Great Dinner and Food, Little Struggle with Staff in Handling Diners/Seating in Covid Environment, Open to Suggestions and Adaptable to Our Party. read more

Positives : Beautiful location , good variety of cuisine . Cool foodie spot . Ample seating , dining options . Friendly staff . 4/5 for food. Good eats ! Great hidden jem . Out of the way spot for the local mariners and visitors . Negatives : not enough staff . Very busy place. Needs more staff to keep up with cleaning . Covid prec. Floor was dirty . As in paper , food all over . read more

Great service and food quality. Nice quaint setting. Does not look like much but you will be pleasantly surprised

Do NOT street appraise this place! You will be missing out. This place was recommended to me by a young woman who had grown up in this town. I was fortunate to b seated next to her on my flight to Albany. I wanted a restaurant on the lake, that would be good to take 9 people.(They will seat up to 10). There were 6 adults, 2 10 year olds, and a 13 year old boy who had just finished a week at the baseball camp. The Blue Mingo couldn't have been more perfect. We were able to be seated at a round table, big enough for all of us. Our young server was professional and attentive just enough. The food was delish! All said their meals were great. Orders included hamburgers, fish tacos, the crabcakes, lobster pasta and a couple salads. We had the cookie sundae and carrot cake for dessert. The beer and wine choices pleased the adults. Nice casual place with great ambience for kids and adults. I highly, highly recommend this place, if you are looking for a good restaurant, and dont want to get all dressed up. The little gift shop was a lot of fun. Nice stuff too. Not just junk. read more

Asked some locals and they highly recommended Blue Mingo. Beautiful area overlooking lake. Very good service, food was ok. Salad was ok. My wife got the trout and it was fantastic. I got the NY strip steak, char broiled. It had a burnt flavor to it. I ate half of it and gave leftovers to my son. It really wasn't worth $42. Overall, the trout my wife got saved this from being 2 stars. She and I agreed, it really wasn't worth the price. read more

Blue Mingo Grill - American Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

Always such a great place and can't wait to eat here every Summer! Every menu item is a " favorite" of someone and the recipes are lovingly kept consistent so you can look forward to those as well as new and exciting specials every season. The boatyard is family run ( three generations). There's so much great history about it that it's too much to tell here. Lots of good characters- good stories. Also, attached to the Blue Mingo, is a real operating boatyard, dockage, moorings, boat rentals of all kinds and an amazing store, Lake Classic Outfitters. They have great stuff... gifts, home goods and a huge array of women's clothes and accessories.. beautiful and interesting collection. The drive to The Mingo is a lovely one and the view is spectacular once you're there. This is a special Cooperstown experience that should not be missed! read more

After visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame, we decided to try a the Blue Mingo Grill based on a friend's recommendation. We went for lunch and seems many of the locals also eat at the restaurant. So that was a good sign. Our server recommended a few menu favorites, so we went with the lobster roll, crab cakes, chicken salad, and chicken breast sandwich. Service was attentive and polite. Enjoying lunch next to the water was a nice luxury, but we found the food was, meh. The lobster roll and crab cakes lacked flavor; possibly used frozen shellfish? The chicken breast sandwich was as plain as plain can be. We looked at the dinner menu and figured that these entrees must be the signature dishes of the restaurant. Sorry we missed out. read more

Great view, ambiance and music; so to enjoy the place when not crowded, order carefully, the simplest items are done well, so stick with the lobster roll, fish tacos, pot-stickers, etc. and skip the big entrees which can be a modest hit-or a very big miss. Easy of the pricey drinks. Browse the gift shop while you wait on your table, or better, get your food to go and take it on the boat ! read more

Had lunch there today. Initially told a 35 minute wait, surprisingly it was 10 minutes. Our table however was less than adequate. We were seated near the waiters tray and station. When I asked if we could be seated at another table the hostess said no we were a party of just 2 and then proceeded to seat 3 other parties of 2 at tables of four after I offered to wait for the tables to be cleaned but my party of two was not accommodated. Very poor service. The fish tacos were also soggy. Very disappointing lunch. Poor customer service. read more

Fun and beautiful atmosphere. Loved the fish tacos, but the lobster pasta was a little bland.

Great food and ambience. Price is reasonable and taste is good. Also have a small shop that you can choose from

My friend & I had a delicious lunch here today. We both had the country salad with warm bacon dressing. The leafy lettuce was really fresh and clean. The grilled chicken tender and delicious. We rewarded our healthy choice by sharing a piece of chocolate torte. A dense, flourless chocolate delight served with whipped cream. A view of the lake made our dining experience even more rewarding. read more

My dad and both had burgers. I had one with goat cheese and bourbon jam - really good. My dad had one with huge pieces of bacon and onion straws - also really good! The view of the lake right after sunset was awesome. Then we saw the moon rise over the lake. Great spot to eat! read more

This was such a lovely environment and yummy food. I would go back again. I only wish they had a kids menu.

This place is set in a beautiful location . It's a shame how the rest is though. They charge 35 dollars a dinner entree and you have to sit on 10 dollar flimsy plastic chairs on gravel so your unstable whole time . Seating on top is small meant for small Hineys I guess which I don't have . I had to send back my drink there was absolutely no alcohol in it at all . Service was only thing that I can commend them about . Food was decent but not worth the price they charge to be uncomfortable . read more

We went there with 18 people when we were out for the Field of Dreams Tournament. Everyone liked the dishes that were served. The service was decent, but not excellent. They made a couple of modifications for some of the orders, which was appreciated. We would eat there again. Like most of the other places in C'town, they will not split checks. read more

Nice, rustic, marina style dining venue with a beautiful view of Otsego lake awaits you for lunch or dinner. Meals are very tasty. Dinners are a bit pricey $30+, making lunch a better alternative. Their fish tacos and salads are delicious. There is a bar and gift shop to pass the time. read more

Great atmosphere but food lacking distinctive flavor. Main dishes are over presented in sauces and cooking oils. Nothing outstanding between the Seabass which was oily to point of nausea. Couldnt even taste the flavor of the fish or the ribs which also were aturated in bbq sauce. T-bone steak was one of thinnest cuts we've ever seen. Service was standard. Wouldn't suggest to come for the menu. Nice place to relax and have a cocktail at best. read more

Over rated just because it's on the water. You'll leave hungry and will have over paid. "Grilled chicken" is basically a frozen tasteless sponge. Salad is mostly lettuce with a few accompaniments. Portions small, staff barely friendly! Fish tacos... you can get a fish stick and make at home! Don't bother! read more

I'm not sure where all these raving reviews came from, but I wish my experience was half as decent as theirs. I planned a (very low key) bachelorette trip to the area and stumbled across Blue Mingo Grill. About two weeks before, I got in touch with someone from there to make a reservation for 10 people at 7pm (tried to make it a little later because of the size of our group). When we walked up to the hostess podium the two employees were looking at a menu but didn't even bother to greet us or let us know they would be a minute. We were finally seated and the waitress came over about 10 minutes later (I don't even know her name because she didn't tell us it but she had curly hair in a pony tail and a septum piercing). She asked if we were out for a special occasion and we explained what we were celebrating. She took our drink orders and came back to take our apps where I explained that the bride was extremely allergic to XY and Z allergy, like life threatening. The apps oddly came out before all of our drinks did (which to me is suspicious). When the steamed clams were placed in front of the bride, there were tons of black flakes floating in the sauce. She didn't come back for another 10 minutes to ask how everything was and by the time she did, they were cold. She verified with the chef that there was no pepper in it but I would've thought that she would confirm that before hand. She never came back to re-fill waters, take additional drink orders, and multiple food orders came back wrong even though the individuals who ordered it were VERY specific. At this point I was pretty upset because the meal wasn't going to be cheap. I excused myself from the table to speak to a manager and when I voiced my concerns there was no apology, compensation, or effort to fix our MULTIPLE problems. Instead, they sent another waitress over who also did not ask if we wanted any more drinks or water and was ignored by the original waitress when she (eventually) did come over. I also must point out that by this time, there was no additional tables coming in and most of which had left because trust me we are a very understanding group and would have over looked some of the details if they were short staffed and it was busy. The entire restaurant is run by 16-19 year old's who really don't have a clue what they're doing or how to operate a business. Get some seasoned employees and management in there. If you go, the view is great but not worth the terrible service and high price tags. read more

Hands down, our favorite places to go to in Cooperstown. Lunch is reasonable, dinner can be pricey. Desserts are all homemade and awesome read more

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A little hidden gem which is off the beaten path. This place is incredible. Make sure you use the address: 6098 New York 80, Cooperstown, NY 13326, when GPSing the location of this restaurant because it is off the beaten path it is pretty hard to find and if you aren't looking you will drive right past. The view of Otsego Lake is outstanding make sure you are sitting on the deck if the weather permits. Blue Mingo has many local craft beers and seafood so I was like a pig in mud. For the non-seafood lovers, they do have other items to make the crowd happy. I've read some other reviews saying that the food was pricey, if you want good food it's gonna be a little pricey, plus I'm from DC I thought the food was in a fine price range. This is a restaurant I will recommend to anyone who tells me they are in Cooperstown, there was nothing bad about Blue Mingo. The food is spectacular! This is by far one of the best places to eat while you are in Cooperstown. read more

This was a very enjoyable place to grab lunch. Open-air seating is available on the deck with a view of the lake. Unfortunately the tents that were set up below the deck for additional seating were partially obscuring the view. The food selection was good, however I predictably chose a burger with sweet potato fries. I had ordered the burger to be cooked medium-well, but it came out closer to medium. The sweet potato fries were very good. I was also pleasantly surprised by a side of tasty pineapple coleslaw that was included. The raspberry iced tea was better than I had expected as it wasn't the typical Lipton taste that you find so many places. We also had the potstickers as an appetizer and I would recommend them. Overall I really enjoyed this location. The atmosphere was unique and the food was good. I could see myself returning often if I lived in the area. It's definitely worth checking out. read more

Stopped in on a Tuesday afternoon around 2:30pm, there was appx 3 other tables with people in the whole restaurant. The hostess sat us and that was the last service we received until walking out appx 20 mins later. read more

We were in Cooperstown to visit the Hall of Fame and wanted to go somewhere nice for dinner. Good thing there is Yelp because we were pointed to the Blue Mingo, a wonderful, yet impossible to find, restaurant situated right on the lake. The Blue Mingo is a seasonal restaurant that is only open from Memorial Day to Labor day. It is about three miles from the Hall and requires a keen eye to find. While the restaurant is small it does offer a great view of the lake and amazing food to boot. There were four of us in our party and we were sat right away without a reservation. There were many open tables but this quickly changed as the meal went on. We ordered a bottle of wine and a few appetizers. The tuna tartare was spicy and fantastic, I had an okay salmon chowder, and we also had a phenomenal flat bread thingy with balsamic vinegar, mozzarella, and tomatoes. The meals were next, between the four of us we had two steaks, salmon, and sausage raviolis. The steaks were N.Y. strips and cooked the way that we ordered. The meat was solid and had an excellent horseradish mashed potatoes to compliment it. The salmon dish was cooked medium rare and was incredibly moist and delicious. It was served with rice. Lastly, the sausage ravioli was good if a little underwhelming as it was served in what seemed to be a soup. Overall the meals were great and the wine was good. If you are in Cooperstown then you have to come to this place. Also, our waiter happened to go to the same exact high school as us which was incredibly freaky as we were 300 miles away. It's a small world for sure. read more

This place is a hidden gem. After eating baseball park food for nearly a week the food here was fresh and tasty. The specialty drinks were delicious and the view was amazing. We had a beautiful night and the staff was friendly and accommodating. We had a large group of 18 and we sat at 3 separate tables of 6. The service was quick. Highly recommended. read more

Clearly you're paying for the view through the jacked-up prices for food. And the view is spectacular. Nestled in a small cove neighbored by boats in dry dock this restaurant offers keen lakeside views from nearly every table. At sunset I know of no other place to be on the lake. It must be because of this prime real estate you pay for what even in tourist overrun Cooperstown is very high prices for very mediocre food. The menu reads more like pub fare with a pedigree than fine dining- coconut shrimp, potstickers, tuna nachos, etc. We dined with a table for five. Three shared appetizers, two bottles of moderately priced wine and five entrees came to $270. No entree was under $30. If you need a fix of the lake and can manage the prices this place is worth a stop, though our experience did not make this a culinary destination. read more

Great spot on Lake Otsego! We had an amazing dinner and the staff was friendly. We had the pot pie and the pork chops. I definitely recommend taking your family here! read more

Came in for lunch after the baseball hall of fame. We were sat immediately at a nice table by the water. Sat waiting for 15 minutes for anyone to acknowledge the 2 of us. They didn't seem busy at all with 3 other tables. We left disappointed and hungry. read more

Years ago I liked this place; but, last time I went the prices just got way too high and the quality did not match the product. Think $7 side salad type prices. Decent enough environment but loud, I could see maybe getting a drink and app overlooking the lake, but much better to be found with more reasonable prices in the area. Honestly, this place is a complete rip-off. When I pay high prices I expect very high quality food. read more

This place was amazing. There isn't or wasn't much in the way of eats for us when we are in Cooperstown, but now there is. Great food, great location, great people. Just go and eat there. Cool little shop too while you wait. Bar too! read more

Blue Mingo Grill - American Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

Don't waste your money quality was horrible and they refused to even open up communication about our experience. I had called three times, wrote an email, and tried to communicate via Facebook to no avail. Below is my attempt at communication with them. You be the judge but without any response I have decided to give them no stars.   Hello,        I am writing this email not under the best circumstances. My wife and I, upon reflecting on our recent visit to the Blue Mingo Grill, have decided to communicate how we felt about the experience.      I would like to take the time to mention that we are both local to the area, and had decided to go to a higher end restaurant to celebrate my wife's birthday. This was on Sept 13th with reservations at 6:30 and our check number was 4561.      We absolutely loved the ambiance and really looked forward to a high end meal. I need to also add that the waiter Okan was extremely professional and that our pot sticker appetizers were served in a timely fashion and were a great start.      Sadly this is where the pleasure stopped. In retrospect I should have sent our entrees back, paid for our appetizer and bottle of wine and left. The reason we feel this way was due to the fact that after waiting 1hr and 20 minutes for our entrees they were both ice cold. I want to be clear these meals died at the pass, almost like the chefs thought it more important to cook our meals but not serve us before the 8 top that they had to finish first. But even worse was that my shrimp and chorizo were charred and dry and my wife's potatoes were not fully cooked nor were they roasted and the corn was shriveled.      The sad part is that our experience was going in an excellent direction and then fell apart. We both left asking what just happen, this should have been better. Our hope is that this was a fluke and would love to be offered an opportunity to see the true caliber of what an expensive restaurant should be offering.   If you need to get in touch with us to discuss further you can email us back or call   Sincerely,       Dear Blue Mingo Grill,   I wanted to check in to inquire as to why I have not heard back about my original dining experience email.....? As I write this I am trying to come up with reasoning for Blue Mingo's lack of response. This lack of response is not very customer centric. I sincerely hope that I will hear back from someone on the team to talk about our experience. read more

Used to be good, now a tourist trap. Service is incredibly slow... food is mediocre at best. Could go on a long rant, but when we complained to the restaurant after a meal that took over 2 hours (until we finally had to go to the hostess to ask for our check since we hadn't seen our waiter in 30+ minutes) and consisted of 3 of 4 in our party being very dissatisfied with their meals, the restaurant didn't seem to care. They're full of tourists who don't know any better. Plenty of good places in Cooperstown and the surrounding area, strongly advise you skip this one. read more

Excellent food, great atmosphere and a superb gift shop. Quiet lakeside dining and reservations encouraged, this is not a sleepy spot.

Delicious food and rustic outdoor seating with an amazing view. Very historic and cool place run by generations of family. We ordered the tuna nachos and sriracha fries as an appetizer and both were AMAZING! We all got something different for dinner and loved each of ours! Great place and even better food! read more

What a disappointment, the food was mediocre at best and way over priced for what was served. A $7 salad consisted of lettuce, yup just lettuce. Crab cakes had nothing special about them and were not even fully cooked. Parking is difficult. Looking out on the lake is nice. This was not my first time there but it will be the last. Many fine places to eat in Cooperstown so skip this one!! read more

I'll start with the negative: we drove past it 3 times before we could find it but well worth the hunt. The menu was outstanding and we were told it changes often. The pork belly with butternut risotto was an amazing combination of flavors. The shrimp in cajun sauce with chorizo was spicy and delicious, Add an amazing cocktail menu and the dinner was perfect. The description of the deserts was so tempting but we couldn't squeeze in another bite. The waitress was very attentive but not annoying. Her suggestions were helpful and she made the dinner a pleasurable experience. Been coming to Cooperstown for 25 years and this is my first visit. Can't believe what I have been missing. read more

This is a kind of upscale bar and grill that apparently caters to boaters. It was absolutely pouring ran, but it looks like you could get served right off your boat. The hostess was kind of brusque, but waitress (once she got to us, it was pretty busy) was friendly. The food was very good. we had fish tacos, shrimp wrap, a burger, a lobster roll, NE clam chowder, and coconut shrimp. Everything was really tasty. The amount of seafood in all the food was crazy. The chowder had tons of clams in it. The lobster roll was huge and TONS of huge pieces of lobster. Shrimp wrap was packed with shrimp. Beer selection is just ok (hope you love ommegang) and at first we steered clear of the coctails ($10 a pop) but apparently they bring a glass and a little carafe to refill it too. The place isn't cheap, but when you take all the seafood into account it's understandable. Be aware this is the high end of the "two dollar" mark on yelp. PS, Desserts were passable. read more

Food was very good. Nice casual atmosphere on the covered porch with a lake view. Service was excellent. Portions were nice size. No complaints. read more

Simply not very good. I went with four people. The food was marginal at best for all four of us. The portions are not large and the sides were bad. To make things worse the pickles provided with all of our sandwiches were rotten. We told the staff who was completely unapologetic. First they implied we were wrong and that it was the seasoning, then after trying it they admitted it did not taste right. Still without apology. That being said. It is a nice view and their are ducks that will wander around you while you eat. So that saves it from a one star rating. read more