Portside Grill & Bar

If it can’t be cooked on the grill, it’s not on the menu. Simple, just they way I like it.

Best spot on the lake!!! Wings and cold beer…
Best wing sauce ever! Make sure you buy some and take it home.
Don’t go to SML without stopping… just make sure it’s a weekend ;)

Awesome viewing. Wings are great. Don’t order the Hawaiian chicken salad. Just drink and eat wings and enjoy the lake.

This is the place for some good food and cold beers while out on the lake. We stopped in with a group of 15! NO PROBLEM FOR THIS CREW! The FOOD was served quick and HOT! The wings were to die for and so was the sauce! Cuban sandwich was fantastic. The cheeseburger was great as well. All our Crew had no complaints. LOVED IT AND WILL DEF BE BACK NEXT TRIP!!!

Food was mediocre at best, not sure what the hype is about.
When ordering, the person who took out order flat out refused to honor my request that tomatoes be left off of my burger, she would only repeat that «it comes on the side», well, it doesnt, it comes touching the bun. I have a tomato sensitivity, which causes blisters in my mouth, so thanks for that.
We got a cheeseburger, a BBQ sandwich, and 8 wings. The cheeseburger tasted like a wholesale frozen patty, topped with a kraft singles slice if cheese, served on a very dry bun. Condiments were unavailable except for the packets in the basket.
My husband’s BBQ was «fine». It looked like it came from a tub, no sauce was provided, it was just dry shredded pork on the same dry bun as the burger.
The wings were not spectacular either. They were tough, and completely unseasoned.
Over all, this was a $ 30 meal before tip, but it tasted like a $ 10 meal. Totally disappointing. Great location, though.

Stopped in for a beer & a bite after doing the sightseeing tour on the Virginia Dare cruise.
The atmosphere was good and workers were nice. You order your meal at the bar. Prices are a bit expensive as I ordered the fish taco special for $ 10. It was only one taco (two plain pieces of fish on a tortilla) with a condiment cup of slaw on the side and maybe three ounces (one medium scoop) of beans and rice.
No tropical sauces, hot sauce or the like for the taco. Would have been better satisfied with a slightly larger portion or lower price.
Draft beers were maybe $ 5 each with selections from a local brewery that were good.

We rented a house within walking distance of this hidden treasure. We were greeted by a friendly three-​legged dog and a polite young bar tender. We showed up fairly late and asked when closing was. The bartender responded… «Whenever everyone leaves.»
The menu was simple. Burgers, wings, sandwiches; basic America fare. Didn’t expect too much, as we did not notice a kitchen, but simply one grill. An alluring aroma wafted out way. The bartender recommended the wings, so we put in our order. She wrote it down on a ticket, clipped it to a line above the bar, and slide it to the cook on the grill, as you would see in a old school diner.
We paid and took our seat right next to the water. It felt like we were floating. We were.
The wings came about halfway through my Dam Lager. The waitress suggested we cover the grilled wings in the house-​made hot sauce which was at each table in a Corona bottle. WOW! They were amazing!
The three-​legged dog graced us with his presence again as we ate. We put in our second order and stayed for another hour or so.
If your vacationing in Smith Mountain Lake, be sure to make your way to Portside for a beer and some wings. You won’t regret it.

What a cute dive !
We were looking for a place to eat while boating around and found this place.
It looks like a fun place to hang and have a couple of drinks.
The menu is small and simple but we were impressed how good it was.
I had the grilled chicken, came with cole slaw. Ordered side of grilled veggies too! Love that they even have grilled veggies for a veggie lover like me !!!
My husband and there of my boys had the pulled BBQ pork sandwich, and one of my boy had the chili dog.
They said the food was pretty good !
Heard the chicken wings were good but we didn’t try them. Def next time !

This is the most fun place at the lake. It makes you think that the next person arriving is really likely to be Jimmy Buffett. The peel ‘em and eat ‘em shrimp are (almost) as good as any you’ll find in New Orleans. (Hey, this is SML, anyway!) the wings are fantastic, as are the burgers. My personal favorite is the Cuban sandwich. It is a great place to while away the afternoon, enjoying a great view of the passing parade of boats and just getting into that Key West state of mind!

Really nice atmosphere! We had a lovely visit at Smith Mountain Lake. Having dinner here just added to the overall wonderful experience. It has a very laid back vibe, which was perfect for our large group to include 4 children and 5 adults. The kids played w/​their very simple ring on a string for awhile, which gave the adults time to chat. The food wasn’t gourmet, but it was as expected for a lake side grill. Everyone raved about the chicken wings. I had the cheeseburger, and was not dissapointed. The kids had a frozen non-​alcoholic piña colada which they gulped down quickly… Bottomline, if I visit Smith Mountain Lake again, we will be stopping here again!

We visited some family at Smith Mountain Lake this past weekend and they kept talking to us about these amazing «chicken wings». We thought okay, sure, whatever, sounds great. However, we had no idea what we were in for.
We headed over to Portside by boat, lashed up our boat, and saundered on down the pier to the outdoor dining area. The restaurant is on the water and ultra casual! (Just what you want when you are in your swimsuit!) Place your order at the bar for a bucket of beers and several orders of wings — then find yourself a seat at the bar or at one of the tables and get ready for goodness.
The buckets of beer are icy cold and just what you need when its 90 degrees outside! Then — come — the — chicken — wings! The wings are grilled fresh to order, amazingly seasoned, and then — you douse them in the «secret hot sauce» that’s located on every table — and OH — MY — GOD! These are unbelievable. They are piping hot, spicy, juicy, and you cannot stop eating them!
If you are ever visiting SML or just love wings — this is a must try!