Waterfront Lakeside Grille — Restaurant in Fair Haven Township

I have been a regular customer of Waterfront for many years and have always had great food and service at reasonable prices. However, a few weeks ago I came in with my wife and we had dinner and I ordered a Filet Mignon and I requested it to be medium well which should be pink in the center. My order came and when I cut into it the entire center was dark red, completely rare. I told the waitress to send it back and have it cooked the way I wanted. She did so and it came back the same way again. I told her to send it back again and it also came back the same. I was not very happy. and I left without eating it. I told my wife that they must have a new chef because this was not the normal meal served here. This last Sunday night on 4/21/24 my wife and I decided to try the waterfront again. I ordered the same filet Mignon again only this time I specifically told the waitress about my last experience and even told her I wanted it to be pink in the center. Well, guess what? My steak came back and I told the waitress to stay there while I cut through the center of it to find it exactly like my last experience. I told he to take it back and cook it the way I wanted it. She left and came back a short time later and it was slightly cooked on the surface that I cut but when I cut through it again the inside was completely rare. Since the steak was rather thick I suggest that the chef "butterfly cut" the steak and cook it to make it thinner and easier to cook. She had no clue what I was talking about and was very annoyed by my request and said the chef had gone home. I think the Waterfront has hired a new chef and has no idea how to cook. I ended up taking my dinner and the steak home with me where my wife cooked it exactly the correct way. We probably will not go back there to dine again. This last waitress was also not very good and we hardly saw her. I think she is a new...

On my two (2) recent trips here, in the summer of 2024, I experienced a restaurant that does some things well, and others, not so much. I am being generous and reasonable with a four (4) star rating.

The atmosphere of the place is perhaps one of its strong suits, with wood beams and wood appointments comprising the interior, and stained glass too. The views of the lake are delightful also.

The service was personable and reasonably attentive, and overall was good, even if it is on the brusque side, and more like what one would see at a diner. In one occasion, my request for a substitution of a side item in exchange for an upcharge was rejected by the server. On another occasion, the server couldn’t tell me what kind of marinade or sauce they sautee or broil the perch with.

So, I didn’t order the more expensive perch. Instead, I ordered a $17 half portion of pork back ribs. And let me tell you, they were five diminutive ribs from the small side of a slab. The smallest rib was maybe 2.5 inches long (see my uploaded photos of the rib bones). The redskin mashed potatoes were decent, with a noticeable note of garlic salt, which I didn’t mind, though I would have preferred fresh garlic, or at least garlic from a jar.

On a previous visit, I had a corned beef reuben sandwich on marble rye, and the meat had a decent pile/portion. And I didn’t think I could find a decent sandwich like that in these parts.

I would consider returning again, but will probably stick with some kind of sandwich, or a burger. I’m really not sure what kind of steak or lobster I...

It's a very nice place, has a nice patio and a great view of the lake. The biggest problem I had on my visit was the service. Stopped for dinner with a group of 9 while out for a motorcycle ride. It was not very busy so I expected our food to come out fairly quickly after we ordered but it took nearly half an hour. I was the first to order and ordered a chicken Caesar salad, when our food finally did come my salad was the last to arrive and was about 5 minutes after everyone else's food came. I was very disappointed in the amount of time it took and the quality of the salad, it was an $11.99 salad and had maybe a quarter of a chicken breast and barely any dressing. It really looked more like a side salad than a meal. The others I was with were also wondering what took so long for a salad and why it was such a small portion but they did seem to enjoy the food they ordered. I will probably not plan on going here again, but will not reject it if others I am with want to, I'll just try something different and hope...