Waterside Restaurant

Reviews

• Bill S.

  star star star star star 9 September 2026

  First time back to Waterside after remodel. Better than ever! The food was amazing as I tried the braised short ribs for the first time. Flavorful and tender as can be. One of the cool things about Waterside is that Chef Jeffery comes around to the table each time and makes sure your meal was perfect. In this case, I asked him about the recipe for the short ribs and his explanation and attention to detail tells me why they were so good!
  The remodel seemed to center around the bar area as they opened it up with high top and community tables. Nice touch as you sit and enjoy the best view of Lake Oconee as you enjoy your food and drink.
  We have been here many times in the past, and always enjoyed it. But, it just got even better!

• Tommy R.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 2 September 2026

  Had to update my prior 4 star from 1.5 years ago. Complete menu change that resembles a Taco Mac. That's fine if I'm watching college basketball but NOT if I'm taking my family or guest to what used to be a nice meal of crab cakes, etc. but now quesadillas etc. they just put a ton (allegedly) of money into this but taste average at best.

• Cassie C.

  star star star star star_border 1 September 2026

  One of the best places to get a tasty meal on the lake. We went for dinner and ended up staying for drinks. The chef came out and introduced himself and took care of us and made a special meal just based on our conversations. I loved our meal!

• Kayla S.

  star star star star_border star_border 30 August 2026

  I'd like to start by saying- if this could be a 3.5 star review, it would be.
  My parents took me here to celebrate my birthday. We went by boat- they have an area that you can dock and get to the restaurant from the water. You've gotta love that!
  Unfortunately from there, things mostly hovered at mediocre. Most of the food was good but service was not so great. They sat us in the sun room- it was lovely and bright.... And full of flies. I'm not sure if a door was propped open going out to the pool area, but my gosh, I felt like I was wrestling with flies all night to get to eat my dinner. It was also so very loud. They weren't that busy, but I still found myself leaning over the table to even hear what was being said..... This was extra annoying because the table legs were uneven and every time you leaned on the table you felt like it was going to flip over on you.
  We started with the almond crusted calamari and truffle fries with blue cheese queso dip. The calamari were great- crispy & tender and the dipping sauce was unique. The fries were delicious- they didn't even need the cheese dip.
  I had the scallops. All of the components of this dish were good, but they just didn't all work together. The risotto was good, perfectly cooked and creamy. The generous amount of green onion in the risotto added a welcome bit of crisp freshness. This came with asparagus served atop and the scallops  on top of the asparagus. The scallops appeared to have a wonderful sear on them- unfortunately, they covered these with the sauce. Whatever delicious seared texture they put on those scallops was lost under a very heavy sauce. The only way I can think to describe the sauce would be like a hollandaise sauce- it was good, but just way too thick, heavy and rich for this dish. Scallops are sweet and light, and their delicate flavor was covered with gobs upon gobs of this sauce. Overall, just way too rich and the scallops were lost.
  My dad got the sashimi grade seared tuna and really enjoyed it. But the show stopper of the night was the blackened salmon that my stepmom ordered. The salmon was cooked to a perfect medium, with a hard sear on the blackened side. This came with an INCREDIBLE sweet potato hash. Everything that is ever served at any restaurant should always be served with this hash. Do yourself a favor and get this.
  We ordered the creme brûlée for dessert. This was ok- just your run of the mill vanilla creme brûlée.
  Unfortunately, the highlights of this meal were overshadowed by the poor service and flies! Our server was nice and very polite but he seemed to be struggling the entire time we were there. In his defense, he got a party of eight at the same time we sat down. But, after the initial headache of greeting and getting drink orders, you should be able to handle the rest of your tables.... Especially when he only had us and one other table for most of the time we were there. I received the wrong drink, we asked for bread but never got it. It felt like we had to hunt him down every time we wanted to order- he seemed pretty overwhelmed.
  I would definitely go back and get the salmon and keep my fingers crossed for fewer flies and a more efficient waiter.

• Beth M.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 29 August 2026

  Disaster of a meal.  3 other tables that were seated after us had finished their entire meal prior to us receiving ours.   Hamburger ordered med-well was served Rare.   Special food request due to allergy came out incorrectly.  We were charged $7 for a children's apple juice.    Our table was given a discount and manager was very apologetic, but all in all, this meal was a disaster.