Waterfront Restaurant

Came for dinner. Drinks were quick. Unfortunately, appetizer took for ever but was good, Boom boom shrimp tasted great. Dinner took for ever. We were told the kitchen staff was overwhelmed. It wasn’t really that busy. Management needs to re-​evaluate whatever they think they’re doing. Some idiot thought this place only needed a men’s bathroom outside. Obviously, re-​education is needed at this establishment. Pull it together!

I would not recommend dining at this restaurant. The outside does look fun for drinking though. I got the mussels and they were good. For my meal I got the shrimp scampi that was soaked, I mean soaked in butter. I would not go back. Wait staff was polite!

Food was average. Service was terrible. But hey… You can boat there so we will be back. Great view of the lake and you can sit in or outside. The hubs thought they «had a good take on the Cuban.» I had the mexican salad. It was fine as salads go. Basic offerings for kids.

Horrid tourist trap!!! Beware all frozen and canned food assembled with no regard for quality or presentation or even the slightest attempt of authenticity. Oh and one additional warning the menu descriptions are not even close to what will be delivered to your table!

Visited this place on a road trip to keuka lake without seeing any reviews. We seated on the deck facing the lake… what an amazing view… we ordered fish taco and special chicken burger of the day… Food tasted as amazing as the view… It is worth the money… prices were nominal… I would suggest people to visit this place for sure when you are in keuka lake…

Food was not good! Three of us ate there and no one liked their dishes. I had the coconut shrimp, and the other two had a burger and jambalaya. All of them were almost completely inedible.
I think this place has a kick ass view of the lake, and would be great for drinks, but skip the food!!! Service was good, however.

Last week my husband and I went to visit Watkins Glen State Park and was looking for somewhere nice to have dinner.
It was getting late so we called ahead to see if the restaurant would still let us have dinner even though arriving late — after all we were about 30 minutes away. They told us we were welcome so we drove their, and I am so happy we did — it was really such a great and memorable experience!
Amanda who waited us was absolutely lovely and attentive and Dave the chef cooked us the best meal ever. It was super tasty. We had mussels for appetizer and I had the jambalaya for entrée whilst my husband had the chicken Alfredo. Everything was so tasty and delicious! Yum! We were recommended by Dave to try the cake balls for dessert and I am so glad that we did. They were super delicious and came in a cocktail glass with some Greek yoghurt that really hit the spot!
Something that also impressed me was the wine list — only serving local wines.
Thank you again for making this such a memorable and joyful evening, I hope we can come back again to visit!

Wow! My dining experience at this establishment was one of the best I’ve ever had.
My wife and I were making an overnight stop a couple of towns over and we were searching for a nice sit– down restaurant for dinner. We were at the Watkins Glen state park, which is incredible by the way, and the Waterfront was the only option open at the time we finished at the park. My wife and I are soooo glad that it was the only option because our experience was that amazing and we wouldn’t have wanted to miss out on that by dining anywhere else!
So my criteria for ratings goes as follows: 1. Food 2. Service 3. Ambiance.
Firstly, the food was excellent. We started with an appetizer of mussels. I had the chicken Toscana as an entrée and my wife had the jambalaya. The mussels were cooked just right and the broth in which they were served was delicious. The mild flavor of the broth complimented the flavor of the mussels perfectly. We soaked our bread in the broth and ate that when all the mussels were gone. It was that good.
My chicken Toscana was really delicious. The chicken was cooked perfectly. It was a good 1″ thick and it was moist and tender. It was served in an Alfredo sauce with mushroom and onion and again the sauce was the perfect compliment to the meat. The mashed potato and squash sides were also delicious.
My wife couldn’t have been happier with her jambalaya. It was full of flavorful sausage and shrimp and again the sauce had just the right amount of kick and heat to it. The portion was tremendous and my wife barely could finish half of it, so we of course had to take the rest home with us.
For desert we had the cake balls. I’ve had a cake ball before. Cake sans frosting in a ball form with a coating of hard chocolate on the outside. These cake balls were chocolate cake on the inside with chocolate exterior and I believe a kind of vanilla/​peanut cake with I think a white chocolate exterior. They were absolutely delicious. They were served in a martini glass with a wonderful raspberry glaze/​Greek yogurt sauce. The Greek yogurt gave a lovely tangy flavor to the rich cake. AGAIN, the sauce was the perfect compliment to the dish!
Secondly, the service was probably the best I’ve ever experienced in any restaurant. EVER. As I mentioned earlier, my wife and I were at the state park for the day and were actually quite late for dinner. We noticed on their Unilocal page that they closed at 10pm. The earliest we would arrive would be 9:30pm. We called in and asked if it would be possible for them to serve us at that hour and Amanda, the server/​bartender, said it should be fine. I assumed they probably had a few other late diners that would still be enjoying their meals when we arrived so that’s why they agreed that it wouldn’t be a problem to serve us as they still had other guests. To my wife’s and my surprise, we were the only two customers they had! They stayed open late, over an hour past their listed closing time just to serve my wife and I! We couldn’t believe how warm and generous they were. The chef Dave greeted us during our meal to check if everything was satisfactory, and of course it was. He recommended having the cake balls for desert and with how delicious our meal was at that point, we decided that we should take his recommendation. We are sure glad that we did! Dave credited his colleague Dan, who joined us at the end of the bar, for the creation of those delicious cake balls. Amanda, Dave and Dan were three of the nicest people my wife and I have ever come across and they really made us feel at home and welcomed. We were really amazed at the care they displayed.
Lastly, the ambience was really lovely. It was impeccably clean and the décor was quite charming. As we were there for dinner, we could not see the lake at all, but we imagine that it would be an amazing view during the day! Ambience is definitely last on the list of priorities when it comes to restaurants but the Waterfront was right on the money again and my wife and I were duly impressed.
We really can’t say enough about our amazing experience. Seriously, one of the best dining experiences we have ever had. Our deepest and most sincere thanks to Amanda, Dave and Dan for giving us an evening to remember for the rest of our days. If we could give more than 5 stars we would. Do yourself a favor and pay the Waterfront a visit for some delicious food and a great time! :D
PS. My wife and I are from New York City, so we are quite familiar with fine restaurants and the Waterfront is definitely amongst the finest we have ever been. Thanks again!

As a tourist we were looking for a nice restaurant with a view of beautiful Seneca Lake. This place hit the spot, unassuming from the outside but nice décor within and most importantly, delicious food. I had the Earth and Turf which is a mushroom burger with white truffle sauce and a mushroom mayo and it was one of the best meals I have had in a very long time. It’s a shame I live 4+ hours away or else I would be coming here quite often. This place is worth a stop for anyone who wants a beautiful view and a delicious meal.

This place is great!
Although not quite the right season yet, I can close my eyes and imagine it packed with boats, lively people drinking tropical drinks, and live music playing.
We came for lunch around noon on a Sunday and the place was beautiful. There is a bar and fine dining in the front and an outdoor bar and dining on the dock out back.
The food was great! Not healthy, but tasty for sure. We got:
— boom boom shrimp: yum! Fried and tossed in a spicy mayo based sauce.
— Hawaiian teriyaki burger: great! A delicious juicy burger topped with ham and pineapple.
— Mushroom burger: perhaps a bit too much mushroom (didn’t know it was possible), but still very good.
Added bonuses:
— buns for the burgers are homemade and absolutely delicious. They are toasted and buttered to perfection
— fries. These are my favorite kind of fries! Battered and perfectly crisp!
— the view. This view can seriously not be beat!
When in the area, we will certainly be back!

All I have to say is WOW. I have been here many times, and love the place, but this year is really something special and different. My family and I decided to take a visit for opening weekend, and I have to say I was completely blown away by all of the renovations etc. Forget everything that you know about the place, because it is hardly recognizable. New look, new menu, etc. The Sable family has gone above and beyond to make this place a whole new experience for the customer.
Amazing service by our waitress Ashley. She was very attentive to our table of 7. My grandfather, whom is very difficult to impress, was beyond happy with the service and the food. Naturally we had many questions about the new menu, all of which were answered without hesitation, and we even had a few special requests, which were taken care of immediately!
Not a single complaint from me, and I will most definitely be back! I highly recommend!

I am a first time customer to The Waterfront, 12 664 W Lake Road. Once seated on the lake view deck I could not help feel like the owner just unlocked the front door in the spring and had not done anything in the way of improvements. Pealing paint & cracked deck chairs were evedent.
My lunch on Saturday was a disappointment. I truly can’t understand why a hamburger and fries takes 30 minutes to be served. I clearly requested a «medium-​rare, pink» burger. I got a dried out bad hamburger.
Never again.

My boyfriend and I had a lovely dinner here. Without really planning it to be a «date», it ended up being a really nice one. The Waterfront serves all the local wines — I love Salmon Run Meritage. We got to sit and have a nice relaxed dinner over a bottle of wine (they also let you take what you don’t finish home with you). My boyfriend is obsessed with the Pesto Alfredo Pasta. I got the mussels with a side a of spaghetti. Yum! If you love garlic… You will love the mussels! The peanut butter chocolate cake dessert was heaven. We will definitely be back and I will not be sharing my dessert. Kristen, our server, was really nice and all about good service.

My boyfriend and I walked to Waterfront for some dinner and drinks one night (yes– walked. plus #1). We got pretty basic meals– sandwiches and salads. They were both very good; the ambiance was great. We were seated outside and, for someone who usually gets eaten alive by bugs I was very happy with the lack of bites I received. The view was beautiful, and they didn’t rush us out at all. We stuck around after dinner and got drinks, the margarita was yummy but my head told me the next day I should have stopped at 1. There was live music and dancing. It was all good fun. I’ll definitely visit the Waterfront again!

For several years of vacationing in the area, this was my first time at the waterfront. On weekends, we hear the music across the lake, and it always sounds like folks are having a good time. Maybe that is the ticket with this restaurant, go late at night and drink?
Monday night dinner with a table of 8, first impression walking in and seeing the bar to the right, it looks clean and inviting, and like a good place to hang out.
Appetizers of mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, sautéed mushrooms, fried clams and calamari started us off. Yes it is a lot of fried food, but the calamari and clam strips were the best of them. «not great», but the best of what we ordered.
The rest of the dinner was unbelievably disappointing. Shrimp scams, waterfront linguini and chicken Marsala were swimming in garlic and oil, with absolutely no flavor. It appears that the scampi and linguini were made together, and they just added lemon to the scampi. (Note the picture of the linguini posted.). That is all oil, and no flavor. Monday is BBQ rib night, and although they appear to be boiled, they were tender and palatable. Kids menu had fried shrimp which were flavorless and disappointing. When a 10 year old turns away fried shrimp, there is not much more to say!
No dessert, probably wouldn’t have tasted it anyway with all of the oil coating our mouths. Service was attentive, however the table next to us was filled with all of the servers on their cell phones.
On the bright side the view is nice and the drinks were good. Some may say that is all you need.

Sigh. Restaurant ratings are so subjective; everyone has their own personal set of criteria. Some average out their experience according to the food, service, and décor/​ambiance/​crowd.
Location, or ambiance/​décor isn’t very high on my must-​haves when trolling for good eats. If I had to rate the Waterfront on just this alone I’d give it 3 stars (not 4 because the restaurant sorely needs an update). The Waterfront boasts commanding views of Keuka Lake, a vision of still water reflecting a rolling topography of brilliant autumn foliage. Advantage Waterfront.
If I had to rate the service, Stephen the waiter, was kind and energetic, efficient and unobtrusive. And when I told him about my meal (more on that in a second), he quickly offered to take that portion off my bill. I wasn’t expecting this, and it was most welcome. 4 stars.
But the food. What a mess. I ordered Shrimp Scampi over a bed of linguini. When the plate came out a little too quickly, I was suspicious. I smelled the shrimp to make sure it wasn’t «fishy» smelling. So far, so good. What sucked was when I tried to pick up the shrimp with my fork and the tines may as well have bent from the resistance. The shrimp was way overcooked, hard as a rubber tire and completely flavorless.
I left it on the plate and just ate the linguini, which was a limp, oily mess. When I told the waiter about the shrimp, he apologized, corrected the bill and offered dessert.
I didn’t feel much like sweets, but I wanted to give this place one more shot, so I decided on the red velvet cake.
It tasted like stale bread slapped together with spackle and Elmer’s Paste.
Two stars, you see, is quite generous.

Gets 4 stars because of the view. Food is mediocre. You can’t get a better view of the lake though. They have a couple local beers on tap also.

A Keuka Lake staple. You can sit out on the dock during the summer and enjoy all you can eat crab legs (Wednesday nights) and live music many nights a week. It’s where the locals go so you can count on it to be good.
I’ve been going here since I was little and honestly probably had 2 menu items other than the crab legs so I don’t have much advice on what to get unless you’re there on a Wednesday.
Also, if you don’t mind crowds I suggest you check out Clammin n’ Jammin on Sunday afternoons — everyone comes out to listen to the band and have a beer or two.