Six of us had a lovely "Cinco de Mayo" dinner Sunday night!. We all ordered variations of the 3 course tasting menu. Food was fabulous! Service was very attentive and top-notch. An enjoyable time was had by all!
We ordered the five course tasting menu with the wine pairings. Highly recommended and I think it's a great value for all you get! The wine selections were international, and well-paired. The dinner was delicious, especially the lamb confit, it was outstanding!! Friendly service. We will certainly go back next time we're in town.
JosephH
I had the tasting five course dinner with a bottle of the Pinot Noir Coquelicot (red poppies) which is made by the restaurant as well. The food was superb, the service was impressive. Wonderful experience.
ReniB
We were on vacation for my husband's birthday and booked a reservation. No regrets. We originally planned the 3-Course Meal but ended up doing the 5-Course Meal. Everything, especially the food, was exquisite, as a Michellin Star restaurant would. The service was on point, more than a few checked on us, not just our assigned server. Great experience and will definitely be coming back!!
Jennifer E.
My boyfriend and I came to First & Oak for our anniversary dinner. Our waitress was very hospitable and offered us the choice of the 3-course or 5-course tasting menu. We were excited to try the 5-course as it included an oyster and dessert. We were advised to do one of each menu option since we'd mostly be splitting each course. After the oyster, we opted for the asparagus and cauliflower. Both came out in a timely manner and looked beautiful. after splitting each vegetable on share plates, my boyfriend took a bite out of the asparagus only to notice a caterpillar crawling out of the middle of the plate. We called over the waitress and calmly mentioned that an unwelcome "friend" had joined our party. We didn't want to cause a scene and freak the rest of the restaurant out of courtesy. The staff seemed to brush this off without much of a resolution other than a fresh plate of asparagus. We weren't able to eat much of it, but it the cauliflower was very tasty. Over the next several minutes, they brought us out 2 pieces of bread with avocado butter. This was delicious, although a very small portion. We noticed the tables next to us (also parties of 2) received orders of bread twice the size of ours. For our entrees, we ordered the lamb and halibut. About a half an hour later, entrees came out, only for a different waiter to realize he gave us the wrong things and they were meant for the table next to us. That table finished their meals before our proper meals touched down on our table. When they finally did, my boyfriend couldn't take more than 3 bites from the salt bomb of a halibut. It was prepared very nicely with crispy skin, but we both could not handle the salt. Our kind waitress noticed something was wrong and kindly brought us a complimentary glass of wine. By this point, the tables next to us whom had started 30+ minutes after us had completely finished and paid their bills. Meanwhile, our waitress thought we had already ate dessert when it hadn't even come out. The dessert came out without an apology for the wait. The passion fruit tart was delicious and the chocolate was very good. When the check came out, we were expecting some kind of apology for all the mistakes of the evening. This did not happen. When we called out the bug situation, our waitress immediately said she'd take care of part of the check without question. When she brought back the check, she said she messed up the original charge and took 25% off the new check. Suspiciously, she threw away all original checks and only left the credit card receipt so we couldn't see what we were charged for. After leaving the restaurant, we ran the calculation of what we ordered and what we saw on the original receipt. We were discounted approximately $20 instead of 25% of the bill. Although the service was friendly and hospitable, I cannot recommend this restaurant with the disorderly chaos of the evening. Extremely unfortunate.
The food and service were outstanding! The wines chosen for the wine pairings were also, and we loved the range covering a lot of local wineries, but also international ones, and I believe all were biodynamic/organic, which we prefer. My wife is vegan and they did a great job accommodating her for the full 5 course option. In our experience the value was very good for the quality of food, wine and service. We appreciated that the background music was at low level where it added to the ambience but didn't force people to talk loudly over it. We loved the feel and decor also. It was our first time there, and was an all round great experience. We'll definitely be back repeatedly!
SeekingGreatFood
We thoroughly enjoyed our experience at First + Oak. The service was impeccable, and the food was excellent. Every dish was creatively prepared and presented. The flavors were fantastic. The wine pairing were also very well done. Highly recommend this experience to couples and those with children in their later teens that enjoy trying different foods.
Texan
Loved the 5 course tasting menu with wine pairings. It was fun that there were a couple of choices on 4 of the courses. Service was great but it was a relaxed pace to enjoy each course.
MelF
The 5-course tasting menu was a great experience! Some of the dishes were certainly better than others, though. The 2 “entree” courses were slightly bland but the first 2 courses and dessert were delicious! The staff were all very friendly.
PeterC
This is a cute restaurant located in a small in in Solvang. What I liked was their 3 course meal. The choices and sizes of the plates were just perfect. Their beer and wine selection was great. Not inexpensive, but worth it!
My husband and I had our anniversary party there last week. It was a wonderful experience from beginning to end. The manager, Matt P was gracious and easy to work with, the servers were friendly and attentive, the chef was amazing. Everyone commented on how delicious the food was. Thank you all!
Arolyn B.
This is my absolute favorite restaurant! Ever! I have been here 4 times and introduced a new friend each time. We All LOVE IT! So this last time not only were my tastebuds tantalized, surprised, titillated and more than satisfied. My man who (like me) has a palate thats hard to please, was electrified with excitement at how DELICIOUS this place is. Michelin stars were well deserved. Absolute YUMMINESS oh and the wine pairing was Spot On!
ArolynB
Omg. My absolute favorite restaurant ecer!!!! The food here Never disappoints. Its always a delight to my palate. My man is a serious food snob ams he had zero complaints. We share the two 5 course selections with wine pairings for both and LOVED IT ALL!!! If you're a foodie This place is Perfection. Great service too.
Sherene H.
One Michelin star restaurant in the little town of solvang! This cute quaint restaurant is hidden in the neighborhood of Slovang. You can get a 3 or 5 course tasting menu. We ordered 5 courses which is only $90! The first course was the beet with Cara Cara and pistachios which was ok honestly. The next course you can pick and I ordered the roasted cauliflower. Get it!!! The cream is actually a cauliflower puree! The truffle vinaigrette is not too strong just perfect. We both ordered the seared scallops and that was perfection with a carrot puree. Next course was the braised lamb shoulder which looks dry but it's so tender you don't need a knife to cut it! Finally the two desserts were excellent. The passion fruit tart was huge! It came with a nice coconut cream and flakes. I didn't like the apple pineapple but the tart and coconut cream paired perfectly. The chocolate mousse and honeycomb crumble was soo delicious. There's also Oreo under which was delicious! Definitely recommend and would come back to Slovang just for this!! Service was friendly and attentive. Great place to go for dinner.
Hector Paz
This place is by far top notch. The service is superb, the atmosphere is amazing, the food is amazingly flavorful and artistic. It’s a must try. This is my second time back. I will be back for more.Kid-friendliness: Our 12 year old loved it as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roasted Potatoes, Kimchi Cracklings, Served with Gourmet Bread Basket, Risotto, Rack of Lamb, Truffle Roasted Cauliflower
Six of us had a lovely "Cinco de Mayo" dinner Sunday night!. We all ordered variations of the 3 course tasting menu. Food was fabulous! Service was very attentive and top-notch. An enjoyable time was had by all!
We ordered the five course tasting menu with the wine pairings. Highly recommended and I think it's a great value for all you get! The wine selections were international, and well-paired. The dinner was delicious, especially the lamb confit, it was outstanding!! Friendly service. We will certainly go back next time we're in town.
I had the tasting five course dinner with a bottle of the Pinot Noir Coquelicot (red poppies) which is made by the restaurant as well. The food was superb, the service was impressive. Wonderful experience.
We were on vacation for my husband's birthday and booked a reservation. No regrets. We originally planned the 3-Course Meal but ended up doing the 5-Course Meal. Everything, especially the food, was exquisite, as a Michellin Star restaurant would. The service was on point, more than a few checked on us, not just our assigned server. Great experience and will definitely be coming back!!
My boyfriend and I came to First & Oak for our anniversary dinner. Our waitress was very hospitable and offered us the choice of the 3-course or 5-course tasting menu. We were excited to try the 5-course as it included an oyster and dessert. We were advised to do one of each menu option since we'd mostly be splitting each course. After the oyster, we opted for the asparagus and cauliflower. Both came out in a timely manner and looked beautiful. after splitting each vegetable on share plates, my boyfriend took a bite out of the asparagus only to notice a caterpillar crawling out of the middle of the plate. We called over the waitress and calmly mentioned that an unwelcome "friend" had joined our party. We didn't want to cause a scene and freak the rest of the restaurant out of courtesy. The staff seemed to brush this off without much of a resolution other than a fresh plate of asparagus. We weren't able to eat much of it, but it the cauliflower was very tasty. Over the next several minutes, they brought us out 2 pieces of bread with avocado butter. This was delicious, although a very small portion. We noticed the tables next to us (also parties of 2) received orders of bread twice the size of ours. For our entrees, we ordered the lamb and halibut. About a half an hour later, entrees came out, only for a different waiter to realize he gave us the wrong things and they were meant for the table next to us. That table finished their meals before our proper meals touched down on our table. When they finally did, my boyfriend couldn't take more than 3 bites from the salt bomb of a halibut. It was prepared very nicely with crispy skin, but we both could not handle the salt. Our kind waitress noticed something was wrong and kindly brought us a complimentary glass of wine. By this point, the tables next to us whom had started 30+ minutes after us had completely finished and paid their bills. Meanwhile, our waitress thought we had already ate dessert when it hadn't even come out. The dessert came out without an apology for the wait. The passion fruit tart was delicious and the chocolate was very good. When the check came out, we were expecting some kind of apology for all the mistakes of the evening. This did not happen. When we called out the bug situation, our waitress immediately said she'd take care of part of the check without question. When she brought back the check, she said she messed up the original charge and took 25% off the new check. Suspiciously, she threw away all original checks and only left the credit card receipt so we couldn't see what we were charged for. After leaving the restaurant, we ran the calculation of what we ordered and what we saw on the original receipt. We were discounted approximately $20 instead of 25% of the bill. Although the service was friendly and hospitable, I cannot recommend this restaurant with the disorderly chaos of the evening. Extremely unfortunate.
The food and service were outstanding! The wines chosen for the wine pairings were also, and we loved the range covering a lot of local wineries, but also international ones, and I believe all were biodynamic/organic, which we prefer. My wife is vegan and they did a great job accommodating her for the full 5 course option. In our experience the value was very good for the quality of food, wine and service. We appreciated that the background music was at low level where it added to the ambience but didn't force people to talk loudly over it. We loved the feel and decor also. It was our first time there, and was an all round great experience. We'll definitely be back repeatedly!
We thoroughly enjoyed our experience at First + Oak. The service was impeccable, and the food was excellent. Every dish was creatively prepared and presented. The flavors were fantastic. The wine pairing were also very well done. Highly recommend this experience to couples and those with children in their later teens that enjoy trying different foods.
Loved the 5 course tasting menu with wine pairings. It was fun that there were a couple of choices on 4 of the courses. Service was great but it was a relaxed pace to enjoy each course.
The 5-course tasting menu was a great experience! Some of the dishes were certainly better than others, though. The 2 “entree” courses were slightly bland but the first 2 courses and dessert were delicious! The staff were all very friendly.
This is a cute restaurant located in a small in in Solvang. What I liked was their 3 course meal. The choices and sizes of the plates were just perfect. Their beer and wine selection was great. Not inexpensive, but worth it!
Restaurantji Recommends
My husband and I had our anniversary party there last week. It was a wonderful experience from beginning to end. The manager, Matt P was gracious and easy to work with, the servers were friendly and attentive, the chef was amazing. Everyone commented on how delicious the food was. Thank you all!
This is my absolute favorite restaurant! Ever! I have been here 4 times and introduced a new friend each time. We All LOVE IT! So this last time not only were my tastebuds tantalized, surprised, titillated and more than satisfied. My man who (like me) has a palate thats hard to please, was electrified with excitement at how DELICIOUS this place is. Michelin stars were well deserved. Absolute YUMMINESS oh and the wine pairing was Spot On!
Omg. My absolute favorite restaurant ecer!!!! The food here Never disappoints. Its always a delight to my palate. My man is a serious food snob ams he had zero complaints. We share the two 5 course selections with wine pairings for both and LOVED IT ALL!!! If you're a foodie This place is Perfection. Great service too.
One Michelin star restaurant in the little town of solvang! This cute quaint restaurant is hidden in the neighborhood of Slovang. You can get a 3 or 5 course tasting menu. We ordered 5 courses which is only $90! The first course was the beet with Cara Cara and pistachios which was ok honestly. The next course you can pick and I ordered the roasted cauliflower. Get it!!! The cream is actually a cauliflower puree! The truffle vinaigrette is not too strong just perfect. We both ordered the seared scallops and that was perfection with a carrot puree. Next course was the braised lamb shoulder which looks dry but it's so tender you don't need a knife to cut it! Finally the two desserts were excellent. The passion fruit tart was huge! It came with a nice coconut cream and flakes. I didn't like the apple pineapple but the tart and coconut cream paired perfectly. The chocolate mousse and honeycomb crumble was soo delicious. There's also Oreo under which was delicious! Definitely recommend and would come back to Slovang just for this!! Service was friendly and attentive. Great place to go for dinner.
This place is by far top notch. The service is superb, the atmosphere is amazing, the food is amazingly flavorful and artistic. It’s a must try. This is my second time back. I will be back for more.Kid-friendliness: Our 12 year old loved it as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roasted Potatoes, Kimchi Cracklings, Served with Gourmet Bread Basket, Risotto, Rack of Lamb, Truffle Roasted Cauliflower