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Portside Grill & Bar

3.6 (66 reviews)
InexpensiveChicken Wings, Bars, Burgers
Closed • 12:00 pm - 9:00 PM
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Portside Grill & Bar Photos

PORTSIDE GRILL & BAR ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Loud
Live music
Casual
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - Portside Grill & Bar

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Great drinks
Singi D.

One of the most laid back places I've been to in a long time. Servers are very nice & friendly, drinks are strong, view is stunning and overall a great time. I spent both evenings of my weekend here and they had live music on Saturday. Wings were pretty good too. Most folks arrive by boat. They have a great dock, restrooms were clean and the floating bar was fantastic. There's a parking lot, a dinner cruise leaves from this location too. Highly recommended and I'll definitely be back!

Amanda P.

The atmosphere at this place is great. It's open air on the water. The music is loud and fun. This seems like a dive bar that would be fun to hang out at after corona. I would not recommend getting food here. The thing we enjoyed the most was the Cuban sandwich, but even that was nothing to speak of. The wings were okay. I enjoyed the golden wings more than the chili lime because they were sweet. The pulled pork nachos were slightly smokey and the cheese was beer cheese (I would have loved it with a soft pretzel). The hamburger was 12 dollars, small with toppings that came in a plastic bag with what seemed like Kraft singles. Covid: I wouldn't recommend this establishment if you are trying to follow guidelines. There was virtually no social distancing between parties and no one wore masks. The wait staff did wear masks as they walked through the restaurant but took them off when they spoke with each other and with their tables.

Benjamin H.

Great Meal! Wonderful Service! It's like being in Key West, only less expensive! Great Waterfront restaurant with a fun atmosphere! The Best Cuban anywhere, even better than Cuba!

Cuban
Lesley M.

Best place for an excellent lake experience. Outdoor, laid back after being on the water, dog friendly a staff that withstands the heat to serve with a smile. Food is casual, something for everyone to eat. If you're lucky enough and here on Sunday, grab some of the infamous wings and a cold drink. Otherwise, the bbq nachos are to die for and the Cuban is always great!! Hands down the best view while you eat, drink and enjoy lake like on SML!

Rich C.

Cold beer. Great wings. Friendly staff. Great views. Who doesn't love a dive bar on the water ? This place is awesome for what it is. Super fun and casual so keep your expectations low and you will have a great time.

Friday night karaoke!

Beacon Pub and Portside Bar & Grill provide such incredible food, views and fun! So thankful for somewhere on the lake open past 9 pm! Karaoke every Friday night... yes please! Come out and visit... you will not be disappointed!

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2 months ago

Best mix of easy boat access, live music, cold beverages, and grilled food on the lake. Love the frozen drinks with a rum topper!

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2 months ago

Wings are amazing, drinks are cold and on time and staff are friendly. We love this place!

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1 year ago

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3 years ago

Great ambiance - nice place on the water. Love to drive the boat up. Always find a boat slip to park. Good service and good food.

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3 years ago

carlea, our server, gave us gracious sevice like we were her family! So welcoming, accommodating, warm and professional!

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4 years ago

Excellent food and atmosphere! The goombay smash was a good frozen drink and the staff was super attentive.

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Garret M.

Thanks Melissa!

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Ask the Community - Portside Grill & Bar

Review Highlights - Portside Grill & Bar

“We visited some family at Smith Mountain Lake this past weekend and they kept talking to us about these amazing "chicken wings".”

Mentioned in 5 reviews

Read more highlights

Vinny's Italian Grill & Pizzeria - Cheesesteak Sandwich

Vinny's Italian Grill & Pizzeria

4.0(135 reviews)
4.4 mi
•$$

Consistently good food and friendly staff. Our favorite spot when visiting Smith Mountain Lake.read more

Continuing alphabet series with V for V is for Vinny's. My girlfriend & I were at Smith Mountain…read moreLake the week of 4th of July 2024 as her parents have a home there. My g/f recommended Vinny's as being very good. Originally, we were going to go here for an early dinner on Thursday, July 4, but when we were driving from Franklin County, I exclaimed Prime Rib Thursday at Copper Kettle! So, I had her U-turn, and we tried that instead. Please see my 5-star of them from August 2024. We ended up going on Saturday, July 6. We arrived in this cramped front area, and someone sat us at a booth at a reasonable time. We sat in the booth over 10 minutes without anyone coming to even get us water or check on here. We were hungry, and I was already annoyed for this long wait and was looking on Yelp. I asked my g/f about trying Bella Vita, which she agreed and left about 15 minutes after being seated. It was a big disappointment. However, after my 5-star Yelp review of Bella Vita (which I got to reviewing in April 2025), my g/f said Bella Vita is a better Italian than Vinny's, so maybe for the best. Since I didn't actually eat at Vinny's in the end, wasn't actively denied water, or had some other terrible experience, it would be unfair to give than 1-star in this case.

Photos
Vinny's Italian Grill & Pizzeria - Managed to a get a pic of nice art, while waiting for no server.  We left after 15 minutes.

Managed to a get a pic of nice art, while waiting for no server. We left after 15 minutes.

Vinny's Italian Grill & Pizzeria - Half-Pepperoni, Half-Cheese Pizza

Half-Pepperoni, Half-Cheese Pizza

Vinny's Italian Grill & Pizzeria - Outside of Vinny's

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Outside of Vinny's

Lago Pizza - Hawaiian   Personal Pan  Pizza

Lago Pizza

3.8(66 reviews)
4.7 mi
•$$

Always order my pizza " to go" with an extra splash of sauce. Best Pizza around. I've never been…read moredisappointed.

We had a very disappointing experience. We ordered two pizzas, one pasta, and an appetizer and…read morewaited 45 minutes with absolutely no communication from the staff. During that entire time, no one checked on us or provided an update on our order. After 45 minutes, I went to ask for an ETA and was told by the hostess, Anita, that she had "no idea." Ten minutes later, I asked again, and she checked with the pizza makers, who said everything would be ready in five minutes. We explained that the only reason we ordered the appetizer was because we were hungry and expected it to come out before the main meal. Since it clearly wasn't coming first, we let her know we no longer wanted the appetizer. Ten minutes after the promised "five minutes," I went back to ask for another update. At that point, the hostess stated that our entire order had been cancelled and no food would be coming out. I explained there had been a misunderstanding...we only wanted to cancel the appetizer, not the entire order. We had been sitting there for over an hour waiting, so obviously we had not intended to cancel everything. The hostess repeatedly cut me off, insisted we had cancelled the whole order, and was extremely rude throughout the interaction. She then told us our food was sitting behind the counter if we wanted it. When she rang us up, she initially charged only for the appetizer part of the order. After I clarified again that we still wanted the pizzas and pasta, she re-rang the order for over $50. To make matters worse, the restaurant was uncomfortably hot (over 80 degrees inside.) My toddler was so hungry from the long wait that my sister had to walk down the street to Food Lion to buy her something to eat while we waited. The most frustrating part was that no one ever apologized, acknowledged the excessive wait, or seemed concerned about what had happened. After all of that, we finally got the food home only to discover that it was both cold and burnt. Delays happen, and we would have understood if the restaurant had simply communicated with us. Instead, we experienced poor service, rude interactions, no accountability, and disappointing food!

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Lago Pizza - Mozzarella sticks and fried pickles

Mozzarella sticks and fried pickles

Lago Pizza - Nice decor. Feeling of being at home

Nice decor. Feeling of being at home

Lago Pizza - Grilled chicken sandwich

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Grilled chicken sandwich

Portside Grill & Bar - chicken_wings - Updated October 2026

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