The Cave Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Missouri

Visited The Cave twice in one week. Once as a first time “try it out,” then second because we enjoyed it so much. Both visits we arrived just after opening at 11am. First visit on Wednesday we got right in (there were maybe 15 guests total) and ate. Second visit was Saturday morning and we had to wait just over an hour for a table. I was really surprised by this, given that we were docking the boat by 11:02.

There is parking for at least 90 boats. They do have some sea walls but it’s RIGHT on the channel so it will be bumpy getting in/out of the slips. Also crowded with boats if it’s busy. From what I observed, the parking lot for cars looked comparatively small. So I recommend coming by boat.

Between two visits and eating in groups I was able to try 5 sandwiches, and 4 sides.

Roast beef- very delicious. Loved every bite, and was sad I had agreed to split it three ways.

Turkey (with pesto)- also an amazing meal. I thought: what is this place and where are these awesome sandwiches coming from.

Muffuletta- very good. Salty meats and sweet jam, I thought it was an awesome combo.

Chicken Alfredo- it was okay. Hawaiian w/ Chicken- it was also okay. With both of these, the chicken was kind of bland, and a little bit dry.

The sides where shells with cheese (would recommend), tomato & cucumber salad (would recommend too, very refreshing), fries and potato salad. The fries, when compared to everything else were a let down. They seemed stale, both times (busy and slow). Potato salad was alright.

No alcohol for me. They have standard fountain drinks, and if your server is nice enough they can get the bartenders to add fruits into the lemonades (I had strawberry and raspberry- both were great).

The place was packed on Saturday, and the poor hosts didn’t seem ready for it. The estimated our wait way short at 30 minutes. Once we were seated though the service was fine. While waiting you’re free to just roam around. And there is plenty to do so it wasn’t a big deal. There were lots of kids there, and they were being kids. So if kids aren’t your thing- loosen up. Over all I thought the atmosphere was great. It did get noisy, but being outdoors kept it from “roaring” in your ears. Music was great too.

Would be good if they could add some sun screens or shades to the edge of the roof that faces the lake. Those tables can get kinda hot as the shadow recedes throughout the day. There is no indoor seating at all, so be mindful of that.

Bottom line: I...

Overzealous security guard ruined our first experience. Don't go here if you have children. We watched the security guard harass several small children that were doing absolutely nothing wrong. He interrogated one small girl about jumping in the pool in the cave area, which she hadn't I was in there watching my kids. He didn't believe her and made her wait by the edge of the pool while he spent 10 minutes watching security camera footage trying to proove a 6 year old girl wrong. Then he got on my 5 year old son because he was splashing too much while he was trying to swim to the stairs to get out. He's 5. We were around nobody in the cave area and he was just trying to swim. Then while we were sitting outside on the concretely by the edge of the pool he kept walking back and forth yelling at random kids for not doing much of anything. However each time he would walk back and forth he would make us get up and move out of his way. I guess so he wouldn't get his shoes sandy? But why make 5 families move out of your way? Aren't we the customers? They're paying you, walk around. Watched him kick another family out. I don't know why. They were right next to us and I didn't see them do anything obviously wrong. We and another group were going to spend the day there and eat dinner with a few drinks but we all ended up leaving. Didn't want the stress of having to control every small splash our young children made trying to swim and didn't want the confrontation if he picked on my kids again. Their problem is there are no designated areas where kids can swim. The cave area was sort of the kids area when we were there but the splash police were just as strict there as the main pool. Terrible design for accomidating both pool drinkers and families. Might as well just make the whole place 21 plus. Or hire security that knows how to deal with young children. Avoid if...

Parking- go early, plan ahead. This is a brand new establishment so the people bashing this place for poor parking arrangements must’ve missed the construction trucks, signs and other obvious indicators that they’re still partially under construction. I’m so happy they opened when they did and didn’t wait another few months until their parking lot was perfected.

Seating - I love the many options for seating here. You have full sun, partial sun and cave options. Big groups? I’d say prob not unless you’ve called well in advance (like at least a day or more).

Food - We ordered burgers fries and chicken strips (kids menu). My kids never finish their food. Ever. But all four kids ate every spec on their plates! The kids loved the crispy crinkle fries the most but the burgers and strips were definitely a hit.

Drinks - the drink options are unique and tasty while still offering everyday faves. I ordered the Frozen Raspberry Lemonade and it is my new favorite drink! Soooo refreshing. Dylan at the bar made the best recommendations and was especially quick with service, both helpful and friendly!

Service - we hardly waited for our food. We planned ahead and got here right when they opened. The bartenders, waitstaff, busters, food expediters and even the construction workers were all friendly and welcoming.

Price - I’d say the price is consistent with lake pricing. If you want cheap, go somewhere cheap. If you want quality and a great experience, come here.

As a local, I give this place two thumbs up. This place takes everything fun about our lake and highlighted the uniqueness...