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    Raffa's Waterfront Grill

    3.9 (375 reviews)
    Closed 5:00 pm - 9:00 PM

    Order Raffa's Waterfront Grill Takeout or Delivery

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    RAFFA'S WATERFRONT GRILL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Happy hour specials

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    Bourbon and Lemon Drop
    Fiona L.

    My husband and I stopped by Raffa's Waterfront Grill during a quiet afternoon, drawn in by the scenic lakeside setting. We must've visited during downtime, as the place was nearly empty so we pretty much had the entire place to ourselves--giving us our pick of seats with a great view. We started with the Salt & Pepper Calamari, Crab Cakes, a Lemon Drop Martini, and a pour of bourbon. Unfortunately, the cocktail experience was underwhelming. While the bartender/server was friendly, she didn't seem very familiar with the drink menu, and when we asked if they could make a bourbon-based cocktail, the response was hesitant. We settled on the Lemon Drop, which wasn't terrible, but lacked balance and didn't stand out. She also wasn't very detail-oriented as she accidentally spilled some of my drink on me and either didn't notice or chose to ignore it. As for the food, the calamari was disappointing. It arrived without lemon (which we had to request), and the flavor was lacking. I ended up relying heavily on the jalapeño ranch just to enjoy it, which isn't something I usually need to do at a seafood restaurant. On the brighter side, the crab cakes were a pleasant surprise--crispy on the outside, soft and flavorful inside. Easily the best item we tried. Because the appetizer experience didn't leave us confident in the kitchen, we chose to skip entrées altogether. When something as simple as calamari misses the mark at a waterfront seafood restaurant--especially at this price point--it's hard to justify going further. The location is lovely and would make a great setting for drinks with friends, but overall, the experience didn't meet expectations for a seafood-forward restaurant. If you do stop by, I'd say skip the calamari and go for the crab cakes.

    Menu
    Jorge A.

    I originally made reservations online for my fiancés birthday + our engagement photos for 8pm on Saturday. I ended up editing the reservation to make them for 715 since the pictures were cancelled due to bad weather. When making reservations, the website + app they use ask if there is a special occasion including birthday/ and I selected birthday and commented about our engagement photos. I also mentioned the pictures were cancelled when I updated the reservation. I'll come back to this later. As soon as we were seated, the waiter asked if we had a birthday today, which was specified as my fiancés in the reservation. It was a quick, kinda awkward interaction, especially because he asked in front of the birthday girl, but I said yes it's hers. Again I'll come back to this later. For an appetizer we started with the crab cakes which were solid. They have a strong lemon taste when you get the sauce on them, like very strong but they were again solid. When we ordered our entrees we were asked if we wanted any soup or salad to go with it and I ordered their gumbo and my fiancé ordered the Caesar salad. These are not part of the dinner which I won't hold against them because the menu tells you exactly comes with it, but the way it was positioned could kinda make it seem like it's part of the main course. She disliked the salad and said it smelled like our dogs feet lmao. Idk about that but it was pretty dry and covered in powdered Parmesan cheese which is normally good, but remember the dry aspect bc this accented it. The gumbo was good, but pretty salty. I ate it all so there's that. For the entree, we both got medium rare ribeyes which we both really enjoyed. The veggies it comes with are good, as well as their house steak sauce. We ordered a diff of brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes. The brussel sprouts were tasty as were the mashed potatoes, but the sprouts were def better. The mashed potatoes were good but kinda clumpy and not as rich as I'd expect but still good. Back to the reservation specifics. There was no happy birthday said, or any sort of offering given which just threw me off even more, especially after being asked about a birthday by the waiter in front of the birthday girl as soon as we had been seated. Id expect at least a verbal happy birthday or something. Once you select the occasion online, you're asked if there are any allergy restrictions which also would make me think they would be offering something. Just weird to me. Our waiter was cool, but IMO seemed quick to be in and out and said "thanks have a nice day" immediately after we paid and walked off. Also the power went out. Solid steak'

    Bread pudding
    Mirna C.

    Great service disappointing prime rib This was our first time at this restaurant. The pictures on Yelp enticed us to give it a try. The nearby parking was taken since there was an event happening even though we went for an early dinner to avoid crowds. When we entered we were asked if we had a reservation, we didn't have one but they sat us down, it wasn't busy at 5 pm on Saturday. As an appetizer we had the calamari, which were good but it was a little strange that the lemon looked fried so we couldn't squeeze it over the seafood. For dinner I got the filet mignon that came with some veggies and we were offered bread when the food arrived. The bread was soft potatoes rolls with herbed margarine/butter. We also got the prime rib that they only do Thursday through Saturday. My filet was great but the prime rib was tough, chewy, and grisly. We mentioned it to our waitress who was very sweet and attentive. The manager came over and he saw how tough the meat was and that it was mostly uneaten. He offered to replace it with something else but the food took awhile and I shared my food to compensate so instead we got dessert. He also mentioned that sometimes the supplier does give a bad cut of meat, that it's hit or miss. We ordered the orange chocolate bread pudding which is made out of the potato rolls. It was good, soft, and had a slight orange taste. In the end the manager took $8 out of the $32 inedible prime rib, which was only about 25% of the dish.

    View of the wine room pre-wedding
    Teena C.

    Small Wedding of 22. Charli, the Manager, and Amanda, our server, were incredible. Result was a beautiful wedding. They were so accommodating for us. If you have a function it's a great place to have it.

    Eggs Benedict!
    Ashleigh S.

    Recently went back for brunch. Portions are big but the food was mediocre. My family picked at their food and husband said his food was cold. I ended up with the crab cakes again and ended up getting sick later that evening. Service was good though. I don't think we will go back.

    (top) French Toast , (bottom) Migas
    Carissa C.

    My family and I had a nice brunch here! The restaurant is beautiful and overlooks the Lake. Our server was very friendly and attentive with our large party of 14. I tried their Migas and their French Toast. Both were excellent and had large portions. The Migas had a nice salsa that came with it, and the French Toast was so indulgent. They had bottomless mimosas and Bellinis which were fun. We'd love to return next time we're in the area!

    View of the water
    Tammie B.

    We came for Sunday Brunch and the food was very good. I had crab cakes and the husband got the steakhouse burger which were both tasty. Our waitress was very good and super attentive. We enjoyed the view of the water and we will return again in the future.

    Lemon Drop Martini
    Farrah F.

    I hosted my mom's 70th Birthday at Raffa's on a Wednesday night. They made it very easy to make a reservation for 13 people and to bring our own Birthday cake in. Food: because it was a Wednesday we got to take advantage of their buy one get one appetizer special! We had the calamari, crab cakes, and shrimp and gritz. Everyone loved the apps. We all ordered a variety of entrées and the only complaint was that one of the fish dishes came out cold, but the manager quickly rectified it and brought out a freshly made entrée. Service: Our waitress did a great job of handling our large party basically by herself. There were moments where it seemed someone's drink order was forgotten but it was quickly rectified. We were always checked on and always met with a pleasant attitude. Ambiance: The restaurant is beautiful and the patio outside was perfect for pictures, however there is no direct route from the restaurant to the pavement in front of thr lake, you have to leave the restaurant and go around. I am so glad I picked this restaurant to host my mom's birthday dinner. Everyone had a great time and we made memories that will last forever.

    Chicken fried steak

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    2 months ago

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    2 days ago

    Good food and service, slightly upscale, and a very attractive atmosphere. We have enjoyed all our meals at Raffas.

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    1 year ago

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    5 months ago

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    3 months ago

    This place is always great! Food is consistently amazing and the staff is always super attentive.

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    We were there tonight to celebrate our daughter's 40th birthday. Had another great meal!

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    6 months ago

    The food here is outstanding. It is also a great place to host a large gathering. The service has always been great.

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    7 months ago

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    6 months ago

    Food consistently good. Unfortunatly the decor and especially the furniture is tattered and seen better days.

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    1 year ago

    We travel here from Spring. we love the brunch menu and ambiance is great too. cool to look out on the water as we munch.

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    Page 1 of 10

    Ask the Community - Raffa's Waterfront Grill

    Is this family friendly for Sunday brunch? Kids menu?

    Yes

    View All 2 Questions

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    Raffa's Waterfront Grill - newamerican - Updated May 2026

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