It's unfortunate when one has to write such a review. I post when the experience either is either remarkable or absolutely unacceptable.
This review addresses the latter.
I'm with a small group of folks who have spent the last week dining our way through the City. As foodies we have tried new places for nearly every meal and have found Cleveland cuisine to be pleasantly enjoyable.
When someone suggested this restaurant we were really excited as the menu looked unique and fun. In reality, the most interesting thing about Willeyville is their online menu. Once seated, the experience wanes which is probably why on a Friday night at 7:45 PM the establishment was 60% empty.
From the time we began ordering it was a race to the bottom.
The following recollections were assembled for this review.
- Two of our 4 drinks in the first round were made incorrectly. When I walked to the bar (because it took 15 minutes to get drinks in an empty restaurant) the bartender waved me off and said a new drink would be delivered. That took 10 more minutes. In the meantime the server came over and said she thinks she had swapped mine for the other mis-made cocktail at the table. She proceeded to pick it up and sniff it and then ask if the other person had drank it to then offer it to me. It was still the wrong drink. When the Knob Creek Manhattan arrived (finally) it was an awful blend of excessive vermouth and of course whiskey.
- Further on the cocktail front we ordered another round later in the evening (of course I requested lighter vermouth) and my drink came in 10 minutes while the other two ordered at the same time took nearly 20 minutes. By this point the establishment was nearly empty. Why it took so long is befuddling. And it was clear how much vermouth they were using as the drink was now a full finger lower in the glass.
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- On the food front it's hard to know where to start and end.
o The appetizers ordered all came except for the one I had ordered. Due to food allergies, it was the only one I could eat so I asked 3 times over the next half hour when it was coming out. The irony is that it was "tater tots" which should have been among the easiest of the items to produce. There was never an apology and each reminder received an "oh" response.
o The tater tots themselves by no means were tater tots. Any other establishment would have called properly called them potato croquettes. They were uninspiring either way.
o The "smoked chicken wings" were neither smoked nor chicken like. They appeared to be the equivalent of wings from a generic wing bag you'd find in your freezer at the local supermarket. They lathered these half dollar sized wings with some awful tasteless sauce that was neither spicy, garlicy nor hot as the menu stated.
o The queso dip that came out appeared to be more like a cheese soup that was half water. The chips that came with it were some poorly fried pita like chip rather than fresh corn chips which would have been the rational service option.
o The Pad Thai noodles looked and tasted something akin to rehydrated noodles served on the International Space Station.
o The hamburger was prepared medium and was so dry you could barely cut through it or chew it. When the burger came, I asked why the prep was different that what was on the menu. The server proceed to explain that the menu isn't accurate. I'm sorry, WHAT?
I could go on, but I think this is a comprehensive enough of an explanation of how they fail on every front - Food, Service and Beverage. In sum, the food had no flavor, the service was slow and rude and the server didn't know her own menu when asked simple questions.
For a much better experience try The Butcher and The Brewer on 4th Street. Their smoked chicken wings and tapas style plates were literally filled with complex flavors and prepared expertly. We ate there the night before and regretted we didn't return.