The Water Dog — Restaurant in Lynchburg

We saw reviews on this restaurant and decided to give it a try. Trying to get in was very confusing. They have an entrance facing the street, but you can't go in that way, you have to go around to the back where the train tracks are to get serviced. There's also an entrance on the side, but there was no one there and it was roped off so who knows what that was for. Around back, there were some cornhole games available and plenty of seating near the tracks. They have hanging lights to create a bit of an ambience, but again nothing over the top. Navigating the inside is a little tricky and somewhere overwhelming if you've never been here before. When you walk in on the back side, there's the hostess at the bottom of the steps. At the second level up a few steps, there's a bar area and seating. The atmosphere was okay. It wasn't too loud or too quiet. The crowd was mixed and appropriate for us as a family of four. Now the food. We ordered two different varieties of oysters which were just okay. One taste of water down and the other one didn't have enough fresh water taste for our preferences, but again that's just me. We also ordered some of the pretzel bites which were pretty good. Our son had the crab fries which were not good. I don't know what they do to the crab, but we wanted to send it back. The service told us that it's not just crab meat they actually take it and season it inform it before lightly grilling it and then placing it on the fries with some kind of sauce. I would definitely not order it or recommend it. I ordered a salmon salad in the salmon was cold. Nowhere on the menu didn't say they serve the same in cold with salad, but apparently they serve the salmon cold and the chicken cold. I was very disappointed in the reviews and maybe my expectations were just too hot but I wouldn't go here again and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. The service was good when she was at the table, but they were so busy that she was basically gone before we had a chance to tell her...

I few friends and I went here to celebrate the beginning of our senior year of college. I had been to The Water Dog a few weeks prior and had a wonderful experience and was happy to return. We were promptly seated on a busy Friday night, but unfortunately that is the last positive thing I have to say. We ordered drinks and the waitress took my ID back, and I assumed it was to scan as I have only turned 21 in the last year and I know I look fairly young for my age. About five minutes later I saw a middle aged man approaching our table with my license held above his head. He asked the table who the license belonged to and I said it was mine, and he raised it higher above his head and proclaimed -- while flicking it -- that he would not accept it. I assured him it was real, and he shook his head and spoke over me saying that no it was a fake and that he would not accept it. He was being so aggressive about it that for a moment I wasn't sure he would return it to me. I was honestly so shocked and embarrassed that he was making such a scene about my perfectly legitimate, scannable license that I didn't say anything else as he put it back on the table after about a minute of this back and fourth about the legality of my driver's license. As the waitress approached our table again I asked if I could show another form of ID or if they scanned it, and she wouldn't make eye contact with anyone at the table as she said it didn't matter anyways because she had to listen to the manager. We promptly left and took our business elsewhere. My friend had a similar experience a few months ago. I am not unreasonable and am perfectly fine when bars and restaurants take time to scan a license, but I am completely astounded by what seemed a refusal or lack of capability to scan my license and the condescending, humiliating, and accusatory tone in which I was spoken to. We will never be returning to...

This place was very busy as it was a Saturday night and a live band was playing outside. We had a large group(about 15), so we had no problem waiting the hour that it took to get a table. We had drinks from the bar while we waited and the Bourbon smash that I got was perfect. I was really excited about all of the unique menu options and when we were finally seated I chose a cup of the crab bisque and the fried oyster tacos with chips. My cup of soup was given to another diner at our table, and I received a large bowl instead. The soup was great though so I didn't mind. When my tacos came, the first bite tasted overwhelmingly of wasabi. I could not taste any of the other components of the taco. I tried a second bite, which was the same. I then decided I could not eat both tacos that tasted like only wasabi. I told the sever and returned my almost full dish, who advised that she would see what she could do. Another teeneage girl at the table told the server the same thing about her shrimp tacos, which she was unable to eat and returned as well. The server returned and advised us that she gave the kitchen our feedback and we could request the wasabi sauce on the side next time. She then proceeded to bring out our checks separated as requested. Neither check had the returned item removed and a manager never came to address the table or our issues with the food. Myself and the other person had to request that the items we were unable to eat be removed from the checks. The server obliged politely and brought the updated checks with the items removed. We paid and left feeling unfulfilled and slightly dismissed. I had much excitement coming here but left feeling not so great. I was also hungry again shortly after since all I had for dinner...