The Windlass — Restaurant in Jefferson Township

I am not exactly sure where to begin this amazing review. To start the restaurant itself is situated in an absolutely beautiful lakeside location with absolutely stunning, jaw-droppingly beautiful views of Lake Hopatcong especially on a clear night where you get to see the sunset. My girlfriend and I dined here June 21 for our 1-month anniversary, and we could not be more pleased with how everything turned out. Upon arriving to the restaurant, we walked inside and were greeted by an incredibly friendly indoor host. We were directed to the outside host to be seated as we had an outdoor reservation. Upon walking through the main dining room, we noticed the absolutely amazing decor and comforting feeling that was spread throughout the room. They had a bar shaped like a boat which I personally absolutely loved. As we made our way outside, we were greeted by another incredibly friendly host who showed us to our table. We were seated in the outdoor patio at a table very close to the water. We were told the all the menus were on a QR code that was taped to the table. We were then greeted by our absolutely amazing waitress Sarah who was extremely friendly, outgoing, and very helpful She even took a picture of us with the sunset behind us. We both started the evening with a glass of Seaglass Pinot Grigio 2020 and the Fried Calamari and Garlic Clams appetizer. The Calamari was beautifully seasoned and came with both the rings as well as tentacles which were perfectly friend and came with a side of Marinara and Chipotle Aioli. The garlic clams were even more incredible in a perfectly balanced garlic butter. We ended up enjoying the Seaglass Pinot Grigio so much we ordered a bottle. For our entrees I had the Salmon, and she had the Carne Asada with Garlic Shrimp. To say the entrees were beyond delicious is an understatement, words cannot even begin to describe how perfectly cooked the salmon was and you didn't even need a knife to cut it. It came on top of a nicely cooked risotto and a side of broccoli. For the Carne Asada with garlic shrimp it was cooked absolutely perfectly, and the shrimp just seemed to melt in your mouth! For dessert our waitress recommended the Molten Lava Cake with Ice Cream which we ended up getting and absolutely devouring. I cannot say enough good things about this restaurant, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an anniversary dinner, or really any sort of occasion. The menu is vast and has everything from seafood to burgers to pizza and they even have a kid's menu! The service here is beyond exceptional and they made our 1-month anniversary a night to remember! We will...

My noble chums and I stopped by here last Saturday for an early (even by our standards) lunch around 11:30am. This was a recommendation from one of the aforementioned chums, who lives fairly close by and is familiar with these Hopatcong seasonal hot spots. Definitely a cute area; I've been to the Sparta/Lake Mohawk area a few times, but that's pretty much the extent of my experience around here. I'd love to know how people found this place in olden times before Google Maps was readily available; it's basically non-stop curvy one-lane roads from Route 15 to the parking lot.

A few of the non-locals in the group were disappointed that the lake overall doesn't have a lot in the way of boardwalks, etc. to walk around and admire the view, which I'd have to agree with; not The Windlass' fault though - and they definitely do what they can with their stretch of the lakefront. We were all very impressed with the outdoor seating off to the side/dock area, which we were told was for booze drinking almost exclusively. We decided after our meal to make the sacrifice and have some post-lunch wine over there. And even the interior is pretty spiffy - every time we walked by it, one chum kept pointing out the bar, which is designed like the front (bow? aft? not sure) of a boat. Lot of cool optics here.

We decided to split the Sweet & Spicy Corn & Crab Dip app ($15), which came with fried saltines. Huge hit and would definitely order again. I shared the sentiments of one chum, who really enjoyed it but said at the end of the day she still preferred bread as the accompaniment for crab dip versus crackers, even ones like this that appeared to be flavored with something akin to Old Bay seasoning. Very strong contender nonetheless, and super flavorful.

For my entrée, I made eye contact with the swordfish option on the daily specials menu ($32), and that was that. As you can see from the attached, it's a gigantic portion and priced pretty much as expected. I'm not an expert on the fish market overall, but swordfish tends to be a higher tier item in my experience. There were one or two questionable fishy bites, but overall it was solid. The mashed potatoes were pretty scrumptious and a decent complement to the fish.

I don't recall any issues with the service or our waitress. She was personable and efficient from what I could say, and the experience overall was very agreeable. I don't know that this is an off-the-charts, mind-blowing waterfront restaurant, but it's good for what it is, and a legit alternative to driving two hours down the Parkway to a...

Came in for dinner with the family. Decor reminded me of a historic boat house. It was cozy and warm. We didn't have reservations, but we were able to get seats near the bar (high table/stools).

Our waiter was awesome (I'm sorry I forgot his name, he was an older gentleman with glasses). He was very attentive and made sure our glasses were always full, and checked in on us every so often. He made us feel like we were at the cool uncle's house, and we were in for a treat.

We ordered the Fried Calamari and Pizza for starters.

The calamari was well seasoned and had cherry peppers on it (love spicy foods) and it came with a marinara sauce and a spicy remoulade. It was awesome.

My kids loved the Pizza/Bar pie and they said it was quit tasty.

I had the the Pan Roasted Salmon with lemon blueberry prosecco coulis, french butter sauce, pecan risotto & chef's vegetables. OMG! It was incredible. I never thought blueberry would taste good on salmon, but I was completely blown away. The risotto was rich, creamy and also delicious.

My wife had the Chicken Francese over angel hair pasta. The chicken was season throughout and very tasty. She absolutely loved the sauce, especially over pasta. It was also rich and creamy.

My kids also had the burger & fries which was thick and delicious. They enjoyed that as well.

For dessert the kids ordered the Creme Brulee. Since it was my Twin's birthday, we asked our waiter if he could bring it out with a candle in. He was able to accommodate our request, and he even lead the table with the birthday song.

The Creme Brulee was delicious as well. The custard was rich and creamy. The caramelized top was also perfectly done and didn't taste burnt. My kids loved the Creme Brulee.

After dinner we headed outside onto the outdoor deck to watch the sunset, and take pictures The View was awesome. They also had these swinging chair tables which was really cool as well.

We really enjoyed our time at The Windlass. If you're looking for a nice restaurant with a lake view, eat some good food, and then relax on the outdoor deck, goto The Windlass. We will definitely...