America’s Top Restaurants with Stunning Lake Views, Based on Reviews

Do you consider yourself a culinary adventurer constantly looking to get the most out of your food tourism experiences? Then you likely know that you should steer clear of restaurants with killer views while traveling in most scenarios. With a beautiful natural environment to draw customers in, many such eateries skimp on food quality, offering subpar eats with the hope that one-time tourists will find enough satisfaction in the views alone.

Thankfully, you don’t have to choose style over substance at these restaurants across the U.S. known for their lakeside ambience. At these dining destinations, the views simply complement delectable dishes that would impress diners no matter the setting. That means visitors get to indulge in delicious cuisine as well as a peaceful ambiance just steps from shimmering stretches of blue water.

To put together our picks for Explore readers eager for a rustic escape from modern life accompanied by food that consistently wows, we went to the best sources available: actual customers. The resulting list only includes restaurants that had at least 4 stars drawn from hundreds of reviews on sites such as Tripadvisor and Google. And, of course, all of the highlighted spots serve as fantastic vantage points for some of America’s most beloved lakes.

The driveway of the Boathouse Restaurant in Michigan winds along the West Bay, treating visitors to picture-perfect views of Lake Michigan before they even reach the front door. The scenery does not diminish once inside, as you’ll have the opportunity to take in Bowers Harbor and the marina no matter the location of your table. The eatery accomplishes this through its liberal placement of massive windows, which frame the sunset beautifully if you stop by for dinner. It’s no wonder Traverse City is a top town to visit on the Great Lakes.

The French fusion Boathouse Restaurant has more to offer than a feast for the eyes. Owner Doug Kosch and executive chef Jim Morse take the cuisine seriously. Staff harvest ingredients grown in the restaurant’s 10-acre farm, with everything possible prepared in-house (think made-from-scratch sauces, vegetables pickled on site, and pressed juices). Morse’s devotion to freshness and simplicity stems from his great-grandmother’s influence. The dishes customers can choose from include shaver beef ravioli doppio, morel chanterelle bisque, rack of elk, and tempura asparagus.

Despite the high-end fare, the Boathouse Restaurant has a casual and homey feel. Delicious eats served in a relaxed ambiance has proven a winning combo for customers. As a result, the eatery has over 1,200 reviews and 4.5 stars on Tripadvisor. “This is by far our favorite restaurant in the Traverse City area,” wrote contributor spahrkle. “It’s got such a warm, comfortable and welcoming vibe. The food is always consistent and absolutely delicious. Creative cocktails with a local fair. It’s the highlight of our annual trip ‘up north.'”

About a century ago, Garfield Wood, an engineer and boat builder, created the fastest boat on the planet. His boats found particular success on Lake Tahoe in Carnelian Bay, California, where boat racing really took off during the 1930s and 1940s. These days, Gar Woods Grill & Pier honors his legacy and love of the water — especially through its views. The restaurant has floor-to-ceiling windows and a massive deck, so you can enjoy sights from both indoors and outdoors. And you’ll find no better way to savor that ambiance than with a Wet Woody in hand. The frozen, fruity drink with plenty of cheeky variations is a Gar Woods Grill staple.

The laid-back eatery with wood tables and a stone fireplace proves that a lakeside restaurant doesn’t need to be fancy to be great. Happy customers have visited for more than three decades, enjoying tons of creative seafood options like beer-battered coconut prawns and lobster deviled eggs, as well as pastas and grilled fish. The restaurant has 4 stars from more than 800 reviews on Tripadvisor, with user midwesternplains writing, “This was our favorite place to eat in Tahoe. Great food and wonderful view. Their bread pudding was amazing. We will be back when we visit Tahoe again.”

Most restaurants are lucky enough to have one type of view. However, the Lakefront Restaurant on Lake Michigan in Chicago has two. From its 125 seats, massive windows and seasonal outdoor deck, the eatery offers views of both Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline. Even the indoor scenery is interesting, as the restaurant is housed in a historic Prairie-style building that dates back to the early 1900s. The interior retains a taste of the old and the new with its modern furniture and wood details. You’ll have just as hard of a time deciding which direction to look as you do deciding what to order. The eatery offers a mix of international dishes like poblano beef stew, fish and chips, chicken tinga tacos, and Fresno pepper deviled eggs.

This destination is especially ideal if you love dinner and a show, as events and performances take place regularly in the onsite theater. It’s no surprise that the venue has earned a slew of awards, including Best New Restaurant and Best Space in the City. Customers agree, as the Lakefront Restaurant has 4.5 stars on Google earned from more than 450 reviews. “Service was polite and prompt. Food was delicious. French onion soup, fries, and chicken tacos highly recommend!” wrote reviewer Jess. “Beautiful location right on the lake and view of the city!”

Even if you go to Lake Superior every year, your meal at the New Scenic Café in Minnesota will always be different. The menu changes often with plenty of items ideal for adventurous eaters. Eishes have included seared duck breast, a game platter, and passion fruit panna cotta. The New Scenic Café is known for serving unexpected fare (all made with local ingredients) before it gets trendy, which has been its philosophy since it opened in 1999.

That cutting-edge cuisine made by chef Scott Graden serves as the perfect complement to the eatery’s Lake Superior views. Graden focuses on creating Scandinavian-influenced food made with French techniques. It’s a far cry from the restaurant’s first life as the Scenic Café dating back to the 1960s when it featured standard American grub. However, the New Scenic Café’s setting remains humble with rustic wood walls, exposed beams, and pops of color.

The New Scenic Café’s not-so-new-anymore foray seems to be working, at least according to Tripadvisor users. The restaurant has 4.5 stars on the platform from more than 950 reviews. “Absolutely fantastic,” wrote contributor Kristal R. “One of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to for presentation, amazing selections and ambience … It had a line out the door by 6:30 PM and for good reason everything we ate was fantastic and everything we saw go by looked absolutely superb.”

You know a restaurant is good if it has more than 23,000 Google reviews and still manages to snag 4.2 stars. That’s the case for The Oasis on Lake Travis in Texas. Reviewer Bandi Abhilash Reddy wrote, “The Oasis on Lake Travis is one of those places you just have to experience when visiting Austin, Texas. Known as the ‘Sunset Capital of Texas,’ it offers absolutely stunning views of Lake Travis, especially during sunset, when the sky lights up in brilliant hues of orange and pink. It’s the kind of view that stops you in your tracks.”

But there’s another reason this restaurant has so many reviews: it’s the biggest eatery in the Lone Star State, with 2,500 seats. Those perches spread throughout the main dining area, private event spaces, and two live music areas. Even more impressively, you might still have to wait for a table with all the people that flock there every night. The crowds get especially big before sunset. A bell even rings at every sundown to capitalize on the evening showcase. To ensure that you catch this iconic view, get in line a minimum of 60 minutes before sunset, as the seating policy is first-come, first-serve. True to its Texan setting, you can expect to dine on Tex-Mex cuisine at The Oasis.

When dining lakeside, you have to feast on the treasures of the water, right? That’s the case at the Shanty on the Shore on Lake Champlain in Vermont, where fresh, hand-selected seafood is so imperative that the menu changes depending on the daily catch. Some of the dishes you can hope to choose from include a clam chowder noted as one of the best in New England by the Boston Globe, Maine lobster, and fried clam strips, all available on a patio with views of the harbor.

If you eat at Shanty on the Shore, you’ll also get a taste of Vermont history. The building dates back to 1833 when it functioned as a small grocery store owned by a man rumored to still haunt it to this day. Through the years, it also served as an office and storage unit before its transformation into a restaurant in 1963, and then the Shanty on the Shore in 1985. Since then, it’s garnered more than 650 reviews and 4 stars on Tripadvisor. User 22fk shared, “Fabulous! Had fish and chips, and scampi/shrimp combo. Fresh, generous portions, and super-tasty. Reasonably priced. Excellent friendly service. Wish we had time to go back for more, and to take in the views!”

Texas country rodeo culture usually isn’t associated with lakeside views; however, Steiner Ranch Steakhouse on Lake Travis in Texas offers the best of both worlds. Within a colossal 14,000-square-foot space, the upscale restaurant is adorned with dark wood, leather seating, photos of Western movie stars, and cowboy boots and saddles. It’s no gimmick. The members of the Steiner family were rodeo legends, owning the award-winning Steiner Rodeo Company. The company was one of the first to feature celebrities in its shows, including several of its own. Multiple Steiners earned titles like World Champion Bull Rider, Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame member, and World Champion Steer Wrestler, to name just a few.

Since 2008, the Steiner family has taken its accolades to new heights with Steiner Ranch Steakhouse. The restaurant overlooks Lake Travis and offers live patio music for an ambiance that’s hard to beat. Guests can revel in it all while dining on hand-selected cuts of premium beef, wagyu braised beef short ribs, hickory smoked ribs, and more. The eatery also features a thoughtful, ever-changing wine list. With over 600 reviews on Tripadvisor, Steiner Ranch Steakhouse has earned 4 stars. Contributor Kaylee H gushed, “Amazing service and management, food was amazing and I enjoyed every second of my experience. View is also gorgeous!!!” The restaurant is just one more reason to love Austin, Texas.

At the seasonal (typically open April to November) Stonecat Café on Seneca Lake in New York, farm-to-table isn’t a buzzword — it’s the only word. One of the original proponents of the farm-to-table philosophy when it opened in 1999, the restaurant takes it local cuisine seriously. So seriously, in fact, that three-quarters of its ingredients are sourced from farms within 65 miles, with the majority of them coming from less than a dozen miles away. You might even be able to spot a few of the farms, as the Stonecat Café overlooks the largest of the Finger Lakes as well as the lush region. The building that now houses the restaurant even used to be the Bond Fruit & Dairy Stand. To further support its sustainable ideals, the Stonecat Café buys its meat whole, local, and antibiotic and hormone-free. Plus, everything is brined and smoked onsite.

Just a few of the dishes you can hope to sample depending on the available ingredients include cornmeal crusted catfish, Korean-style barbeque beef, and smoked maple tofu. It all stays true to Stonecat Café founder Scott Signori’s dream. Although he died in 2021, his family keeps the restaurant’s original ideals alive. The Stonecat Café has 4.5 stars and more than 600 reviews on Tripadvisor. “Lovely place for dinner, really delicious food, especially for vegetarian with an incredible view,” contributor Elisabeth E shared. “Had a really nice evening.”

Lake Hopatcong in New Jersey is thought to have been named by the Lenape people, as “Hopatcong” in their language means “stone water.” Today, Stone Water restaurant pays homage to the lake’s still beauty by offering views through its massive windows. The eatery is so accessible to the lake that customers can get there by boat, as the 3 Peaks Marina is right out front. The interior’s rustic décor complements the outdoor setting with wood furnishings, exposed beams, stone details, and iron chandeliers, all surrounding a 100-foot bar. You can also take a drive right over the New Jersey border to New York, where you can explore a historic highway road trip filled with even more lake views.

Guests can choose from an array of American fusion dishes to dine on, but for the most authentic Stone Water experience, choose a “mi brasa” item. These dishes, ranging from tomahawk steaks to halibut, are cooked over open flame. Stone Water has 4.4 stars on Google garnered from more than 1,500 reviews. User Kevin L wrote, “Very good food. Very good service. A very beautiful view of Lake Hopatcong. A little more on the expensive side but worth every penny.”

Most lakeside restaurants serve seafood-focused menus, but The Windlass puts an Italian spin on its offerings. The restaurant on Lake Hopatcong in New Jersey features options like shrimp scampi, eggplant Parmesan, wood-fired pizza, and lobster ravioli. The Spinelli family founded The Windlass more than a half-century ago, maintaining ownership of it until Camp Six, a local restaurant group that owns other Lake Hopatcong eateries, purchased it.

Like Stone Water, customers can hustle to their Windlass reservation via car or boat, and they can also check out lake views from an outdoor deck. With more than 300 Tripadvisor reviews, the Windlass has 4 stars. “Beautiful place with spectacular lake view,” contributor sophiegirl0814 wrote under the headline, “Great view from any table,” continuing: “Nice bar and friendly staff. Daily specials in add5to seasonal drinks and food specials. Menu very diverse and delicious.”

No matter which lake you visit for a bucolic American adventure, you can bet that the dining choices are pretty much unlimited. Restaurateurs have more than capitalized on lakeside dining, plopping down eateries wherever there’s a view to be had. Unfortunately for those who appreciate a good meal, that leaves plenty of opportunities to be disappointed instead of impressed. But according to reviewers on sites such as Tripadvisor and Google, you can expect to always be wowed at these lakeside eateries.

To create this list, we only included restaurants that had at least 4 stars and hundreds of reviews, ensuring those stars were earned from more than a few people. We also considered which spots had the most interesting menus and flagship dishes, ranging from a Scandinavian-inspired haute cuisine café on Lake Superior to an American grill on Lake Tahoe that keeps seafood creative in every dish. Plus, we examined which locations had the best views of lakes and invested in floor-to-ceiling windows or rustic features to bring that scenery to life.

Looking for more dining opportunities that don’t skimp on aesthetics? Try some of the prettiest restaurants in the world for foodie travelers.