Excellent food, very friendly staff, and a neat environment for both indoor and outdoor seating. My only complaint here is the boat parking is very tight and the docks are outdated. read more

We LOVE drifters! We brought our friends here for dinner and sat outside. Trevor was our server and he was AWESOME. He recommended both drinks and food (the peanut butter burger was so delicious!!) and was super fun and funny. Made our experience memorable and our friends loved it. Thanks for an awesome time drifters!!! Will be back again. read more

Drifter’s - Chicken salad panini was BOMB - American Near Me - Moneta, Virginia

waited one hour and a half for a table .we knew it would be a wait because of the holiday, but the problem was our waitress assigned to us never came to the table, had to go find somebody to wait on us ,took 45 minutes just to get water, another 2 hours to get food . we were there 4 1/2 hours which should've only taken two .Excessive wait time for a server was ridiculous. But food was good when we finally got it. Plan on spending five hours there on a holiday Just to eat lunch! read more

Great Restaurant on the Water! Food is good, beer is cold, and service is friendly! They have the absolute Best Burger anywhere! Shrimp are great, and the Chocolate BBQ Nachos are Good. read more

It's been at least five years since I got to eat here and back then, it was called Waller's! Through the recent ownership change, they kept the same look and feel of the restaurant. The menu is simple and the food is about average. There aren't many dining options right on the water here so the real reason this is a must visit spot is because it's right on Smith Mountain Lake! They have yard games and seating outside and more seating and a live band inside. Come by land or lake and enjoy Drifters before they close for the season on September 27, 2020! read more

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Another great Drifters experience. First time trying the Bedford Burger which has peanut butter and honey on it. It was awesome!!! Great service from Desmond. read more

Great food... Good views... Have pup friendly menu... Local brews.. outdoor seating and parking can be a problem read more

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While the hostesses honored our call ahead message to seat us quickly, service was incredibly slow. So much so that 2 tables around us were seated after us, served food before us, and left before we received our meals. I understand it was Memorial Day weekend but management did nothing to acknowledge the disappointing service. I want to support the businesses at the lake but it will be a while before I try or recommend Drifter's. read more

Drifters is the new version of wallers and terrific. Same great place to spend your summer. Menu the same as well.

Great atmosphere, beachy and chill vibe. Flounder tacos were great. Not a fan of the tuna bites but probably because I used to live in Hawaii and am used to great tuna. The texture was kind of mushy. Owner sat with us for a few minutes and gave some scoop on the area which was much appreciated since we just moved to the lake. They are closing for the season which is disappointing but we will see them next summer! read more

LOVED THE ENVIRONMENT! This place is so cute and fun. The drinks are definitely packing . Waiting for outdoor seating is worth it. Sydnee was our waitress twice here and we never had to wait for anything!! Such amazing service and food! read more

Drifter’s - American Near Me - Moneta, Virginia

Terrible. Terrible. TERRIBLE Customer Service. If I could rate this restaurant negative stars, I would. After getting seated, we sat for at least 30 minutes before even being acknowledged. After flagging down 3 staff members and getting judgmental looks from almost all, we got a server. At this point, it's been 45 minutes without any drinks. Then, once ordered, the server came back to tell us there was no burger meat, no pretzels, and no pizza (which made up at least 75% of our orders). At this point, we left. The fact that I have to Yelp about a place that food I didn't even try speaks volumes. If you would like a description of the ambiance of drifters, I suggest you imagine yourself stranded on an island with no water and a bunch of 20-year-old servers yelling absolute nonsense. I suggest you drift your ambitions for a good dinner there and instead try our Cancun, which is a few minutes away. read more

I did a review last year and it's only gotten better. Staffing shortages not here they treat their staff like family, and it shows in the way the servers treat the customers. Sydnee was our server very attentive, informative and very pleasant. Thursdays are half price burgers, and they were delicious. By boat or car, it's a destination with the KeyWest vibe. Makes you feel like you're on vacation even if you're a local.. read more

Great service and alcoholic beverages! However, certain food items on the menu have been consistently been below average while others have been good. Really depends on what you get to eat. read more

Wish it we're open earlier and longer in the year. Fun atmosphere and great food!! Love bringing company here for lunch or dinner.

We ate outside because it was a bit too noisy for us inside. I'm glad we did as the outside seating had such a great atmosphere. Had the street burger, and it was unbelievably delicious even though it was cooked more well done than medium. The cheese fries with bacon bits were also a winner. Husband had the pork sandwich (can't recall the name) which he couldn't get enough of. His chips were crisp and perfect. We also enjoyed our Pina Colada's. We highly recommend this very chill restaurant. read more

First time trying Drifter's. Absolutely fantastic!! Savanna was so kind and attentive to our needs! Maybe the best burger I've ever had and I'm an old dude!!! My boat is right beside the restaurant so I'll be back again and again and again...... read more

The bugs in the outside area were too much to handle. They were so bad they were ruining drinks.Also the service wasn't the most fast thing ethier. read more

Grace was so much fun on a rainy day at the lake. We will be back for a ski shot Enjoyed the music too

Kudos to Drifter's. In sweltering heat they still provide great food and a fun time. Inordinate# of staff out but owners in the kitchen and premier bar tenders Lucas and JJ. A fun fun time!!! And to the impatient, entitled, jerk who felt he shouldn't wait in the bar line.....well, there is always Karma!! read more

that shit was mad busting. told them to bring out the whole ocean and they did not disappoint. Excellent music options to dine to, unforgettable experience, can't tell enoufg good read more

This is a MUST stop and eat if you're staying at Smith Mountain Lake. Every single member of the staff from the bar, hostess, Tiki Bar (Savannah), and our Hostess were amazing! Our server Lilian was very attentive and a pleasure! The food was DELICIOUS and the drinks as well - thank you kitchen and bar staff! We will be coming here every vacation!! read more

Staff friendly and plenty of outdoor seating. The grilled chicken salad was dry and obviously put together ahead of time. Steamed shrimp was fine. Learning that SML is not a place to go for good food read more

We've been coming to SML for the past 8 years and Drifter's has become a regular stop for us. Fun atmosphere with corn hole, feeding the fish, peanuts and popcorn. Food has been hit or miss over the years but this visit was solid. We ordered ahi tuna bites, hamburger with peanut butter and honey which was surprisingly good (and they are serious about no substitutions on it), Santa Fe chicken wrap (a bit have on the dressing but tasty), and pulled pork sandwich. Their homemade chips are terrific. read more

Went camping with a large group and stopped here for some day drinking. We had Grace as our waitress. She was AWESOME!!!

If you want to literally wait 2+ hours to get mediocre food then this is place for you.

Great food. Excellent service. Sydnee is fabulous. Try the Main Catch! My family comes here every time their eyes are open.

Excellent lobster roll, on par with those in New England. Great comfortable, beach vibe.

The waiter here was very nice and very respectful but the food service was terrible. We waited over an hour for our food, and they weren't even that busy, and when we finally got the food it was cold and just overall not good. It was also VERY overpriced for what we got. The crab cake sandwich alone was $25. We were also asked if we would like chips or fries and those who got fries were charged an extra $2 without notice. We will not be going back here. The bathrooms were also very disgusting! There was urine and feces all over the private bathroom. The other bathroom was also nasty and smelt terrible. read more

Had the tuna tacos tonight. Wife had the shrimp. Both were great. Nice staff. Good crowd. We'll be back!

Stopped at Drifters late afternoon with my children and friends. Such a nice atmosphere and group of servers. Our server Miranda was so pleasant. Great manner, attentive, and made great eye contact with all of us. You need to keep her on staff! My husband and daughter ordered the mahi tacos and the shrimp tacos. While I didn't eat them myself, they said they were excellent. All around a very nice time. read more

I love this place!!! The owners are very personable and present. The staff is very friendly. They go above and beyond to take care of guests. The food is mediocre and overpriced, but you are paying for a lake experience. I would recommend this on an occasional outing. But the staff is second to none. read more

We have been to this establishment before and had a lovely time, bartenders were pleasant and the food was truly amazing. Unfortunately our second experience (09/03 5:30pm) was far from enjoyable. The man who helped us park the boat was a delight. But we were not able to be seated in the restaurant because when we asked for availability of tables and genuinely in a great mood ready to have a good time we were answered by an incredibly rude hostess (blonde maybe 17 years old) that they had bigger tables taking priority. Never giving a wait time or any sort of information. I have worked in food and beverage in the past for almost 10 years and would never speak to a customer in the disrespectful way she did. We would love to return to drifters as our first experience was incredible, but cannot support establishments with unfriendly and disrespectful staff. read more

Always busy but soooooo worth the wait. The bartenders and wait staff are more attentive than anywhere else in the area. Could not recommend enough!! read more

Everything was amazing!!!! Our waitress, Emma was personable, knowledgeable about the menu and just a joy! Certainly will return...... food was terrific! read more

Great place. They were super busy and we had a couple little snafus but our waitress Gracie was awesome. The young manager was awesome. Most importantly the food was awesome and the atmosphere was awesome. I guess this place was pretty awesome:) read more

Wonderful food, great drinks and Hannah may be the greatest waitress in the history of food service

There are not many restaurants that I can take my daughter who has celiacs to and surprisingly this is one of them! Sydney was amazing and so helpful. My daughter was able to eat the chicken nuggets, fries, chips and corn quesadillas (all her favorite things anyway). Having a nice place to eat at the lake, that we can get to by boat is wonderful! read more

First time to SML we had Saturday lunch at Drifters. We were seated right away outside. The staff was excellent and cheerful. The food was delicious. We had the shrimp tacos and the shrimp were cooked perfect. Can't wait to come back next year. read more

absolutely delicious grilled chicken nachos, drifters did not disappoint. However, I would love to recommend a surplus of shawtys for next time I make a visit. my friend jake was thoroughly saddened by the lack of tail. thanks xoxo read more