Dogwood Cafe

Dogwood is okay - we have been there a few times and it's never been terrible but never terrific either. The Dogwood mostly stays in business because it's the only halfway decent place to eat unless you take the T or walk up to Centre Street. The beer is unnecessarily expensive but the pizza is pretty good. The $1 takeout fee still irks me - you can get delivery from Same Old Place and just tip instead, so what's the point?

Pros: Only place to get a beer in walking distance!

Cons: Disinterested service, additional takeout fees

Posted 05/06/09

Horrible. I have been a loyal customer of Dogwood for the past year. Evening beers with friends, Sunday brunches, last minute dinners. No more. The Dogwood has lost a loyal customer. When I was told I would be charged twice if I sent my breakfast scramble back I asked to speak to the manager. Never once was I rude or out of line, I was kind and kept a smile on my face the entire time. The manager was rude and condescending. I explained to her that, I eat here all the time, and I always order the same thing. I didn?t even look at the menu, so I didn?t remember cheese being an ingredient. I can?t eat cheese I explained to her. Too bad, pay for a second one without cheese or eat this one (which was undercooked) with cheese. I was shocked. The things that until now I have let slide: Slow service, dirty silverware, cleaner being sprayed close enough to taste it while I tried to eat, cold veggie burgers, no menu substitutions, and undercooked food. I am shocked at the disrespect. I will spend my money someplace where the service is good and the manger is respectful to me and my community.

Posted 08/23/08

Good food and pleasant atmosphere near Forest Hills. The only drawback is that the service, and to a lesser degree, the quality of the food can vary enormously from visit to visit.

Pros: food, location, bar

Cons: inconsistency

Posted 05/28/07

I had dinner at the Dogwood last night and it was delish! We were seated at the hightops by the bar which gave it a relaxing feel. I had their veggie burger and opted for mashed potatoes instead of french fries since our server mentioned how good they were and boy were they! My friend had the special pork tacos which she seemed to enjoy to the point of eating every bit but one last bite. Our server was pleasant and knowledgable of the menu, just the right amount of attentiveness and very prompt when catering to our needs and requests. This is great considering how close it is to my house!

Posted 05/26/07

The food is decent... but the service is lacking. Also what is the deal with having huge unopenned cans of tomated sauce on the table.. looks like a mexican joint. Also Beware.. they scam people and charged them $1 Dollar for a pizza box... whether you pick it up to go or asked for a box to go.. they sneak it in the price..
Sneaky policy... beware... Unacceptable. Also rude managers. and the bar smells.

Posted 03/22/07

I have never been treated so rudely ( in any other restaurant in the USA) as I was by the general manager at the Dogwood Cafe. Having been a regular customer, one would have thought that they would appreciate customer loyalty but they don't.
It is unwise to suggest or comment on service, or your point of view. They don't want to hear it.
Rather than being diplomatic and appreciative of customer loyalty, the general manager will be extremely rude and possibly deny you service. They don't seem to care if customers return. Unlike other restaurants in JP, management is not friendly, open and they are not community oriented. I moved to JP because of the sense of community and acceptance. I try to support the neighborhood businesses because I believe in doing so. But, I 've been served burnt pizza more than once and the bartender who served it to me
thought nothing of it. On another occasion, the plate I was given wasn't clean
and I had to ask for another one.

It is a shame.

Pros: Attractive Interior

Cons: Inconsistent Food, Rudeness, Lack of Customer Appreciation

Posted 03/09/07

I like everything about this place. The bar has is clean and comfortable with good beers. The atmosphere is warm with interesting artwork. The food is high quality and reasonably priced. Nice for a couple or even larger groups.

Pros: Cozy

Cons: None

Posted 03/02/07

My fiancee and I eat out a lot, and we like to try new places. We headed out to the Dogwood Cafe last Friday hoping for a quiet night out.

We were very happy with our visit there. We ordered a large pizza, an appetizer and two glasses of wine and the bill came out to a very reasonable $35. Service was patient yet attentive, and the ambiance was way beyond expectations with the comfortable heavy wood decor and candles.

The icing on the cake was the live music - it was one guy singing with a guitar. It's a tough balance between having live music and allowing the place be not so loud as to douse a pleasant dinner conversation. It was really well done.

The only minus to the Dogwood Cafe is the availability of street parking - although we did not explore the possibility of parking in the several nearby lots.

All in all this place won't wow you with the food or the wine list but it's a great choice for a very reasonably priced, comfortable meal.

Pros: Service, value, atmosphere

Cons: Food was good, not great.

Posted 12/13/06

I like the dogwood becasue it is child firendly, except not all people teach thier children how to behave in public. The food is always wishy washy, sometimes its good, and sometimes not. if you find something you like, STICK TO IT, dont try other menu items. Sometimes the pizza is cooked all the way through sometimes not. One time my friend waited a half hour for a clean fork, and had to eat her salad with a knife finally. Sometimes the bartenders are so busy giggling with each other they dont notice you have seated yourself DIRECTLY in front of them for ten minutes! I dont know why we keep going there, convenience maybe? now this is an honest review.

Pros: kid friendly, oven pizza

Cons: undercooked food, BAD service, SLOW service

Posted 06/04/06

Dogwood offers jamaica plain a great alternative for fantastic food and beer. As opposed to doyles just down the street, dogwood has really excellent food and a great selection of good beers. Atmosphere is usually good (sometimes a folk singer is booked which can be annoying if seated too close to).
All in all, i would highly recommend folks to try this place out.

Pros: food, great beer, parking

Posted 04/22/06