The Smokehouse at Hueston Woods State Park

The service was spot on. As a server I know to be patient when it's a short staff issue. But my food however wasn't so hot. The bbq pork sandwich needs to be heated up more. The sides however was very bland. The onion rings needs to be fried a bit more. The mashed potatoes omg was so very bland and lifeless. I love how pretty the ambiance is. This place I hope never goes out of business. But the food needs major improvements. My breakfast today was luke warm...what a surprise. The bacon was cold and pancakes were lukewarm. Did they dig the food out of the dumpster? Again the waitstaff is amazing and the ambiance was great. But the food really lacked heat. Next time I'm going to bring my own food from the store to cook. At least I know my food will be warm in front of the fire...

My family and I were staying at the lodge for a few days during the off-season so we came for dinner here out of convenience. Come. On. An. Empty. Stomach. The portions are gigantic and the food is delicious. I really liked my chicken pot pie but I tried my dad's tortellini and it was out of this world! My mother also really enjoyed her maple-smoked salmon. We had gotten the Grecian flatbread as an appetizer and it was incredibly flavorful with so many combinations of flavor from the kalamata olives to the cheese to the balsamic vinegar to the pesto. I couldn't get enough! For dessert I got the banana foster and it was incredible!!! It's such a shame to have such huge portions as guests in a hotel and not have an oven to re-warm the food. (A microwave just doesn't give the same results). It would definitely be a huge bonus for people living in the area or maybe staying at an Air BNB who have access to an oven. You may be asking why I subtracted a star if we had such a lovely dinner. The breakfast. It was subpar at best. The French toast was pitiful to view and floppy and mediocre in flavor and texture. The maple syrup had already developed a skin over it by the time the lovely waitress brought the food from the kitchen to the table...But speaking of service, the servers were wonderful! Very nice, no complaints on our end for the waitresses but making a reservation was confusing. We were told by the hotel staff to book a reservation yet we kept calling and didn't get a reply. So we called the front desk back and apparently the restaurant people show up to start prepping for dinner around 5:30PM??? We just winged it and showed up at 6PM and it was just fine, not crowded at all. This was mid February so keep that in mind. But overall a lovely time and my baby boomer parents LOVED the 70's music playing!

The service was good. The staff was friendly. The beer was cold. The fish is good. The burger was OK at the time. 12 hours later not so much. The brisket wasn't brisket and was dry as an old fart. The pulled pork was.... tolerable. I'll go back but only for the pancake breakfast during the Maple Syrup Festival. Otherwise I'd advise skipping this place.

This place has the best view and a fireplace. The food is excellent and so is the servic.

(Note--this is a review for the Trailblazer Dining Room restaurant within the Hueston Woods Lodge/Conference Center. If you're looking for information about the Lodge itself, check my other review!)With so few food options at the Hueston Woods Lodge and with Jules and I running so many events at this year's AcadeCon, we found ourselves in the Trailblazer Dining Room several times over the course of the weekend. The TDR has an impressive view of the adjoining lake, through a massive triangular wall of glass, overlooking the state park. That makes for some phenomenal ambiance, to be sure!On all occasions where we visited the TDR, our service was cordial and prompt. We did have a few delays on one visit, but that was primarily due to most of the AcadeCon attendees showing up nearly-simultaneously, trying to get lunch. Even then, drinks were refilled promptly and items delivered in a timely manner.Overall, the food at TDR was of a simple sort, but executed properly: burgers, fish sandwiches, and the like. The prices on these items were quite acceptable, as well, especially considering that the TDR effectively had the market cornered for dinner options, if you were unwilling or unable to drive into Oxford proper. My chicken sandwich on the first night fresh and tender, while my fish later in the weekend was quite flaky, with a crisp exterior.Of the options we surveyed, probably the best of the lot was actually the Sunday breakfast buffet. In addition the 'basic' options--scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, etc.--the breakfast buffet featured fresh Belgian waffles and pancakes made to order, with a number of toppings. This was well worth the money to me. However, the pizza buffet that the TDR offered on Saturday was mediocre to say the least. $14 for all-you-can-eat pizza and salad just wasn't worth it for us, especially when entrees typically ranged around the $10 mark. Oh, one more thing! Be sure you keep an eye on the TDR's hours. Breakfast starts at 8, which was just a bit late for us on Saturday, as we had events beginning at 8. Same thing for lunch, which starts at noon, rather than a slightly-more-friendly 11:30. If you're at the Hueston Woods Lodge, you could certainly do worse than the Trailblazer Dining Room. It's a competent, reasonably-priced option you can enjoy between hikes or before a relaxing night at the Lodge.

This is actually a review I am writing without actually stepping foot into the restaurant. This review is for the Smokehouse. Why am I writing a review for a restaurant I have not eaten at? Well, a month before Friday, July 5, I contacted the restaurant to make a reservation for a party of 19. They assured me that the reservation is set and that there will be no issues. A couple of days before (on a Saturday), they called me to say they will cancel my reservation just because they decided they can no longer take reservations for that Friday. I called them to see if they can work with us since it was last minute and there was no way I can find another restaurant to accommodate us on a holiday weekend. They assured me that a manager will call me back. I waited a couple more days and since they did not call me back, I reached out to them again. They will not even pick up the phone. I think it was very unprofessional of them in terms on how they dealt with the situation. If I was the manager, I would have honored the reservation since the restaurant was at fault. To leave a customer hanging is no way to run a business.

The grilled chicken club was really good. The chicken was a tad on the dry side but still very good. The Woods chips that you can get instead of the fries are fantastic! Don't get the fries, order the chips! This is a good page to eat while staying at Hueston Woods State Park. You get a loaf of warm bread with your meal too and it was yummy.

We went here for our club's Xmas party. We were super impressed with decorations in the lodge and dining room. The food was great, everyone in group liked what they ordered. I had pork chop and husband had pulled pork sandwich. Large tasty portions. The service was great, are server was very attentive. We couldn't have been more satisfied. We all said we will be back just for lunch and dinner and I'm sure we will book our Xmas party there again.

Always love going here! Great food and atmosphere! The upgrading is going to be a wonderful thing too!

Excellent service, calming atmosphere. My friends and I were there for dinner. I had the salmon which was delicious. Server Raven was very attentive and accommodating. It is best to call ahead and make reservations. Especially once Miami University begins classes.