By Cameron Thomas
There is a small suburban town called Clarkston located outside of Detroit, Mich. Clarkston has many great stores and activities, but in the heart of downtown Clarkston, there is a hidden gem food fanatics would travel to, for a unique visit to the Union Woodshop.
The Union Woodshop opened it doors 11 years ago and is located on Main Street in the City of the Village of Clarkston.
Main Street contains a lot of small local businesses and restaurants, many of which are all owned by the same person, Curt Catallo.
The restaurants he owns in Clarkston include The Woodshop and The Union. He also has many other locations outside of Clarkston with amazing food. My favorite from all the establishment he owns is, by far, the Woodshop.
The Woodshop serves a wide variety of food, but focuses  on barbecue. The food selection ranges from fresh salads and oven cooked pizza to slow cooked barbecue. Their wood burning pizza oven gives the pizza the smoky flavor which is something special.
Their most famous dish they offer is the mac & cheese. Their oven-baked mac & cheese with multiple layers of cheese is worth coming to try for yourself. Their slow cooked barbecue is something special as well, with unique and delicious homemade barbecue sauces giving the barbecue a new twist.
Also, the preparation of their meat everyday before the restaurant opens is worth trying at the Woodshop.
Our family took a visit over the holiday break for a night out as a family.
We walked into the front door of the Clarkston Woodshop and noticed all the unique features around the restaurant that I haven’t noticed during previous visits.
From wood covering the walls to the unique lighting throughout the restaurant, it stands out from other barbecue locations.
The atmosphere was energetic and the service was very welcoming and quick throughout the night. We sat in the middle of the restaurant with TV’s and others all around. Our server was great with our drinks and our food came out quicker than expected.
I ordered a side order of mac & cheese as well as pulled pork and it was delicious. Our family was too full to have any desserts after the amount of food we had for dinner.
The Woodshop is a great gathering place for large group functions as well. The large upstairs includes a bar, pool tables, games for the kids and seating.
It’s a great place to hang out before your table is ready or if you’re done visiting the small stores downtown to show your support for Clarkston. The Woodshop is a great restaurant locals must try and Michiganders making a trip must stop by to try yourselves.
Students in Laura Mahler’s Creative Writing class at Clarkston High School wrote reviews of local restaurants, music, movies, etc., and requested publication in their hometown newspaper.