Oaks Restaurant

Arrived on a Thursday night and the place was packed. We came a lot later than usual and it was Halloween, so that was on us. We sat in a nice waiting room for about a half hour, maybe more, but the folks around us were super nice and we just enjoyed socializing until our table was ready. It was almost as if they were doing seatings because at the same time a number of tables opened up. The hostess was overwhelmingly nice and the waitress was perfect for a local spot. Both were well seasoned and charming. I ordered the Lively Combo which was just about all the seafood lightly fried. Almost a Calabash style. Fish, clams, shrimp and oysters. For the sides I went with green beans and mashed potatoes w/ gravy. Both of which would have been just the way my mom made them. Finally, since that wasn't enough, they lured me into the desserts. There were over a half dozen options and I went with the Lemoncello cake which definitely put me over the edge of awesome. Definitely a recommended home town spot.

Wonderful food - great service. The official restaurant of the CLAN TAYLOR. The have a great cook and the prices are reasonable. A good reason to make the trip to downtown Lively.

Local and friendly place. Real good steaks and burgers.Nice bar I highly recommend the Oaks.

I'm so mad I didn't try this place earlier! Clams A+Huge portion! And they were amazing! Hot and you could tell they were super fresh. They come with this amazing cocktail sauce. I would get them again! And I would absolutely recommend.Onion Rings AHUGE portion again. They are more of the bread crumb type, not the batter kind. I would get these again tooBuffalo Shrimp A Not super spicy or bland, same kind of bread crumb as the onion rings. They came with this amazing dip too.They also had a really good (on the small-er side) salad bar. I would recommend getting it, as they have homemade potato salad and pasta salad that is OUT of this world. I will be back and recommending to everyone.

The Oaks is the perfect local restaurant. Good food. Friendly and attentive staff. Huge portions of solid American fare. All the grilled food is perfectly grilled. The fried food as a very light coating on it - no heavy overpowering batter. The desserts are homemade - many made by the owner herself. And in season, the vegetables come straight from her garden.

10 out of 10I'm not from the area, but when we are in Lively on a Friday or Saturday evening I want to go to The Oaks. I've had their steak every time! It's so delicious that I can't move on to try something different on the menu...and the butter beans are the absolute best! Staff is very friendly.

Incredibly rude and arrogant owner. She gave us a hard time from the moment we came in. Another reviewer remarked on her and that review was "not recommended" by Yelp. Read that one too. One steak ordered medium well was charred beyond recognition and our concern was not well dealt with. That diner then waited an inordinate amount of time for the correct steak, almost as a punishment it seemed. We were not offered a comped drink or steak or anything. Left a bad taste. We asked if we could take the charred steak home for the dog and were told we could but we would have to pay for it. Just unpleasant experience all around. Not the way to treat customers, that's for sure. We will not be back.

This is a happening place. Have noticed it is always crowded when we've camped near by and finally had a chance to try it. Food and service were on point. They knew their menu items well and gave good advice. Our drinks were always full. A great find and now will be a must do when we are in the area

Local restaurant with lots of good food on the menu. They are noted for their ribeye steaks, which are delicious. Great service and local atmosphere. We'll be back soon.

Had a nice ribeye grilled to the requested doneness. The green beans were out of a can, probably best to go with an alternate side. Good little bar area, kinda busy on a Friday night. Decent prices with a friendly staff. Salad bar had the essentials.