Romantic or Casual, Visitors Enjoy Food With a View
at Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks

 Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. – One of the main reasons the Lake of the Ozarks is such an outstanding vacation destination is its variety of on-the-water activities: boating, swimming, fishing, skiing – and dining.  With nearly 50 restaurants directly on the water or offering a fantastic Lake view, waterfront dining has become a popular attraction.

 “Visitors enjoy our lakeside restaurants,” says Tim Jacobsen, director of the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau. “Wherever they’re staying – resort, condo, campground or any of our other lodging options – they’re just a short drive or boat ride from a fun waterfront dining experience.”

Like the rest of the Lake area, even on the water there’s a great variety of restaurants.  “We have something for everyone on the water or looking at it, from the traditional local places to ethnic cafés, family-friendly restaurants to fine dining,” Jacobsen says.  “And each one offers a different view, from a nice cove to miles of channel.”

The Main Attraction

What is it about waterfront dining that attracts so many people?  At the Lake, there are just about as many opinions about dining on the water as there are restaurants that offer it.  To Jacobsen, it’s the serenity. “Besides the water fun, the Lake has a scenic and serene aspect too,” he says.  “It gives people an opportunity to relax and enjoy the outdoors.”

Bill Paul, owner of Captain’s Galley Floating Restaurant and Bar in Camdenton, agrees dining on the water is soothing, but also believes the main attraction is the action.  “People like to watch the boats and the people coming and going,” he says.

Captain’s Galley consists of two facilities, Paul explains.  “The floating restaurant has been on the Lake in one configuration or another for more than 50 years,” he says.  “It started as a hot dog stand.  We moved it not long ago to its current location.”  The on-shore facility was built seven years ago.  “We made sure everyone could see the water from wherever they were sitting,” Paul says.  “We have the most expansive view of the Lake of the Ozarks, where three rivers come together.  Most of our customers actually come by boat.”

Paul says Captain’s Galley is “famous for everything!” Notable menu items include Caribbean dishes like jerk pork and chicken and conch fritters, and more than 200 exotic frozen drinks.  The restaurant is open from St. Patrick’s Day to Thanksgiving Day.  “It’s a family place.  Kids love it here. We have island music during the day and live entertainment – Jimmy Buffet-type music –on the weekends,” Paul says.  Waverunner rentals and a game room also are available.

According to Colleen Porter, director of marketing and events at the Horny Toad at Toadcove Entertainment Complex in Lake Ozark, “The reason people come to the Lake is for the water,” she says. “From transportation to entertainment to dining, people want to be right on the water.”

The Horny Toad complex offers a panoramic view of the Lake’s main channel.  “We’re in the back of a cove so you can see waterfront homes and lots of boats in the summer,” Porter says.  Open year round, the Horny Toad is the main restaurant in the complex.  “It’s a gourmet, American-style steak house,” Porter says.  “The Frisky Frog is a sports bar where you can come in your flip-flops and have a cheeseburger or pizza.” Also on the premises of the 30,000-square-foot complex are Jeremiah’s nightclub, plus tiki bars, an arcade and billiards room, sand volleyball, 24-hour marina, swimsuit boutique and convenience store, and boat and waverunner rentals – plus the largest video wall at the Lake.

As in previous summers, the Toadcove Entertainment Complex (www.toadcove.com) will offer a series of celebrity concerts to benefit Kiwanis and Lake-area children.  This year’s headliners will be REO Speedwagon, Willie Nelson, Air Supply, the Guess Who, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and the Steve Miller Band. “Literally, you can pull up in your boat or car and enjoy an entire day of events at the Horny Toad, from lunchtime until 1:30 in the morning,” Porter says.

“Offering wining and dining for romantic adults,” the 41-year-old Blue Heron in Lake Ozark (www.blueheron.thepottedsteer.com) is a highly acclaimed restaurant where guests like to sip cocktails in the gazebo and look out over the Lake, especially at sunset.  Owner and chef Joe Boer’s European-influenced restaurant specializes in seafood, poultry, lamb, beef, veal and pork, but is best known for its famous Batter Fried Lobster Tail.  “I invented it!” Boer says.

Boer loves to welcome and visit with diners personally at his cozy restaurant with Dutch-inspired decor.  Open March through November, the landmark restaurant has frequently won the coveted Wine Spectator Annual Award of Excellence and the Grand Award, which is presented to only 100 restaurants around the world for the most elaborate wine list.

Luke Hagedorn is a manager at two Osage Beach waterfront restaurants: Dog Days (www.dogdays.ws) and Shorty Pants Lounge (www.shortypantslounge.com).  He believes people like to dine on the Lake “because it’s something they don’t do everyday,” he says.  “In the summer it’s exciting with a lot of activity.  You can eat outside and watch all the boats coming and going.  In the spring it’s great to see the dogwoods and redbuds in bloom.  And in the fall, everyone enjoys looking out at the Lake surrounded by the autumn colors of the Ozarks hills.”

Open March through October, the 14-year-old Dog Days offers a great Lake view, Hagedorn says.  Specialties include American food with tropical influences, the Dog Pound Raw Bar and live blues and rock music featuring Dale Blue sponsored by Budweiser Select.  Three-year-old Shorty Pants, open year-round, offers a nice cove view, Hagedorn says.  It’s noted for its Cajun menu, including crab cakes and jambalaya, plus an outside fireplace and live entertainment.

Panoramic Views

At JB Hooks in Lake Ozark (www.jbhooks.com), manager Troy Atkinson says diners particularly enjoy the restaurant’s 14-mile panoramic view from the top of a bluff.  “They can see such a large portion of the Lake,” he says.  “Everyone wants to sit by the windows, although you can see the Lake from just about anywhere in the restaurant.  Plus it’s very romantic,” he adds.  “The sunset is just spectacular from here.”

Open year-round, JB Hooks offers indoor and outdoor dining.  Its specialties are petit filet “and the largest lobster tails in the Lake area,” Atkinson says.  “We go to great lengths to ensure the freshest fish possible for our seafood dishes.”  Its shrimp and oyster bar is a popular gathering spot and its desserts – such as the Copper Penny and Defrocked Monk – are truly memorable.

Recently featured in Southern Living magazine, award-winning Andre’s On The Lake in Lake Ozark (www.andreslakeoz.com) sits atop a wooded bluff and boasts a spectacular Lake view with breathtaking sunsets, as well as the only Certified Executive Chef in the Lake area – Chef Andre Torres, a member of the Academy of Culinaire de France.  Born in Algeria, Torres worked in Europe, Africa and Asia before landing at the Lake of the Ozarks.  As a result, the menu reflects global influences with an emphasis on French Mediterranean cuisine.  “We make our own sweets too,” says Torres.  “Everything is made from scratch like our bread pudding, flourless chocolate cake and crème brulee.”  The incredible presentation of each dish is worth a trip.

Every third Friday of the month is International Night, featuring a buffet and wines of a different country or region.  Open year-round, the 17-year-old Andre’s also offers the area’s only sushi bar, Le Fou Bar featuring tropical cocktails and the “French Hillbilly Burger” and cooking classes.  Torres’ three sons all work at the restaurant, as well as his wife, Anju, who greets guests.  “She remembers everyone’s name.  Everyone knows her and loves her.  So it’s a nice family business,” he says.

Mark Hooker, owner of The Duck restaurant in Lake Ozark (www.theduckrestaurant.com), notes that “water has a calming effect.  A lot of our customers come from hectic lives so dining on the water is an opportunity to get away from the rat race and relax.” Hooker, who has owned The Duck since 2002, believes that “it’s the best setting to watch the sunset on the Lake.”

The restaurant’s new outdoor deck and screened porch will debut this year.  Its dock accommodates up to 16 boats.  Open early April through December, The Duck has won awards from Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast magazines. It’s a candlelight-and-white-tablecloth type of place.  “We are The Duck after all, so one of our specialties is duck a’l’orange,” Hooker notes.  Another is rack of lamb, plus seafood and steaks.  “All of our desserts are home-made and the molten chocolate cake with the soft center, made by my wife, is truly fabulous,” he says.

At the award-winning Portside Restaurant at the Resort at Port Arrowhead in Lake Ozark (www.theresortatportarrowhead.com), diners can enjoy an expansive Lake view year-round, from the indoor dining room with its wall of windows or from the poolside patio.  Chef Vincent Charbonneau has created an intriguing menu featuring both traditional and eclectic versions of seafood, chicken, pork and certified Angus beef entrees, including Tomato and Herb Encrusted Pike, Sherry Honey Glazed Salmon, Trout Almandine Disaronno and Crab Stuffed Shrimp. His signature house salad is spinach with candied pecans and feta cheese tossed with a roasted garlic apple vinaigrette dressing.  His Tuxedo Brownie, a popular Portside dessert, is a rich brownie topped with white and dark chocolate, served with vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate sauce. In addition, locals have voted the Sunday Brunch the area’s favorite for many years.

“The water is where everything is happening here, so people want to see it or be near it when they’re dining.  They even want to sit by the windows at night even though you can’t see anything in the dark,” Charbonneau says.  “But it’s really nice to relax here on our deck and look out over the Lake. It gives your experience a little something extra.”

For dining as close to the water as possible, there’s the luxurious Celebration Cruises (www.celebrationlakeozark.com), an 80-foot, climate-controlled motor yacht that offers lunch and dinner cruises March through September.  The dinner cruise offers traditional or continental menus during a leisurely moonlight cruise.  The luncheon cruise features a narrated tour of Lakeside sights.  Celebration is docked at Kirkwood Lodge in Osage Beach.

Among the many other outstanding waterfront or Lake-view restaurants are Michael’s Steak Chalet in Osage Beach, offering delectable steaks and fine vintage wines; Shady Gators in Lake Ozark, featuring the Lake’s only triple-decker Tiki Bar and Cajun specialties; Ozark Bar-B-Que in Sunrise Beach, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year; Franky & Louie’s Beach Front Bar & Grill in Sunrise Beach, complete with a sand beach and palm trees; Bambooze Bar &Grill in Sunrise Beach with a Tiki Bar and live entertainment; Trail House in Camdenton, offering casual fine dining; and Sunrise Cantina in Sunrise Beach, known for its Southern California style Mexican cuisine.

There’s also plenty of great dining off the water throughout the Lake of the Ozarks area – from hot dogs to haute cuisine and everything in between.  For complete information about waterfront or Lake-view dining, plus lodging, shopping, attractions, events and more at Central Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks, contact the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau at 800-FUN-LAKE (386-5253), or visit www.funlake.com.

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