Waterside Social — Restaurant in Lake Orion

This was my second time at Waterside although the first time there was an hour wait so we went somewhere else. Both times I’ve been here it was extremely packed/busy/lively with that “this is the summer place to be” feeling. Especially busy during sunset hours as there is a beautiful outdoor setting with direct lake/sunset views. I sat at the bar after a long day of volunteer work and I was tired, thirsty and hungry. They were busy and they only had 1 bartender dedicated to the bar with another dedicated to making drinks for the tables. I ordered a Lakeside Lullaby and it was delicious. I ordered to eat the meatballs and the pesto pasta. They came fairly quickly but placing the order was over a 30 minute wait because the bartender was so busy. The meatballs were delicious. The whipped ricotta added the perfect amount of creaminess. The pesto pasta was cooked perfectly al dente, but although I could taste that the sauce was made with very fresh basil, there wasn’t enough of it. It was dry and needed salt. I actually asked for salt. I then ordered the Beignets. They were covered in powdered sugar and flat, not puffy beignets. The powdered sugar was a sad attempt to soak up all the oil. They were horrible. I would still come back, maybe earlier in the day when it’s not so busy and try some other options. The atmosphere, view, drink options are very good. I saw some pizzas come out and they looked very good as well. Parking is hard, some people parked across the street and had to cross on foot Broadway/Lapeer Rd. The wait for folks that had 2+ people was 1 hour. Make reservations if you want to go with a group. It’s very small inside, maybe 12 tables, so it’s very loud. Again, I happen to like this atmosphere so it was...

First time visiting under new ownership. They have a lot of bugs to work out... usually most new restaurants do. We had a reservation but we heard and saw them turning away people when there were a few empty tables around us almost the entire time we were there which was 8:30-11:00. We ordered drinks and cocktails right out of the gate. The first cocktails were delish but when we ordered a second the Jonesin For a Good Time tasted nothing like the first. I hate inconsistency with drinks... and they took an eternity to get made! We ordered meatballs and the bread and the bread was piping hot but the meatballs were COLD. Our server Julie was a seasoned pro and made sure we were taken care of. The service was outstanding while the food and drinks were just ok. If we wouldn't have had outstanding service we probably wouldn't return. Being on the water is great and it has a great ambiance. They need more servers during their busy times which seems to be always (friends have also been). We had friendly and fun couples seated on both sides of us which made the evening fun. Hoping they work out the kinks because they have a good thing going. Oh yeah... SUPER noisy in there. Heard several other diners make comments about it. We did enjoy the rooftop patio. It wasn't cleared and there were dirty dishes everywhere... but great view!! Overall the restaurant is trying to serve too many people at one time. They need to make it roomier and cozier so that the staff can accommodate people in a timely manner and the kitchen and bar can keep up. It would provide a better overall experience and diners would be more likely to return. Follow us on & FB @...

Very disappointing experience. Tried to sit outside, but we were told the empty tables were on hold. Our party of four was seated inside and the noise level was so loud, we had to raise our voices to hear each other. Those on-hold tables were NOT seated the whole 1.5 hours we were there. So not sure who they were being held for. There was plenty of staff to service the empty tables so don’t think that was the issue. When we left I had a headache from the noise level and possibly the fact that I had nothing to eat that was edible.

We each ordered a different entree and not one person liked the food. The pasta had zero flavor, the appetizer egg rolls were cold and had very little flavor. The perch tacos were okay, but again not much flavor. The chicken wrap was cold and the chicken was hard and not edible. The waitress asked the manager if she could take it off our bill, but the manager never approached us to find out what was wrong with the food. When our food was delivered we had no silverware to eat with as they “ran out”. Can’t eat pasta without silverware! We had to wait about 10 minutes for silverware, which may be in part as to why our food was cold. Not fun to stare at food and not be able to eat it. The only thing worth eating was the French fries. They were decent.

This restaurant just opened. They really need to get it together or they won’t last! View is great, but would have been nicer if we could have sat at the empty table outside! Just saying! I don’t think we will be back as there are lots of good restaurants to choose from. Parking is limited so keep that in...