Top Of The Park — Restaurant in Town of North Elba

Very important that you understand that this establishment is for DRINKING and being SOCIAL. This is absolutely not a place to have a sit-down meal in. In that respect, I can see that the 3+ star reviews on Google are very well earned. The atmosphere there and especially the view of Mirror Lake are very classy and welcoming. The booming cafe-society music made it difficult to hear what my wife was saying from across the table. It seemed a bit excessive.....especially having a speaker firing directly at you after ascending the stairs to their upper level. Having the hockey game playing above the bar was a little déclassé, but this is Lake Placid, afterall. In another review I saw that someone mentioned that the service was mediocre, and I must agree. It isn't that the place isn't well managed, or well run, but it would benefit from some basic restaurant training.

I must reiterate, this is NOT a place for eating. It is a place for DRINKING and being SOCIAL, and if one becomes peckish for a tiny morsel to accompany their drink, they have a lovely selection of small plate dishes that accompany a drink perfectly. And I mean perfectly. I must emphasize the two words: SMALL PLATE. It is no secret....they say so in their menu....that they have a small kitchen, and wait times can be a little longer, and your order might come from the kitchen in random order, but it is stated in print on the menu. This sets up their level of service as an EXPECTATION and not a SURPRISE. Well played. I tip my hat to you. Remember, you are there to DRINK. The glass window at the top of the stairs has cocktails pictured on it.

I believe that my experience there was fatefully mis-cued by 1) my desire to eat during the town wide "EAT ADK" promotion, and 2) the restaurant's unnecessary participation in the promotion with a $20 prix fixe menu consisting of an appetizer, main course, and a dessert. The appetizers and entree portions are sized commensurate with their prices on the menu. A $6 white anchovy gets you......a little bitty anchovy sliced razor thin with roasted red pepper. Fits on a playing card. A $13 duck entree gets you exactly that, albeit ridiculously delicious. Do not expect a $36 duck dinner, rather, a portion that would complement a delightful drink overlooking the lake. They serve SMALL PLATE. Remember this. I was told apologetically that they were out of artisanal locally sourced "Mac & Cheese", so I ordered something else off the menu. But, oh, how I would have loved some Mac & Cheese made with local artisanal cheese. Mouth started watering at the thought. Visions of milk buckets danced through my mind. Our order went in, and plates started arriving after about an hour, with the desserts arriving nearly 40 minutes later. The quickest item to come to the table was the bill. I joked that the EasyBake oven was being overworked. In the last 30 minutes of our nearly 2hr-30 minute visit, I watched an older couple arrive and sit at the table next to us. They ordered drinks, chicken wing appetizer, and the Mac & Cheese that I was jonesing after. And within 30 minutes, they received their order and were happily chatting with each other the way happy older couples do. My wife and I, on the other hand, realized in the end that we came to the wrong place...

We came to Top of the Park in Lake Placid excited to relive the great experience we had last year, where the atmosphere, food, and service made it worth every dollar we spent. Unfortunately, this time was a total letdown and honestly one of the strangest, most disappointing restaurant experiences I’ve ever had.

We asked to sit on the deck, but since it was full, we were fine with sitting inside and still planned to spend a couple hundred on food and drinks. Instead of simply showing us to our table, the host silently walked us outside toward the deck, confusing us into thinking we were being seated there. Then, out of nowhere, she turned us back around and dropped us at an inside table without a word of explanation.

She tossed two menus down for four people, disappeared, came back and threw one more down, then walked away. No greeting, no “I’ll be right back with water,” no acknowledgment at all... just cold indifference. After that, she vanished. We sat in disbelief for several minutes with zero service, zero hospitality, and zero effort.

As someone who has worked in the service industry for nearly a decade, this is exactly how you guarantee a table walks out. It was rude, unprofessional, and such a bizarre interaction that we decided to leave before even ordering.

It’s sad because this spot has potential and we’ve had a great time here before, but after this experience, I wouldn’t recommend it. There are too many places in Lake Placid where your business will...

Kimberly and I "stumbled" in this place walking down Main St. We thought it looked interesting and the sign outside said it had the best view of Mirror Lake anywhere. They are right. What a great place.

Executive Chef, Bill Bentz, greeted us when we came in and spent at least an hour talking with us as we sampled a few things off their small plate menu (we came in before the dinner rush). They have a diverse selection of great beverages and the food is simply OUTSTANDING. The prices are very fair and a great value given the amazing culinary skills of the Chef and the quality of the food.

The atmosphere of the place is terrific... and then there's the view. It's unbelievable and is simply the "icing on the cake" in making this place so special!

Special thanks Executive Chef, Bill Bentz, to our bartender Nathan, and Meagan, the hostess/waitress. You made our first visit to Lake Placid very special.

If you're planning a trip to Lake Placid, NY you have to visit the Top Of The Park. It will be one of the highlights of your trip.

Jim & Kim...