The Oaks Lakeside

Extremely slow service. Flustered server in under her head. Took almost 40 minutes just to get menus. Server kept asking if we're ready to order and we kept telling her we don't have menus yet. Dinner service should not take almost 4 hours. At least food was good...except for the bread pudding. Avoid that one. Luckily we were not in a hurry.

Although the weather was not great, it's still a Friday night. I think our party of 13 was the only ones eating?! That being said you'd think we would have a great dining experience... drinks came quickly but we had to ask for bread as we waited for our entrees. The biggest issue was the service staff not being knowledgeable about the menu. We asked multiple times to confirm that the "sea bass" listed as white fish was Chilean- they insisted it was so several of us ordered It came out as a plain, unseasoned flat white fish?! We again pointed this out and the server went back to chef and said "sorry" it's not Chilean. The crab cake on top was horrible- lots of uncooked onions/peppers? And to top it off, our dinners were lukewarm at best. For the reputation and price point, we expected so much more. Please educate your servers on your menu, it truly makes a difference.

Came to enjoy the band The Divots and loved the waitress Christy. The food was almost as good as the view. Highly recommend you find your way out here

Food was not as good as we might have expected. The Calamari was excellent, the Grouper was tough, not flaky as it should have been. The service was great. The wine was very good, the grounds are beautiful, view of the lake.

I agree with the previous comment abut the grouper. It's tough. I got it with the carrots and they were tough too.

Food and service was outstanding. Atmosphere was very cozy. Enjoyed drinks at the bar while waiting for our table. Bartenders were pleasant. We had a great time and will definitely come back.

The interior of the restaurant and grounds are stunningly attractive. Tables with a view of the lake. Have a terrific amenity. There is exterior dining as well.There were relatively few customers at the bar and at the tables when we were there, on a Wednesday night. There were correspondingly few service personnel attending to the tables.The menu had a nice variety of items.The service from our waitress and two bus boys was good, They were attentive and friendly. Our waitress, Diane, was particularly friendly and informative. The chef came out several times and asked whether we were pleased with the food.The pace of service was very relaxed, which is my preference. I would've preferred more time between service of the salad and the entrée.We ordered spaghetti with Alfredo sauce and spaghetti with marinara sauce from the price - fixed dinner served once a week and billed as "Italian family style". The Alfredo sauce was fine. The marinara sauce was tasty. Each serving contained a pound of pasta and one meatball. Additional servings of pasta could be ordered for no additional charge.Many of the desserts are homemade. The carrot cake and limoncello were very good and well - presented..In summary, the facility and grounds were clearly five star. The quality of servers relative to knowledge and helpfulness was very good. The pace of service might not have been pleasing to those who want quicker service. The quality of the "Italian family style" selections was good.

$250 spent on a ruined Valentine's dinner. Service was terrible, wait times ridiculous (20 mins to get first drink) food cold and waitress never apologized once. They knew how many people were coming with reservations so how could they be this ill prepared. I sent an email waiting to get an apology but that was ignored so posted review is what the Oakes deserves. We were not alone, every couple around us was experiencing the same. One couple left after finally getting their drinks when no-one came back to take their order. The Oakes ruined many Valentines Days for lots of couples this year. I was hoping nobody planned to propose! Just awful. They should be ashamed to charge that much money for what we got. I can let busy night go but not when there is no acknowledgement or apology. It's customer service 101.

We made a reservation to eat here for Valentine's Day, we arrived 5 minutes before our reservation and were told they were running behind and it would be 20 minutes. We ended up waiting over an hour for our table, after finally being sat we didn't see a waiter for over 10 minutes. We finally left so we could eat dinner at a decent time, not a single staff member apologized or tried to make it right. We could tell some were working hard, like the bartender, and felt overbooked, but this ruined our Valentine's Day and we will not be going back.

Tucked away in the beautiful Chippewa Lake community. The potential of this to be a destination evening is great. However, they miss the mark on a well-rounded menu and execution of the same. The food is just OK. That aside, an influx of capital would really help to beautify the grounds as many areas are simply "unattended" and are showing their years. The front facia is fresh and inviting as is the patio, after that, well it needs some attention.I would imagine the remote location limits the ability to turn the tables and thereby puts a cap on what can be set aside for capitol improvements. They are doing the best with what they can.Weather permitting, the ambiance makes it worth the trip to decide on your own if you will return.