The food is okay but a bit overpriced. The gourmet Mac and Cheese is... okay, but way less impressive than I'd hoped. Nice views of Lake Decatur, good service from the waitstaff, but... the food is lackluster. It's not bad food, it's just... okay and a bit overpriced. Eaten here three or four times total in 2015 and 2016. Doesn't seem to have the aggressive panhandling nearby that's possible in downtown Decatur. read more

Yikes! Why is it every restaurant has that one person that if they aren't there the whole operation goes into the dumpster? Welcome to the Beach House on Saturday nite. It's Saturday afternoon and we are thirsting for a cold cocktail and some raw oysters. Hurray - the Beach House Oyster Bar is open! We checked their website and showed up at 5:15 and it was already crowded. So we got the last table at the rail overlooking the marina - great! We were not in any hurry so when the waitress did get to us her first words were "Oh, God, sorry for the wait. We are short staff tonite." Red flag - that is not what you want to hear right off the bat. Anyway, my wife and I ordered drinks and I ordered a 1/2 dozen raw oysters. Great! So the drinks were slow getting to us - no big deal. We were still in a happy mood. But then it happened - my oysters showed up. I have eaten oysters from coast to coast so I have some affinity for how they should be presented. These 6 oysters came to me on a warm plate - WITH NO ICE !!! Seriously - we are supposed to eat raw shellfish on an open deck in 85 degree sun?? WTF! The waitress was long gone before I realized what I was dealing with. So I then looked up to the oyster bar in the middle of the deck and realized the oyster bar was actually NOT OPEN! Huh? This is advertised as an oyster bar on the deck. So I walked inside to speak to the manager and asked why the oyster bar was closed. "Oh, the manager was off today so he decided not to open it today. We are serving oysters from the kitchen." (Translation: the people shucking oysters in their 90 degree kitchen have no idea what they are doing.) I explained to her that I just received my raw oysters on a warm plate with no ice. She advised they always server them over ice. I'll not bore you with the remaining saga of this story other than to say - NEVER AGAIN. It is a shame that our TAXPAYER MONEY is helping fund an establishment that really exemplifies why you can't really expect a classy joint in Decatur ran by local yokels. Any oyster bar in that location really had a great potential. Very sad ......... read more

Outstanding food and service. Very clean. Best burger j have had in my life. A little pricy but good value for the money. Quite classy.

Beach House was great! I was with the group of 24 chefs. Mac n Cheese was awesome and the Chilean sea bass fantastic! Servers were good just under estimated the party. The place is good for Decatur. Go local shop local keep mom and pop restaurants rolling. Nice job beach house. read more

I am so unhappy. I was planning to take my lovely granddaughter to a special place to din for her birthday.. Since "The Beach House" sounded so good and since her last name is Beach we thought it would be perfect. I called and made a reservation and was told since it was a birthday we would have a special place with a window by the water. I also thought it sounded like a nice place for another daughter's wedding reception since she is getting married near Decatur. After the rude manager (I assume he was the manager) because he would not let the waitress set us at the table by the window was overheard saying that he was giving that table to regular customers who did not have a reservation and we could sit anywhere. Then we did not get waited on. I was in tears when I left because I had thought this was going to be such a great experience. So don't bother to go to this place unless you are a regular customer. His rude Have a nice day ladies was just the perfect ending. We ended up going to O'Charley's to eat and had a wonderful experience. We drove all the way from ,Bloomington. read more

We used the Beach House for our wedding and reception. It was a beautiful small ceremony on their private deck and the reception was in their banquet room. They got every detail perfect and the food was outstanding. All of our guest complimented the food. We had the pretzel crusted chicken, beef tenderloin, and the chefs Mac n cheese. It is unlike any Mac n cheese you have ever tasted. The spinach artichoke dip was also a favorite. It's beautiful for dinner or just drinks with friends. read more

I love eating on the patio for a late lunch with my dog. The few times I've been there, the staff has been so sweet to her- even bringing her bacon bits and cold water! I love the Oysters Rockefeller and the mushroom risotto. Honestly, I'm a big mac and cheese fan but it hasn't really hit the spot for me. A bit bland, needs more cream and some nutmeg. Overall, a good place to go for something different in Decatur. Not a five star restaurant, but good for what we have here. read more

Great views, service, food, and beverages! Very well run for a busy Saturday night. The sea bass was perfectly cooked. Highly recommend!

Pasta was over done and sauce had no flavor. Asked for salt and got and empty hot sauce bottle who the holes drilled in the top.

This was our first trip to the Beach House, and I was not impressed. The draft beers we ordered arrived and were not cold. The beer tasted funny and was flat. When we brought this up to our server, she said they have issues with their beer lines and it's a common complaint by customers. So, I'm not sure why they keep serving it then. We ordered the sampler of baked oysters for an appetizer and they were amazing. Definitely the best part of our dinner. I had the ribeye with a baked potato and asparagus for my main dish. The steak was average at best, a bit tough and lacked flavor. The asparagus was good, but cold. And the baked potato was overcooked and almost crispy on the outside. I stopped after one bite. I'm gotten much better food at much less expensive restaurants. read more

We were there to celebrate my mom's 93rd birthday. Our meal was wonderful and they printed a menu with her name wishing her happy birthday. We were very appreciative of that. The food was excellent and we all had a nice time. We recommend the crab cakes, sea bass, mini filets, mac and cheese and mushroom risotto. We will definitely return next time we are in town. read more

The service was excellent. The Florida grouper which ordered was not fresh at all. For the price that they are charging, I expect it to be fresh and a bigger piece of fish, the mashed potato looks like someone just throw it on a plate. The calamari was not good at all. The food was not to my expectations at all. I was very disappointed with my meal. read more

My wife and I had a wonderful time celebrating our 36th wedding anniversary with Dinner at the Beach House (6/27/2017). The food was delicious. Our only complaint: They ran out of cheesecake. This gives us an excuse for a return visit. read more

This place is consistently good. The food ingredients are very high quality. I started with a house merlot which was a good, smooth, and well rounded red. I was very happy with the wine. I also had a glass of iced water. The water tasted a bit metallic or something like "city" water--it wasn't pleasant and made me think the restaurant needs better water filtration like reverse osmosis or something. The dinner rolls were brought with a delicate homemade butter but the rolls themselves seemed a bit like they were supplied; not homemade. I was a little disappointed by the rolls. For my main meal, I ate a beef filet, sous vide. It was cooked in duck fat and rosemary. The flavor was superb--the rosemary was just subtle enough and didn't overtake the flavor profile. The duck fat added a very nice flavor to the meat. The beef was very tender and gentle, and cooked to the perfect "medium" I had requested. I was impressed by the filet and wanted to cry as I ate the last bite. On the side, I had asparagus and roasted red potatoes. The asparagus was cooked perfectly; not too crunchy and not too mushy it was just right and had a little bit of oil or butter on it. Very tasty. The roasted red potatoes were cut into bite size pieces and were perfectly roasted with a peppery sort of seasoning. Then bits of seasoning we're good with the steak. Overall, the plate was a delicious ensemble. For dessert, we tried the mousse sampler. It had four types of mousse: cappuccino, dulce/caramel, chocolate, and lemon/raspberry. We liked three out of four. The raspberry one tasted like it had gone bad and really tasted terrible. We alerted the server but she said she could do nothing. She didn't bring an alternative nor offered a credit on the bill. The three other mousses were delicious but we left disappointed about the bad (foul) tasting raspberry lemon mousse. Overall, I'd say the ambiance in the restaurant is very nice with good lighting and style, and the music playing is very tasteful. The food and drink is mostly top notch with some aspects that need improved. The service is ok but can also work on improving. I give it 4/5 stars because of the room for improvement. But I'd say this is still one of the best, top restaurants in Decatur. The scale is a big league gourmet 4/5. Thanks for reading this! We'll be back at this restaurant soon and share another review then. read more

Had my wedding reception here a year ago. (Ceremony in the park right next to the beach house). They were fantastic! Beautiful place to have a wedding. The interior stone, the lighting already set up along the ceiling, and the several sets of french doors going out to the deck make for a beautiful setting without the need for lots of extra decorations. They allowed us to bring in kegs of special soda, and several people said the pork tenderloin was the best they'd ever had! The price for what we got was exceptional and they worked so well with my sister-in-laws and the best man who brought in a cake, did the decorations, and set up our ipod music the morning of the reception. The beach house even prepared me special food separate from everyone else, so I could eat safe, delicious food without having an allergic reaction! read more

We had a party of 24 chefs in town for work. We decided to go out to this place because of the ambience. Which was fantastic. The Food was good. The only problem was we got there at 7:30 PM and we didn't pay the tab until 10:30 pm. Three hours to serve us is a little ridiculous. And they even had a limited menu for us, as they knew we were coming weeks ago. Unacceptable. Nothing else to say. read more

Extremely poor service and mediocre expensive food!

What a great evening. Went here for the first time without reservations. Restaurant was busy but we were seated immediately. Very friendly hostesses and wonderful server. Our cocktails were very good and reasonably priced. My wife had the pretzel chicken and I had the blackened grouper. I never ever eat grouper north of Atlanta but this was perfect. Our server said they flew in the seafood fresh every day and I now believe it. My baked potato was overdone but that was the only flaw in the entire evening. Don't miss the carrot cake!! This will be our getaway restaurant in the future. Overlooking Lake Decatur it seems like a resort. read more

We've been going Friday nights and have enjoyed our food! My husband loves the two 5 oz fillets and I've been trying their fish, which is different for me as I never order fish for fear of the "fishy" taste, well, not at the Beach House! It's wonderful! read more

For my 28th Anniversary, I had a reservation that wasn't acknowledged. Was forgotten about at the bar. Saw new arrivals be seated. I had to ask bar waiter to be seated. Food was good but after waiting almost an hour for a table put a damper on our celebration. read more

Had my birthday dinner there today as I've been wanting to try this restaurant. I ordered the blackened grouper and it was so salty I had to send it back. It came with garlic mashed potatoes and snap peas with corn. The mashed potatoes were a bit too salty as well and the snap peas with corn was very average, like frozen corn out of the bag. The waiter was very nice however and did take the fish back and gave me a new plate with sautéed grouper. It was a little bit better but nothing to write home about. Overall I think the food is a bit overpriced and it's definitely not five star quality. When we got there it was not busy at all but soon the dinner rush came and our service was very slow the rest of the evening. It seemed they didn't have enough staff to handle the crowd. I doubt that I'll go back. read more

Not impressed. Our group of 3 ate here for lunch. One had the soup of the day, Cheesy Potato, which tasted like a cheese paste with 3 small pieces of potato. The second had the sandwich special, a BLT with grossly over cooked bacon. The 3rd meal was the Beach Burger-okay but nothing special. Won't be going back! read more

My wife and I ate here tonight. Everything was just terrible. First we arrived a little early around 4:45pm for dinner. We were told they don't serve until 5 and no menu was printed yet because they print a new menu each day. Finally around 5:20 they bought us yesterday menu and told us nothing much had change so just go ahead and order from this menu. My wife and I both ordered Rib eye 14 oz steaks $26.95 each and a baked potato and the veggie of the day which was green beans. When the steaks came they were full of gristle and instead of cooked medium they were well done. I tried to eat mine and finally got through it but my wife couldn't eat hers at all. The green beans were not fully cooked and crunchy and the entire dinning experience was just total uneatable. I asked to speak to the manager mainly because I wanted her to know just how disappointed we were with what is suppose to be one of Decatur's premium eating establishments. She offered to not charge us and we accepted since my wife left her entire meal on the table and my steak was more like a steak you would expect from a $7 cheap chain type of steak house. We didn't complain to get a free meal only to let them know this is not acceptable and it can't serve food like this and remain open. The city of Decatur has spent Millions of this new lake front, the water park, boat docks, and now a Million dollar water slid and the people of Decatur deserve better than this to represent one of our premium restaurants, read more

I only went there once had a very bad experiance plactick wraper in the mashed potatoes, crab leges over cooked,poor service. I probably won't go back. read more

Way overpriced. Both times I ate there I ended up sick a few hours later. Called the owner and wasn't overly concerned and didn't offer anything to make amends. The place was better when it was Marcias. read more

Service was good ceased salad was dry and shrimp pasta was in need of more sauce but outside area is nice overall for the price it should been much better read more

We went to the Beach House for dinner and to celebrate our anniversary. The service at the table was good, the waitress was friendly. Unfortunately, our overall impression of the place was not good -- we'll stick with having sandwiches at lunch, to enjoy the view of the lake, in the future. The Good: to start, I had the chopped salad with candied pecans, bacon, and jalepeno ranch dressing -- quite tasty! I also enjoyed a gin and tonic and hubby enjoyed his Meiomi red wine. The Not So Good: Also to start we had the calimari -- but the breading didn't adhere at all, and the large pieces were quite chewy. (The dipping sauce was wonderful.) We'd wanted to order the crab cakes and jumbo, but they were out! Bummer. Later, they also ran out of Meiomi wine, so we couldn't have a 2nd glass of this with our meal. After waiting over an hour, our entrees finally arrived. Husband was very disappointed in his entree, the Shrimp "Risotto," because it was really not risotto at all -- they used regular rice, not carnoli, so the dish was not creamy at all; they should rename it shrimp and two rices -- the red and green sauces on the rice were tasty but the dish just wasn't risotto! I ordered the grouper with garlic smashed potatoes and daily vegetables; this was quite disappointing, too -- for $21 you get less than 4 ounces of fish, some aggressively garlicky potatoes (garlic should be roasted, not raw), and, on the day we went, an odd mixture of corn and snap peas. It looked like something one would order at a diner! Most of the pan-fried fish was tasty, but about a fourth of it was quite "fishy" tasting. I also would like to comment about our "welcome". When we entered the restaurant a waitress was busy doing something at the computer at the check-in desk. We later found out it wasn't her job to check us in, or to seat us. But we thought she could have at least acknowledged we were standing there, and told us someone else would come soon to help us. Instead, we just stood there for several minutes until the check-in hostess arrived. She was very pleasant and guided us to the bar where we got a drink, and then later agreed we would wait out on the deck. We drove over from Champaign to have a nice dinner out, with a view of the lake. While the view of the lake was very nice, we won't be recommending this place to our friends! And we won't be returning on a weekend, when both the cooking and serving staff seemed overwhelmed. read more

Huge disappointment!! We tried to make a reservation and got a voice-mail that promised to call us right back......NOT. We arrived at 4:45pm and had to holler across the room to the hostess who was engaged in conversation at a corner table. She sat us at a table and told us we had to be out by 6:30pm because it had been reserved. I quickly said "well that's up to you" and related my earlier reservation attempt. She said that they would not have any food available until after 5pm and that menus for the day were not printed yet. After about 20 minutes a waitress asked if we would like a drink and menus. DUH!! The menus actually said "your choice of starch" which is rather weird for a "fine dining" establishment. At 5:30pm place was starting to fill up. The waiters and waitresses decided to hold a staff meeting at the bar and nobody was getting service for at least 10 minutes. Another, young, inexperienced waitress came to our table and asked if we would like drinks and menus!! We finally ordered and got our food about 6pm. The specials are way, way overpriced ($27 for a small monkfish filet on risotto??) We had to ask 3 times for dinner rolls. The food and dessert were both tasty, but the two of us spent $100 and went away unhappy at 6:25pm. Such a shame, it's a beautiful place to watch the boats on the lake. read more