Have to change my review. After a couple more visits, I have found that the service is consistently poor. 2 out of 3 times the food was really good. But it was impossible to get the servers attention. The last time my order was not correct. The server said they would fix it and literally never came back until it was time for the check. Really disappointing. read more

Great food, great music, great service! The manager or owner card out and spoke with us, as it was our first time. He was funny and very welcoming. We will definitely be going back. read more

Went for brunch and was expecting more. I've never been to a brunch that served chips and salsa and salad. I guess i'm spoiled by other brunch spots like Surlas, where the brunch was all inclusive, better quality, and less expensive. I was a bit put off that Redwood Cafe's brunch was $30, but if you wanted certain things like eggs benedict, it was an extra $10. So, $40 for eggs benedict and mediocre food? No thanks, I think i'll just stick to my regular brunch spots. read more

My husband and I went to the Redwood Cafe to celebrate our 9th anniversary. What a wonderful experience! The food was awesome and the wait staff ..Vickie our waitress, Nick the Somelier and Danny the bartender. We got a tour of the wine cellar which just impressed us. We chose to have Tappas which included Stuffed Italian Chilies, Pork Spareribs, Gampas (shrimp with guaillo pepper) and the marinated Flank Steak. We arrived early enough that we had the dining room all to ourselves. The classic oldies music was a nice surprise since it played one of our favorite songs that was played at our wedding, adding to the moment. and to top it all off we got to witness a wedding! We truly enjoyed every moment and can't wait to do it again! Thank you Redwood Cafe for making our anniversary a special night. read more

We love this place! Great food, outstanding service and amazing drinks. Has a very nice and classy atmosphere that is still "comfortable".

All of our food was very good. Three stars because the service was dicey. Plenty of wait staff, but they are quite disorganized. Waited 30 minutes for drinks because they had to get tequila from downstairs. Didn't have the wine we ordered, so the Sommelier spent another 30 minutes finding a replacement. Nice effort, but we could have made an alternate selection much more quickly had they let us know. Got two pizzas instead of one because the waiter didn't understand that we were trying to choose between two options. Ordered a full size caesar along with an appetizer for an entree. Got a small salad with the rest of my party and then a large salad with the entree. Charged for both. Comedy of errors, but lots of potential here...just need to tighten things up. We'll give it another try. read more

Everything was perfect! The food and atmosphere was the best. Bob the owner, there is not enough good things I can say about him and his staff. This is the best place in the valley for a romantic dinner. I would highly recommend this place for a special occasion or to turn a normal night to a special occasion. read more

My friend had a birthday party planned for about 20-22 of us. She called prior and spoke with the manager about the menu, set up, appetizers and beverages. 1. As we arrived there was no table for gifts, cake or appetizers. The guest of honor had specified she wanted all appetizers on a side table. 2. We (the guests) had to ask for the lights to be turned on, this was half way thru dinner as it was getting dark and we couldn't see. Really..we have to ask for lights on! 3. Its Modesto! Its Hot! We asked several times for the fans to be turned on. The staff turned on one, we pulled the chain to turn on the others. 4. The guest of honor was not happy when the appetizers were not available. My husband had to go to the hostess stand to ask for them....I think they were forgotten. When they arrived they were placed in the middle of the dining table, not a side table as specified when the event was booked. One of the appetizers that had been pre-ordered was forgotten...my friend brought it to the server's attention and he took it off the bill. 5. My friend the guest of honor, had asked when making arrangements to have one designated person manning the bar with wine and cocktails. This did not happen. 6. The special birthday cake was never displayed...we did not see it. My friend asked the server later in the evening if he would like a piece of cake, he stated "oh no, we have all had some" Really? 7. We and others asked for water. Some never got it. We had to ask "3" times! People at our table were actually joking about the service. 8. When they served the salads some people did not have forks to eat the salad with. This is because they had used their fork for the appetizers. We had to ask for forks for 3 people. My husband never got his fork until most people were done, so he did not eat his salad. I have to say the food was fantastic and the room lovely. There are definitely issues with attention to details when it comes to communicating to the staff from the person or manager arranging the event. The servers offered good service, but it was clear they were not given detailed direction and were flying by the seat of their pants--not organized. Disappointing service, great food. I would return for dinner as a couple but never use it for a large party or banquet. I only gave it 2 stars because of the quality of the food, otherwise I would have rated one. read more

Love this place! Very accommodating for my elderly wheelchair bound mother. Great food, good prices and quiet serene atmosphere. Looking forward to trying the bar are with my girlfriends! read more

Big fans of Redwood Cafe. Service is always wonderful. Their wine cellar room is beautiful, we had a wonderful family dinner there. Shrimp and grits are to die for. Great indoor and outdoor spaces. Nice and family friendly, which is sometimes hard to find. My son's favorite is the mac and cheese with bacon. Looking forward to seeing Mason's mac and cheese on the kids menu! read more

WOW! We had no idea a restaurant like Redwood Cafe existed in Modesto! We have known Bob Campana for years so we should have known that Redwood Cafe would be fun, tastefully decorated, great service, wonderfully unique mixology and really good food! We decided to take our friends from Fresno out for dinner last Friday night. Both friends grew up in Modesto and they were blown away by the great ambience. We had a great time (although we missed seeing Bob)! Check out the wine cellar for a private party-planning an 8 couple dinner/wine tasting in the fall. read more

Fabulous Modesto restaurant! Eclectic cuisine, well prepared and plated. Exciting, fun atmosphere. Nice to have a place like this in Motown. Bob Campana has done a fantastic job of transforming an old Knights of Columbus clubhouse into a wonderful event destination! Great job Bob! read more

I really want to love this place because it is so cute, but so far, I haven't had an experience where everything has lined up. We ate here for our second time last night, and our food was good - I had the salmon, which I enjoyed- but, the service was not great. We did not have a reservation, and the lady at the front desk seemed kind of annoyed. We opted to sit outside- it's cute out there, but we felt like we were forgotten about. This place is pretty expensive for Modesto, and I was expecting more. read more

Took my wife here for her birthday we had a drink and just had gotten are food she started getting her salad ready cutting the chicken up and noticed there was something moving looked at it closer sure enough it was a big ass green bug probably come in with the salad told the waitress she acted like it was a common occurrence told her they would remake the salad so we asked if the salads was Individually wrapped or was it just a big bowl anyways her reaction to the question was as if we were bothering her so we told her my wife didn't want to chance that the bug had crawled over more the just her salad so she said she would cancel the salad and disappeared for 15-20 minutes and come back asked if my steak was ok cause i hadn't touched it I'm not going to eat without my wife having food so we told her we would take the check and leave because she didn't even offer my wife a menu to pick something different that was not a salad she just assumed she wasn't going to eat probably will never go back there agin by far the worst and it a sham because it's my wife favorite place and we have never been treated this way there before!!! read more

This place is awesome.. ambience, food and service. Went there 2 days in a row and Chris was our server both days. He was great!! Highly recommend this place. read more

I love this Café. The food is excellent, the atmosphere is wonderful. The remodel of the Café looked beautiful. The owner of the Café and his staff greeted me with a great professional attitude. I will be going to the Redwood Café on a regular basis. Also I will be recommending the Redwood Café to all my friends and family. Thank You BOB :) read more

Fabulous atmosphere, engaging service, absolutely beautiful grounds. Delicious!!

Have had dinner at the Redwood Cafe quite a few times now and I have to say that the waiter, Kevin Utley, is great! He is quick, friendly, very helpful, and right on top of everything!! Amazing!! Thanks, Kevin for always doing such a great job!! read more

This restaurant is a gem. Great food, wonderful atmosphere and good service. I love going there for dinner or lunch. Recently I needed to host a luncheon for a group of ladies. They went above and beyond to provide us with a great dining experience at a reasonable price. They gave us choices, quality and service. The food was outstanding, we had our own room in a very comfortable setting. Twenty ladies walked out happy and impressed. I would say that was a job well done. I hope the restaurant flourishes. I would love to see it open on Sundays too, maybe for brunch. Nice to have a restaurant in town that not only has great food, but is beautiful and comfortable. I highly recommend the Redwood Cafe. read more

Awesome place to eat! Had the Valentines Day full course meal and EVERYTHING was delicious! The ambiance is great and the service was great as well! Totally will be coming back! There is suppose to be a big event here in the garden for Mothers Day! Will definitely be here for that! :)! read more

Have never had a better dining experience. The food was amazing. The new chef prepared the meals of our group perfectly. The service, well we never had better. The owner even came to check on us twice! Our head waiter was very helpful with wine selections. read more

This place is wonderful. The staff is great. I havent ordered anything i havent liked. Lots of fun as well. They make you feel so good. Its a must place to go to. read more

We just moved here and were worried about only being able to eat out at chain restaurants. Thank goodness we found the Redwood Cafe! It has great food and wine. Also, the atmosphere is very nice and relaxed (especially sitting outside!). We try to go at least once a month! If you are looking for a nicer place to relax, drink a glass of wine, and get a nice meal I would highly recommend Redwood Cafe! read more

Top service and great food. We had the pulled pork sliders, spicy penne and half roast chicken which were all delicious. Happy customer.

Tried the Redwood Cafe for the first time last night. It's a beautiful restaurant, a perfect place for a night out with someone special... The soup, salad, bread and service was great. And, my wife enjoyed the half chicken and mashed potatoes. But, the short ribs I ordered fell flat. This dish should be billed as a pot roast. Very bland chewy piece of meat. More greens needed on the plate. Disappointed in my meal, but I'm thinking this place is worth another try.... read more

60 dollars a person for the mother day do not waste your money the staff was 5 star the food very poor

This is a wonderful local restaurant with excellent food, lots of friendly helpful staff and a very nice ambience. We visited for our first dinner there, and while on the pricey side was equal to any top end restaurant in the bay area. We began with generous and tasty adult beverages and a home made loaf of bread with butter spread that was amazing. I had a cup of soup of the day, a rich, tasty clam chowder and my companions split a caesar salad which was plenty for two and also excellent. Having not anticipated the high priced entrees we decided to split two pizzas, the California Chicken ($19) which while a bit skimpy on the chicken, had an awesome combination of flavors and a spicy creme fraiche type topping which put it over the top. The second pizza was the Classic Margarita ($15) and was the disappointment that put a cloud over the rest of the up to now perfect culinary experience. The marinara sauce looked weak and had no flavor whatsoever. The fresh basil looked and was wilted, the skimpy portion of mozarella brought nothing to the mix and even with a generous portion of parmesan, offered as a condiment, it had less going for it than a Trader Joes frozen pizza margherita for almost 4 times the price. To be fair, the crusts on both pizzas were thin, buttery, chewy and delicious. We'll definitely go back, most likely for lunch, which is equally delicious and a lot easier on the wallet. Nice to see a top notch neighborhood eatery as well supported as this one appears to be. read more

This outstanding restaurant is classy, comfortable and fun. Whether I'm feeling dressy or casual, if I want a superb meal and/or an excellent beverage, this is my favorite destination. And it's getting better all the time ... with a new Italian gourmet pizza oven, and an almost-completed new full length bar and adjoining patio - this place is nothing short of fabulous! read more

I have been going to Redwood Cafe for a while now. I absolutely love the relaxing atmosphere. The food has never failed to impress me, and the staff is very friendly, professional and always remember me when I come and make me feel welcome. The location of the restaurant is easy to find, and they have their own parking lot. They recently purchased a pizza oven (the owner explained they had it shipped from Italy), and I haven't seen anything comparable in Modesto yet! I've never been with a large party, but they have always gladly accommodated whomever is with me, even without reservation. Highly recommend this place! read more

Great service, horrible food, we gave them a second chance today but never again, the food was soo bad, we ate just bread.........

Great ambiance. Service was A+. 2 Appetizers, A+. Bar Drinks A+. Main dishes A+ (pork Schnitzel - - heavenly, and Salmon-- superb). Then things fell apart. After all the great food, we really wanted to end with a good cup of coffee and dessert. We ordered Creme brulee. The Brulee was very liquid, like white syrup, so yes, disgusting. The coffee was of the kind we used to hate getting when we went to my mother's house, since she was of the generation that served Folgers instant, what we called "coffee water'. Before dessert and coffee, I was all prepared to give Redwood a 5+. I still liked it well enough to want to make a reservation for us for Valentine's Day. Too bad about the coffee though. Maybe I'll sneak in some Starbucks in a thermos. read more

A beautiful venue with an amazing bar, which is perhaps one of the reasons people continue to come. Some of the best cocktails in the area. The bar doesn't disappoint, for the most part, as it depends on who is tending. There is Nelson and a bald guy, can't remember his name, both are always welcoming. Then there is a taller guy with sideburns, he is usually not so welcoming, seems as if I am a bother to him because I came in at all. I have dined here several times, lunch and dinner. The food and service are hit and miss. A lot of inexperienced staff that doesn't seem to know the first thing about dining out. The food sometimes comes out in a timely manner and other times its as if the kitchen crew has left the building. The food can be quite delicious and it can absolutely horrible. This place has potential. It's too bad someone can't get food and service on the level of the cocktails. One last thing that BLOWS MY MIND, one of the employees brings a young child to work with them and the child sits at the bar while the parent works their shift... read more

So I am hoping that today was a fluke and this really is a great place to eat. But from our experience today, I'm not wanting to go back. I have been wanting to try his place for so long so today my daughter in law and myself went for lunch. I was so excited! We walked in and it was packed! Ohhhh I though this must be fabulous. It's incredibly lovely. We sat on the patio which once again is lovely. We ordered the Coconut Fried Prawns, Calamari apperizaer with rock shrimp, green beans and onions ( good god that sounds marvelous) and the baked Brie wrapped in fillo. We are not fans of the tentacles in the calamari dish so we asked if they could just leave those off. As busy as they were they said no problem. Our server brought all the apps out at once which I loved. The prawns were so over cooked and a deep brown that I was surprised that the server took them off the line with out questioning the dish. The calamari had nothing in the bowl but rings, nothing, no rock shrimp, no, green beans, no onions, no nothing. I'm not sure what the coating was, It looked just aweful. Once again I'm thinking there is no way I would of brought these dishes out to a table. The Brie looked wonderful until you bit into the bread, we couldn't bite into it the bread was so hard. We asked for our server who we explained about the calamari, he apologized and promptly removed from our table. We tried to explain about the bread and asked if he could replace it and he shared it's suppose to be that hard. This was stale hard bread. My husband is a local chef, I owned a restaurant for 6 years, I know what crostini should be, everyone knows stale bread when you eat it. I really want to try this place again....is it worth it? read more

My first visit here was in August when I brought my girlfriends up from the bay area for lunch. I needed some place special seeing as they are use to having a large variety of restaurants to choose from. So I chose this place because its really close to where I live and looked very inviting. I was not disappointed because the food and service was awesome! It was so great I decided to come back a couple weeks later to bring my neighbor for her surprise birthday party and take a chance on the jazz and wine tasting on Wednesday night. Everyone was pleasantly surprised that a place like this existed in the Modesto area. The ambiance is awesome and the food is delicious. I have seen this place go through several owners and different transformations but this owner is a keeper! Job well done on all the great improvements and I will be back again to try the new pizza oven everyone is ravening about. read more

I like to give 5 star ratings because I don't like to be mean but mmmmm' this place is truly a 5 star! Gorgeous ambiance. We were celebrating our 20th anniversary here. They brought fresh warm bread to the table with a special flavored butter. We started with the calamari, It was crispy and seasoned deliciously. My husband got the sirloin( I had a bite and it was perfect) and I got the shrimp and grits.(Really creamy with crunchy bacon, yes!!!)They were having a wine tasting on the patio and we added that to our bill. It was 6 pours for $20.00. We just bought the one and had three glasses each.The wines were very good. They had live music and we had ourselves a slow dance. It looks heavenly out on the patio. We did that while we waited or our dinner. The service was very fast. Our waiter Octavio was knowledgeable and friendly. He brought us a butter cake with caramel and pecans in honor of our anniversary. It was the bomb!! I told him it was terrible and they needed to make me another one after we had finished the first, but he didn't buy the lie! Hands down this is my favorite place in Modesto and when I have out of towners visiting, I will take them here. read more

This is now the best restaurant to eat at in Modesto For Lunch. I have not yet tried dinner but intend to do so soon. My wife and I stopped in for the first time. The A/C was a little cold, and the stereo was a little loud, which the server turned down promptly. I had the BLT and my wife ordered the Italian meatball sandwich, the meal comes with a choice of regular or sweet potato fries a couple of different salads, or fresh fruit. It was awesome! The fruit was just cut up and tasted great. The bread on the BLT was a toasted whole grain with a load of crisp Apple wood smoked bacon. The meatball sandwich also toasted on a dutch crunch type of roll, with a fresh marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. The meat had just the right amount of Italian seasonings. We got there right at 12:00 and their was plenty of seating. This is also one of the most beautiful restaurants in Modesto, and the prices are more reasonable than Harvest Moon. read more

It was a raining afternoon and we choose to eat lunch at Redwood Cafe. Residents From San Francisco, we didn't know what to expect for Modesto restaurants. We were meeting friends and family for a nice lunch experience. It started out well. The manager, recently relocated from Vermont was very accommodating. The server, Emily, was fantastic. Our group moved out to the patio to continue our reunion only to be confronted by the owner who made the statement "your timing was off"... We were offended by his statement implying that we should exit. We couldn't believe that we were being be asked to leave after we had just spent $300 to eat at this establishment. We were the only group to visit this establishment during their lunch hour and they should have been happy to have our business. We, including family from Modesto, will not give Redwood Cafe our repeat business. Thank you for reading. read more

What a hidden gem in Modesto! Why didn't I know about you before??? especially after so many years of limited, expensive, and average dinners at the finer restaurants in downtown (accept Concetta) and McHenry Village. The minute I walked in, I was delighted-beautiful grounds, lovely, interior dining, patios with quality, live music, and the whole casual,welcoming feel of the place. Anything goes, and everyone is welcome. The Redwood Cafe exudes this. There is no dress code. We wore pressed linen dresses and pearls. Other diners wore everything from formal dinner attire to tasteful shirts/shorts, jeans depending on where they were seated. This is the best that Modesto has come up with after living here for 20 plus years. The owner, Bob Compana,was extremely gracious and so on top of things, prompting the staff, circulating, etc. Embarrassing enough, he catered to my mother's multiple demands, (It was her 84th birthday, and,,she can be quite sassy) with such humor and fun, we forgot about trying to refrain her. He even brought her more creamy, mushroom, bacon sauce for a pork schnitznel!! We had such fun, and the food was incredible. I can't wait to go back-SOON! read more

What a disaster! Us ladies had reservations for months; 12 of us. We had one stressful waiter; took 45 minutes to get our order including drinks. After we finished our coffees and teas; asked 2 times for refills. It was not happening. Food came 1 1/2 hrs after we arrived! Many of us had other plans so asked for the food to go. How can a fine restaurant ruin a BLT....yep, they did it! Asked to make sure toasted. It tasted like they clipped the bread on clothes lines the day before for the 'dry & stale' look. Extremely thin/tasteless bacon; had to dig for it to find it in my sandwich. The tomatoes were not even seen as well as the lettuce. No Mayo!!! Dry and no taste. The Broccoli salad; 3 spears, some cranberries a few almonds, and lack of taste on the dressing! I asked 2 times for the waiters to give us more ice tea, water and coffee. Finally I got up to serve us but carafes were low and cold! Service is lousy and the food is worse! Never again! Can I give this a big fat ZERO rating!!!! Like I said they knew us 12 ladies made reservations several months ago/ shame on them!!!!! read more