Poor initial experiences
My family has tried both dining in and take out....neither was a positive experience. Dining in the place is sooo loud that you can't carry on a conversation with others at your table without raising your voice.

The food is great...but service is lacking and there needs to be some sound reduction. When ordering take out our order was not correct. Had the person taking the order even taken the time to repeat the order back, the problem could have been avoided. We waited so long for the corrected order that when we got home the peanut butter pie was totally melted!! No napkins, no plasticware, no apology! Cold food and melted pie. NOT LEGENDARY SERVICE AS ADVERTISED!!!

Great food- crappy service!    [07 Aug 2006 22:02:37]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Pulled pork, Cuban sandwich

     ­Anonymous   

Great Food - Good Service
New restaurants usually need some time to get their act together, and it seems the Waldorff has done this since their first review above. My wife and I dined on a busy Saturday night, but by our 7:30 arrival, there wasn't a wait for us to be seated.

Food was excellent- delicious, hot, and fast. Nice touches on the presentation too. I've worked in quite a few restaurants years ago- the little things can really make or break a restaurant and you’ll say "that was OK" or "Wow, that was really good." My wife said her meal was one of the best Salmon dinners she's ever had. I thoroughly enjoyed my Rueben sandwich- very tender and tasty- one of the best one's I've had too. “Wow, that was really good.”

We felt the service was very good- fast, attentive, and good follow up. Waiter should have learned the wines, their own house brews, and the menu perhaps a little better since he couldn't answer some of our questions- but he did offer to find answers for what he didn't know. Being a new place, I'm sure the staff is still learning everything.

Yeah, the place is a little noisy, but what brew pub isn't? Kind of the nature of the beast. Don't go expecting a quiet evening for two, but go expecting a good place to meet friends and have some fun, food and drinks.    [14 Aug 2006 15:03:12]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Wild Salmon and Rueben Sandwich

     ­Altoguy   

Return of a decent restaurant
I live in Hastings. I live there because it's a small town with no convenient freeway access. Life is a little bit slower; nice place to raise kids. The distaff side of this is that our local culinary fare is fairly bleak.

We used to have a restaurant known as Johnny Conoon's that people came from Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo to eat at. High quality; "worthy of a bigger city". Alas, a divorce by the owners sealed its fate. It became Fall Creek Restaurant (Don't bother).

Waldorff Bistro is a fine replacement. The food is less serious than the old Conoon's, light pasta dishes, wood-fired pizza, 'gourmet' sandwiches, all done well and very tasty, however. Its a brewpub. As trite as they have become, this one still works because of the local market and the good quality of the beer.

Prices are reasonable. Family of 4, 2 Adults, 2 kids, under $60.00 including 2 beers for each adult.

The only irritation is the noise level inside. Its a coverted 19th century commercial building with high ceilings and a lot of echo.

WARNING! It's a new, good, restaurant in a town that really offers no comparable competition. Make a reservation or expect to wait one or more hours to get in. Also, the waitstaff is uneven. Sometimes you get a skilled server, sometimes not; it is a new reataurant after all. Finally, the portions, as in most of middle America are too large for most healthy adults. Prepare to share, take leftovers home, or waste a lot.    [29 Sep 2006 14:21:59]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Wood-fired pizza. Appeals to everyone.

     ­Jason Cherry   

LOVE IT!
I love this restaurant! We have only been there twice (we would go a lot more if they were open on Sundays) but we have had great food & great service. Their beers are great!    [23 Oct 2006 09:46:39]

Food: -   Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: ribs, pulled pork, brisket, smoked salmon salad

     ­grover3047   

Small town...BIG restaurant
The Walldorff is a great restaurant, there are so many great dishes and drinks to choose from.

The hostesses are very friendly and do a great job at accomodating customers. The servers are all friendly and you can see that they work as a team (clearing each others tables-things like that). I like the open kitchen, to where you can see all of your chefs hard at work.

Obviously being a brewpub they have an awesome selection of beer. They have them all from the lights to the darks. The server and bartenders will gladly let you taste a beer that you may be interested in (if your 21 of course). They offer a sampler of 4 of there beers for $5!! Pints are only $4...Along with many other signature cocktails and drinks. They have delicious specialty martini's, summer drinks and winter beverages to warm you up. Bartenders will gladly whip you up a little something for your tastebuds.

The brewer is around quite a bit, so he can always answer any questions you may have on the beer. The owners are always around, since one of them creates the dishes!

The noise...who cares....as long as you enjoy yourself! It's a very tall building, with high open ceilings...you can't really avoid the noise...but it makes for a great night when there is live music or a DJ.

There is a beautiful ballroom on the top floor (easily accessed by the ELEVATOR)...where you can hold any private event from just a few people to over 200! Receptions, meetings, auctions, company parties.

The prices are great, you get nice portions for your money. Dinners come with soup or salad, they have delicious dinner rolls, and awesome desserts; peanut butter pie, baileys cheesecake, chocolate torte...many more. Don't forget the kids!

There pizzas are delicious...I love the smell of the wood fire pizza oven when you walk in. They have great choices; margherita, island, pesto veggie, meat or you can build your own complete with your choice of sauce and toppings.

They recently started a trio menu during the weekdays - appetizer, entree and dessert...I believe for 12.99...also there is an awesome weekend munchie menu...Quesadillas, Ribbies, Nachos, Pizzas...til' 11:00 pm! Growlers for the beer lover!! And ALL NEW Pub Club...with mugs, growlers and the many other benefits of joining!

Overall I think that this is a place that everyone should give a try...if you are hesitant...go on a weekday when it's a little less crowded and you can ensure that you will be able to see it all and soak it all in!

Oh and they accept credit and debit cards also...not just cash.    [09 Apr 2007 13:40:14]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Bruschetta, Baked Brie, Portabella Fries, The Cuban, Pulled Pork, Try Em' All, Bistro Steak, Asiago Chicken, London, PIZZAS...and DESSERTS!!

     ­Food and Drink Lover   

Great
This is a wonderful resturant. The service is good. Atmosphere is alright. The waiters are very friendly.

The food is amazing!    [05 Jun 2007 13:08:40]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: The Default

     ­Lynzy   

We love it overall
This is a fun place to visit and eat. Their food is great, especially the pizzas. My husband LOVES the beers and fun summer drinks. It is loud and my steak was undercooked once. When we ordered the "Jumbo Scallops" once for an appetizer I was very disappointed. Other than that we have loved everything we tried, we love to take guests and company there and we will continue to frequent it all year!    [22 Jun 2007 20:38:26]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: BBQ pizza, frozen drinks, beesting beer, house salad!

     ­Anonymous   

Not great...
I've given the Waldorff several chances to change my mind, but to no avail. The staff can be obnoxious and unhelpful, the food is notoriously undercooked (can't be healthy) or soggy, and the city has better places to eat. It may be one of the newest restaurants in town, but that's about all it has going for it. Oh, and like the other reviewers said it's loud. If you're in the mood for that, then perfect...if not, it's still going to be loud.

On a high point, the beer is good. So, go in for one of their brews, then have dinner down the block at one of the better restaurants.    [25 Jun 2007 17:50:25]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: beer

     ­RS   

An oasis...
In an otherwise bleak desert of used up un-creatve restaurants in Hastings. The food over the past year has been wonderful, the beers first class and the service is attentive and friendly. Yes, it can be loud. If you like the sound of silence & the occasional cricket chirping go to the other restaurants down the block. I am sure they can accomodate you. Everyone I know will be at the Walldorff. I am proud that someone in our community had the vision and took the risk to create such a great place that we can be proud of.    [13 Aug 2007 23:24:41]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: New entrees, pizza, burger, oyster po boy, fish and chips, beer, beer and more beer

     ­GR