We were in the Lake Norman area and wanted a nice lunch by the lake. We opted to sit outside to get the full experience. We started by ordering the Hamachi Crudo and hush puppies for appetizers. They brought out goldfish for my daughter to snack on while we waited. The hush puppies were different than any other kind I've had. They were a bit dry but we thoroughly enjoyed the yuzu honey butter. The Crudo was tasty and nicely presented. For our main courses, we decided to get sandwiches since other options on the menu were a bit pricey. We got the hot chicken sandwich and the crispy soft shell crab banh mi, both with fries for the kids. The hot chicken sandwich was our favorite. It could have been spicier for my liking. The banh mi was interesting, I was looking for a bit more flavor. The server was friendly and being able to sit next to the water in the shade on a hot Friday afternoon contributed to my rating. read more

Hello, Sailor - Hot Crispy Chicken Sandwich - Seafood Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

It took me a couple years to find my groove with the food at Hello, Sailor. From day one, Katy Kindred brought all the feels of retro Palm Springs to the old dive bar that used to inhabit the space. It's vacation in an instant with lovely views of the boats and Lake Norman sunsets! The bar is sophisticated with cocktails to match - my personal favorite is the mezcal forward Yacht Club. I get it (or 2) every time! When it comes to the food, Hello, Sailor has a rotating menu that changes often and I appreciate that a lot! Over the years I've had fantastic staples too: the hamachi crudo, the soft serve ice cream swirl, and the arugula salad with pepitas are some of my go-tos. Tonight, we tried the Porchetta sandwich with beef fat fries and it was delicious. The sub roll was super soft, the porchetta was sliced perfectly thin, and the pickled red onions were a perfect compliment. I also love the ribs entree here - amazing sauce. Service is prompt and although the prices are a little bit high, the view makes it worth it! This is my favorite restaurant on Lake Norman and the vintage photo booth is fun to do while you wait or after you eat! FWIW: some menu items I've had and not loved: *fried shrimp basket is meh imho *king crab legs are not the best I've had and quite pricey *whole flounder was well executed but lacked interesting flavor and spices imho *burger is decent but not craveable read more

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What a great view ! My mini and me enjoyed our oysters and French fries by the water- She thought she would like the watermelon appetizer- too hot ! The burger was huge! The menu extensive- shared plates a must! Great drink choices read more

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Took a visiting freind to your restaurant, he ordered the chicken sandwich, asked our waitress if she could add a slice of cheese to the sandwich. waitress - "No" freind - "Do you not have cheese?" waitress - Yes, we have cheese." freind - "I can pay extra." waitress - "The chicken sandwich doesn't come with cheese." This went on as she let us know they have sliced cheese but its not for the chicken sandwhich. He could have a cheeseburger but couldn't have extra cheese. It was like being in a sitcom without a laugh track. We let it go, but I won't be taking friends to Hello Sailor again. read more

Burnt wings, chicken was chewy and the hush puppies texture was so off. Nice view but won't be eating here. read more

Hello, Sailor - Seafood Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

I learned of Hello, Sailor many months ago when Axios highlighted the restaurant. I'm uptown Charlotte, thought I'd visit for Saturday afternoon lunch. Heather served our table and offered great advice. I had the chicken sandwich, a friend the double patty skillet burger. We shared the crab avocado salad. Everything was delicious. The salad was a pleasant surprise- a delightful medley of greens and toppings. Our sandwiches were satisfying. Heather kept the water and coffee flowing. The atmosphere is pleasant, welcoming, patrons equally pleasant. Certainly see myself returning on more occasions. read more

I have been to this place twice and I gotta say I didn't write a review the first time since I wanted to give it a second chance, and boy am I thankful I did that. If you've heard about this place it's a beautiful restaurant in the lake norman area with a beautiful view to the lake. The place is beautiful! Personally, I love the decoration and in my perspective I felt I was in a house from the series 90210. If you've watched that show back in the days then you know what I'm talking about. Old school with a touch of modern. The first time we went it was super crowed since it was summer time and this is a restaurant you want to go when summer time comes around! If you own a boat you can dock it outside and make your way up to the restaurant, so lots of people take advantage of that with nice summer weather! One of the good things is that they print their menu everyday and have different menu items. You will have certain ones that will repeat, but definitely they have different dishes every day! When we visitantes the first time we didn't get seated until like 8:30-9pm since we walked in with no reservation. By that time they had ran out of plenty of their dishes. On the positive note you can see that their products are fresh for that day and they haven't been siting around for weeks or frozen. We visited Hello Sailor again this past weekend and it was fantastic. We were able to get everything we wanted since it wasn't crowded. We started our meal with the hush puppies. They were fresh and delicious, and cooked to perfection. We then order the flounder, king crab cooked with ghee and salt, and then the lobster roll on milk bread. The meal was fantastic. I have to say the lobster roll was my favorite. It's a Maine style lobster roll so it's cold, but so worth it. I normally like the hot style lobster roll but this one is really good and it's cold. We then had the hand pulled apple pie. Our waiter was Jeremy and he was great! Honestly he went above and beyond to make sure we were good! Gave us great recommendations and made sure we were taken care! Definitely come and check this place out. It won't disappoint you. read more

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Had an amazing dinner at Hello, Sailor! It was the perfect getaway evening when you can't really get away. They only had a few reservations left when we made them so had dinner at 5pm. When we arrived it was about to storm but we were able to sit on the covered deck which was nice and cool. Once the storm was over they opened everything up. Beautiful view of the lake! I did love the ambiance inside- 1970s Palm Springs. Our server Victoria was awesome! So friendly and made awesome recommendations on the menu: she was on top of everything the entire meal. I started with an aperol spritz and my boyfriend really liked the Negroni slushee. We also ordered the blue crab claws and hush puppies. The sauce for the crab was to die for, and we ended up ordering a second order of hush puppies. We also shared the wedge salad- which was a huge portion. For dinner I had the spicy chicken sandwich and it was so messy but so good! The fries were good too. My boyfriend had the Italian beef sandwich, which was good but the spicy chicken was better. Unfortunately they were out of doughnuts for dessert. We tried the peach and ginger hand pie- which I loved because it was more salty than sweet. Went perfect with the soft serve. The prices are so reasonable that we got to try a lot of stuff. Can't wait to go back! read more

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My husband and I went for an appetizer and drink Sunday afternoon to check out the restaurant. Out of the three things we ordered all three were bad. I ordered Prosecco not realizing all they had was Brut. Our server failed to tell me that and once I looked at the menu I saw that was all they offered. My husband ordered aperil spritz and it too was terrible. We ordered what we thought were nachos and it was pretty sad. There were some strange chips and a bowl of milky cream sauce with a bit of sausage in it. It went uneaten. It's a shame because we told our waiter, but he didn't comment or bring over the manager. If I owned the restaurant, I would want to know a few basic things could greatly improve their business. read more

We've been to Hello Sailor plenty of times over the last couple years and it's time for an update. The restaurant is still gorgeous and the view is very nice considering we are landlocked and unable to get that vacation feeling without heading to a coast. The food here is still pricy but it hits the spot just right when you are craving fried seafood. If the crab claws are on the menu, GET THEM! The hamachi crudo is also a fabulous mix of textures and flavors - the crisp black rice makes it pop and crackle in your mouth. I have started to order a different appetizer I would typically shy away from each time we come and I'm pleasantly surprised each time. I typically get the shrimp basket and my husband gets the flounder basket and then we share. The beef fat fries are everything you want from a fast food French fry and then some. The hushpuppies are hot and crisp with a yuzu (lemon-like) flavored butter - also a great starter. The salad with fried chicken is crisp and delicious with the best chicken tender you could ask for. A friend came into town recently and we went to Hello Sailor twice in one weekend. If that's any indication of how crave-able and delicious the seafood is then there's your answer for "why a five star review?" read more

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I stopped in tonight with a friend, really excited because of the location and was hoping to sit outside and enjoy the water but what is told there were no available tables outside even though they were not more than half of the tables occupied. We ordered the smoked wings which were hands-down probably the best wings we have ever had. I would order them again but only for pick up, dining in was a huge mistake tonight. Unfortunately we had also ordered the arugula salad and the charred cauliflower steak, which arrived all at the same time and not warm. The cauliflower steak was not cooked properly, the sauce was not warm and was a huge disappointment. They arugula salad was nothing special and the grilled shrimp on top equally not impressive. We were pretty much left to rot at our table, very little attention from the server and little or no follow up by the server once our food was served by other people. That's really what's a fail on all level, their server failed it by putting the order in so that all was delivered at the same time and the kitchen failed by sending all of the food out at once and not properly prepared. read more

Met some friends here for an early dinner on a Sunday night. Hello, Sailor was someone else's suggestion and I wasn't at all familiar...that is, until we pulled into the parking lot and I suddenly realized this place used to be a dive bar called the Rusty Rudder. Major props to the owners for revamping this place both in terms of decor and food. I ordered a Yacht Club cocktail to drink. The server made sure to confirm with me beforehand that I was familiar with mezcal, which gave the table a good laugh. There must have been a recent customer who couldn't handle the smokiness and complained. Anyway, the drink was pretty solid. We got a couple orders of hush puppies to share with the table. They were okay but really no better than average compared to others I've had recently. They were a little too big and didn't have enough crispiness. For some reason the inside had a very unique pinkish hue, which almost looked like meat. The server was eager to explain, but to be honest it was too complicated for me to really follow after drinking all day. The yuzu honey butter was the best part. For entrees, my wife and I shared the hamachi and the scallops. The hamachi was shockingly good given my preconceived notion that restaurants by the water typically get by on location but don't excel in the kitchen. On the other hand, although the scallops and grits were well cooked, the gravy didn't do it for me. I get that it was a southern style gravy, but it tasted like Thanksgiving dinner and I expected better sauce from a restaurant charging $24 for 3 scallops. Anyway, I don't want to end on a bad note because it was definitely a pleasant experience overall. 3.5 stars. read more

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This restaurant follows COVID executive orders. Everyone must wear masks to enter the restaurant. All patrons are appropriately distanced. Ambience was really nice. There was a nice bar area. Also there is photo booth! Atmosphere is very eclectic. We ate in the outdoor seating area so that we could watch the boats on the lake. Food was absolutely delicious. The trout was unexpectedly great. I was set to get the ribeye steak but made a change to the fish. I also had the handpie a la mode. Today it was peach. I'm not a huge fan of peach but the crust and everything was good! I'm definitely returning to this restaurant! read more

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Lovely spot for a casual lunch or dinner. Yummy food. The best part of this place is definitely the outdoor patio overlooking the lake. On a nice day, try to make a reservation ahead of time or go at an off peak hour in order to avoid a wait for outdoor seating. I'd recommend the Citrus Crab Louie salad (pictured- my personal fav), seafood appetizers (the mussels are great!), and the Smoked Shrimp Roll Sandwich. read more

Hello, Sailor - Citrus Crab Louie Salad - Seafood Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

Hello, Sailor is super cute and trendy with its decor, kitchenware, and atmosphere. I wouldn't come here if you're looking for a particularly classy and elegant place, but I loved the vibe, especially for lunch. There is a variety of fresh seafood which is what we were looking for. The popcorn shrimp and the hush puppies were delicious. The restaurant has a nice view of Lake Norman. I enjoyed lunch here. read more

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Went with a big group, of which they were extemely accommodating to get us a nice big table outside on the deck. We did have a reservation, but for inside and on a beautiful night we were willing to wait a little longer to sit outside. Location is perfect, right on the lake with the most beautiful views and a ton of outdoor seating! Even while inside the back wall is all windows still giving you a great view no matter where you are. The decor is very retro chic with a ton of green accents with cactus wallpaper on the wall near the bathroom and greenery throughout making it very cozy. The food was very reasonably priced and everyone we were with was very pleased with what they had. The only disappointment was that they had run out of a few items on the menu by the time we had gotten there, which was nearly their closing time so whaddaya gonna do? We got a ton of oysters, the deviled crab dip (sooooo good!) and the king crab bites which were so tasty and refreshing. Anyway, the fan favorite was the Tile fish which was the substitution for the Wahoo on the menu for the night and it was absolutely delicious with roasted veggies and some pesto like sauce. I also had the Crab Louie Salad which was awesome. The only thing I was unhappy about was that I had to put in a little more effort to enjoy my meal while cutting away at full stalks of romaine lettuce with a bowl filled to the brim with deliciousness and trying so diligently to not make a huge mess. I survived and it was great, but would have appreciated it being pre-cut. Oh, I forgot to mention, the cool little tiki bar to enjoy a cocktail while you wait. The yacht club was bomb! It was a spicy, smokey grapefruit margarita basically and it was perfection. The majority of the group had martinis and based on the status of most at the end of the night, they were pretty strong and definitely tasty. read more

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The food is excellent!! Across the board wonderful but don't miss that bologna sandwich or the spicy chicken. 10/10

I mean....I am SO glad we came right at 11:00 on a Sunday when they opened. This place had a line for entry at 5 minutes till opening?! Geez!! Lol! I didn't have a reservation but it was just me and hubs and we came right at 11 so we were sat immediately. We sat outside and it was awesome. Service was great and the food was REALLY GOOD!!! That chicken sandwich made me want to get up and dance a jig it was that good. I also had the arugula salad which was delish and the East coast oysters. Place was so chill and we loved sitting out there watching all the boats wishing we had one! read more

Amazing outdoor bar. Frank is fantastic and will take great care of you. Dog friendly!

Bushes are spikey. Yum yum fries. I'm tryna fill up the word count thing lol tasted really bad not fresh gross duh ‍‍‍‍‍

First, I should say that I really wanted to love this place. Alas, I did not. There's a nice view, pleasant service, but the food was just not that good. We had reservation on a Saturday evening and were seated within 15 minutes of the reservation. We could have been seated sooner if we wanted to sit inside, but we really wanted to sit outside. Everyone was kind and accommodating, we just needed to wait for other parties to decide to enjoy the nice weather elsewhere. We each got a beer and shared the Blue Crab Claws appetizer ($11.49). The bites were pretty good with the green coriander and crunchy chili oil being the most delicious part. My partner got the soft shell crab ($24.49) and enjoyed it. I thought the breading was good and the succotash was good too. My food, the no. 1 Platter Carolina Shrimp Calabash and Crispy Cod ($20.99) was were things went down hill. My fries were crispy and everything else on the place severely lacked flavor. It was surprising as the soft shell crab was flavorful. We saw a couple near us share the ice cream sandwich and knew we had to try it. It was HUGE and my favorite part of the meal we had. If you go, sit outside and definitely get dessert. read more

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Such a great spot with delicious drinks and food! The crab salad and aperol make the perfect brunch

The ambiance is everything. Well decorated, plenty of seating, great parking, and an amazing view of the lake/harbor. Although the food menu is hit or miss, the crab Louis salad is really good and worth the splurge. Service is good and attentive. read more

Hello, Sailor - Louis crab salad. It may be on the pricey side but it's worth it! - Seafood Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

I was invited by a friend to meet at Hello Sailor for a lunch date. When you pull into the parking lot the signs say marina. There is plenty of parking. The restaurant seems to be busy with high traffic. When my friend "finally" arrived we met at the entrance and walked in. Our greeting was "how can I help you". I was taken back by how can I help you versus "welcome to Hello Sailor, Do you ladies have reservations, or how many people are in your party"! We explained that we would like a table outside and the hostess explained that there is a wait for an outside table but, she said that the bar area was full service and we were welcome to sit there. She didn't offer to walk us over to the bar so we begin our search to find the bar area. We walked past a few tables before the other hostess Nikki, ran out and explained that they have an open outside table for us. Thank you Nikki, for saving my experience with Hello Sailor and this review! As we were seated other guests smiled & complimented me on my mask because it's definitely an eye catcher. As soon as we were seated our waiter Daniel, came over and helped us decide on which drinks to begin with. Daniel's customer service was impeccable and he had a groovy look. I could easily see him being a bartender! Because it was a late lunch- I didn't want to eat too heavy so I ordered an arugula salad with grilled shrimp as my protein. My friend ordered crispy flounder and chips seafood plate. The drinks hit the spot! Yes I said drinkS because we had 2 rounds of the blue cucumber and the bermuda hundred. All of the servers were nice and accommodating. The manager Robert, came around to ask about the experience and we agreed that all was well. I was waiting to save all the juicy details for this review. The ambiance at this restaurant is amazing it sits directly on the lake which has awesome views of boats coming in & leaving the marina. After we ended lunch we decided to walk down and have a mini photo shoot with all of the boats in the distance. I would highly recommend this restaurant for a quaint date or friends gathering for a late lunch. My suggestion is definitely to make reservations however. I understand that it was super busy and the hostess may have been recovering from the lunch rush but also, good customer service is expected at all times not just sometimes. read more

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An early business lunch meeting today at "Hello, Sailor" in Cornelius, NC was an unexpected visual, culinary, & experiential treat that for me. Hardly a typical business lunch venue. It was spectacular. The hush puppies were the most flavorful & the most unique I've tasted. The Citrus Crab Louie Salad with Calabash Shrimp was one of the biggest & best salads I've had anywhere. The ambiance & attentive service were exceptional. read more

Hello, Sailor - Patio seating. - Seafood Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

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The food is and service is very good. My favorite part of Hello, Sailor is view. It has phenomenal lake views!

Awesome service and setup off the dock would def recommend to anyone visiting the area

Great place on lake Norman for casual dinner and drinks. Service was great, attentive and friendly. The entrees and apps were great, casual lake fare. Highly recommend for a margarita and taco while enjoying the view and atmosphere. read more

I wish I could leave 1/3 of a star.... I've been sick since eating there weeks ago.... Their French fríes are fried in some type of beef oil.... They don't offer an opinion, only the awful Oil!!! Their entrees are only colorful in name., taste is " empty "! read more

I had a fantastic experience here! I met a friend for lunch and we arrived right before the lunch crowd. This place is so retro and cool on the inside! I love the attention to details everywhere! Not to mention the amazing views from outside. I can't wait to come back when it warmer to enjoy the view and the cool patio. Our server was kind and attentive. She offered suggestions and kept it really honest about some menu favorites. We started with the hush puppies. They were very good! I enjoyed the butter that came with them for dipping. For the meal we tried the lobster roll and side salad and the platter #1 which comes with shrimp, fish and fries. The side salad was delicious. The dill house dressing was really refreshing. The other toppings were cucumbers, cheese and bacon. The lobster roll was very good. I really liked the roll it made the sandwich perfect. The platter was really good! I'm not normally a fan of fried fish but this was seasoned well and very good and flaky. I really enjoyed the tarter sauce too! The shrimp and fries were both really tasty. And the best part of the meal was that everything arrived hot to the table! I'm glad we managed to save enough room for dessert! The soft serve is worth it! The winter citrus and vanilla combination was so refreshing. I'm a fan! I loved everything about this place. I'm looking forward to coming back. read more

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Great views of the water. Friendly staff. I got the chicken sandwich which was phenomenal. The grandfathers pickles were also delicious! My boyfriend got the burger which was two thin patties which he enjoyed! We also opted to get the orange and vanilla swirl icecream for dessert which was so yummy! (Just like Kohr Bros). Only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is for the drinks. We each got one of the slushees which looked very cute but tasted just okay. Hush puppies were also great with the spicy/sweet butter. Overall, loved this place! read more

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Friendly, beautiful atmosphere. Great location by the lake. The food was delicious. The wait was not long at all. I had the ribs and my wife the cat fish. Webbing agreed it was delicious. Beautiful place to come with your special someone or with a group. read more

Incredibly friendly staff and awesome piña coladas. Chicken sandwich is awesome. Popcorn shrimp is awesome. read more

Hello, Sailor - Crispy Chicken Sandwich - Seafood Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

Absolutely obsessed. I recently relocated from Los Angeles, and this place could give any big city restaurant a run for its money. Cutest decor, yummy drinks, kind staff, fun music, wish it was socially acceptable to drink the sauce of the mussels dish with a straw. Fifteen out of ten favorite spot I've been to in NC, will definitely be back. read more

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Started our experience at the tiki bar, while waiting for our table. I had the Yacht Club drink, which I highly recommend if you like a little spice. Great cocktail that is almost a spicy margarita/Palermo mix. We had reservations with a large party, but wanted to sit outside. The wait for outside was not bad, about 30 minutes. For starters, we had oysters, hush puppies, crab dip and the crab bites. I highly recommend the crab bites- they were refreshing and delicious! The crab dip was very good as well, it was a hot dip and had a good spicy kick to it. For the entree, I had the tile fish which was amazing. It came with a delicious basil purée. My husband ordered the whole fish, which they ended up running out of. Then he ordered the #3 plate with brisket, which they also ran out of. Then he tried to order the cod/shrimp combo but wanted to substitute out the shrimp (which he is allergic to), but they were not allowing substitutes. At this point, if you do not have 2 of the entrees that he already wanted, exceptions really should be made. He ended up needing to order something he didn't even really want, which when you are paying for a meal is not ideal. I know it was late and the restaurant was close to closing, but I wish they would have handled it a little differently. Luckily our waiter, Jeremy, was great. He was very attentive and extremely nice. We had a large party and ended up having to move inside because of the rain, and he was great about it. In all, this restaurant was a nice spot to have dinner on the lake. The ambience and service was great (a 70s retro decor inside) and the cocktails were tasty. I highly recommend waiting for a table outside to enjoy the views. Great place to watch the sunset! read more

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We really enjoyed our early dinner and drinks there yesterday. Loved the wedge salad with grilled shrimp. My husband's spicy chicken sandwich and beef fat fries were phenomenal. So excited to see a restaurant frying in something besides industrial seed oils! Gorgeous view of the water and cool retro vibe. Service was terrific. All I can think is that their 3.4 yelp rating is a joke. Don't let it deter you. This place is a gem. read more

Extremely rude waitress, toilets were flooded, absolutely awful experience, just because you have a location you need to cater to people other than drunk boaters, we left before ordering and won't be back. read more

I firmly believe there is an epidemic of restaurants that are too trendy for their own good. I'm so disappointed to give Hello, Sailor a less than glowing review because I had such high hopes. The restaurant is clean and modern with a great color scheme, but the food and service were nothing special. We arrived around 8 pm and it is currently 9:20 as I write this - 20 minutes after closing. We finished eating nearly 30 minutes ago and still have not received our check. Our server has only checked in a few times, and seems to disappear for 20-30 minutes at a time. I ordered the kale Caesar salad and an Aperol spritz. The salad was smaller than I expected and any hope of dressing was soaked up by the mountain of everything bagel seasoning and breadcrumbs on top. I had more of my husband's meal than my own. The Aperol spritz was in a tiny glass that was half full and tasted like grapefruit, not Aperol. Not to mention, it cost $13. Overall, Hello, Sailor was an overpriced disappointment. Maybe if they focused on their (tiny) menu instead of overloading the trendy atmosphere, I'd be writing a different review. They have a shirt that says "3.4 stars on Yelp" and now I understand why. read more

Hello, Sailor - "Aperol Spritz" - Seafood Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

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The daily special fish (mahi mahi) was maybe the best meal of my life! I also loved the views and ambiance!

This was my first time here and the view and atmosphere is awesome. The food was good. This is a nice spot to grab a bite to eat and then head to the lake!! read more

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