KoZak's Laketown Grill — Restaurant in Smithville

We recently moved to the area and on 5/17/23, we had guests from out of state who wanted to take us out to dinner before they left. We picked KoZak's because of the good reviews. We were greeted immediately and asked for outdoor dining because we thought it would be quieter than indoor. Two people in our group were hearing impaired and conversation is easier for them in an environment without a lot of background noise.

Unfortunately, it turned out that the music was really loud, so one of our guests went inside and asked an employee if it could be turned down a little bit (note that this employee was NOT our waitress). We never noticed a change in the volume but made the best of the situation. Right before our food was served, the employee came to our table and in a very rude, crabby and demeaning manner, she told us she had turned the volume down the best she could and if we wanted it turned down more we would have to talk to the manager. She then huffed off.

That left us all feeling very uncomfortable. It is unfortunate because the rest of our experience was very positive. Our waitress was very kind, friendly and prompt in taking our orders. The food was very, very good. We each ordered different items and everyone was really happy with their selection. I ordered the fish and chips with fries. The fish and the breading were perfectly cooked and the fries were very good. The coleslaw was creamy and fresh. One of my guests accidentally ended up with two house salads, so I ate the extra one and it was delicious.

I would have given it 5 stars but had to take a star off for loud music and the...

This was a real disappointment. I've read multiple rave reviews about this place on the KC Northland Eateries Facebook group. But the food didn't live up to the hype. Worst meal I've had in ages. In fact, it's the worst meal since trying one of the other KC Northland Eateries darlings: Yummi Crab.

To be fair, the other recommendations I've tried from that group were great.

We went to Kozak's for lunch last Friday. Ordered the fish and chips and the butcher's blend burger. The breading on the fish and chips was dripping with grease. Drenched. The fish inside was mush. I ordered the butcher's blend burger medium and it came out dry as a bone and tasteless. How is that possible when it's 55% pork and bacon and 45% beef?

I showed it to our waitress and she said, "yeah that's not even close to medium." We left 75 percent of the food on the plates. Our waitress offered to comp my iced tea.

Maybe it was an off day. But 0 for 2 on the entrees and a veteran server who can't be bothered means three strikes you're out.

Should've gone to Captain's Corner.

The trip to Smithville wasn't a complete waste of time. I stopped by Paradise Locker Meats in Trimble for a couple steaks. I mentioned Kozak's burger debacle and they were mortified. (Kozak's uses their butcher's blend of beef, pork and bacon.)

The woman behind the counter literally ran back to the meat locker and brought back a package of the patties. She begged me to try them at home. We did and they were AMAZING. Juicy and...

Comfort food at its best, but with a touch of class. KoZak's was recommended to us and I have to say it will be one of my new favorites. We were greeted with a smile and it just kept getting better from there. We were seated immediately and were quickly greeted with another smile by Victoria who turned out to be one of the most friendly and capable servers we have seen since COVID screwed everything up. Our drinks came out in a minute or so after we ordered and the food was just as quick. A mini cast iron pan with hot/fresh corn bread followed. The Buffalo Wings were meaty and the sauce was perfect. A little heat and a lot of flavor. Sorry about missing the photo op on that, but they looked too good to wait. My Cajon Pasta came out quickly too along with my wife's Steak Salad. Both were amazing and well presented. Although we were stuffed they had a Gooey Butter Cake up on the board and since we had never heard of it we had to try it. Good thing we split one. It was a 6"x6" piece of cake/cheesecake that was literally as sweet as butter and on its own would have made the trip to Smithville worth while. As we left we were once again wished farewell by not only the hostess and our server but another server as well. This was by far my favorite dining experience in years and I can't wait to go back. I have to admit that I almost didn't want to post this review. I really wanted to keep this place to myself. Yeah, it...