Tilly’s Tiki Bar and Grill — Restaurant in Lavonia

UPDATE: Change of ownership makes the following review outdated. I've updated eating for new ownership. I'll update again, but I can tell you the new owner and food are better. Wait staff are good, except for a few not suited for hospitality industry. But, definitely go. Will update soon.

OLD REVIEW Pub fare menu. Great views of the lake boats coming in, and can sit outside. Average food. Good drinks. Enjoyable time.

Good flavor on the Philly style sandwich, and paired cold beer (I had Yuengling on tap, but would've preferred a porter or stout - not on tap). Had a burger last time, but was disappointed they couldn't cook to medium-rare. Wife loved the black bean burger, and she's also had the salmon filet on salad, which she liked. My friends raved about the flounder Pontchartrain (sic?). I always start with the fried pickles for an appetizer - consistently satisfying. So, yes, good dishes available.

Stay away from the Knotchos, they were the worst. Goopy, canned, cheese-whiz type topping. Salsa couldn't even make that better. (Owners, you need to use fresh chips (quartered corn tortillas in the fryer), real grated cheddar cheese and fresh-cut jalapeños, man! It's not an expensive Appetizer to make really, really good, and could be a go-to if you get it right).

Also, they could be a little flexible about serving only chips with sandwiches - no substitutions. French fries would be preference, as we never eat the chips... Really gets my goat. 😁 🐐

Not having a lot of choices on the lake, Tilly's is a good place to go, but they have a lot more potential, and shouldn't rely on the fact they have no area competition. I know it's hard to find good help (young, flustered crew), so, for the prices, the menu items could be taken up a notch using better ingredients. I'll update this review with pics next time.

Definitely go, but don't expect more than average pub fare at above average prices. They rely on location and views, not quality of food, in my opinion (which tends to mean nothing). Just sayin'... 🤷🏼‍♂️

UPDATE 9/1/2021 - When we're out on the boat, we usually stop to eat at Tilly's. This lack of employees is really affecting so many establishments, but I think that should put more focus on training and compensating those that are willing to work. They've now reduced the menu (attached). I got the "Clucker" this time, because it was so good the last time, but it was way overcooked and stringy. I guess we have to get used to inconsistency, but I am definitely going less...

We needed a quick place to eat while driving from SC to GA, last Friday (Memorial Day weekend), yet didn't want junky, fast food. We came upon this place right off the highway. It had decent reviews for most, menu sounded good, and we had planned on getting it to go.

Then we got there - 4 min off the exit or less. And we saw how relaxing it was by the lake, and decided to stay to eat.

My son ordered the kids chicken tenders meal for $10, and for his side, he ordered the Mac and cheese. It was a $3 up charge instead of fries, but very worth it. It was a huge portion and real deal Mac n cheese- a whole nother meal! The chicken was also good and a big portion! It came w a dipping sauce but he didn't want it. Lol he had plenty of leftovers.

We ordered two things to share: the plate of 3 tacos- we chose the grilled shrimp. Delicious! $15. They had other taco protein options like jerk chicken, fried fish, and I believe brisket? With all the toppings. But the catch is that you have to have all 3 tacos be the same.. or else we would've tried 3 different ones lol. The shrimp was great though! Great flavor, sauces, tender shrimp, filling.

We also got a big salad. $13 I think? I can't remember the name but it's the one that's similar to a Cobb salad: greens, cucumbers, pickled onions- yum!, hardboiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, bacon, and their in-house made white vinaigrette was so good! (The dark balsamic wasn't good to me).

Our server was great, very sweet, bubbly, and patient. She checked on us, got our food out fast, got us extra dressing, etc. I forgot her name, but she's younger and said she has a 2 year old daughter.

Neat place inside. Casual, very lake/ beach feel, right on lake Hartwell, and you could see everyone getting on and off boats. Big windows to see out. (Some did need some major cleaning lol and bugs galore way up in the rafters lol. But all good.) Outside seemed like a nice patio w views.

We left happy, full, relaxed, and it was very fast, so no stress! Good quality good, we didn't feel heavy after. Flavorful. Great experience, so we'll definitely make a stop on our drives to GA and back, and maybe come do a...

I feel bad even leaving this review as the staff is very nice as is the location but it was not a good experience. We were given stapled paper menus that looked like they'd been printed off a home computer. Despite having a large amount of non-seafood fried items, they fry everything together which eliminated over half the menu for a member of our party with a severe shellfish allergy. We had to yell at our server as it was so loud inside she couldn't hear us. Appetizers were okay. Entrees took close to 45 minutes to come out and when they did, they were not good or mediocre at best. All served in plastic baskets lined with paper, sides came in plastic cups. 2 of the brisket sandwiches were dry, flavorless, and came out missing ingredients. When I asked for what was missing, I was given the wrong ingredient. The batter on the fish fry was not fully cooked and was doughy. Everyone's coleslaw was warm. One meal was sent back 3 times due to being made incorrectly and was eventually comped. Overall, the meals were not worth what we paid. The manager said that all but one person in the kitchen was new, which is kind of a red flag. Given our server was unable to answer basic questions about substitutions or the fryer situation off the bat, I would guess she was also new. Super sweet, but seemed really overwhelmed and equally frustrated with the situation. Service was slow, but I figured that had more to do with the kitchen issues. You could see servers lined up at the kitchen window waiting on food and two members of management appeared to be running around putting out fires or serving/bussing tables. The whole thing kind of felt like something out of Kitchen Nightmares. It's a shame given this place clearly has earned a loyal local following, but we will not be back. The stars are for the very hardworking wait staff and management and the beautiful lakeside location. The wait, the cheap menus/plating despite the cost of the food, and the constant mistakes would have been worth it had the food actually been good. If the restaurant continues in this direction, it will only be good for drinks...