Food is 5 stars for flavors and presentation and the cocktails are quite tasty too. We had the potato fennel soup and Brussel sprouts to start. The soup had a surprising kick and the sprouts had bite from the apple and acv that made them totally pop.

One of our entrees was the pork chop with seasonal veggies, a grilled peach and sausage bites. Each component on its own was a burst of flavor but when you put them all together it was a true flavor explosion. This sausage bits we amazing!

Our other entree was the half chicken with roasted potatoes, which also had great flavor and again when the components were eaten in one bite, the combination was fantastic. The sauces on both dishes did their job and brought the dishes together too.

For desert, we chose the profiteroles with seasonal fruit and ice cream and that was a great way to end the meal.

We may have caught them on an off night, but service was a bit slower than we prefer – was just over an hour from being seated to main course, but the food was worth the wait.

It was a clean restaurant too, but could use some sound baffling to make conversation a bit easier. We were seated in the center of the room and found it a bit noisy.

We will definitely be back again!

We got to the Oakland restaurant right before they opened for lunch and were greeted warmly by the staff. They gave us our choice of a table right by the window or a spot further inside the dining room. We picked the window, which turned out to be an awesome people-watching node while we looked over the lunch menu.

Our waiter was incredibly friendly and helpful. We ordered the pastrami sandwich and the hot pork sandwich, telling him we planned on splitting them. When we asked if they came with fries, he mentioned they usually come with coleslaw, but he kindly let us swap out one of the slaws so we could try the french fries too. A short time later, the kitchen went completely above and beyond—they brought our food out pre-split on four separate plates. Getting a perfect half-sandwich, fries, and slaw delivered right to each of us without us having to messily cut them at the table was a really kind, thoughtful touch of hospitality.

Starting with the sides, the fries came out piping hot, perfectly crisp, and well-seasoned. They tasted great with just standard ketchup.

As for the best pastrami sandwich in the East Bay contender? It completely delivered. The meat itself was deeply savory, perfectly cured, and piled high on a phenomenal, crusty baguette from La Farine bakery. The Dijon-horseradish dressing gave it a great, sharp kick that cut through the richness. It’s an absolute triumph and entirely worth the trip.

The hot pork sandwich, however, hit a weird bump (3/5 stars for this one). As I picked up my half, the first thing I noticed wasn’t the sharp, bitter scent of broccoli rabe, but a strong smell of cooked spinach. When I took a bite, an overpowering spinach flavor totally took over the palate, completely masking the taste of the pork. My partner noticed the exact same thing. I opened up the baguette to check it out, and while there were a few actual pieces of broccoli rabe, the main culprit was a dark green, long, stringy mass. I ended up scraping most of it off. When I isolated the pulled pork by itself, it was actually delicious, tender, and beautifully seasoned, and the bread was excellent. But with that heavy cooked spinach smell and taste, I just can’t recommend the pork sandwich in its current state. It completely ruined the sandwich for me.

Overall, between the flawless service, and the great tavern atmosphere, Wood Tavern is easily one of the top places for a pastrami sandwich in Oakland.

Arrived about 3:10pm, after lunch before dinner service, not a full menu available. I tried their pastrami sandwich which was really tasty and fries. Everything was good. Nothing blew my socks off though. Will be back to try dinner. Make your reservations ahead of time, the place is small, I thought it would be bigger. Some paid parking available along the street.