The Oaks Lakeside Restaurant and Event Center Review

Beautiful setting, great service and fabulous food!

Beautiful view of the lake, gorgeous patio dining & delicious food.

Always liked this place. Food is excellent and I love the decor and atmosphere.

Great experience! If you have found yourself with a few extra dollars because your budget for nights out went unused for the first part of 2020, why don't you upgrade your date night and go to The Oaks? We went there to celebrate our anniversary and could not be happier! The staff is exceptionally friendly. We were greeted at the door right away and screened for a high temperature, which makes me feel somewhat easier now we are starting to venture out more. The staff all had masks (worn properly) and was very good at not overly handling items. The tables are spread out appropriately on their gorgeous patio. We felt confident that the staff takes the current health emergency seriously and we're comfortable with our dining experience. Haven't had that great of service in a long time. Please make a reservation and check it out, you'll be glad you did!

We love coming here. Great ambiance and great drinks. The owner is very sweet.

Went there for New Year's dinner with 3 other family members. Not overly impressed. Most of the entrees were warm, not hot. And a couple entrees were downright cold. Don't know if we would go there next year.

Love the setting, the new expansion looks great, great Easter dinner.

Taste of steak was very good. Although it was difficult to cut due to fatty meat. Could not eat much

Beautiful, quaint atmosphere. Delicious meal! Thank you so much for a wonderful evening!!

Had a wonderful New Year's Eve at the Oaks.
Food was delicious, the staff was so accommodating. Love, love this historic restaurant.

Upscale and romantic restaurant. Got married here a few years ago. Beautiful view, beautiful food, and beautiful atmosphere.

One of my favorite places to go to especially when the school year is over. That's how I celebrate the end of the semester every spring. They have a wonderful selection on their menu of meats, pasta, fish, along with a wide variety of appetizers, sides, wines and desserts. It is a classic style restaurant and once you enter through there large brass door, you'll find yourself in a dining room with a wall of windows that overlook the Chippewa Lake, some beautiful gardens and grounds that you could walk through before or after dinner, and a large gazebo where you cab sit in the evening and just look out on the lake or reflect on the gorgeous view of that particular facade of the restaurant. The servers there are extremely courteous and very well informed of the menu and the feeling you get there from staff and hostesses is that you are truly welcomed to a very comfortable and lovely location. They also have a full-time bar within their restaurant and party rooms to hold everything from weddings to anniversaries, to proms, to retirements and graduations. It is truly a very charming place to spend an evening or celebrate an occasion. But be sure you make time to walk out in back and look at the grounds and take a picture of someone you love at the gazebo overlooking the lake. I guarantee it's a place you will remember and visit again.

Sunset views over the lake. Great food. Music outside in the Summer.

Nephew just had his wedding there. Beautiful grounds. Facility nice also.

Completely disappointed by our experience. All entrees come with the same bland sides (potato and *undercooked* green beans) - total lack of creativity with the menu. Scallops were swimming in a far-too-sugary-sauce that was too sweet for my liking. Further, our waitress seemed distracted - it took her nearly 20 minutes to bring us a drink after we ordered it and reminded her 10 minutes after doing so. Disappointing pours on cocktails, as if we were at a 2-star restaurant. It's a shame because the grounds and view are lovely. Service and food left too much to be desired.

Always an enjoyable time. Good food with a great atmosphere

I think this was the best Thanksgiving dinner/buffet we've ever had. Missed sharing it with family but worth the drive!

Overall, the Oaks offers a decent atmosphere and kind staff. However, one mishap can ruin your entire night. My wife and I were celebrating our 5th anniversary with some friends. Me, being a big meat-eater, chose to tackle their 2lb Tomahawk Steak. I ordered it rare and washed it down with some whiskey on the rocks. Our waitress was very nice but not very attentive, only filling our glasses once and disappearing for 20+ minutes at a time despite the restaurant not being very busy. After a while our food came. I cut into my $85.00 steak and found it to be more medium. My party and even our waitress confirmed that it was overcooked. The hostess/manager came to our table, looked at the steak and accused me of being mistaken. Before giving me a chance to say a word, she said she d talk to the chef and stormed off. A chef came back and explained that he didn t even cook the steak but could take something off the bill or give me a new steak. Not wanting to wait another hour for a new steak, I requested they take something off my bill. When the bill came, I was surprised to see only $20.00 was taken off. I never heard or saw the chef or manager nor ever received an apology from them. To top it all off I was charged $00.50 for the ice in my whiskey. You read that right, they charged me for wanting ICE. So if you go to the Oaks, pray there is nothing wrong with your order. Very poor customer service that ruined a wedding anniversary.

We had an amazing experience last night at the Oaks. The service was great, the outdoor patio and lake front view was beautiful. Most importantly, the food was fantastic! We will return and I highly recommend for a date night with your significant other!

Food is excellent. Dining outside with a great view of the lake.

Really excellent Sunday brunch on the patio. Great view, real nice service, super food (as always).

Beautiful setting. Great food and service. Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of life. Good place to relax with good friends.

Holy cow!!! This is a hidden gem. It takes some effort to find if you aren't local. (Thank to the Google, we found you) Lakeside dining, indoors or on the huge outdoors patio with a live band none the less. Very friendly staff, great selection of adult beverages, seafood, pasta, & steak from a simple but elegant menu with superb meal presentation. We choose to sit indoors as we had been outside in the heat for 12 hours, but if you choose to enjoy your drinks and dinner outside on the patio, the lake activities are definitely entertaining. If I ever come through the area again, I'll definitely stop by for more of the excellently prepared & tasty food.

Excellent food! And an amazing view to boot! Unlike any restaurant I've been to, a must try.

Did Thanksgiving dinner there. It was overly crowded. The carving station line took 30 minutes to go through. The rest of the buffet was decent but was not kept hot enough.

Love the updates, it's a wonderful place for a special dining experience

Very nice view of the local lake and scenery. Good food!

The food is good. They are not good at making substitutions from their fixed menu when diet concerns are present.

My sister-in-law wanted to go to a restaurant for Thanksgiving. She decided on The Oaks after seeing an ad in The Post Newspapers. The restaurant was beautiful, the food was great, and the staff attentive. The restaurant was extremely busy, but you would not know it. Everything was peaceful, pleasant and relaxing. We never felt rushed. It was such a wonderful experience. I am glad we went.

If you do wedding in here and your guests drink a lot, the manager will limit alcohol per person (drinks supposed to be unlimited) , Also did not allow my photographers any beer and they were paid for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (until I found out). Food is cheap and expensive.

Love this place. Off the beaten path, great people, great service, so much character.

Needless to say I have never been here before and regret not knowing about such a place so close to home thanks to (Kenny) Fox 8 news I was so impressed with the interviews and his reporting I had to see it for myself when I tell you it (5) all the way am not really given you the full affect. Let me put it this way until the (snow) begins to fall am going to make it my business to dine at such a special place called The Oaks yes I came. The staff the food will grow on you that is for certain

Beautiful restaurant, beautiful location, delicious food, great service, gorgeous outdoor seating, live music

My favorite restaurant in the area! The amazing food is more then worth it coupled with the most amazing lake side view and great staff!!!

Amazing service. Great atmosphere. A gem tucked away to enjoy with family and friends.

First time here and food and service was great! Loved the martinis. Great view of the lake during sunset as well.

The food, view and service is unbelievable. I have been coming here for years and would recommend anyone from the Cleveland area make the drive because you won t be disappointed. Thanks Oaks for always making it worth it. See you next time

The food was delicious and our waitress was very attentive. The atmosphere was very nice!

We've always had wonderful meals at the Oaks. Almost always sit outside in the summer months. Sat inside this past January; another great meal, this time by a roaring fireplace. A real gem.

We just enjoyed a wonderful evening and dinner that was unexpected during these perilous times.
My chicken pasta was delish as well as my husbands swordfish.
And our desserts were to-die-for: hot fudge sundae and bread putting.
I so wish I could thank our sweet server. She was a doll making sure our onion and garlic allergies were
properly addressed.
My husband cannot wait to take our 45 minute drive again from Rocky River to enjoy that incredible view and enjoy such great food again!!

Always good food and service along with a view of the sunset at the Oaks.

Wanted to sit outside on this beautiful night but the bar was quiet and peaceful and the food wonderful.

Always enjoyable! My husband and I love the atmosphere there and the food and beverages. Last night we just went to have beverages and the new bar tender and server was the best we have seen there. He was personable, professional, helpful and made the best drinks my husband and I have had there!

This place is beautiful. Very accommodating with reservations.
I dislike automatic gratuity. They where short staffed for an event and our waitress was horrible. Never brought us a drink menu but got it for others. Only came to our take 3 times over 2hrs and still got the orders wrong. I like that they thought me a lesson, always pay cash. This way I can tip what accordingly. Beware

Attending my niece's wedding reception in July 2015. I was very disappointed. 1st the room was too hot for a 91 degree day. I did not feel the air condition temp was set low for 91 degree and 100 guests, as most of the guests were on the 1st floor. The management wanted to blame the warm room on one door being opened repeatedly by the guests but the door was only opened a few times. Then the pork cops were not cooked.Also the back wall of windows over looking the lake were dirty and at the time of the given speeches a lawn care person was using his blower so we could not hear the speeches. The venue was not worth the money that my sister, niece and the grooms family paid to have the reception at The Oaks. I do not recommend to any one the Oaks..

This is a beautiful place and such a perfect place to have a wedding!

High prices, but not high quality food. Filet mignon stuffed with crab=not really filet plus minced crab from a can.

Really liked this place. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just good food and really good service.

Thanksgiving dinner was EXTREMELY disappointing this year! Nothing like past years. No coat check or drink menu. Not sure why this was not offered this year. If the food was in stock, it was barely warm. The line for the carving station was insanely long. They were constantly running out of meat. Nothing was being sliced in advance to keep the line moving. The beef was raw. The meat in general was lukewarm. Elderly people in our party were not able to stand waiting for their meat. If you got your sides before getting in the carving line your food would be cold. People were handing food plates to staff members if you saw one or sitting them on tables around the buffet area because the food got cold waiting to get meat. Our family did not get to sit and enjoy our meal together. No staff was checking on the buffet area to keep things in stock and make sure it was going smoothly. No staff walking the dining areas offering refills of coffee and water. Typically have always had manager come by and check on us in past years. We didn't see one. We commented that the line to check in was most likely long because people were not moving as quickly through their dining experience due to the slowness at the buffet as well as the service. Our server kept forgetting our drinks and we had to ask for refills. She didn't clear our table and had stacks of plates waiting to be taken. We had to ask for the bill several times. Waited 30 minutes after our second time asking. When we received the bill we noted the price. When the server returned the credit card the person in our party went to sign and it had already been filled out minus the signature. We thought we got someone else's slip and tried to flag our server down. While waiting to get her attention we realized that they are doing a automatic tip of 22%. Nothing was noted anywhere of this. The card appeared to have already been charged the amount. This had not happened in past years. We were not a large party and honestly food aside as that is not on the server, the service was awful and did not warrant a tip of that size. This coming from someone who served and managed a restaurant for 15 years. The person in our party asked for a manager and were basically told "too bad that's how it is this year". Just such a disappointing experience all around. Didn't seem to be any attempt by management to even address and resolve what was going on. Seemed like the staff was hiding, like they pitched in the towel. Reasons for 3 stars is because I felt bad giving a lower rating due to past experiences.

IN RESPONSE TO REPLY: We were seated directly facing the carving station. The line was backed up 90% of the time during our visit and even before we were sat. I should have specified that you ran out of meat at your carving station more than several times and your carvers stood there waiting more than 5 minutes at least on several occasions for more meat to arrive so they could continue carving which further backed up the line. If it was just one thing that disappointed us on our visit I think it could of been easily overlooked but the quality of the food, the responsiveness of service, mandatory tips that were not disclosed anywhere, etc were very disappointing to experience. Most of all not being able to sit together as a family to enjoy our Thanksgiving together.

We had our business networking summer social at The Oaks tonight and Johnny and his staff did an amazing job as they always do. If you are looking to wow your staff or clients, give them the experience at The Oaks and I personally guarantee you will be happy with you decision. We have gone there 4 years in a row and they know how to impress and satisfy! Oh by the way, the most beautiful sunset over a lake you can find. A+

Beautiful place! Amazing staff! Johnny and Audrey are incredible people! Martini's yummy! Dill rolls and lavender steak a few of my hubby's favorites

The Oaks is a magical place where precious memories are made. Delicious food that also provides a warm atmosphere. The view of the lake during sunset is breathtaking. Will be recommending to all my family and friends.

The terraces overlooking the lake are beautiful and serene. The waitress was great and the food was amazing. Will be back !

We came for the last night of all you can eat . My first time here. Beautiful outside view of sunset. Good photo opp area. Dimly lite bar area inside was cozy. Will be back to try other menu items... and see another great sunset!

This is a quaint lakeside restaurant that is very cozy. There are stairs to get into and throughout the restaurant. Keep it in mind if you have a loved one who can't manage steps. The Easter brunch was in fact a lunch there was no breakfast food. The ham, lamb and roast beef was delicious. The veggies were room temperature. The mashed potatoes and penne pasta were good. The desserts were plentiful and satisfied the sweet tooth. I plan to come back in the summer to enjoy their beautiful patio seating.

Very nice foods. The ambiance is so perfect. I would refer this to my colleagues.

Great dinner ,great waightress Beth A was no nice. (BUT TO MANNY FRANK S SONGS EVERY 3RD. NO DEAN O OR ELVIS AT ALL )This is not good music

Got married here. Great food, great staff, beautiful scenery!

Good food. Very sassy waitress. Got upset with my friend for asking for mayonnaise.

From the atmosphere to the food and drinks, everything was absolutely amazing. Terrific service all around. Highly recommended.

The food was not good at all. I ordered crab legs. They were cold. Meat was missing they looked like they were made days ago. So they replaced them. One crab leg was hot and fresh. The rest were from my previous dish. At 55.00$. This was unacceptable. So I changed to a t bone steak. I could hardly cut it. I do not usually complain. I don t like doing it. So my third choice the steak. I gave it to someone for there dog. I was so very disappointed. They server was mediocre, could care less.
Sorry I do not recommend this place.
They view was nice. Maybe order just appetizers. And enjoy the view. They are not 5 stars. And are not worth your money.

The burgers were good but it was overshadowed by our extremely rude waitress, Theresa. She scoffed at me when I asked for mayonnaise, and made it clear there was nothing similar in the cooler. I don't mind spending the money for good food, but the service I received made me certain that I will not return

Very inattentive service. The hostess was snide and passive aggressive with my mother, aunt, sister and nephew for showing up to their reservation 5 minutes early and scolded them when informed we were joining ten minutes late. There was no drink menu present when we sat down. The waitress seemed avoid us and forgot a drink order and double charged us. Took 30 minutes to run the credit cards. It was somewhat occupied for a sunday evening but the current staff definitely should have been able to manage. Food was mediocre at best. For the price and exclusivity the service was not acceptable .

i love this place!!!! Marge, the bartender is super and very good at her job. the rest of the staff is excellant. the food, the view all good, very good.

This place has been hot and cold over the years as far as food quality and selection. Right now, it is really good. We had the king crab legs and they were awesome. What I didn't like, was where we were seated. Right next to a patio door that had constant traffic (and flies). But, that is on us. We should have asked to be moved.

We had a small party here. The food was good, and the staff was great!!