Cedar Lake Cellars

The best place you could possibly have a wedding. Each coordinator is completely on top of every single thing that is going on, from timing, décor, guests, who needs to be where and when. They are truly professionals and the best at what they do. Everything turned out cosmopolitan/​rusticly fabulous. I dont know how they did it, but it was perfect.

If there was one mistake we made with Cedar Lake Cellars, it was not going there sooner. This place will totally ruin other local wineries for you, as none of them are able to hold up to the standard set by this winery.
Location? Beautiful acres with a gorgeous lake, tons of indoor and outdoor seating.
Wine? All very good. Some of them better than others. Out of the 8 – 9 wines we got to taste (very good value for the fee, by the way), we really fell in love with 3 – 4 of them. We spent more at this winery buying wine after than all other wineries combined.
Out of all the wineries we’ve visited, this was the only one aggressively urge my friends to visit. The rating system on Unilocal is unjust to where this can only be 4.5 /​5.0 stars — when it’s vastly better than any 4.5 /​5.0 star winery in Missouri.

Great place to take the wife for an anniversary dinner. Food is excellent along with a good wine selection. Lake near by and band outside on certain nights. I highly recommend!

Amazing atmosphere! Great food! Awesome wines! One of my favorite places to go by far!

The wine slushies are delicious and the landscaping and scenery are beautiful. That being said the customer service is probably the most horrible I’ve ever experienced at any winery. And I go to a lot of wineries… Can’t really blame the staff because they always seem like they’re understaffed and very very frustrated. They also close their kitchen very early even though it’s busy. I was once told by the outside shed people that they would serve me food but I had to order inside I went directly inside and the person there said that they couldn’t cook food there anymore. It was really weird. I’m not impressed by their wines at all, but the food is great. If the staff would be more supported the place could be so much better.

I love this winery! Really beautiful grounds and great wine. Only complaints are that the food is not very good and VERY over priced.
Also, it took us ten minutes to be acknowledged at the bar on our last visit, multiple people came up after us and got helped right away…
Another disappointment is that it is only open till 9pm on weekends… Half the time my husband and I don’t get out until around 8 for a night out!
Other than that, great place. I love that it is only 21+ and the live music.

Very beautiful place to spend a Sunday afternoon. The wine is good and the service is average. We have always had a very nice time every time we have gone.

My family and I visited Cedar Lake Saturday. We were all impressed with the interior and the service. Inside there’s a tasting bar and high top tables. There’s a «store» area where you can buy salads, cheese plates and other snacks.
There’s also regular tables in a dining area. They ask that you vacate that area at 4:30 to allow for dinner.
Outside there is another bar, several picnic tables and games.
This is a perfect place for a late group or special occasion.

Chef Lee is awesome! I was visiting from LA, and my dietary restrictions don’t exactly go over well with the locals. I talked to Lee and asked if there was anything I could eat that was vegetarian and gluten free, despite the fact they didn’t have anything that fit these requirements on the menu. He listened to my concerns, said «I got this,» and shortly brought out an amazing plate of sautéed veggies in a balsamic reduction, olives, and the best hummus I’ve ever eaten. He was incredibly helpful and so nice. The winery was also very cute and picturesque.

We have been here many times but today May 3 was a Hugh disappointment. The band was awful way too loud. We could not talk, the quality of the music was dreadful. The wine was good and fairly priced but the food was overpriced.

Visited on a Sunday for brunch and lingered for wine tasting after.
5 stars for their brunch! It was $ 20.95 and strictly adult only (21 & up). Brunch comes with either a Bloody Mary, mimosa, or sangria. Excellent variety and quality of food with a made to order omelet bar as well. The star for me was the chocolate mole rice with pork followed by the sweet cream and strawberry bread pudding. Other creative dishes were southwest hash browns and the strawberry shortcake with basil whipped cream. Reservations recommended.
The wine we tasted was fair to good that’s where that star went. We settled on a bottle of Cabarnet Sauvignon to enjoy outside while lists to the live music. Pleasant afternoon enjoying friends’ company :)

Had a great time with friends here yesterday. Had reserved a table for 10 outside under the covered patio-​with the purchase of a pretzel party platter. The weather forecast was questionable so Emily called me the day before and asked if it was alright if she moved us inside to a table. The music was also moved inside so it worked out great! Everyone there it’s always so friendly and helpful! They treated us great. Great food– great wine– they even have beer for those who don’t prefer wine. Definitely one of our go to wineries around town! Also very beautiful out there!

My first brunch experience last year was great, I couldn’t wait to come back. Unfortunately, my second experience this past Sunday was no where near the same. The food was all very disappointingly bland, bland, bland. I had to salt and pepper the hell out of everything. No where worth the inflated $ 20 cost (which has gone up since my first visit), this is not Vegas and the variety was not complimentary. The biscuits for the biscuits and gray were cold and hard. I mean Like I was cooked a day or two ago cold and hard. And the buffet in the middle of the eating area is just awkward for those seated next to it. Put it back up in that area by the front door like you used to. Wanting to enjoy the nice Spring day we paid out tab and went to the bar for a drink to enjoy outside. Bartender says «oh, it’s busy season again so we only have plastic cups». WHAT? In what world of any winery is it acceptable to drink wine out of cheap plastic cups??? Sensing my disdain I was told I could «buy» a glass. Um, no. Then I get «oh did you guys eat brunch» I say yes and she seriously goes «oh, you should have brought that glass up». Are you kidding me??? Really, I should have brought you my dirty glass that had something else in it up to you for reuse? This was all very off putting. She did end up giving us real glasses after I promised to bring them back when done. This comes off as cheap and really killed the mood and feel of the day. Invest in more glasses, busy season or not. If you are going to call yourself a winery then do it right. The lake area is nice, but the music was a bit on the loud side. A mix of music would have been nice — it was all country. Meh. I will give them one more chance.

I really enjoy cedar lakes, they have a delicious wine slush. It doesn’t seem to matter what flavor– they are all good. Wine wise, I love the m-​oo-​n route.
The bad: it seems like if you aren’t there for dinner service, they aren’t interested. The ladies behind the bar are very nice and helpful, however we never really seem to get a waitress on the patio– which still isn’t a big deal. The management seems a little stuck up, one instance in particular, we were with about 6 or 7 people and we were drinking on the patio throughout the afternoon, however, it started to get dark and they couldn’t get the heat lamps on the patio working, we continued to sit outside but it got pretty chilly pretty quickly, especially without the heat lamps, it was probably around 7:30 or so, maybe even later and we asked if we could move inside, there was plenty of room, but they told us it was reserved for dinner service. A. There was plenty of room. B. Dinner was pretty much over. C. It was chilly outside and the heat lamps weren’t working. D. We had been there all afternoon and spending quite a bit of money and I could almost guarantee it was more than a table would be spending for dinner service.
This just gave me the vibe that they don’t really seem to care about there customers.
I will continue to go, but mostly because of the other aspects and there aren’t other wineries as close to my house, however I wish they offered more of an alternative for in climate weather, even towards the end of dinner service.
I recently was looking for a venue for a wedding and as someone mentioned this place, I quickly crossed it off because of the vibes from management.
This was the only particular run in that I had, however seeing the one certain manager runs around, she never seems pleasant or has a smile greeting the customers. Not the person I want to be handling my wedding.

I went here with a group of friends and was really looking forward to it because I had heard some good things about it. When we arrived, we were seated promptly and the atmosphere, with the fire in the fireplace, was really nice. Our server was prompt and attentive and took great care of us as well.
I ordered the Chop, my wife and others ordered the Chicken Pot Pie, another person ordered the Prime Rib, and yet another ordered the Meat Loaf. My Chop was tough, dry, and obviously way overcooked. Those that had the Chicken Pot Pie said, and have to agree because I tried my wife’s, said that it had a really funky taste, that we were unable to quite identify. The person in our party that had the Prime Rib said that it was delicious, the person that had the Meatloaf said that it was only so-​so. All in all, dinner was a real disappointment.
When our server brought the dessert tray out, it looked very appealing and everyone ordered a dessert. Since we’re all close friends, desserts were shared amongst each other and as a group, we had every dessert offered. All of them were really good and you won’t go wrong with any choice you make. I’m not really even a dessert person and I was really impressed!
I’ll give this place two stars because of the service, atmosphere, and desserts, however, I don’t think we’ll do dinner here again based on the pretty consistent experience we had across the entrées. I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to try their desserts though!

I am reviewing Cedar Lake in terms of their venue for a wedding. It’s been almost a year since we got married here (September 1) and I still am sooo thankful that we chose Cedar Lake as our venue for the ceremony and reception! The location is absolutely perfect and stunning if you are looking for an outdoor venue and even better if you want a rustic/​country style wedding! The food was fantastic (especially for wedding food), there were plenty of food and alcohol packages to choose from to fit your needs, the venue was large enough to accommodate our 215 guests, and Angie (wedding coordinator from cedar lake) was so helpful with making sure the day went smoothly. Thank you everyone at Cedar Lake who made our big day the best day ever!

Cedar Lake Cellars I will have to critique in bullet form.
Pros:
*The setting is beautiful and unique. It’s not on hilly land, so it doesn’t have spectacular views like the other wineries in Augusta. However, there are a few ponds, plus a bridge over one of the ponds, a few trees, and an old barn that has been repurposed as an events area. If you get a chance to explore the barn, take it. The main building with the tasting hall is nice, too.
*Probably the closest winery to Highway 70.
*The selection of wine is good. Multiple drys, sweets, everything in between, a couple of sparklings and a chocolate port. If you like sweet, be sure to taste that chocolate port.
*Tastings are generous.
*Wine slushies.
*They sell food outside at a little building OR you can dine inside at the restaurant, and it’s pretty good. Also, outside seating at the restaurant.
*Brunch is reasonably priced.
*Live music. This may be a pro for some of you, so that’s where I’ll list it, but I’m not into most live music. Give me some Rat Pack or something classical, or even just some classic rock, and I’m content. But country or pop? Not a fan.
*Nice winery staff.
*Has the latest hours of any winery I’ve yet encountered: Cedar Lake Cellars is open until 10 or 11 on the weekends, I believe. While I’m not a night owl, it’s annoying that most wineries close at 5 when you want to stay until 6 or 7.
Cons:
*No minors allowed, so it’s not good for family outings.
*They don’t make their own wine. They have a vineyard, but their wine comes from Rocheport, MO (Les Bourgeois, I suppose). Finding this out is kind of like seeing a character at Disney Land remove his or her head. Sorry if I traumatized you.
*It gets very busy, especially in the summer and fall on the weekends — so busy that it is difficult to walk inside or outside.
*The wine is somewhat more costly than wines at other wineries. Perhaps this is because it is marked up between Rocheport and Wright City.
*The tastings are paid and comparatively expensive, unless you want to try only one or two for free. You do get to keep the glass, and it is the most enormous wine glass I own, but I’d rather have a smaller glass for a $ 5 tasting, or none at all with less wine with each taste for free. But I believe you get to try six wines. So I’m torn here.
*They don’t rinse out your glass after tastings. Most places do not, but it would be a good idea. No crackers at the tasting counter, either. Not to my recollection, anyway. I could be mistaken on that.
*The restrooms leave something to be desired. Those outside remind me of those at a park. The inside restroom is small and accommodates one person.
Anywho, Cedar Lake Cellars is a cool place that I recommend for a morning or afternoon out. I’ve been there more than four times, and everyone I’ve taken there has enjoyed it.

I have been to Cedar Lake Cellars several times and each time is worse than the last. I keep going back because it happens to be my wedding venue and I desperately want to love the place. This review will be for the restaurant portion only, not their wedding/​events venue. Every time we’ve dined at Cedar Lake, the service has been slow and chaotic. I have never seen the place staffed with more than just two waitresses, even at peak dining times. While the servers are kind and friendly, they often forget condiments, sides, and even water. We once got our water well into our meal. The food is hit or miss, but usually a miss. During Sunday brunch, they were slow to bring out fresh food and a lot of it was crusty and cold. While I have had few good dishes (a flatbread is one that comes to mind), most of the food is just bland.
I sent relatives to have lunch one day so they could try the place out. Their experience was even worse than mine. Despite making a reservation indoors, they waited 10+ minutes and were seated outside on a chilly day. When their food finally came, it quickly chilled to the outdoor temperature. Doesn’t take a smarty to figure out that’s going to happen when its 55 degrees.
To sum it up, beautiful grounds and good wine, but the compliments stop there. Horrible service, bland food, bad set up, and poor management will keep me from ever recommending Cedar Lake to anyone.

What a lovely spot to relax! Cedar Lake has a cute little lake with a wicked looking obstacle course on site — how badass is that?!
We did a wine tasting, and it was one I can appreciate. I definitely don’t mind when there is a tasting fee, especially when this one includes a big red glass and generous pours — extra points for using wine, not water, in between varietals. It was a warmer day so I tried one of the wine coolers, it’s like a sangria slushee! so refreshing.
They do that thing (because they are new) where they purchase grapes/​wine from other vineyards under their labels, so you’ll get some non-​MO Pinots and Cabs, and they are pretty good. Cedar Lake also carries other wines to purchase by the bottle.
I can’t say much about the food — we tried the Asian Nachos (two stars), but they had a good band playing, swans in the lake, and excellent customer service.
I’m looking forward to the fall season, so I can re-​visit and check out the pumpkin patch right across the road and enjoy the foliage.

I have to say when I heard that my friends wanted to go to a winery in Wright City that I was skeptical. I was even more skeptical as I saw the newly budding grape vines that definitely are not ready to make wine as we were pulling up. I was pleasantly surprised with how nice everything was.
There were ~10 of us at a table inside. The winery was very busy, and there was a wedding in the barn building. Our service was great, and the wines I sampled were tasty. I am not sure where they get the grapes for the wine though.
My friend invited us all out to the winery, and while we were there, he proposed. She said yes, and we celebrated with some champagne and naturally more wine. Almost everyone also had a wine slushy which were good. All in all it was a good day, and I would definitely go back again.