So here's the story. We came to this restaurant the day before Mother's day to celebrate Mother's Day to celebrate 3 mothers. There were a total of 8 adults and 2 children and a baby. The bar seems to be the centerpiece of the restaurant. The restaurant is clean and simple in looks and that's...okay. Non gendered bathrooms and clean. Now for the food. Starting with the drinks initially there were 3 cocktails and later 2 beers all good. For the appetizers we covered most of them. 1) roasted Brussels sprouts sweet and savory... how do you make the leaves flakey yet moist? They did it. 2) grilled tender octopus with crispy chick peas again very tasty. 3) cooked beets one a bed of hummus, good combo. 4) liver pate very smooth with biscuits and jam. The main courses ordered were: 1) the hamburger cooked to a dark crust topped with avocado slices and sprouts (I am sure there were other condiments but it was all I noticed.) And what looks like garlic fries. 2) Halibut fillet crispy and tender on the inside. 3) Cornish Game hen a little dry but tasty. 4) Duck breast with a cherry sauce tender and excellent. The kids split a mushroom pasta excellent. For dessert: 1) mango mousse cake. 2) mint chocolate ice cream with real mint! 3) chocolate cake with a black sesame cream frosting. The service was excellent! The waiter intermittently cleared the table and actually wiped the crumbs...and table before dessert. You will have to excuse the lack of detail and accuracy on all the food description. Check out the menu. My apologies. Our entrees ranged from 18 to 48 dollars. I do want to recognize the waiter he was excellent. There was a 20% gratuity added for 6 or greater number of customers. This is well worth it at this restaurant. We enjoyed the meal very much. Give them a try! PS our server was Jared. He took really good care of us! read more

Great service and food. Farm to table which was delicious. I tried the duck. My friend tried mushroom risotto. Loved it!

Just went back to try it again. Food and atmosphere were amazing. Went with a group and it was family style and all items were delicious. One person was vegetarian and the chef made an entirely separate plate for the individual. Will go back read more

We had a simply lovely lunch today to celebrate a special birthday on the patio. We loved the burger and fries. It was cooked to perfection with cheese and amazing fries. We also loved the little gem salad and run dessert cake. Most of all our server , Melanie, made the day with her kindness and amazing service. Thank you to the whole team. read more

This place was DELICIOUS. Everything was extremely well balanced and tasty. The sticky persimmon pudding was the absolute best, I really hope they have it war round. I will say ACME bread and butter for $7 is a bit ridiculous though, since you can buy an ACME loaf at the store and ACME's alright but not amazing. Complimentary bread really should be provided at a restaurant of this caliber. But the sticky pudding was so good I still have to give 5/5 stars. read more

We came here for our 18th anniversary. It was a very quiet, sweet spot to celebrate at. The waiter was super nice and very attentive. We ordered a salad, brussel sprouts, the rotisserie chicken and the duck. Everything was really decent. I would say the rotisserie chicken was pretty spicy though. So if you cannot handle spicy food - def wanna get something else. Their dessert menu looked good, but we were too full to indulge ourselves. The server was super sweet and brought one of their lemon curd ice cream sandwiches for us to celebrate our anniversary with. It was definitely the best ice cream sandwich I've had in my life. The cookie was like a ginger molasses with tart lemon ice cream. It was honestly the highlight of the meal. Def must get! read more

Really good food with decent service. We had a reservation for 2 on a Thursday night for dinner. Upon arrival we were seated immediately on the patio. The servers were fairly attentive and willing to switch out our plates when requested between courses. They did seem a little busy though and were not quite as attentive as I would expect at this price point. Drinks also came out a little slow. The food however was delicious. We got the octopus, tartare and pork. This was some of the most tender pork I have ever had, highly recommend. The tartare and octopus were also amazing. I really enjoyed the crispy char on the octopus and the fried garlic combined with the creamy tartare was outstanding. read more

The Wolf - Tartare - New American Near Me - Oakland, California

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I've been to the Wolf twice. Once for cocktails, which were delightful. The second time for dinner. Dinner was fantastic. We started with the popover, naan, tomato & peaches and octopus. They were all delicious, though the naan and tomato & peaches were my favorite. From there, we had the bucatini cacio e pepe (soo good), scallops (even better) and fisherman's stew (this was the one dish that I found disappointing - the white fish was a little overcooked and there weren't other seafood items in the dish, which I should have known from the menu but apparently have come to expect from a fisherman's stew). We finished the meal with a dessert that was like a panna cotta with fresh fruit and crumble on top. I wish I remembered the name. I didn't have the highest expectations - I'm not a huge dessert person. But this dessert was perfection - so light, airy and flavorful. We also of course ordered a few cocktails throughout the meal, which did not disappoint. Our server was so friendly and wonderful for the first half of the meal. Not sure what happened on the back half, but he seemed a little irritated with us, so that was kind of a bummer. But it was still overall a great evening. This is a great spot for a date night or catching up with a group of friends. I'll definitely be back! read more

Horrible restaurant Rude staff - especially the guy responsible for payment Don't waist your money and time Dine somewhere else Very load read more

Service 5/5 Food 4/5 Ambiance 4/5 Had a wonderful lunch at The Wolf. Came on a Thursday at 1pm with a friend and was seated right away. The staff was very kind. Cod Sandwich with Fries - very tasty and light. Good flavor and would recommend. Matatlan - great mix of pineapple and mezcal Would recommend! read more

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Everything we had was underwhelming. Let's start off with the pop over that basically tasted like an onion bagel. The pop over had black pepper but only on the top, so it's not consistent. The onion butter was okay, but mixed together with the popover you get the flavor of a subpar onion bagel with some fresh cheese on top with the pecorino. My coworkers pesto pasta was overpowered with the chili oil and the waitress that said this would be a hearty meal must have mistaken my coworker for an 6 year old because it was more like an appetizer. The corn soup was lackluster, overwhelmed by the paprika and cream. Barely had any corn flavor. My fish sandwich was one of the blandest fish sandwiches I've ever had. Just fish fried with no seasoning. Plain, or so it tasted. I added all the dressing I could to it to give it some flavor, and it still couldn't save this sad white fish. Fries were an extra upsell, and it was lukewarm and meh. Give me Wingstop or fast food fries over these any day. My horchata ice cream with churros was the worst. Who puts cold churros in between the horchata ice cream with what tasted like canned peaches. It was an odd first grader moment where I felt like some child dreamed up this dish. Sad all around. The server was also unfriendly and seemed overwhelmed with her tables. I can't recommend this place. We barely had a 3 star average experience. read more

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The Sakura pork chop Milanese is a giant piece of meat pounded flat and served katsu style. Delicious sauce on top with carrots and arugula. We also got fries for the table. Fresh cut. Delicious meal! read more

The Wolf - Sakura pork chop Milanese with bacon vinaigrette - New American Near Me - Oakland, California

This is an absolute staple in the Oakland area A must for any business meeting ir lunch get together with friends Food is always great and the environment even better read more

Food, service and ambiance were amazing. Jerrod was our server and exemplifies the kind of attitude and service every manager and owner should strive for to represent their brand and business. We will be back for the octopus. Or was it the scallops? No, it was definitely the ribeye. But that bottle of wine was delicious too. We left The Wolf howling! read more

The Wolf - Ribeye - New American Near Me - Oakland, California

I love The Wolf, so much so that I'm ready to pronounce it my local. I've had all manner of meals here from board dinners to BFF catch ups, date nights, and plenty of midday meals. It's great for nearly any occasion. During my last dinner here I split the French onion soup, beet salad, burger, and apple cider donut cake with my husband. My friend and I shared the butter lettuce and pea shoot salad, meyer lemon spaghetti, and the italian cold cut sandwich when we most recently lunched at the Wolf. The food and service is always spectacular. read more

The Wolf - Apple cider donut cake - New American Near Me - Oakland, California

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We celebrated my wife's birthday on 11/8/25. Our food and service was exemplary. Our party of 10 enjoyed excellent entrees, that were served on time without delay. The wine selection of Cabernet's, Pinot's and Champagne was outstanding. Perhaps most of all , I enjoyed the service we received. "Nigel" is worthy of a Michelin Star by himself. He was attentive and detailed with every person at table. Well done.. thank you Robert L. read more

Food, service, ambiance: most. excellent. ....as were the brussel sprouts. This is gonna sound weird - but I can't stop thinking about them...ANYWAY There were fancy cocktails which the cocktail people rated favorably, the duck was great, the pasta with the lamb-yummy-& don't get me started on the desserts...but the sprouts...oh baby oh baby.. read more

Limited value all around. Service, what service, food, would not go return says it all. Eilene Slesinger

Such a neighborhood gem! The vibe here is cozy and welcoming, and the drinks and food were incredible. We started with the duck pâté toast (so good) and then had the duck and pork chop..both cooked perfectly. Our server Jared was awesome and made the night even more special as we were celebrating an occasion. If you're looking for a farm-to-table place with cozy vibes, delicious food, and a warm atmosphere that isn't overly fancy but feels just right, this is it. Highly recommend and making a reservation! It was a packed spot on a weeknight! read more

The food was really good, but the reason it earned a 5-star rating was the service. Our server was extremely friendly and accommodating to our requests. We were seated in the "patio," and they had the ceiling heaters on. Since the patio is indoors, and it wasn't cold where we were sitting, we asked our server to have it turned off. She went to her manager and complied with our request. Afterwards, she and her manager checked on us a couple of times just to make sure we were comfortable. This, in addition to her welcomed conversations, made the dinner more fun. read more

This is one of the best restaurants in the Bay Area. The portion sizes are good enough (maybe the octopus dish could have been slightly larger) and the flavors are absolutely delicious. The cocktails were well balanced and delicious. Our server was extremely personable and knowledgeable and cleared and replaced each place setting between courses which was a nice touch at this price point. The space seems to be an old house that was converted into a restaurant which had some charm. I will definitely be back. read more

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I ventured here twice in one month because I wanted to be sure it wasn't a fluke the first time! It wasn't- everything and everyone was great! Menu was not overwhelming. Portions of food were perfect. Warm and pleasant environment with welcoming staff. The cocktails were amazing and dare I say perfect! Parking is a bit of struggle- if you can take a car share service- do it! The. You can eat and drink to your hearts delight! Can't wait to treat myself to another experience here! read more

Ambiance is great, we had a business dinner here and it was a good fit for what we needed. Not too fancy but not too casual, somewhere in between. Very cozy inside, upstairs. Definitely overpriced for what it is. The appetizers were the highlight for me. The popover and the Brussels are good. I'm vegetarian and they only had 1 option for the entree and it was risotto, which was super oily and disappointing. The flavor wasn't near what I'd expect for a creamy mushroom risotto. Apparently the ribeye was good, they put a nice chunk of truffle butter on top. The cocktails were OK. Overly sweet in my opinion. Old fashioned had too much simple. The service was extraordinary. I think that's what set it apart for me. I wish they had more vegetarian options, especially being on Piedmont in Oakland. read more

I had called a few days ahead of time to make a reservation for a party of 5. Came here with family for a dinner, as my brother was visiting from out of town. We had a reservation, and when we arrived, we were told that the party sitting at our table were wrapping up a birthday party and it was going to be a short wait. Okay, fine. We waited. And we waited. Half an hour passed. Understandably, we were upset. My brother, a New Yorker, was pissed. And that's putting it nicely. The waitstaff brought over champagne for him to try to make it up for the wait. They kept telling us the birthday party was going to leave. 45 minutes passed. That was unacceptable. My brother said in New York, any restaurant that made you wait, especially when you had a reservation, would go out of business. Still waiting. Jeez, whose birthday party was being celebrated? Some sort of entitled celebrity who overstayed their welcome? We walked out. We were halfway down the block when a hostess chased us down and told us our table was FINALLY ready and persuaded us to come back. We came back, but my brother gave the poor gal an earful while she led us to the table to be seated. Once we were seated, the food and service did make up for it. I suspect that the waitstaff must have been instructed to go above and beyond with service to make up for the egregious wait. WHAT WE HAD: 1. Complimentary fries. My mom raved these were the best fries she's had. 2. Garlic naan is amazing 3. Octopus was so soft and tender, not rubbery nor chewy 4. Duck was flavorful with crispy skin 5. Scallops were alright 6. Steak was phenomenal 7. For dessert, the chocolate tahini caramel tart was great. The waiter, a bespectacled African-American gentleman, ended up vibing with my brother. He gave great wine recommendations, gave my brother wine tastings (my brother and his girlfriend are total wine snobs), and made lovely pairings with the food. 5 stars for food. But the wait really was atrocious, especially for a reservation, and would receive 1 star by New York standards. read more

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The vibe, the service and the food is always amazing at the Wolf. My friend and I hadn't seen each other and so we were just dying to catch-up during our dinner. We never felt rushed or that we needed to order more food just to hang out. The star of the show for dinner tonight was their strawberry crostini. It was Ana amazing balance of the sweetness of the strawberry and honey against the savory richness of the whipped feta. It was so good I had to pause in our chatting to thoroughly enjoy it!! read more

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Dinner was lackluster. Service was attentive but ineffectual. Will try lunch today. read more

Our family group of 9, celebrating 4 June birthdays, had a fabulous dinner @ Wolf last night. The food was delicious, the service fantastic, and the ambiance felt like home. The special cocktails were superb, as was the suggested wine. We sampled several appetizers & enjoyed them all. We tried a variety of the entrees from the risotto, duck, pork chop, burger, and halibut. Everyone finished everything on their plates. A special shout out to Jackie, our waiter. His bright smile lit up the room and he made our celebration spectacular! read more

Really amazing place. Highly recommend. Nice people, friendly vibe, and INCREDIBLE food. Highly recommend the rock fish dishes, and the Amante cocktail. I have not been to a place that makes you feel so welcome; message to management: NEVER CHANGE read more

First the good: I enjoyed the food. The polenta dish was crispy and had a lot of interesting flavors and was well executed. The pappardelle was also good. The problem: the service overall left a lot to be desired. We arrived at 7:15 for our reservation, and our server didn't come around to take our orders until 8. I used to serve tables, and a 45 minutes wait would've been a giant anxiety-producing mistake, and she didn't seem concerned in the slightest. Also, when I asked if she had a shim for our super wobbly table, her response was "are you SURE it's wobbling?" We were about to move to another table entirely when the host graciously came over and fixed the problem for us. In fact, he was a way better rep for the place that she was. He greeted us and told us thank you, helped with the table, and told us goodnight. Our actual server seemed pretty careless overall. It was my bday dinner so pretty disappointing. We were looking forward to trying this place out at the recommendation of a friend, on our way to a show, and I can't say I'd pass that recommendation along. Compliments to the chef and kitchen, however. The food was pretty solid. read more

Amazing restaurant in the Oakland hills! The Wolf was one of the first restaurants that was recommended to my wife and I when we moved to the East Bay. I can see why... We were sat at the bar and were greeted by the bartender. He went through the menu with us and offered his suggestions on what to order. The menu changes based on what's in season, but I ordered the risotto and was blown away by how well it was prepped. Flavor wise, it was immaculate! The salads were all great and the oysters were started with were delicious. We are definitely going back and will be a part of our restaurant rotation! read more

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Made a reservation two weeks ago. Got seated in the closed-off outdoor area. When asked if we could have additional heat, we were told no without additional explanation. Super disappointing that we could not get a table inside despite planning well ahead. We had six different servers, which felt very disjointed. Check-ins for drinks and additional service was very hit or miss. Food was fine but not great. Still wondering why I would order a $60 steak and sit in 50-degree weather despite the reservation. Wanted to like this place, will not go back. read more

Fantastic place for a bite on Piedmont. The special curated menu for the season made it difficult to chose the best item for our lunch. The rosemary pappardelle was flavorful and a unique dish that couldn't be replicated at another restaurant. Definitely would love to try more form their menu. Overall, service was great, even if our party was for 12! The server always checked in, and made sure we had everything we needed. Will definitely be returning! read more

The Wolf - Winter 2024 Lunch Menu - New American Near Me - Oakland, California

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Great food and service. The Wolf is our go-to local spot for a special meal. Consistently delicious.

The service was exceptional and the quality of the product was outstanding. The only problem was there was a fly in the dining room and constantly hovering our food. read more

The Wolf - Pan fried cod sandwich, pastrami, hamburger, and duck liver mousse - New American Near Me - Oakland, California

Lively and lovely! I knew this place as the Bay Wolf years ago and this permutation is terrific

Went with a friend and we were sat at a comfortable table, the food and drink was excellent and we received great service.

I have fond memories of Bay Wolf, the classic California restaurant that previously occupied the space, and was excited to hear that Rich and Rebekah Wood took over as they're responsible for one of my favorite Oakland restaurants, Wood Tavern, famous for their huge Grilled Double-Cut Pork Chop (review: https://bit.ly/3p0utA9). Their former executive chef Yang Peng now runs the Wolf kitchen, and their credentials gave me a reasonable excuse to take Jamie W. here for his birthday dinner. We were seated in the front covered terrace, which was fine by us since the space was well ventilated. Cocktails were a priority for this special occasion, so we took advantage of the $15 Potent Potables selection. Jamie ordered the Tropic Thunder, a strong mix of dark rum, pineapple, basil, lime, and ginger beer, while I went for the comparatively lighter Amante, which combined mezcal, aperol, lime, grapefruit, honey, and chili tincture (photo: https://bit.ly/3bjpeIg). Both drinks got us in the mood for the hearty eats that were about to follow. We started with the $7 Cheddar & Black Pepper Popover, a cheesy, crusty delight with 'onion dip' butter, pecorino, and smoked sea salt (photo: https://bit.ly/3biROtr). We also enjoyed sharing the $15 Nectarine & Arugula Salad. It came with charred corn kernels, pepitas, basil, and queso fresco, tossed in a sweet honey dijon vinaigrette (photo: https://bit.ly/3blw00f). Our entrees were not as impactful but still well executed. Jamie ordered the $52 Grilled 12-oz Angus Ribeye Steak prepared medium rare, accompanied by patatas bravas pave, and topped with shishitos, summer squash, and chimichurri butter (photo: https://bit.ly/3zLOzny). The steak was good though a bit chewy and not really transcendent. My entree was the $42 Sonoma Duck Breast sitting in a carrot purée accompanied by broccoli di ciccio, tamarind honey, carrot-top salsa, and ras el hanout (a Turkish spice mix) (photo: https://bit.ly/3cTKeWp). It was tender and a generous portion, but the execution didn't feel overly creative despite the Middle Eastern touches. We finally ended our feast with two satisfying desserts: the $12 Lemon Olive Oil Cake with a triple delight blueberry compote, creme fraiche ice cream, and lavender syrup (photo: https://bit.ly/3zorLsC), and the $12 Valrhona Chocolate Cherry Tart with bing cherries, kirsch whip, cocoa nibs, and a birthday candle (photo: https://bit.ly/3PM72Gd). A nice gesture. It was a good meal though it was lacking a truly standout dish among our choices. At least we didn't leave hungry like the Wolf. FOOD - 4 stars...good, satisfying dishes but no real standouts AMBIANCE - 4.5 stars...the spirit of the former Baywolf runs through the warm space SERVICE - 4 stars...pretty attentive TOTAL - 4 stars...fine mainstream dining, not quite Wood Tavern though RELATED - Exploring Piedmont Avenue? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2I0RAHj read more

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Much like an animal stalks its prey, I had been stalking the Wolf. My friends and I kept trying to go for dinner, trying to make reservations and we were getting shut down. She gave up. But not me! Finally I decided to mix up my technique and swing by for a solo lunch. This was the ticket! I was able to snag a seat at the bar and the service, food and drinks were lovely. I had the little gem salad and the Spanish octopus and both were perfect sized, and incredibly flavorful. Mission accomplished! read more

The Wolf - Spanish Octopus - New American Near Me - Oakland, California

The Wolf is our favorite special lunch spot! I love being able to eat on the patio. Your severs are excellent! Good always delish. Thanks for being our favorite go to weekend treat spot! read more

The Wolf - Little Gems salad and the popover! - New American Near Me - Oakland, California

The service was excellent and the servers were very attentive. Each dish was cooked delicious and cooked perfectly. Would definitely go again! read more

The Wolf - Seared wild Maine scallop - New American Near Me - Oakland, California

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