Wool Growers Restaurant

Went to Bakersfield for a meeting and was excited to go to Wool Growers. I've dined here every time I've traveled to the city for meetings. To be perfectly honest the place seemed changed, mainly the attitude of everyone from the cashier to the waiters. The food was still genuine and abundant basque. But everyone who I saw working there looked angry at the world. No smiles, projecting attitude, put down the servings and immediately walk away not missing a step. I started thinking I'd rather be at a buffet and serve myself. To be fair, I have friends who live in Bakersfield and who dine there and at nearby Benji's. They tell me I must have gone on a "bad" day. To be frank, I'd still gonna back next time I'm there. But first impressions can make a difference between coming back and never returning. My experience was not a first impression and I'm glad it wasn't.

Basque is a Bakersfield tradition! Wool Growers has always been one of my favorite spots for a basque set up or garlic fried chicken. The setup here has gotten a little sparse - you have to pay for tongue - and the quality is a little less - spaghetti is a little on the soft side. The wait staff is excellent. Always super warm and family-like. We also did my birthday here this year and the price was on a sliding scale for our budget and menu we wanted. Overall the same as I remember as a kid and I love to take my kids now to carry the tradition.

Whoa my father's family (Alonso Nevada) from Santander so drove up to get a taste of my ancestors food n plenty of drink. Barman from the homeland served up lamb chops five course meal epic from start to finish !Cheers to Don Julio's too. Wine Bottles to-go great idea. And just looked at the Wool Growers Restaurant business card and it say Camou family. My mother's family is Camou. There is a Street in Paris General de Camou my cousin just sent photos. Cosmic Cheers I need more vino !

I've been interested in Bakersfield lately. When relevant to the conversation, I have extolled the virtues of Bakersfield to my interlocutors. "The Bakersfield sound, man! Buck and Merle, how cool were they? And that's where they're from. Nashville gets all this hype, but the cooler stuff came from California."To that, I might get a nod of the head. "And they have a bunch of Basque restaurants! Apparently, Basque shepherds immigrated at some point, stuck around, but held on to their identity." Still, no one's interested in going with me to Bakersfield.People from LA and San Fran see Bakersfield as a place filled with backward hicks. For all the snobs with a low opinion of the jewel of Kern County, you need to step into the dining room at Wool Growers. People from L.A. and the Bay Area comport themselves like an upturned garbage can compared to the tidy manner of the Wool Growers' staff and clientele. I went on a Thursday for lunch and everyone looked like they might just as well be at an Easter celebration. Having already been to my local Basque restaurant, I was familiar with the heartwarming effect the food can have. It's not fancy. In fact, you can probably make it at home, but that's kind of the point. In this charming dining room, attached to a charming banquet room and bar, with a charming sign out front, you feel like you are being treated to a feast by your aunt or grandmother. Or, perhaps, the aunt or grandmother of your Basque friend. The tomato/ piperade type salad was tremendous with local tomatoes and bell peppers in season. I assume they're local since I kept passing trucks on both the 5 and 99 freeways hauling massive loads of tomatoes.The soups were honest and delicious. The clam chowder is not the typical heavily creamed affair. Most of the thickening is done with the starch from potato, and is enriched with milk. Much lighter and perfect for the July heat of the valley. The beans are tasty and become even better with the spicey tomatoey salsa. You also receive bread, a lettuce based salad, and a vegetable soup. All this is complimentary with your meal.My meal was the pickled tongue sandwich (tongue of beef). I realized later that it would have been more appropriate had I ordered a lamb dish, seeing as how I was in a place for shepherds. But the pickled tongue sandwich proved to be a phenom nonetheless. The tongue meat isn't pickled in the way of a jarred preserve. At least that was not my impression. It seemed to me that it was prepared in a sort of escabeche: cooked in a boiling mixture of water and vinegar. It was certainly acidic. Yet the offaly tongue savor was still noticeable. And the sandwich's condiment was a very decadent compound butter with garlic and parsley. The staff was exceptionally attentive and polite. I had a couple of restless toddlers with me. The staff may have been annoyed with the children's behavior, but if that was the case, they masked it entirely. Very warm welcoming people.

When we arrived at 5pm, when they opened there was plenty of parking. The neon sign was a nice touch to the exterior of the restaurant. When we walked in you can't see the front desk. We only knew to look as another women walked across us and said she's going to check in. The front desk is tucked into the dining room, across from the bar. We walked up to the front desk and asked for a table for 2. She first said is a table ok, then she looked at her seating chart and said there is a booth if you want in. It looked like everything was reserved and we were lucky to get seated. As it turns out while seated, all of the booths were accounted for, but there were a couple of tables available for those of us who didn't make reservations.The place was much lighter and brighter than I expected. The wall paper has a light background and the walls are painted a light color. For some reason knowing it's an older establishment I thought it would be dimly lit and over crowded with tables. As it turns out there is a chandelier every few feet and it really lights up the place.Since we've been in Bakersfield we've heard about this place and it's gotten lots of hype so we had big expectations for our dinner. Unfortunately with it built up so big, it was a little of a disappointment. The spread was as expected. And we paced ourselves so not to fill up on one item. I wish I had kept the soup bowl and not let them take it as I really wanted more soup. They clear the dishes as you go through the meal to make room for more dishes.The dinner included: The Set up- (You can order just this and skip the main entree.)Bread- Cold French bread- good with butterCabbage soup- I liked this best out of all the dishes that was servedBeans- Tasted like Baked Beans, They were really goodSalsa- Spicy. It really perks up the dishesTomato salad- pickled tomatoes (Tomatoes in vinegar dressing) Really good, but vinegaryGreen salad- A bit too much dressingVegetable of the day- Carrots- Very goodSpaghetti with meat sauce and parmesan cheese on top. Very goodFrench Fries- Needed more salt or ketchup, which is on the table.I got the fried chicken with garlic- It was very dry. I was really disappointed. It came out with a wing, leg, part of a breast and thigh. Perfect for one person. I ate it all. The portion was small enough that you can eat nice servings of the set up and have room for your chicken dinner.He got the pork chops. He got two small pork chops. It was good, but a small portion. If you eat a hearty set up you will be full at the end of your meal.I've tried it once and don't think I'd come back again. I am glad I went to give it a try and see what all the hype was about. If you haven't experienced Basque food I recommend you give it a try. Know there is a lot of food so pace your self. You can take home what you don't finish.

Wool Growers is a fun Basque dining experience. We ordered the lamb chops and they were delicious! They had a great outer char and were tender on the inside. That being said the rest of the meal is so so. Everything was nothing to write home about and just average.Overall, the service was good and the other than the lamb chops the food is ok.

There's nothing quite like a Basque dinner. Truly. While Bakersfield might not be at the top of your list for travel destinations, the Basque meals are something unique to the area that are absolutely worth the visit. Wool Growers in particularly is exceptional! Here's how it works: the set up consists of a multi course dining experience. Bread, salad, soup, salsa, beans, fries, spaghetti, tomatos, cottage cheese. The plates just keep coming and if you want more, all you have to do is ask. You can choose to just get the set up or add an entree. I got the sole which was buttery and delicious! The tongue is definitely worth adding if you like something pickled and tender. They have drinks including a solid house wine to share by the bottle. If I had one gripe, it's that they move really fast and sometimes you just want a little more time to savor it up. Be sure to make a reservation! They have multiple rooms including private dining rooms for large parties.

You need reservations. But that also.means it is a busy place. Parking lot next to the restaurant which is nice (not the best part of town). The food is great and the bottle of house wine is a deal. This place is a great representation of basque food and the history. The set up is enough and there is so much food!!

Please bring your appetite! Plenty of food that was fresh and delicious. The place was packed and it did not change the great service!

Iv been coming to wool growers for a short period of time but each time it has been amazing . CJ always takes care of me and my friend & the food is *chef kiss* 10/10 recommend