing just 4 days later. That is how good the food is. Can't wait to try some of the other options next time. We will now be regulars when we want a really good burger that's not fast food!
Okay. This place has 2 things that u highly recommend.. But I won't recommend anything else I have tried. Their burger is sooooo good. All the toppings are mixed into the beef making it super flavorful and moist. Amazing. they also have this shrimp dish that I swear by.. I can't remember the name but it's a spicy shrimp dish over pasta.. The shrimp are SOOO GOOD. This is my favorite dish there!! The bruschetta is pretty impressive as well.. If you like Gouda cheese.. Which you should.
Party of 16. Individual orders and tickets. Not all orders placed at the same time. April did a fantastic job. Kept all orders straight and kept up with the drinks - alcoholic and non!! Very accommodating to special requests. I had the Grouper Sandwich without the bun and swapped the fries for mixed vegetables. Asked for the vegetables more on the al dente side.....and they were great. Another diner wanted battered shrimp without any spices. Not a problem. Food came out quickly and hot.
The crab cakes were incredible!
Comfortable atmosphere with tasty food ranging from burgers, pasta and pizza to fresh fish and crab cakes. Nice wait staff. They have a full bar and room for a live band.
Not for work lunch. This is a great place to eat. We really enjoyed the menu selection and our food was yummy. Service was cordial but not very organized and slow. Lunch took entirely too long and we could not enjoy the meal because we had to get back to work, taking most of it with us. This would be a great place for lunch but if they don't improve, well it would be sad to lose a local business. Come on guys, you have the product, step it up and stick around. We're going to try dinner simply because it was that good. I would recommend dinner, not lunch, unless you don't have a job to get back to.
Love this place! I come here with coworkers almost every Thursday for good beer and delicious apps. The artichoke hearts are the bomb, and the bruschetta is one of the best I've ever had. Its the perfect pregame spot before a night of karaoke at birds! Keep it up Taylor & Staff!
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Go for the food, service can be hit or miss.. I have eaten here and taken new people to Backwoods Bistro about 5 times now. The food is always great and the beer is cold. Depending on who you get for a server though, the service is hit or miss.
Whenever I go for lunch or dinner, I either get the Old Bainbridge Buffalo Sandwich or the Buckhorn Chicken Ranch Sandwich. I love the Buffalo sandwich and my only issue with the Buckhorn was the amount of chicken compared to the bread's size. The Buffallo always comes with a large breast of chicken and the Buckhorn just seemed to not measure up. The curly fries are great or the beer battered if you don't like the spice.
My friends have gotten the Gulf Grouper Sub on a wrap and the Curly's Burger with sweet potatoe fries that they love. My boyfriend got the Beast's Burger but it was more like a regular burger than a "beast burger."
I have also been the Sunday brunch and it was tasty! The crab cake sandwich was very good and the grit cake was awesome. The hashbrowns were a little on the crispy side, but my friend said her french toast was to die for.
The service is hit or miss. Typically, if you get someone from the bar, you're good to go. The main dining room needs to have a refresher on paying attention to their customers and time management. A couple of times our waitress disappeared for 10 minutes at a time while my water sat empty. Bless his heart, the last time I went I must have had the newbie, because he was everywhere and no where at the same time. He was sweet as anything but all of us had to repeat our orders three times, he brought my friend Sprite instead of Coke and then told her they only had Pepsi products, I specifically asked for ramuloude sauce and I got Ceaser and then he gave us checks with no pins to sign with (thankfully my friend had pins in her purse). He was super sweet though, so as long as the friendliness is there, I can overlook the rest.
I do like going here, please don't be discouraged if you have heard about the wait staff. I would suggest sitting in the bar area and just be prepared for a little bit of patience, grab a beer and relax :)
Great dining experience. One of my favorite restaurants in town The food is excellent-there's such a wide selection from delicious burgers and fries to creative, inspired chef specials you'd expect at more upscale (read more expensive) restaurants. The staff is young, friendly, attentive and helpful-got a great wine recommendation last time I was there and its now my new fav. The dining room is inviting and homey-decorated with lots of local history. The bar scene is lively and fun with live music every Friday nite. But the food is really outstanding and keeps me coming back. Check out their FB page for updates and chef's specials.
Great Food & Atmosphere. Had a huge family dinner here last night and everyone left happy! The food is amazing (we tried every appetizer and dishes from the awesome Cajun Shrimp Penne to the Crab Cake Sandwich and they were all delicious!) The service and atmosphere were top of the line. Have been here at night for live music and tap take-overs and it is always a great time!!
Have been several times and always enjoy the food. My favorite is the crab cake sandwich. It's divine.
This time at BB was not so good. The service was horrible. I'm surprised our waitress knew how to read. She forgot our appetizers and didn't know how to answer simple questions regarding the type of salad dressing base. Food was alright. Our appetizer finally arrived upon the completion of or meal. They need to educate their wait staff on how to properly serve customers. Glad we didn't go on the night when the chefs decided to close the kitchen an hour early when the restaurant was full. I want this restaurant to succeed, they just need to get their staff to be more knowlegable and have a more cohesive menu.
Great Salad. I recently enjoyed lunch at Backwoods Bistro. The Becky Salad is fabulous! Everything is fresh. Dressing was awesome. The ambiance is great and I can't wait to take more of my friends to enjoy this great restaurant. My server was very polite and professional. Truly need to check out this great place!
Really Great!. Loved the fried artichoke app, LOVE the batter that it comes with that is also on the onion straws, and buff chix sandwich... crab cake wich AWESOME, love the cheese, bun and cake was good too... pork tenderloin also tasty with a great rosemary crust. Definitely coming back
A little more upscale version of a college watering hole-room with bar and big tv and separate dining room-good place to take a date or a family-I took my son-we each had pizza and thought they were great-had a lot more in menu tho
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Not too shabby. Went to Backwoods, and the food was delicious! I was there with a big party so I got to sample many things. For appetizers we had the garlic mushrooms, bruschetta and the hummus! All of which were absolutely fabulous! I had their sashimi tuna salad, though i really felt it should be called ahi tuna...but it was excellent. I also got to sample the crab cakes, which were seriously phenomenal! They were very reasonably priced, and full of crab meat! They are golden compared to places like The Mockingbird or Shulas where you are paying a lot more for less quality! Next I got to try the cajun shrimp penne which was amazing! Not sure i've had anything quite like it, but I think I may have to order that next time i'm there! And last, for dessert we split the churros and the tiramisu. The churros were super delicious and i would order them again in a heartbeat. The tiramisu was also AMAZING, BUT it's not actual tiramisu. I would consider it to be more of a chocolate mousse, but its seriously to die for!
I hate to say anything bad about the place but I will say that the service was less than average. Our waitress didn't seem to know anything about the menu, and when asked about certain dishes she didn't know, and didn't offer to find out. We had to wave her down several times for refills, asking for plates, new silverware, etc. And the worst part is she only had maybe 1 other table! Hopefully you guys can start weeding out the bad ones, its a shame to let them ruin some of the best damn food in town! I also think the attire of the servers makes the place feel more casual than it should. I felt like I was eating at a fine dinning restaurant with the delicious food and really neat atmosphere, but that kinda disappeared when I would see the servers running around in their mismatched shorts, jeans and sneakers! Get your girls in some real uniforms, and make sure your hostesses dress as pretty as they look! All in all a very cool place with seriously AMAZING FOOD! I intend to go back probably more times than I can afford..but it will be well worth it!!! Looking forward to the grand opening, can't wait to eat, drink, and listen to some good music!
xx
Cheers!
Awesome food and excellent service! A great local restaurant everyone should try. You gotta taste the Panko oysters! And the bartender is SEXY!
I have been to this restaurant twice since the doors have opened( they weren't yet really open), everything has been spectacular thus far. One thing I really enjoy about backwoods is how willing they have been to substitute items to fit my diet and still make the food delicious without losing the taste. The food and service has people coming back for more and telling all their friends about it.
Real Chef on Premises. I'd call this casual food with a twist. There is something special about every dish to kick it up a notch and it is clearly prepared fresh. The servings are moderate and the prices depend on what you order. I had an awesome meal and one that was above average.
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Good and Bad. Wife had the Backwoods Pizza which was as good as or better than any pizza in town. Wish I had ordered it! I had the NY Strip steak which sounded great on the menu, but really was awful. It was paper thin - probably smallest "NY strip" I've ever seen. Also it was NOT well seasoned, and came with "mashed potatoes" that had been blended into a puree. Worse, they tasted sour, as if the recipe involved balsamic vinegar (don't get me wrong, i like balsamic vinegar, but not in mashed red potatoes). The mushrooms on the steak were the only thing that was delicious on my entree, unless you count the sprig of fresh rosemary which I appreciated.
We ordered two appetizers: crab cakes which were excellent and came with tasty remoulade sauce, and a grilled marinated portobello cap with cheese, and that was also quite tasty. Total bill for 2 apps, 2 entrees & 2 teas was about $70 with tip, far too expensive to get such a disappointing entree.
Service was pretty good, tho not great. All the waitresses seemed like cute college girls hired to bring the guys in. Usually a waitress will remove menus after you order, bring you small plates to put your bites of appetizer, etc. I liked our waitress, but those small details were missed. I also hate when wait staff takes my drink away to refill it.
Atmosphere was a weird blend of bad decor and nice jazz piano music. Wasn't sure what they were going for, but it didn't make me want to hang out.
In short, if you know what's good at Backwoods Bistro, you'll enjoy eating there. But you'd better know what's good and what isn't or you may wind up disappointed.
This place is a hidden gem for good food. Love their beast burger. They got a few vegan options. They have a special everyday. They have live music as well as happy hour specials. The prices are very fair. Their portions are generous. The location is great if you are around Tennessee Street. Plenty parking available.
A really happening place with a good bar and live music. I attended a birthday dinner here and had the tuna appetizer and a steak. The ahi was cooked perfectly! The steak was closer to medium than rare but it was flavorful and a good cut of meat. The servers were polite and attentive. That makes it easy to see why this place is popular with the locals over 30.
Good portions and plentiful. The sprouts were not as good as my wife's but the Seminole Chop (permesan-herb crusted pork loin in roasted red pepper medley on Bradley's cheddar grits) was pretty good! Would definitely go back.
Food is spectacular. Everything we ordered was so delicious. All the dishes were well thought of, well seasoned, and flavors were balanced. I'm not from the South and I'm so pleasantly surprised that they were able to make barbeque sauce on a plate of scallops and steak taste amazing. Service was great.
First time and it was great. Brought some friends from Atlanta here. Black and Bleu Mac !! Awesome. Nick was our waiter ..... Great service. Thanks Nick.
The service was great, my friends burgers were delicious, my food tasted okay but smelled a little like staled peanuts.
It's hard to choose a dish since the entire menu is full of great dishes. There is a big bar area where you can catch live music or other entertainment. The main dining area is adjacent with two separate sections. Natural elements and local photography decorate the wall in a simple rustic fashion.
I love this place! Best brunch in town! Best mimosas and great ambiance!! Great live music!
Similar quality food, but not quite as good as Backwoods Crossing.
Service was great, food was definitely a surprise and they have a good selection of local beer :-)
Awsome atmosphere, Fantastically fresh food, Super friendly people, Great beer selection, Live bands,...ect
Just a really cool place with a hell of a collection of great personalities who are always trying to take it to the next level.
It's pretty nice on the inside country decor and atmosphere also the food is okay its southern themed and they have live performances tonight and it's Friday night
One of the best! A must try place with good music, delicious foods, cool and friendly people! 👍
such a great lunch time spot! i stopped in with my mother who was in town for the weekend, and I'm very happy we chose this place. the atmosphere was great, the waitress was very polite and knowledgeable about the menu, and most importantly, the food was excellent! we ordered the Beast burger and the grouper sandwich. so very flavorful and great portion sizes as well. to top it all off, they have pretty great drinks as well!
We had delicious brunch! Fast service for our large party, too. The environment is casual and laid back. All the items have fun names and delicious ingredients. The bloody Mary's were so yummy too! Everyone loved the wide eye drink also.
Brunch here is always enjoyable. Great service and great eats.
Laid back atmosphere with live music. Attentive service like you wish you could have every time you dine out. But the eye appeal from the food presentation is superior to what you expect in a casual dining experience. Finally, the food menu is creative and delicious. Everything from the appetizer to the salad and grouper and grits sandwich was flavorful. I plan on returning whenever I'm in town!
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