Restaurant Review - 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, . 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 , , and 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 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 . 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

The Author

Gary Kelley has lived in Westborough since 1994. His reviews are what he would tell friends, and are not an academic analysis. You can follow him @glkelley or www.garylkelley.com