Lakeside Charlies

Their food is usually alright. Their bar setting is very comfortable. I like the chairs in the bar… nice for my back. However some of their menu items are odd. They have a «Cuban sandwich» on the menu. Being from Florida… it’s not quite a Cuban sandwich. You have to slow roast the pork. Of course I understand that Cuban bread is literally IMPOSSIBLE to find in northern Michigan… but Italian is a great sub. However, it was not near like a real Cuban Sandwich. It’s not an easy task making a great cuban. But their rubans are very good. But drinks are a little overpriced. So I give 3 stars out of 5

This place has gone down hill fast over the years! Last time we were there and I mean «LAST TIME» it took forever to be seated and for a server to take our order, and they were not busy at ALL! By the time our food got to the table couldn’t believe that both our chicken dinners were cold and the center was still raw! So disgusted we sent them back and just wanted out!

The food here is gross. I ordered the spinach and artichoke dip for an appetizer and it tasted like something that came out of a freezer then put in a microwave. It was sloppy and greasy and not good at all. The bread and chips served with it were stale. For my dinner I ordered a steak as did my friend. Both of our steaks were rubbery and hard. We could barely use the knife to cut them. Basically the only thing this place has going for it is the location. It seemed clean and the waitress was friendly, but they either don’t know how to cook or are satisfied serving their guests frozen microwaved crap. I would much rather spend my money somewhere else. Would give this zero stars if I could.

I have been to Lakeside Charlie’s numerous times in the last 15 years and was surprised at how much it has gone down hill. We came in on a Sunday afternoon and looked forward to a sandwich or burger on the deck. We were seated right away and ordered a Bloody Mary. The Bloody Mary bar was excellent which gave them an upgraded rating to a 2… we were told we could only eat the buffet or order a simple salad. We relented on the buffet and then heard both the tables on either side of us order burgers and sandwiches. We asked our waitress why we could not have the same and she replied «I had to ask the chef to do a special order for those tables». The buffet was not good… when I asked if more roast beef was coming the chef said he wondered the same thing 20 minutes ago. The beef stroganoff was a large pile of mush with globs of sour cream. Skip the brunch and come here another time or find the waitress that is willing to ask the chef for a special order…

The one thing this place has going for it is location. The deck across the street from Lake Mitchell is a great place to sit, relax and have a drink – just don’t eat here. We were seated mid-​afternoon, ordered a drink and were told they were only serving brunch. Ok fine – until you get to the brunch table and begin to feel like you’re at your weird Aunt Ethel’s. I started with the smoked whitefish and a side salad – not bad. As I sat down, however, I noticed others ordering from the menu… something I was told I wasn’t allowed to do. I inquired as to how that could be, only to be told by the waitress that «she had to talk to the chef to open up the kitchen». Apparently, I didn’t rate, but every table around me did. So, I went back to the buffet to see what my options were. And here they are: 1). Beef stroganoff mush. I’m not kidding. It was weird. 2). Mediterranean seafood pasta. For brunch? In northern Michigan? Uh… ok… 3). Ham. And that’s it. True story. While others around me enjoyed their burgers, wraps and salads from the menu, I ate weird Aunt Ethel’s Mediterranean seafood stew. So, I followed it up with a brick-​fired pizza at Clam Lake Beer Company – which was awesome! Our waitress was super friendly and helpful (a different experience from Lakeside Charlie’s), the food was great and it has a wonderful ambiance. Go there instead.

On our recent trip to Cadillac we had the opportunity to spend time at Lakeside Charlie. On the first night we stopped in to have a few drinks in the bar with family. We had a great time, it was a wonderful environment to just sit back, relax and laugh! Oh and the drinks were great, they had a nice variety to suit any taste.
A few days later, we had reservations for Valentine’s Day dinner and the evening started with the Asparagus Soup (amazing!) followed by a delicious wedge salad and perfectly prepared steak. The evening was topped off with their outstanding bread pudding, you really don’t want to miss this!
We had excellent service on both visits, friendly and attentive to our needs and the prices are reasonable. Lakeside is a gem and not one you will want to miss your visit to Cadillac. Enjoy!

Fairly quiet, but took forever to get waited on. Tortilla chips were stale, but the spinach/​artichoke dip was quite fresh and flavorful.

First time visiting this establishment and have to say my wife and I were pleasantly surprised. Very friendly staff, nice food selection. Mid price range, nice wine selection and very good tasting food. Asked to substitute the seafood in the Fettuccini Alfredo with chicken and got a no hesitation Response of no problem. It was delicious. Will eat there again next time we pass through.

We have wanted to try this place for a long time and we are from the area but we heard it was pricey we finaly went today for there Sunday brunch and it was not very good at all for the food the pancakes were like eating rubber the roast beef was very tough the bacon cold and hard the potatoes were ok and the ham was the best thing there the gumbo had a great flavor but was all rice and little sea food the deserts where ok but tasted store bought we did arrive at noon and it seemed to be switch over time but that’s no excuse for crap food now the service our waitress was very kind and helpful when we needed something thats the only reason for a 2 star not a one star our waitress name was gabby we will not be back for Sunday brunch any time soon.

This place has gone down hill
I have been there 4 or 5 times this Season (close by) EVERY time My steak is under cooked (rare). If you do not go to the bar for your drinks, it will be a looong wait and will not be what you asked for.
Two words
” Tim bers”

Lakeside Charlie’s has really good food and the prices while not cheap … are not expensive.
I don’t give many «5“s and really would have this at a 4.5 if I could… but I can’t so I will round it down to a 4. But it is one of the best places in Cadillac area. People coming from Chicago won’t confuse it with Charlie Trotter’s (I know, it has shut down and he just died so he is on my mind). I mean… it is close to a «Up North 5» which means really good but not World Class or anything LOL
Like most places in tourist towns, it will be a madhouse on summer nights especially weekends. We are mainly in the area all fall as I own property up there and get to go there in Sept-​Dec when things are more laid back, there are no long waits for a table etc. When you read a review about slow service, long waits etc take them with a grain of salt and realize that person probably went there on a Saturday night in July or August… and guess what… the place is popular.
I have had several things on their menu and liked or loved them all. The nightly specials are usually worthy of strong consideration.
Soups are real good. I have had French Onion and Chowder both real good.
I often get their Filet or Prime Rib and the cost is mid-​$ 20s Not cheap, not crazy high and they are good. But ALWAYS check out the specials.
L.C’s is one of two places I go if I want a Steak in the Cadillac area the other being The Timbers down the road. But Lakeside Charlie’s is a little nicer and quieter while still being a casual restaurant. But if you WANT to get dressed up for dinner you will not be out of place.
And of course… it is next to Lake Mitchell as the name implies. It is kind of tucked away so if it looks like you are pulling into a Motel or Car Wash from the main road… keep going… your on the right track!

Great Walleye, excellent service. Great food and reasonably priced. Waitstaff seem ed eager to please, everyone ver pleasant and accommodating

With a name and great location, I would think the owners would put in «more effort». In 5 out of 6 times there, only one time was «perfect».
I expected more from walking thru the door.
As said by a previous review… All appetisers «sounded good» in description, but fell short. My prime rib (salt encrusted was a mess of raw grissel”…Then, when I asked waiter to get another (not his fault) he came back with it «cooked correctly», but still full of grissel… Again, I sent back.
Manager came over, and actually tried to «snowball me», my saying“this is what «primb rib is like»…PLEASSSE. The fact that he even «attempted» to insult my intelligence”, was a «big turn off»…I «make prime ribs for holiday dinners, so «don’t try and insult my intelligence».
I settled instead for a strip steak, By then, «my whole dinner party of 5 people «were finished». They too, had compliants about either their appetizer or meal, or drink not served with the right garnish, or not at all.
It would be nice, if the Cadillac area had a restrurant «on the water especially» that you could «count on» to impress your guests from downstate.
I don’t «mind» paying higher prices, but «make sure qulity and service is «to a «T». Yes, sometimes restrurant have «off days», for whatever the reason… But 5 out of six visits, where «something is a complete mess», well, as much as I enjoy the atmostphere, I’ll stick to «Timbers» outside of town.

While having a late night snack, I ordered a top shelf margarita and then another. When it came time to pay the bill for my cocktails (only), the total came to $ 26.50. Obviously, I was shocked.
A tab this high at a local Cadillac dive… You would have thought I was in NYC!!!

Decided to go here instead of McGuires for fish fry on Friday. The food was pretty tasty, but the waitress could’ve been more interactive. Good atmosphere though. will be back!

Loved the Friday night fish fry… we will be back!

Coming to Cadillac has proven to be a rough week foodwise. As a Maryland-​bred seafood lover, I’ve realized I can’t quite cope for very long this far inland.
My business associates and I headed out to Lakeside Charlies on a quiet Wednesday evening. The weather was nice so we opted for a patio table. The host (manager?) was quite accommodating and friendly. There was a short wait for our table, so we headed to the bar first. The bartender was courteous. No complaints there.
The six of us were seated on a nice patio table and our server came immediately. Service was good. A little odd — we ordered appetizers and they came while we still had menus on the table, waiting to order main courses. Not a big deal, just. curious.
Overall between the greeting, seating, location, waterfront view, and service, Lakeside Charlies have 4 stars. I want to say I loved it. I want to say I’ll come back every time I visit Cadillac.
But then the food came.
I ordered the smoked fish plate appetizer and my colleague ordered the stuffed mushroom. Unable to eat it due to allergies, we swapped — which was fine by me as the smoked fish plate didn’t look as appetizing as the menu made it sound. So I dug in to the mushroom. Attention restaurant owners — if you can’t get crab meat, don’t stuff a mushroom with 2 pounds of «krab» and make it sound delicious, because it isn’t.
I had a taste of my colleagues spinach and artichoke dip — Ruby Tuesday’s generic, probably-​comes-​frozen dip is better than Charlies homemade dip, which is sad. It was mostly cream cheese and lemon juice — I didn’t see any artichokes, and barely any spinach. Lemon juice? Curious.
Next came my clam chowder. How hard is it to make clam chowder? Apparently for Charlie, very difficult. All I could taste was milk, butter, and lemon juice. Again, lemon juice? Hmmmm. It was very thin. Chowder doesn’t have to be very thick to be good, but a little thickness is required. Campbell’s tomato soup was thicker than Charlie’s chowder. And I counted one clam.
Next came my seafood fettucini. Again, the menu made it sound awesome. I gotta hand it to whoever wrote the food descriptions. Either that or I was really hungry. A pile of noodles, some thin creamy sauce (is that clam chowder poured over my pasta?) with a few undercooked scallops, a couple tiny chunks of shrimp, and. fake lobster. Can we just leave the shlobster out of the dish, charge a couple bucks less and call it a day? Is there a difference in taste between shlobster and krab, or is the difference just the shape of the «meat»? So so gross. And what’s that faint hint of … is that lemon juice?
Looking around the table, I have to admit I wasn’t jealous of anyone else’s meal, and no one seemed to enjoy their food anymore than I had enjoyed my own. In fact, 3 out of 5 of my dinner buds said they did not like the food. The other 2 didn’t say they enjoyed it — they just left before I could ask. Overall, next time I come to Cadillac, I’ll be steering clear of Lemonjuice Charlies.

First time visit for my wife and I. Visit Cadillac every trip north and were disappointed with the quality of food. Very plain and over salted everything.

This is as fine as fine gets for the area. Good food, fair prices, open late, good beer selection, friendly service. Win. This is the place to go in Cadillac.
Bar has saloon style doors and a large projection TV with a bunch of other flat screens. Restaurant area is much different. No TVs, named rooms (which I always like), more of a dining experience. Need I say more?

This place is fabulous! It is right on the lake, so no matter where you are, you have a great view! They also make their own ginger ale, delicious! They also have fresh fish and their seafood fettuccine is the best I’ve eaten anywhere! There is also a bar room which is great for sports games and dancing, but there is also a fancy section for large groups or events, and both are separate from the normal dining area. If you are in Cadillac, go here!