Rusty Rudder

This place is ridiculous. The bartenders over serve obviously drunk people who should be old enough to know how to handle their alcohol. The bartender with dark brown hair is rude, wouldn’t know customer service if it slapped her in her big ass. The bathrooms were foul, dirty, and 4 women came in throwing up.
Not a good representation of Lake Norman.

Loved the location and the lake view. Food was just fair, admittedly it was Black Friday and we heard they got slammed at lunch but we got no tarter sauce or cocktail sauce with our meals, no Cole slaw was ever served. French fries were cold, shrimps seemed small. Great location, lots of TV’s for sports inside, fair number of drink specials, just be aware food is nothing to write home about.

Great to go by boat, awesome scenery, however the food, at least when we have gone is horrible! I mean I have it 2 stars because the scenery, and the music… is great! But the food is so disappointing we probably would be coming here often if the food was not so bad! I honestly don’t recommend coming here, if you had to, get the wings, this might sound like an opinion and it is but you are better off just getting the wings.

Nice view, food slightly above average and pricey.

Absolutely loved the Shrimp Tacos!!! And TATER TOTS!!! Cool place to eat coming off a boat. Definitely a chill place on the water. We’ll be back for sure!

Only giving 2 stars because of the location… awesome views. The food, however, was awful! We are very easy people to please. If someone tries hard and is apologetic when something goes wrong, we are very understanding. When people that come after you get their bill prior to you getting your disgusting food, then we have a problem. Crab cake sandwich ($ 13) had no taste at all. «Fried clams» (frozen clam strips) and flounder (big pile of mush) for $ 17…yuck! No mention of the 30+ minute wait for the nasty food when it was delivered. Waitress had only been there about 2 weeks so I don’t really fault her. We have been here a handful of times and had great food and service. What happened???

I have few good things to say about this restaurant. The view and music were the only two things that made this outing acceptable, but I still cringe at the price I paid for the «food» and «drinks.» Margaritas had no alcohol in them yet they were the «special» of the night. Save your money. Go somewhere else.

The Rusty Rudder is a great place to go if you don’t have a boat and want to enjoy the lake view. Also they have live music outside to enhance the party. Outside there is a bar, stage for the musicians and upper and lower patios for dining. The inside has additional dining tables, another bar and pool tables. Sometimes we ait inside if the wait is too long because it is a nice way to cool down after being on the lake all day.
Their food is consistently average. Not great but not terrible. Just typical bar style food.
It is excellent that at their fuel docks they provide 93 Octane Fuel, one of the few places on the lake to offer it. They have 5 slips dedicated to fueling which keeps your wait time down. However those five slips mean that there are five fewer to park in for dining and you can expect a long wait if they ate all occupied. Additionally they sell beer, ice and snacks in the fuel dock store and have designated spots for jet ski parking.

We’ve been for lunch on two occasions. The view of the lake always keeps us coming back! The food was fine. It met my expectation for lakeside bar cuisine. They are always quite busy, but we always seem to get a table quickly. No big bells and whistles on food or service, but I’m sure we will go back.

Had a drink which I disliked and waitress never asked me if I wanted something else
Even after I told her it was terrible

DINER BEWARE… this place charges for condiments! .25 for honey mustard! Ludicrous! Such an insult!

Rating is for a Monday night. I got a seat outside with a half price frozen strawberry daiquiri. It’s busyish but not too loud. The staff has been totally fine, no rudeness to report. Lots of people are taking advantage of the crab legs special. No one is being rowdy, just the mid level hum of tables of talking people. I’m down with this, 4 stars.

A bit above the normal bar food, service was good… will go back.
Had the fish tacos, not the best I have had but worth having again.

Have been to this place many times. Location is just ideal for an extended noon to evening hangout with a group of friends during summer. Food has the normal pub menu, but the highlight is its location just beside lake Norman.
Late night parties has live performances with an awesome crowd.
Different settings altogether when compared with places in uptown or in urban Charlotte.

Food was very good, service quick. It had a great view of the water from the marina there and inside and outside dining/​cocktails. Nice vib. Food tastes home made. I had fried shrimp in a light batter and ordered lobster mac and cheese which I recommend but it is very rich so order a side of it w your meal, yummy!

We went for drinks on a sunny Tuesday afternoon in March. It wasn’t very busy and the outdoor bartender was nice. My beer (NoDa Woody & Wilcox IPA) was good, but my wife’s Blue Moon tasted watered down and off. Almost like it was mixed with Bud Light or something. Not sure what was going on there. We enjoyed our time there though, and the beer thing may have been a fluke.
The view was ok. Yes it was on the lake, but it wasn’t a particularly nice spot on the lake. Kind of in a back corner, hidden.
We will probably go back for beers sometime, maybe try the food, but the reviews are pretty terrible. Eat at your own risk, but for a drink outside, not bad,
$ 3 Drafts on Tuesdays

Was recommended by some folks at the Marriott City Center Hotel.
Glad went, great views, great service and the food was good. Had good time chatting with all the fellow barflies and met the only two people in America to have visited «south of the border» in SC!
Ask the bartender Matt about his thrilling time hanging out with Pedro — he never «sausage» a good time (I-​95 South of the Border billboard reference)
Recommend this place as the perfect spot to waste away a lazy afternoon…
We will return

Much Improved.
When we first moved to the Lake, this was one of our favorite places but that restaurant closed and the Rusty Rudder moved in and it went downhill. Been awhile since we’ve been here but they have made big improvements in the cusine and service and it’s close to what it used to be. Music is still way too loud and you can’t hear yourself think but other than that, not bad.
My wife and I went for brunch today after Church. The place was virtually empty the entire time we were here. We were promptly seated at a table right next to a window with a great view. Of all of the restaurants accessable by boat, this one has one of the best views on the Lake. We were given the option of eating on the covered deck but considering we were having a cold wet rain, indoors was more cozy.
My wife ordered a Green Tomato, Crab Salad that she fell in love with. I opted for an Oyster Po Boy with Fries that was not bad even though the oysters were a bit overcooked. Fries were excellent however.
All in all, not bad and a big improvement from the last time we were here. Now if they would just learn to cut down the music a bid, particulary if you only have a couple of patrons, it would have been a bit better. Another thing they could do is open up theri Wi-​Fi to the patrons. Theirs is secure and I ended up logging on with my own hot spot.

Nice place, one of the few on the lake, beautiful at sunset. Live music is always fun but a but too many drunk folks stumbling by (outside tiki bar) during dinner hours. Good food, drinks and service. Skip the lobster Mac and cheese but go for the fried haddock. Oh and reservations for parties 6+ only but it was a quick wait.

You go here for the view. Yes, the lake scene is gorgeous. However, don’t forget the other entertaining sight to take in here: people watching.
This is my go-​to spot if I’m in the Lake Norman area. If you’re on the lake and need to grab grub, this place serves its purpose. They have a big menu. Everything is okay. Like Ryan G said, I think of this more as a place to drink than eat.
That being said… The Rudder always has great drink specials. The patio area is huge and full of energy. I love to come spend an afternoon here. There’s usually live music. All the employees are super nice. Don’t have a boat? Who cares! Watercraft is not needed to come have some fun.
Boat peeps– you can not use this as a place to go scoop people. If people are meeting you there, tie up the boat… go in and get drinks. But, be responsible! Police pull people over by land and water around this place.
I don’t have kids, but if I did i wouldn’t bring them up here on the weekends during the Summer. There are a lot of drunk people. May not want them to see or hear some of the things that happen. For the adults though, sit back and enjoy the show.