The Oaks Lakeside

Review summary

1. M

   Matt

   Cleveland

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   I’ve dined here on a few occasions and have had a positive experience. They were understaffed, overbooked, the food was sub par, basically a dumpster fire. Used to be a great place, hope they can turn it around.
   

   1 person found this helpful

2. A

   Alexander

   VIP

   New York City

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   We like the Oaks. They were WAY overbooked for Valentines Day. It took 2 hours from our reservation time before we got any food. The food was great as always though.
   

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3. J

   Jennifer

   Cleveland

   2 reviews

   1.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 2

   I was aghast how awful this experience was. I have dined here before at least 6x. While the culinary experience never was 5☆, the ambiance and outdoor lake views compensated equalling a nice evening. Our Valentines date was to begin with a reservation for 2 at 1930. (I had called and spoke with staff 2x and was ensured a table near a window, not near aisles/ BR/ service area.) Upon arriving, we were told they were running late on res. Times. Eh- I get it, it's Valentines Day. So I went to get my love and I a glass of wine. IT TOOK 25 MINUTES. There was 1 bartender for THE ENTIRE RESTAURANT. She was doing the 8 top bar guests, the crowd, AND THE SERVICE BAR. WHILE she was upbeat and kind, that is the worst idea of staffing on a holiday EVER. While sipping wine we patiently waited, and waited. For ANOTHER 40 MINUTES FOR OUR TABLE. Well, after 50 minutes they called us up and our table-& it WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DINING AREA IN AN AISLE. I asked to wait to be seated with the criteria they stated they'd accommodate, acknowledging this would take more time... but this was what we requested weeks ago. (After waiting this long, heck, I why settle... it was like they had NO awareness of any prior discussed / documented preferences. I'd obvioysly wait more for what I requested.) Finally we are seated at 2040. The waitress took 10 minutes to arrive. (I get it, busy on Valentines Day... she needs a lil time..) The mussels WE'RE AWFUL. 4 we ate, 8 we just couldn't bear. Again, not the servers fault. Upon finally ordering 25 mins later, we received our blueberry bread roll, gold patty cake butter (?) And cinnamon Lob bisque wtfff. My Lobster tail came out brown crispy. Literally was a Rock lobster. Worst food I HAVE EVER BEEN PRESENTED WITH IN MY LIFE. I CAN'T BELIEVE it. Untrained Chef and kitchen crew critically subpar. DO NOT GO IN WINTER/FALL. SUMMER maybe bc of lake views..only for a wine and app. SO UTTERLY DISAPOINTED. PLACE SURE HAS DETERIORATED.
   

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4. D

   David

   Cleveland

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   Poor service, had reservations at 7 and didn’t get sat till 730, didn’t get food till 9. Waited 20 minutes for a shot of whiskey. Paid 250$ for Burger King waiter service
   

   2 people found this helpful

5. K

   Kelly

   Cleveland

   18 reviews

   3.0

   18 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 5

   Extremely slow service. Flustered server in under her head. Took almost 40 minutes just to get menus. Server kept asking if we’re ready to order and we kept telling her we don’t have menus yet. Dinner service should not take almost 4 hours. At least food was good…except for the bread pudding. Avoid that one. Luckily we were not in a hurry.
   

   1 person found this helpful

6. M

   Matthew

   Cleveland

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   Had Valentine’s Day reservations had to wait to be seated once seated had to wait 20 minutes for someone to come around and ended up being a host and when asked about the menu she couldn’t answer and stated she would grab our server. Server was another 15 minutes before making it to the table and when asked about wait times because we had over heard many complaints and apologies we asked if it would be worth it to wait and eat there the server stated no it truly wouldn’t be so we left.
   

   1 person found this helpful

7. S

   Steve

   Cleveland

   2 reviews

   1.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 2

   It is really sad to say because we have enjoyed The Oaks in the past, but tonight was an absolute disaster. 6:30 reservations, ordered at 6:50 and received salad at 7:45 before our appetizer, which never showed up. We were waiting for entrees until 8:20 (one and a half hours) when the waitress finally came and said they didn’t have any more NY Strips (my entree). That’s when we left. We were patient and kind but that was the straw…. We should have taken note of the screaming lady that was yelling at the hostess as we entered. Too many patrons, not enough staff and definitely no plan to accommodate the Valentines crowd. I feel bad for the waitresses and other staff, but not the management. They should be fired.
   

   2 people found this helpful

8. D

   Deborah

   Cleveland

   5 reviews

   2.0

   5 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 4

   The restaurant is one of our “go to” places and normally it is a very good experience. However, for Valentine’s Day it was not good. They were very understaffed. It took us over 2 hours to dine. The noise level was quite loud with an older DJ playing music that was definitely for an elderly crowd. We waited approximately 30 minutes for our first drink of the night. Water took 15 minutes. Our food also arrived on the cool side. One couple even left the restaurant visibly upset about the poor service. It was not a good night to dine there. But, like I said, it was not a typical night for this restaurant. This seems to happen more when they offer “holiday specials”.
   

   1 person found this helpful

9. K

   Kim

   Cleveland

   9 reviews

   5.0

   9 reviews

   Dined on 19 January 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Charming restaurant, beautifully decorated for Christmas. The dining area was a bit dated but clean with a great view of the lake. Brunch items were very good and service was good. Will go back in the spring/sumner.
   

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10. C

    Cyndi

    Columbus

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 12 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    Beautiful Christmas decorations. Always love the ambiance of the fireplaces during the winter.
    

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