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    The Cove

    2.4 (166 reviews)
    ModerateSeafood, Bars
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    The Cove Photos

    THE COVE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Live music
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - The Cove

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    Bar and dining room
    Tiffany Y.

    The Cove is a restaurant and bar that is located on the bay. (Do not confuse this business with Rum Runners restaurant and bar, which is located a short walk away.) Please see my attached photos for the current menu and prices. I rate the service as 5 stars and the food as 3 stars, so my average overall rating is 4 stars. My husband and I ate lunch here on a Saturday. An employee immediately greeted us and seated us at a table that had a view of the bay. The waitress had a very friendly personality, and she was very timely and accurate with taking our order, bringing out our beverages and foods, and taking our payment. Here are my reviews for our foods: Asiago crab dip - 3 stars - This crab dip contained crab meat and was served with tortillas. The dip and tortillas tasted OK, but they were not as fresh as I had expected. Steakhouse burger - 3 stars - This burger had a beef patty and was topped with Swiss cheese, mushrooms, bacon, steak sauce, and a deep-fried pickle. Side garden salad - 3 stars - This side salad contained lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and a choice of dressing. Chicken sandwich - 3 stars - I did not type the exact name of this sandwich, because what we received does not exactly match a menu item. This sandwich consisted of individual chicken tenders rather than a chicken patty, and they were topped with honey mustard sauce and lettuce.

    Outside
    Deej Jo A.

    Our food were served longer than the wait time but I am not sure if that's only for this season. We were there like at 2:00pm. The view was nice since in the corner and near the water. My food was ok although not great and the group I was with thought the meat in their sandwich tasted like they're frozen foods. Our server wore mask, she was ok, I thought she moves slow or maybe she was just tired. Free parking on site.

    Chocolate covered strawberry banana daquiri
    Eileen H.

    This is a really cool place with a tiki vibe and indoor and outdoor seating. If they had some reggae music playing, it would've been perfect. The rum runners (frozen drink) are great. However, I'm struggling with what rating to actually give this place. We visited numerous times during our 4 day stay (conference at the very nearby Sheraton), mostly for drinks but we did order apps. Some other conference attending friends ate here Saturday night and said the food was crappy. So we didn't want to take our chances. Plus they are in the process of changing their menu so they were out of a lot of things. Our experiences were different each time we visited. First, they have hired and are training a bunch of new waitresses--assuming to get ready for summer. I'm curious to see which ones will last, as one in particular was a hot mess. She didn't know how to handle a large table (8 of us) and would only come back and take one request at a time, unless you yelled out to her. It took forever to get anything. Food: Over the course of our stay and multiple visits we ordered the giant pretzel (best app on the menu--soft, warm and comes with three dipping choices, all delicious), buffalo fingers (not bad), nachos (came with a shit ton of lettuce on the bottom...to make it look like there were more nachos than there actually were? They were pretty decent, regardless), mozzarella "moons" which were fried too long so there was hardly any cheese left in them, and spinach dip (very good with the pita bread that they ran out of, but they come with nacho chips as well). Service the entire time was just ok. The visually frustrated "veteran" bartender was annoyed with having three newbies to train at the same time and it did appear to be a bit of a cluster f**k. He was very nice to us and joked--he has a good personality and we enjoyed talking with him. I actually really like the vibe of this bar and I really hope they get their shit together. IMO It could potentially be a 5 star place. Great view, great drinks, great specials, decent veteran bartenders, great atmosphere. Now get the food quality up and your people well trained and you'll be good!!

    $2.00 for ice
    Kathryn F.

    Stopping for a drink after work with co-workers. I ordered a Southern Comfort on the rocks easy on the rocks. No twist of lemon/lime/cherry just whiskey & ice. The bill: Southern Comfort $3.50 On the rocks $2.00 Are you kidding me? $6 for whiskey I would have been okay with ... the specific line item for ice irksome.

    Coconut Shrimp

    Food was great!! The crab cakes were what I was wanting!!! I am not a big veggie person in my food and the crab cakes don't have that but tons of flavor. The coconut shrimp was absolutely fantastic and just the right amount. The sweet potato fried where terrific, anyone who eat them knows they have to be a little more on the done side and they where perfect. The service was great but they weren't to terribly busy that may have helped. Being able to look out at the water is so peaceful and really brings it all together. Absolutely fantastic place, it's a little smaller but wonderful food.

    Fried perch.
    Nan P.

    Very pleasant on the water. The fried perch was excellent without the bread- skip the bread. Interesting pickle slaw. Good coleslaw. The Long Island ice tea was too sweet. Nice selection of beers. Pleasant place.

    Sad salad... half a serving of iceberg and some veggies. Not worth the wait.
    Vivian G.

    Not worth the money. We picked this place mainly for its location assuming the food would be decent. The service was terribly slow. There seem to be plenty of waitstaff but the kitchen needs help. We waited over 45 minutes for our lunch - a buffalo salad and a fried perch sandwich. The food was pretty pathetic. The fish sandwich was mostly breading and the filet itself was small and had some bones left in it. The sandwich comes with lettuce and tomato. No sauce of any kind. So the sandwich is salty but dry. The sweet potato fries were ok and the cinnamon marshmallow sauce that comes with them was ok. The waitstaff clearly now the kitchen is overly slow because they avoid coming to check on guests.

    Rum runner and Grilled cheese sandwich
    Rebecca I.

    I lived in Erie a large part of my life but never ate here, only drank after a wedding before...however it did NOT disappoint. They have rum runners first of all which is a signature to Erie and taste amazing especially if you like fruity summer drinks. A friend at our table got the lobster nachos which I will definitely order the next time I go because they were amazing and my brother ordered a pretzel the size of a large pizza which is deep fried. I got the grilled cheese . This was probably one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches I've ever had in my life, the bread was even Parmesan encrusted. I feel like they should get better reviews and every one else just hasn't gotten out much or something. Also right on the water so has a casual or romantic ambience.

    Erie Distillery Apple Pie (chilled)

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    2 years ago

    Paper plates and plastic silverware don't make for a nice evening by the lake. Food was fine

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    Smuggler's Wharf - Fried Great Lakes Yellow Perch

    Smuggler's Wharf

    2.9(267 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    Smugglers' Wharf…read more GOOD: Food quality, service and atmosphere BAD: Price heavy on sides and starters I loved my experience at Smuggler's Wharf. The food was delicious, the service fast and friendly and the location is pristine. The bay views make the already cozy interior even better. It loses a star because they really put the squeeze on when it comes to simple things like french fries. Fries are cheap to make and a customer favorite. Your options are 9.00 starter or additional 5.00 when you pay for a sandwich - hard pass. It worked out because the potato salad they offer free is bonkers good. The other thing I didn't like is they charge 9 for a cup (ouch) then 10 for a bowl of soup. I ordered the bowl - very tiny little thing. My two cents, get a nice glass of wine (if that's your jam) and a quality entree. Iam going back for the carbonara very soon.

    The servers were nice and attentive, the restaurant itself is definitely due for renovations and a…read moredeep cleaning and dusting. It's old and run down and needs upgrades especially in the bathroom. The door in the restroom couldn't even close and it blocked the sink. I had to stand on the side of the sink to wash my hands. Then the blower to dry my hands was very weak ( they need a new one) and there were no paper towels available to dry my hands, so I had to allow them to air dry until I got to the table and used napkins. This place is like a catch of the day, sea to take kind of place. Which I would expect being located on the bay. But the seafood was flavorless. The table had fried calamari, and although it wasn't chewy, it wasn't seasoned with anything so it was like cheating crispy air. The other food was pretty flavorless as well, which seems to be a trend in Erie, PA. I had a burger, the burger wasn't anything to be desired. Definitely lacked flavor and seasoning. The fries were good fried pretty good but had no salt. The veggies on my burger however were fresh and had a good crunch. The fish was a bit under fried for my liking, I sent back and they fried another piece without a problem, but it still could have been fried longer. The chocolate cake was ok not too sweet however, it was a bit dense. I probably wouldn't come back here.

    Photos
    Smuggler's Wharf - Inside

    Inside

    Smuggler's Wharf - Shellfish Carbonara & mushrooms on the side

    Shellfish Carbonara & mushrooms on the side

    Smuggler's Wharf - Smugglers Sex on the Beach

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    Smugglers Sex on the Beach

    Two45 Waterfront Grille

    Two45 Waterfront Grille

    4.0(37 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    We had a great dinner here! Really enjoyed the shareable soft pretzel with mustard and beer cheese…read more Both the salmon and the grouper were delicious and the view sitting by the window provided a great atmosphere.

    Two45 Waterfront Grille fails to impress…read more.. Accidental reservation on my part! My parents and sister live in Erie and I visited recently and I had lunch nearby and it was great. I didn't think too much into the reservation but when I showed up it was definitely not the place I recall (now known as Pier 6) but I recall looking at photos that it would be worth checking it out. We were promptly seated and greeted by the waitress. The lunch menu is brief with a few items in each section of Apps, salads, sandwiches and plates. We opted for the calamari as we heard it was a good app to start with. At the same time we ordered drinks which consisted of coffee, Expresso martini and the aperol spritz. The calamari came out and it was a good amount. However, they were very small and it was dry. We got the perch sandwich and it came out with an enormous amount of shoe string fries which imo are the worse type as they are typically over fried and so were these. Frying a good filet of fish is usually a bad idea and this sandwich would be better served to be grilled when your fries are fried and the calamari is fried too. Service was slow for being an empty restaurant. Note: we had a 4 year old with us and the key is to always rush their food asap so they stay content. Since we waited a bunch of time, we had some ancy people at the table after 1 hour 45 minute lunch where the room was essentially empty. Much improvement can be had otherwise spend your dollars at Pier 6 for a much better experience.

    Photos
    Two45 Waterfront Grille
    Two45 Waterfront Grille
    Two45 Waterfront Grille

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    Chippers Seafood & Southern Fusion

    Chippers Seafood & Southern Fusion

    4.7(46 reviews)
    1.0 mi

    Had an impromptu trip to Erie sunday and my husband and I are so glad we checked out Chippers…read more The food was absolutely delicious and the service was kind and quick. We can't wait to come back for a bag boil!

    Until yesterday, we had a joke about Erie, PA, not actually existing. (I-90 runs several miles to…read morethe south of it for reasons some interstate planning committee could probably explain, and thus all you see from the freeway is a smattering of chain hotels on the outskirts of town). But on a trip back from Cleveland to Buffalo, we were hungry and looking for well-recommended places in Erie and the absolute hidden gem that is Chippers is what Yelp found for us. (Thanks, Yelp!) Chippers is an excellent assemblage of deliciously crispy fried things featuring seafood and chicken but also a surprisingly robust vegetarian slate. I ordered inside, was given a 20-minute estimate, wandered Erie for a bit, picked up the very-reasonably priced order, and we drove down to the waterfront to eat. I would and probably will stop back in Erie just for this experience. It's the bomb, as the kids used to say 25 years ago. Notes: 1) the collards and batter for fried items (the fried tomatoes are killer, btw) were approved by my partner, a confirmed Southerner--they do good things with seasoning to make food that often seems phoned-in at other places truly delicious; 2) the employees told a homeless guy that he couldn't come in at just that moment and then went out of their way to explain that they had nothing against homeless people or him specifically, but that he had caused problems and so they placed some boundaries on him. (They gave him the cup that he was asking for shortly thereafter.) I found it refreshing and wonderful that they were concerned that a customer might expect them to act with decency and compassion towards the less-fortunate rather than thinking a customer would simply want them to make that situation go away. It's a small sample size, but I think Chippers may hire good people.

    Photos
    Chippers Seafood & Southern Fusion - That is my $30 boil bag and the $30 shrimp meal that my husband got that had six pieces of shrimp

    That is my $30 boil bag and the $30 shrimp meal that my husband got that had six pieces of shrimp

    Chippers Seafood & Southern Fusion - Perch & shrimp w collards and slaw

    Perch & shrimp w collards and slaw

    Chippers Seafood & Southern Fusion

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    Calamari's Squid Row - Boom boom shrimp grinder

    Calamari's Squid Row

    3.9(117 reviews)
    1.2 mi
    $$

    6/22/25 Ate List:…read moreChicken Cordon Bleu Wrap - 7.4 Grew up in Erie and I feel like this spot is a like "not so hidden" underdog sort of gem. Whenever I've been here, it's never packed. But each time when im leaving we say, "yeah that was the right move." It's a little further from the Bayfront but it's a lot better than some of the options that are closer. The vibe here is great. So glad that this place has withstood so much turnover nearby. Food is consistently great. Lunch, dinner, even brunch is SOLID. This time, I did the Chicken Cordon Bleu Wrap with tots. Could've just been a silly assumption, did not expect the wrap to be toasted. Now this was on a 100 degree day, so wouldve personally preferred it to be cold this day but all good. Tots are dependable and great too. Wish I received a larger potion though. Was kind of surprise it wasn't like filling the plate and was more a scattered handful. Love this spot though. Great experience, great staff, will absolutely stop back in.

    We usually enjoy stopping at Calamari's when we're in town, and their Boom Boom Shrimp Grinder is…read moreour go-to order. On this visit, we both ordered the grinder, but my first bite felt off -- something was missing. Sure enough, when I lifted the bun, the most important part was missing: the boom boom sauce. It took a few minutes to get our server's attention, but once we mentioned it, she quickly brought sides of the sauce for us. After adding it ourselves, the sandwich tasted the way it should, though the bread was a bit dry since the sauce wasn't baked in. I'll also note that we typically visit for lunch, but this trip was later in the evening. The vibe was very different -- louder crowd, mostly college kids, and slower service due to how busy it was. We'll probably stick to lunch visits going forward, since that's when we've had the best experience.

    Photos
    Calamari's Squid Row - Patio

    Patio

    Calamari's Squid Row
    Calamari's Squid Row - Artichoke dip with pita bread

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    Artichoke dip with pita bread

    The Cove - seafood - Updated May 2026

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