We visited Firewater Kitchen & Bar on a cool October evening to celebrate my wife's birthday, meeting up with friends for the occasion. While the hostess initially quoted a two-hour wait and came across a bit cold, things improved quickly. As we settled in with some truly delicious cocktails--a smoked old fashioned and a playful Plum-P Up the Jam--we ended up being seated in just about 20 minutes. Once at our table, the experience really shined. Our waitress was wonderful: warm, knowledgeable, and incredibly friendly. The food was excellent and beautifully prepared. I enjoyed the steak frites, cooked perfectly, while my wife had the scallops, which were rich, tender, and full of flavor. Despite the rocky start, the evening turned into a fantastic birthday dinner in a stunning part of Maryland. Firewater Kitchen & Bar delivered a memorable meal, and we were glad we chose it for the celebration. read more

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We were in Deep Creek for a few days and I wanted to visit a spot right on the water so this was perfect! Gorgeous views. We went on a Thursday night and while it was busy, we were able to be seated right away. It just happened to be their "steak night" so that was a pleasant surprise. I got the filet and my husband had the cowboy ribeye. Each came with a salad and baked potato. My steak was cooked perfectly and it was delicious. We ended with the firewater pie which has an oatmeal cookie crust and a caramel filling - lemon bar vibes. It was out of this world! Definitely would recommend this spot! read more

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Fun spot on the water with great food and beverage options. They switch up their menu offerings and always have great selections to choose from. Friendly staff and beautiful view - right in the heart of Deep Creek Lake area. Plenty of onsite parking and easy to get to. A great local restaurant all around! read more

Firewater Kitchen + Bar - Salad Near Me - Oakland, Maryland

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Excellent food, excellent service, and hands down the best drinks around. If you're in the Deep Creek Lake area, skip the hassle and come here--you'll be so glad you did! read more

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We came here for a Saturday dinner. We didn't have reservations but we got a table high top inside since it was a rainy day. The decor inside is nice and cosy with a cute fire pit display by the bar. The place was busy but not overcrowded. We got some drinks (Negroni & a beer) both were good. The ice cube in my drink had an indent on it. Nice touch. The food was good. We got the pretzel bites, Mongolian wings, scallops In coconut curry sauce, and a mixed green salad with old bay shrimp/charred lemon vinaigrette. We loved all of our food. The only thing was we only had 4 scallops for $36 which seemed pricey. We would come back but maybe do drinks and apps. It was pricey for what we got but it's Deep Creek and on the water. So you are also paying for location. I'm sure it would have been nice if we were outside on the water. So we will come back for sure. read more

Firewater Kitchen + Bar - Pretzel bites and Negroni - Salad Near Me - Oakland, Maryland

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Nice place along Deep Creek with beautiful views of the lake. Small and intimate restaurant with atmosphere. We stopped for drinks and sat at the bar. I ordered a smoked old fashioned and it was okay. Premade out of a tap and not much smoke flavor. We order an appetizer that was good but not great. Service started out well but once it got a busy we became an afterthought and had to wait a while to get our check. Definitely will try again if only for the views. read more

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The food was incredible. I have never had crab hush puppies, and they were the best in the whole world, lol. The drink was so good, we loved everything. Great service! Perfect for our little wedding getaway adventure dinner. read more

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Great spot! The service was fantastic - so friendly and helpful. We come to deep creek every year and just now found this place. It'll be our new go-to for a nice night out with the fireplaces outside and the cool vibe on the inside. The cocktail menu was very creative - I tried the "Tokyo Adrift" wasabi/cucumber martini. Fun!! My food was a little salty for my taste but overall enjoyed everything. read more

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This restaurant is cozy and inviting. Dinner was delicious! The chicken was perfectly cooked and the sides were well seasoned. My drink was a special request and very good. Our server provided great service to our party of 8. read more

Firewater Kitchen + Bar - Bourbon BBQ Chicken Thighs - Salad Near Me - Oakland, Maryland

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We tried a few appetizers and drinks. It was all very good. Food- black garlic wings, disco fries and street corn dip. Drinks- hillbilly gold beers, espresso martinis, plum-p it up and about last night cocktails. read more

Good food and great service! We stopped in on a snowy night and had some drinks and dinner at the bar. I have been wanting to come here for some time, because I love seeing pictures of their great views of the lake and their fire pits all around! The food was excellent--we shared a few apps (street corn dip, crispy brussels, and fried green tomatoes) and the burger and everything was delicious!!! We also had a few of their seasonal cocktails and ended with a round of espresso martinis. The bartender Brittany was so friendly and welcoming! We loved getting to chat with her and a few others there. Such a cute place on the lake! You have to try it! read more

Firewater Kitchen + Bar - Salad Near Me - Oakland, Maryland

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I wish I could give this place its flowers as you can tell they are trying to create a great spot in a small town. I wish the food I had was good but I was not impressed at all. The positives were the service, ambiance and cocktails. These were 4 stars easy, and I would enjoy them all again one day. My dish was essentially a bowl of grease. I ordered the scallops and grits, and when it came out my food had what I hoped was sauce layered on top but turned out to be grease. I couldn't even eat the grits. I blotted off the scallops and ate those, since I am sure those are what made the meal so expensive. The crab cake hush puppies were delightful, if I had just ate those and had a cocktail that meal would have gotten 5 stars. I could have sent the food back, but we all know that's a faux pas. I won't be back read more

Food here is always amazing! I have never had a bad meal. Food is always served hot and fresh. You can take food home and it heats up well. Everything seems to be made from scratch. Always get the mexican street corn dip as an app! Service is impeccable. Everyone is always so kind and helpful. If you have a problem with your meal, the staff always makes it right! This place is always packed so i suggest calling and making a reservation or going early. Ambiance is fun and up beat! Inside is decorated trendy. But everything is always clean. Even the bathrooms are nice! This is def one of my favorite restaurants to eat at in the area read more

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Went here yesterday for dinner. Wait was for 2 hours since they do not take any reservations. Sat for dinner at 9:00 pm. All the entrees were good but the drinks were excellent. Spinach salad with pecans was great and so was the burger that my husband ordered. The biggest letdown was the crab louie. The description was ice berg lettuce with lump crab and asparagus. The plate had a late almost 1/2 an iceberg lettuce on the plate with about 4 tbsp of crab meat on 4 sides of the lettuce topped with a dressing, asparagus and dressing. Not worth $20 that they charge for this. I also made it a point to express my disappointment to our waitress Sierra who was a wonderful and friendly waitress. read more

Firewater Kitchen + Bar - The dinner entree I ordered. - Salad Near Me - Oakland, Maryland

My wife and I celebrated our anniversary at Firewater. We love this place. We had crispy chicken sandwiches. I also had a house salad. Food and drinks were great. Crème brûlée for dessert was fantastic! Great service. Thanks Kaysi. There's just something about dining with a view of the lake. You gotta go. read more

Firewater Kitchen + Bar - Small house salad and crispy chicken sandwich - Salad Near Me - Oakland, Maryland

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My wife and I went here for lunch with some friends after a boat ride. We decided to sit outside, because it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and it gave us a nice view of the lake. Service was very fast and friendly, and we had our drinks immediately. We ordered the street corn dip, and also got to sample the pimento dip (I don't like pimentos, but I liked this), Bavarian pretzel bites and crab hush puppies. Everything was amazing! While we didn't order a main meal, someone at the table got the Berry Bleu salad, and someone else got this gigantic Blackened Salmon BLT. Both looked incredible. One thing that amazed me, besides the food and view, was that considering the area, the prices were very reasonable. I would recommend this place for adults looking for a relaxing atmosphere, good drink selection and great food. read more

Great food and service in a nice setting on the lake. I highly recommend the salmon BLT. read more

Food was good, but the service was better. The bourbon selection is pretty awesome. our server was polite and very conscientious. We will definitely go back when we are in the end. read more

Vaughn was incredible! We came down from Chambersburg, PA & were only in town for a couple days so we made a point to keep returning to Firewater, not just for the food/atmosphere, but also our bartender (Vaughn) made the entire experience so much fun & personable. 10/10 recommend, will be returning! read more

Firewater Kitchen + Bar - view from bar looking onto Deep Creek Lake - Salad Near Me - Oakland, Maryland

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We have been here several times. The service is always wonderful and the food is excellent. Highly recommend going

This was a terrible dinning experience. If you want edible food don't go here. Also waited for over an hour and half to receive 3 barely filled fish tacos and that were simply NOT edible. When telling the manger these tacos are not acceptable and cold she responds "well that's what they look like" & sent them back to heat them up and came back with no supplement, but the same disgusting tacos. Service didn't supplement the gross and disgusting food. The compensation for the wait and gross food not good enough, do not go here ever again. read more

Firewater Kitchen + Bar - Salad Near Me - Oakland, Maryland

Had a very bad experience here. Food took over an hour and a half. When we got it, the food was freezing cold. It honestly tasted extremely horrible. When we asked for help, they said the tacos always looked like this and they were fine. The taco had one piece of meat on it which was unseasoned and overall really bad. Service and food both horrible. Our drinks were very good. read more

Firewater Kitchen + Bar - Salad Near Me - Oakland, Maryland

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One of the worst dining experiences ever. Our food came 1 hr 45 mins after we sat down and the mahi mahi tacos were stone cold and there was 1 piece of fish with no seasoning and sriracha slapped on top, we had to send it back, it was inedible. we complained to several servers and the manager and were not offered any compensation until we demanded it. great drinks but that's about it. read more

Firewater Kitchen + Bar - mahi mahi tacos and short rib tacos - Salad Near Me - Oakland, Maryland

Food all right, but we had to wait 40 minutes for a waitperson to come over to our table. She apologized, but maybe some other gesture would be appropriate. Great view of the lake, but not worth the wait. read more

Coming up from the beach, we stopped for lunch in this gem on the shores of Deep Creek. Our bartender, Kristie, was pleasant and knowledgeable, and she just kept this lovely, genuine smile about her the whole time! Started with the deviled eggs, which were topped with shrimp and blackening today, and yum! My hubby had the smash burger, and said it was delicious. I can concur after having a bite, but let me tell you about my simple, but decadent lunch. I ordered the cherry clams and a side salad with their house ranch. Oh, the divinity! Clams were perfect and the ranch was just delicious. Great time! read more

Firewater Kitchen + Bar - Salad Near Me - Oakland, Maryland

Atmosphere was pleasant and service was timely and polite. Prices were fair for what I would consider upscale dining. My craft beer was good and the view of the lake was a bonus on a beautiful late afternoon. read more

Firewater Kitchen + Bar - A view for the restaurants back deck. - Salad Near Me - Oakland, Maryland

Great service and food. Lamb Chop Lollipops are the best! Ask the Mixologists for their favorite cocktails!

Great experience! My first time visiting Deep Creek Lake and I throughly enjoyed it. This was the first place we came to and grab a bite. This venue offers indoor seating as well as outdoor seating with perfect views of the lake. I started with the deviled eggs appetizer and the Into the Blue Cocktail. My main was the pan-seared sea scallops. The deviled eggs were very good and light, topped with prosciutto and parmesan cheese, I believe. My cocktail was delicious, not too sweet and not too strong so I ordered two. Finally, the scallops were perfect, they paired well with the grits, and filled me up. Overall, I would love to come here again. Service was friendly. The restaurant itself is very inviting and perfect for the area. read more

The food was delicious, the staff was amazing, and the view is something special. Whenever I'm in town I always have to stop by. Please bring back the Disco Fries! read more

We stopped in with a group of 14 and got seated right away outside with a gorgeous lake view. The kids had space to run around while we waited, which was a huge plus. The food was delicious--my husband loved the Roasted Beet & Chèvre salad with Old Bay shrimp (he's not easy to please!), and I had the Berry & Bleu with grilled chicken. Great service, great setting. Would definitely come back. read more

I was excited to try Firewater for the first time. We started off with hush puppies and they were good. We put in our dinner order right away. Service was then incredibly slow and it took a very long time for food to come out. Everyone was disappointed with their main courses. We had the honey soy salmon, crab stuffed salmon, and the crab louie. The salmon was dry (both dishes) and the crab louie was pathetic with barely 6 any crab, a few tiny pieces of asparagus (not whole spears). None of it was worth the price. We asked for a dessert menu and never got one. We won't be going back after this experience. read more

Good vibes. Ate outside on the patio. Beautiful views of the lake. Amazing food and drinks! (I had the weekly specials and the seasonal drink) Friends also were really impressed. read more

Firewater Kitchen + Bar - Seasonal drink: Harvest Moon - Salad Near Me - Oakland, Maryland

We stopped in for a lunch and drink on a weekend during the "slower" season (March: kind of in between Ski Season and Lake Season in which the locals refer to as the "Mud Season"!). We sat at the bar with Laine- who was just fantastic. He was attentive, knowledgeable, and made some really great drinks for us! We asked him to make "something fun that maybe isn't on the menu" since he talked about really loving being a mixologist. His drinks were creative and elegant... and delicious! He had a full bar and still made us feel like we were the only customers. We ordered the Blistered Shishito Peppers (OMG the lemon aioli too!), Lamb Lollipops in chimmichuri and Mussels and everything was SO GOOD. The views from the restaurant are beautiful and from what I hear it's quite the spot in the summer once the docks are back in the water and the windows are open. We can't wait! Please go and visit Laine- truly one of the best and nicest bartenders we have come across on our visits to Deep Creek! read more

Service and views were great but the food was meh. My niece's hamburger was dry. The shrimp and grits was too salty. May return next time and try other dishes. read more

Well, they packed a whole lot of bar and restaurant into a small but well thought out space. We went for lunch, kind of late, and it was still pretty packed. Cocktails are top notch; well crafted and thoughtfully designed. The bar seems eclectically stocked with a wide variety of libations - including the whole Old Forester line, which is my favorite bourbon that's easily found. But I digress. The Disco Fries are well covered in other reviews; I will just reinforce that they are mandatory unless you are vegetarian or gravy intolerant. The fisherman's stew is probably a must-order if you are a seafood fan. Don't sleep on the grilled cheese with short ribs and peppers and onions. Well, to tell the truth you will sleep on it afterwards; it's nap-inducing. Loud and crowded but definitely a good place to drop in. read more

Firewater Kitchen + Bar - Outdoor seating in the winter - Salad Near Me - Oakland, Maryland

First time to Firewater and Deep Creek. Firewater has a fantastic setup, atmosphere , service, and location. Which is probably why they'll get away with some flaws. The crab hush puppies could have been awesome.... If only they'd had a bit more crab and less bread. The sirloin steak was one of the smallest I've ever had. The prep and presentation were good, but it just feels like they are skimping on the food. Could be 5 stars..... read more

THE STEAK IS A MUST! it was cooked perfectly and omg so so so good, the glaze over top is delicious! the corn dip for an appetizer was also so so so good and an amazing dessert is the firewater pie with ice cream on top! one of the best steaks i've ever had! the service was also amazing and the restaurant was very clean and well kept and had a great view of the lake! the fire looked so cool!!! read more

Firewater Kitchen + Bar - Salad Near Me - Oakland, Maryland

The food was great, especially the lamb chop lollipops, as well as the cheeseburger. The service checked on us occasionally which I was happy with. I liked the ambiance because it had a cabin feel which I like. This is a place I would definitely recommend if you're in this area looking for somewhere to eat. read more

Never been disappointed. So glad they brought the pimento back! The view is just beautiful! Outside seating perfect for a summer evening.

The service was fine and the view is fantastic, there's the good part. The food...crab hushpuppies served with a jalapeno corn thing were almost crabless and unremarkable at best. I got the curry scallops, the scallops were flavorless, the carrots were undercooked and the curry was bland, generally nothing was seasoned in the entire meal. For some reason, the chef thinks that corn substitutes for seasoning. My better half got the crabless crab stuffed salmon, with, of course, bacon corn salsa. The highlight of this is that the meal was inedible and the waitress was nice enough to take it off the bill. We closed with a piece of store-bought cheesecake. The cherry on the sundae is that they have a great outdoor patio that is not dog friendly even at lunch. The two things saving them is sitting on the lake and new tourists. read more