Naked Turtle

Let us wait and wait and then said «sorry we are closing». Rude hostess as well. We asked for our table at 7:15 and were told later that they close at 8 and wouldn’t be seating us. Terrible business practice.

Love it here in the summer time. Great service and good food. Great place to hang out and eat with friends.

After calling at 8:40 asking what time the kitchen closes and them answering 9:00pm we rushed over and arrived at 8:46… Although not ideal we knew we were cutting it close. We were not seated and told «it wasn’t fair to the server that we arrived so late» we asked if we could just order from the bar but immediately were told we could only order drinks. We ultimately left. Maybe we will give it another shot next year.

Our first visit this summer and once again, hoping for a miracle and just disappointed. We have been here for 45 minutes and have only gotten our drinks and appetizers. We ordered within 10 minutes of seating. Our server has not checked our empty drinks in at least 15 minutes. There are 10 full tables on the deck, not even maximum capacity and there was no wait at the door. No excuse for delayed meals and lack of refills. And the best part — there is a DOG on the deck with a table of 4. It will not stop barking at other patrons. Ridiculous.
It has been an hour now and still no food.
Happy Mothers Day… *sarcasm*

I guess the locals love this place. No one would be reading Unilocal looking for a place (read dive) to bring a family. I didn’t eat there so I’m only reviewing the condition of the bar and its surroundings. The men’s room smells like a urinal that was never cleaned. If they take that kind of care with a place the public sees I can imagine what kind of sanitation they practice in the kitchen. Guys, drink beer and then use the boat basin when you need to.

Great people & environment. Food is iffy. Best items are bar foods mainly. Like nachos, french fries, chicken wings & they’re buffalo chicken wrap is yummy.

Nice atmosphere being on the lake. Very busy on the weekends and staff hussle around with little concern of cutting customers off and consistantly bumping you tring to move around. It’s understanding that they need to work hard, but some consideration would be nice. Average food, drink prices aren’t too ridiculous.

Although once you find this place, seemingly cool to be near the marina, I found the parking to be haphazard and the entry awkward. (It was like walking on to someones large patio. The best part of this place was the outdoor seating because the inside is a bar atmosphere (not where i go to eat) .
Food …not great, way too pricey for the quality. Service… inconsistent to say the least.
The place is fine if your there to drink and listen to music, don’t care about how food tastes, and have all night to stay there otherwise there are much better places that serve great food and customer service is number one .
BTW …I have tried this place 3 times, all different occasions, and will never return !

Very nice casual ambience, located right at the Plattsburgh Marina. Service was attentive without bring obtrusive.
We shared Onion Petals as an appetizer. They were served hot with a nice horseradish dipping sauce. We also had «Stepped Up» New England Chowder. It had curry as one of the spices which actually made for a tasty dish.
Our main courses, fried fish and mussels, were served hot and were tasty. Overall a very nice experience.

I think the Naked Turtle is a great spot to go if you’re looking for a laid back ambiance and an outdoor setting on the lake. Just made it over there once, but had a really fun time. The service was also great, especially at the bar. Only took one star away for the boring menu/​mediocre food — if they revamped their menu it would be awesome!

I was on the fence about giving the Turtle 2 or 3 stars, but went with the extra star purely because we arrived there on my brother-in-law’s boat. Despite being able to dock 75 yards from the restaurant, lake views are scant.
The food was mediocre and expensive for what it was. My South of the Border burger was tasty, but $ 11 is expensive for a six-​ounce patty. My nephew’s mussels were $ 17. Mussels just shouldn’t cost that much. My wife’s Spicy Black Bean Burger ($ 9.50) was dry from spending too much time on the grill. The fried pickles were great, but $ 8? However, it’s a restaurant in a marina on Lake Champlain in the summer. They have 3 months to make their money.
Drinks were better. They had a great selection of beer on tap, including a seasonal from Magic Hat called Elder Betty, a wheat beer with an infusion of elderberry essence, that I loved. My b-​in-​law raved about the Margaritas, so imagine my disappointment when I saw them dispense it from a machine. They were pre-​made.
Service was bad, starting with the hostess who wouldn’t seat us despite there being empty tables in each of the three dining areas. She said it was a fire code thing. OK. So we started at the bar, that is, once the bar tender decided she felt like paying attention to us. A previous reviewer from Atlanta commented on the tattooed and pierced types that haunt Plattsburgh most of the year. Now I know where they go in the summer. Our waitress was nice, but incompetent. She disappeared for long periods of time. So long, in fact, that even Chas in vacation mode got impatient.
In the end, if you’re boating on Champlain and get hungry in the vicinity of Plattsburgh, the Turtle isn’t a bad choice. Just go with reasonable expectations.
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This is a fun summer Plattsburgh bar right by the water.
They have a great outdoor seating area and bar, so its a lovely place to go drinking, or for lunch and still enjoy the summer weather.
Their food is good, and their prices are average. But don’t expect anything amazing, just traditional American fare.
The late night experience is a total 360 from the day. The bar fills up quickly and gets really crowded and loud. Drinks are expensive, and the staff is not very helpful.
The Naked Turtle also features the 32 oz turtlezilla, which is the restaurants fun «eat it all and you get it free» entrée. I attempted this mammoth burger after an 8 hour hike and failed miserably. It would be cool to do, since you get a t-​shit and your picture on the wall, but its not a feat for those who are not practiced.
Overall a good place to visit during the day, and a nice feel.

Plattsburgh’s only «waterfront bar» unfortunately has no un-​obstructed views of the lake during the summer and can be a little difficult to find. Food is just OK. Typical fried crap, though I did enjoy the «onion petals.» Bartenders are OK and friendly enough but nothing to write home about. Live band nights seem to be the best time to go, although there was the testosterone fueled bar-​fight the night we went to see «Glass Onion» play, who were FANTASTIC by the way.
Best part of going to the Turtle is the distinct lack of the typical downtown Plattsburgh summer resident: The ever present Plattsburgh-​State-​College-​Dropout-​Deadlocked-​Facially-​Pierced-​Tattooed-​Dirty-​Hippy, which seem to be around every corner and in every bar in town during the summer months… Yick!
Add a star if you are in your 30’s, add two if you are in your 20’s, add three if you’re retarded.

Never had the food but you can’t beat the location. Fun summer crowd, everyone is friendly and there to have a good time.

Down at the marina, the Naked Turtle is really only place to go. It’s a staple, but it’s only open in the summer and it’s more renown for being at the water than anything else.
Food:
All in all, the food at the Turtle really isn’t that great. Sure, we all put up with it, marginal at best, but there are a few things you can order if you need to. My mother is partial the Patron Silver and Conona Light combo, but she has heard that Turtleizza Burger (not making this up here, folks) is a fine meal. a 32-​oz hamburger, and if you complete the whole thing, you get a t-​shirt. Or you can just buy one.
I myself don’t mind the mozzerella sticks (although they are totally frozen beforehand) and the nachos don’t suck. The turkey club sandwich on the croissant is also a pretty safe choice. Go for apps over food if you have to eat, but if you can get a ticket to the AYCE buffet after the Mayor’s Cup Race, that’s your best bet.
Drinks aren’t super cheap, but coming from a few years down in the City, a 50-​cent tip is adequate, if that tells you anything. Good selection typical American beers and liquors, but be warned, the mixed drinks will run you some money.
Venue:
The Turtle, for it’s lack of culinary appeal, is a big place. There are two outdoor patios and a large dining area. The bar is huge and spans the whole length of the inside. There’s also a billiards table off in the back where the bathrooms are. Naked Turtle t-​shirts and sailing paraphernalia line the walls and ceilings, making it fun and bright inside.
It’s the venue that brings you to the Turtle though. Local bands and singers make debuts all throughout the summer on the patio and indoors and the crowds are are always lively. The views are great – although not as good as those at the now-​defunct Valcour Lodge – and it’s a great place to go and hang out with sailors and around the boats.
Aside from being nostalgic for me, the Turtle is a fun place. The food may not be great, but I’ve bumped up the star rating (should be a 2.5) because it is where everyone goes once the frost is gone.

This is a fun place to go! The food is good, the wait staff attentive and the view outstanding! Don’t pass this one by.

Location, location, location. The food here is average at best. However, this is a great spot for lunch on the patio overlooking Lake Champlain.

The food was adequate, but not remarkable. My friends all agreed that we probably would have been better off ordering standard pub grub.

I moved up to Plattsburgh for work over the summer and my co-​workers love this place, they would come here every single weekend until they close down for the season on Labor Day. You def don’t come here for the food, it’s typical bar food. maybe a step up but not much. You come here for the location which is right by the water. The crowd is interesting to watch as there aren’t many college kids since it’s summertime so it’s mostly the local folk that spend their nights here. As far as the bar scene goes in Plattsburgh (which granted doesn’t have that large of a selection) this is a nice find.

Not good food, not the worst, but definitely not the best. It’s a fun place to go to with friends, good location, lively atmosphere. But that’s it.