Lakeside Restaurant — Restaurant in Highlands

Ashamed to say it took more than a dozen years of residency in Highlands for me to finally have a meal at this lovely establishment. It was worth the wait but also, don’t wait, because you’ll kick yourself. Our table shared several appetizers, all absolutely delicious and we enjoyed two of the menu offered entrees as well as one of the night’s specials. Seafood, beef and pork were all represented and all were cooked exceptionally with interesting but extremely complimentary sides. Each diner in my party also enjoyed a perfectly made cocktail as well as an excellent per glass pour from the well-appointed wine options. Desert was a shared crème brûlée that was nearly transcendent in its perfect flavor with the texture of gossamer. If gossamer was made of creamy velvet. Portion sizes were perfect and the staff was exemplary. I had the added bonus of dining with a friend of the owner, who made time to stop by our table twice to say hello and make sure we were pleased with everything. She even remembered one of my companion’s gluten allergy and was ready with a better appetizer option when we accidentally ordered a dish that would have been problematic. The host was friendly and at one point, called the entirety of the small dining rooms attention for a brief acknowledgment of all the special occasions being hosted that night (turned out nearly every table had a birthday girl at it - including ours!) The vibe was supremely comfortable and lively, but not too loud to prevent decent conversation amongst our table. I have been informed that dining on the patio (once warm weather returns) is an enchanting experience - one I will certainly not wait another dozen years to enjoy! Prices were comparable to all finer dining restaurants in the Highlands-Cashiers area though I believe Lakeside provides more value for the dollars spent than many others on the Plateau. It has been a long time since a dinner out has left me completely content with the experience but Lakeside hit all the right notes for food, drink, service, and atmosphere. The little restaurant on the shore of Highland’s Lake Harris knows what they’re doing, and are an excellent representation of the best of Highland’s culinary offerings. Seamless professionalism, remarkable culinary execution,...

We were in Highlands to celebrate our anniversary and the excellent reviews led us to Lakeside Restaurant… it did not disappoint!!! Definitely call ahead to make reservations and you’ll be greeted by the kindest/friendly person, Kelly! She and owner Laura took care of us and even helped us with some special accommodations! The food was excellent but the service was over the top! It’s a charming, quaint restaurant that sits on a lake, which also has outdoor seating when weather is permitting. Merrill was our friendly server and she was perfectly attentive and helpful with recommendations. We started off with the calamari appetizer and it was fresh, tender and perfectly fried. My wife had the wedge salad, which was large and perfectly balanced with blue cheese dressing, cherry tomatoes, radish and peppered bacon! They brought some fresh, baked bread and whipped butter that was a great to start to an amazing main course. My wife loves crab cakes these were perfectly cooked and loaded with crabmeat with a tasty remoulade blanc served with a creamy, cheesy Gruyère Mac & cheese, and a fresh corn relish to balance out the meal. I hard a difficult time selecting from the menu, but I opted for the stuffed NC trout… if you love fresh, local trout with crisp skin stuffed with crabmeat and wrapped in peppered bacon then you’ll be pleased with this wonderful dish! The fish was baked perfectly, so the skin was crispy along with bacon, but the fish was moist and balanced with the savory crabmeat stuffing. It was a large-sized serving, but I ate every bit of the fish! The side of rice pilaf was fluffy and balanced perfectly with the fresh trout along with fresh, sautéed broccoli. Although we were stuffed from the delicious meal, we opted to order dessert to go… We were glad we did, because the blueberry bread pudding with the rum sauce was excellent! Merrill was thoughtful enough to write a congratulatory note, instructions, and a candle! For great food and amazing service, then come to Lakeside! It was definitely our memorable dining experience and by far the best meal...

So my wife and I were traveling to Highlands North Carolina to celebrate our 30th anniversary. We picked this restaurant because it had great reviews and we were looking forward to a special dinner as we don't usually go to very expensive restaurants. I'm pretty sure we had a reservation for 6:30 and the night we were supposed to go I got a call at 10 after 6 asking where we were. I immediately apologized and told them we would be there in two minutes which we were. When we got there there were several tables open but it was clear to my wife and I that the owner was very disgruntled with us for being late even though there were several tables still open. That set the tone for the night and then my wife and I split a meal because neither one of us can eat a giant meal and they didn't like that and charge the 7.50 split charge. We ordered drinks and the meal and we got the seafood pasta which the scallops were very good and the lobster was good but the shrimp were so tiny you could barely see them and in a $36 pasta dish the shrimp should be 21 to 35 not microscopic. The sauce also tasted like the sauce in a can of chef boyardee SpaghettiOs. They never came back to our table and asked if we wanted another drink they didn't ask if we wanted fresh ground pepper they just placed salt and pepper shakers on our table. Not something you would expect from a restaurant whose average dinner price is 28 and up. I can't tell you the next day we went to the old Edwards inn and ate lunch at the bar in the weingarten and had a fantastic meal which we split for no split charge and the service from the bartender was outstanding. we will be back to Highlands but we will definitely not be back...