The Ashfield Lake House

What a surprise. This older lakeside pub looked like any other – pool table, run-​down tables, local crowd. Not only was the food creative and very well prepared (my eggplant special on ciabatta bread was a delightful mesh of flavors – a herbed aioli, roasted peppers, thin and well-​cooking eggplant), the wine list was extensive and our server, James, was familiar with all the selections. I was there with a group and all of us were pleased with the choices, the quality, and the good wine.

Really wanted to like this place especially because the food we had was really good, but our service was so bad that I can’t. Loved that it was relaxed and seat yourself but it took about 10 minutes for us to even get a menu, and when we did, the server was in the middle of taking another table’s order and one patron was taking too long so she walked over and handed us 1 menu then went back. She then went inside to place their order and didn’t come back to get our drink order for quite some time. Then took an overwhelmingly long time to serve our drinks (a flight of beers and a beer). After we finally ordered our food came out pretty quickly, and it was really good but it wasn’t exactly correct. My salad was missing fish and I told the server just to forget it. We saw the owner go around and ask everyone how everything was but never stopped at our table. That’s what I didn’t get. Our server was clearly in the weeds and it’s understandable that with a few large tables our two top would be the one to get slighted, but why wouldn’t the owner just come over and drop some menus or take our drink order?

Amazing! Relaxed, fun atmosphere with deliciously elevated bar food. Love this place SO much.

The kale arugula salad on the menu was very different than the salad that I was served. It was missing half of hat was supposed to be on it. When I very nicely asked the waitress if maybe the meal I was served was the wrong salad, she became pissy for the duration of our meal. We were not rude customers. Bad experience!
Is it asking to much to expect to get the meal that you ordered? I don’t like it when the menu says one thing and the actual meal is less. Falsely portraying your menu is cheap way of doing business. And the waitress was nasty.

Full bar, good food, can’t lose! I loved the Lake House before the Rawlings took over, when the spot felt like a grungy roadhouse/​cross section of humanity. Artists, bikers, little league teams and those of us from out of town came together around the lake. But this renovation… took it to another level.
Gone is the Sysco food, replaced by local fare and house-​prepared salads and sauces. You can still make «bad» decisions (aka the best ones) and get some chicken wings, fries or patty melts; but now you choose a satisfying salad or other virtuous vegetable something (to go with your onion rings). The charm of the roadhouse remains, but some of the aforementioned grunge has gone away from the places that count (like the fryers and fridges, nooks and crannies in the bars and tables).
The bar still welcomes regulars to while away the hours over reasonably-​priced spirits and conversation but has expanded its reach to include those of us who were otherwise intimidated to sidle up a year ago.
So in conclusion: get out to Ashfield and support this local business. Be patient with your servers, embrace change and offer your feedback to the new owners — who care deeply about their community in Ashfield — and they will listen.
And if you’re a snowmobiler — LET ME KNOW! Now that I’m a bar-​sidler, I’m angling for an invite…

We started with a pleasant late-​afternoon swim in the lake and then had a wonderful meal. The service was fast and very friendly. Nachos and wings were great. Burgers were fantastic. And the kids’ meals were perfect. I can’t think of another time when all three of our kids ate every bite on their plates. To top it off, they had Wormtown Be Hoppy, one of the best beers in Massachusetts, on tap. I have a new favorite Hilltown restaurant and will definitely be back soon.

I do know there updating there menu for the /​fall winter season. Can not wait to try it out !

Just a classic roadhouse, gotta stop in for a beer or two. Liked the wings (sauce on side), nachos not so much. Food came out fast, waitress was very nice, menus were oddly homemade, maybe they have new ones being printed?

Newly reopened and I have high hopes for this favorite place. While they get their feet under them the menu is sparce but what was offered, delicious! I had fish and chips. Fresh, hot, super crispy batter. Beer, fish and chips, a caesar salad, all overlooking the lake on the deck in summer. Doesn’t get better. Looking forward to newemu its, music on the weekends and desserts!

I think are still struggling to re-​invent themselves so maybe give it more time?
My 14 year old daughter aptly summed up our experience of poor service with even worse food with the comment «it feels like Christmas at ****‘s» which meant an atmosphere too loud waiting for sustenance that never came.

The Ashfield Lake House is done. New owners were supposed to open a couple weeks ago but could get it together so they’ve done a soft opening. Went in the other night — it’s awful now. Don’t have a menu, wait staff was unsure what was even offered. Three of us got orders with fries and all had different portions of fries with our meals. If you’re not ready to open, don’t. These new guys will be out of business very soon.

I had a mixed experience at this place. The food was really good, but some of the staff just seemed bothered to be helping us. We had to wait for a table so we got drinks at the bar, the bartender seemed kind of bothered to have to wait on us. Other than that our waitress was really nice and the food was good. The Gorgonzola garlic bread was the best part.

Ashfield Lake House is awesome.
First of all, for me, the fact that they have a veggie burger reuben is enough. It’s delicious and reminds me of when I lived in Harvard Square they had one at Charlie’s. I’m obsessed and my non-​vegetarian friends all only get that, every time. So needless to say I was in love as soon as I saw it on their menu. Plus it’s delicious! Cheesy, smothered in sauerkraut, perfectly toasted rye bread served with potato salad or homemade cole slaw. Everything else my friends have gotten they loved, too. Pasta dishes, seafood, burgers, chili. The prices are reasonable and the service is friendly. Oh my God, and the desserts! I don’t even usually get dessert but we did once — peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream and a ridiculously decadent, HUGE piece of chocolate cake. Lots of choices pretty cheap, and very generous portions.
The location is really beautiful! I loved sitting on the deck overlooking the lake over the summer and early fall. But it was just as nice sitting inside at a window table with the sun shining in and the serenity of big sky and lake views. You can swim in the lake, too, which I did one night after dinner a few months ago! It’s got a bar with a decent selection and some regulars. It’s very low key, casual, and relaxed. Seems like people knew each other in there.
Lots of bikers during the warmer months; it’s in a beautiful area to ride. The only thing I don’t love about it is you can smoke on the deck and sometimes lots of people do. I really don’t like inhaling other people’s cigarette smoke. It’s a really great place anyway, though; definitely one of my favorites in the area. And I heard they have music there some weekend nights, though I haven’t seen any yet. If they are still doing this, I’ll definitely check it out sometime!

Going to the Lakehouse is kind of like an evening vacation to me. I go for a nice long swim in the lovely lake. I hang out with the beautiful white ducks and the minnows. My boyfriend hangs out at the bar and has yummy local beers (tonight: BBC) I come in and avail myself of one of their fabulous mixed drink specials (usually involving a locally grown fruit or herb) (tonight: pineapple Mojito). Then we have a superfabulous meal at a reasonable price in a funky, low key, comfortable atmosphere. Friendly bikers are a plus.
Tonight the boyfriend had a scrumptious slow-​cooked brisket. I had amazingly delicious scallops on Caesar salad — we moved here from Gloucester yet this was the most delicious seafood dish I’ve had, maybe ever. We both had to resist the impulse to pick up our plates and lick them. I would come here three or four nights a week if I could. Also, free wifi. And realllly nice waitstaff and bartenders!
Oh! I almost forgot — one night we were surprised to see a band setting up. Almost moved to the back for fear they would suck. Glad we didn’t; they were totally fun! «Chicken Wire» — check em out.

went there Thursday for lunch wow what a great meal bartender was top notch

Yes, four stars but that’s not to say it’s equal to fancier places with higher quality ingredients. But, for what it is, basically a bar with a full restaurant menu, it succeeds admirably.
We stumbled across it looking for a place to each lunch and had absolutely no expectations. The room was filled with regulars, older guys who had their favorite bar stools, blue-​collar workers, and college age kids in flip flops, T-​shirts, and lots of tats.
There’s nothing on the menu that is surprising, the usual sandwiches and diner-​type entrees but we thought it was a place that didn’t just call up the restaurant supply place and heat everything up in the microwave or the fryer. I had a shaved prime rib sandwich that came with sauteed onions, cheese, and real, not canned, sauteed onions. It was a simple sandwich that was prepared excellently. And it was under ten bucks! A great sandwich or hamburger can be just as satisfying as meal in a three-​star restaurant.
And the wait staff (one girl who was waitress and bartender) had a great sense of humor, made actual human contact with us, and was relaxed but professional. She didn’t tell us her name or want to be our best friends but she made the experience even more enjoyable and relaxed.
I recommend this place for an easygoing, completely satisfying meal in a non-​judgmental atmosphere that welcomes all types of people.

Great find off the beaten path. Great bartender and drinks. Cozy setting on a small lake and obviously a favorite of the locals, which is a place we like to go. Plenty to choose from on the menu and service was excellent. I was a little disappointed in my meal as it was bland, and one of our party of six didn’t like her meal, but everyone else raved about how good theirs was. Probably depends on what you order. Would go back again, especially for the welcoming atmosphere and staff.

This was only our first trip to the Lakehouse and we went based on others’ recommendations; we went on a Wednesday evening. One star would be because of the view on the deck, but there were some smokers that were way too close and either the smoke blew straight on us or onto the folks on the rest of the deck. Also, the waitresses were very over worked and seemingly stressed out. It took over an hour to get our food and we never got our salad but we were still charged for it even though we questioned the waitress about it. The food was passable but undistinguished, and the fries tasted like fish. For a medium bowl of veal stew over rice we were charged 16 dollars, the waitress’ excuse was she would have to go back inside and recalculate which she didn’t want to do. Not sure if we shall visit again.

The Lakehouse has good food. The food is even better when you take into account the location, which isn’t exactly on the beaten path, and the atmosphere.
It’s comfort food, it’s a bar. It’s not gourmet, and don’t expect that it will be. I’m sure Gordon Ramsay would not approve. In winter, there are snowmobilers all over the place and the bar smells like 2-​stroke. Ashfield’s an interesting mix of artsy types and those who swing a bit more to the red side of things. The Lakehouse seems to be a place for the latter, which is just fine with me.
Beers on tap are a decent selection, and there are daily specials that are usually pretty good. If you drop something on the floor, or maybe even the table, probably don’t eat it. But give the Lakehouse a try if you’re going through.

Kind of fun and funky, rustic style. Beautiful lakeside views. Average diner-​type bar food. A pool table. Live music some weekends. Not the cleanest place. If you’re germ-​phobic, I’d say stay away.