Willy's Steakhouse

Willy’s Steakhouse

2 Grafton Street
Shrewsbury, MA 01545

(508) 842-7220

There are places with a solid business, and a great following, that I just don’t get.

For example, JPs. Fellow blogger (and good guy) Glenn Parker said “Gary, you missed big time on this one. JPs has the best fish & chips, scallops, clams and steaks. This is a true locals place but not just townies.”  Conversely, I had someone send me a text thanking me for telling “the truth.”  I don’t “get”JPs, and I am happy they are doing just fine.

I like a good steak, and have reviewed 111 Chop House, Flemings, Del Frisco’s and Smith & Wollensky in these posts. Each of these restaurants offer a premium (and pricey) experience, in tastefully decorated steak house style.

Let me say it now. I don’t “get” Willy’s Steakhouse. It shares being pricey with the other places, and that’s where the similarities stop.

To be clear, I’ve been to Willy’s a bunch of times. I liked it when Willy’s served Sushi from an old house (now car wash) on Route 9 in Westborough…it was funky, like Lala Java was on Route 9 in Shrewsbury (Price Chopper.)  At their main location, I’ve always been disappointed. My visit this time was no exception.

The first thing about Willy’s is getting a parking spot. It is so tight they sometimes have a valet. On this visit, the valet was off, so I had to find parking on my own. Normally this is not a big deal, however the parking lot at Willy’s is tight to maneuver in. There were spots open, so I parked and headed in.

The first thing striking me is the restaurant is below grade. Entering the vestibule, a musty smell immediately hit me…reminding me of an old building. OK, old buildings can have charm.

The hostess immediately told me there was only one table left in the restaurant, a table right next to the kitchen. This seemed an odd greeting, especially with a number of open tables. Well, perhaps the other tables had reservations, and I didn’t. Cool. I’ll look at the table by the kitchen as a chef’s table!

My computer engineering background trained me to look for patterns. The pattern of slow service was immediately clear….and at first I thought I would only see my pleasant waitress every 10 minutes or so. That was her “best” time:

• 7:19 Seated. Willy’s has a wide range of menus to go through, so you are left with a stack of things to go through. There’s the wine list, the regular menu, and two specials menus (includes one Sushi.)  (Heck, a computer would have been handy for navigating.)  My beverage order was taken.

Trumpet jazz music loudly blaring.

•  7:30 Beverage served. Hmm, 11 minutes to get a glass of wine. Better order appetizers and entrée quickly.

We are out of fresh bread, we need to make more.

• 7:39 Bread Delivered
   
• 7:40  Appetizer served. The shrimp cocktail was my choice. The shrimp were crisp, although they had a slightly odd taste. I can’t describe the taste, it wasn’t fishy. It reminded me of a very slight chemical taste. The cocktail sauce was sparse, with a welcomed dollop of horseradish.
• 8:04 Dinner delivered, 24 minutes after the appetizer.

 I went with the Swordfish Nantucket, “Center cut swordfish encrusted with a spicy almond and pecan crust, served with a lemon thyme and parsley sauce.”  My swordfish was just about perfect, not dry as so many swordfish can be. The sauce was delightful, light and flavorful.

Willy’s serves à la carte, so my choice of side was asparagus. Visually, the asparagus was appealing, nice sized stalks in a béarnaise sauce. Sadly, the asparagus was cold, and mushy.

• 8:25 The lights went down throughout. (It was already dim). It seems rather unnecessary to adjust the lights in a basement restaurant.
• 8:26 The bill dropped off, “No rush sir - whenever you’re ready.”
•  8:27 The lights went darker. Not to worry, the flash on my phone can be used as an emergency light.

Check + credit card went away. $68 bucks for a single person for dinner. I was longing for 111 Chop House. Heck, leave the lights out.

• 8:28 The lights came back to their original level.

• 8:30 My car wrestled out of the parking lot.

Many people rave about Willy’s. I’m not one of them.

Hours

Daily 4PM to close

Willy’s Steakhouse gets a RED LIGHT…use caution.

About the RAG scale:

       Green Light – Go and enjoy

       Amber Light – Use caution

       Red Light – Save your time and money