We had a late dinner here on a Tuesday night in early May, before Skaneateles gets the large summer crowds. Seated immediately, and given our choice of tables. We sat out on the porch, with views out over the water. Our server, Amy, was really attentive. Food was very good. We got the Bavarian pretzels appetizer, and the mustard sauce was delicious. Our server brought out a warm loaf of bread to go with the salads, which was a nice touch. Our entrees were exactly as described (Bluewater burger and Crab Cake sandwich), arrived just as we finished salads, and very good. The prices were totally reasonable. Appetizer, salad, two sandwiches, two soft drinks was around $65 for dinner. All in all, we were very happy with the meal. read more

I rarely leave negative reviews, but the experience at Blue Water Grill in Skaneateles was so remarkably disorganized and dismissive that it deserves to be documented. After waiting well over an hour, our main courses still had not arrived. What made the situation even more unbelievable was that a manager approached our table to ask whether we wanted dessert before our entrées had even made it out of the kitchen. That level of disconnect perfectly summarized the entire evening. To make matters worse, we overheard the manager referencing our table and casually saying, 'they'll be alright,' as if ignoring customers for an excessive amount of time was somehow acceptable hospitality. Nothing says 'professional restaurant management' quite like openly dismissing paying guests within earshot. What made the situation even more frustrating is that we specifically needed to eat our main courses at the restaurant because our hotel does not have a microwave and we were on a timeline. The only positive part of the experience was our waitress, Amy, who remained polite, professional, and clearly did her best in an environment that appeared poorly managed. She was the one bright spot in an otherwise embarrassing dining experience. Mistakes and delays happen in restaurants. But poor communication, indifference, and openly dismissive management are what turned this from an inconvenience into a night we genuinely regretted spending there, especially on my birthday weekend. read more

This is only based on what was unexpected when I ordered the baked brie. Two sizes. Photo is the large. Slices of toasted thick bread with Warren very thin slices of brie topped with green apple slices and raspberry sauce and some pecans and brown sugar. Also had dirty martinis. They were done right! By the way. You would mostly likely have bad cell reception here. read more

Blue Water Grill - Baked Brie - Seafood Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

Charming seafood restaurant, right on the Skaneateles lake. Views are amazing. Service was very good. There is street parking but it is meter parking. They have a bar with great cocktails. I like that they offer sushi and the sushi was very fresh. I recommend the kani salad. read more

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Nice greeting and choice of seating. There is really no great view of the water. The outdoor seating has some view through a tree, open indoor seating the view is blocked by the boathouse roof, and indoor seating has a view of water by the pier. The soy sauce was gross. It had caked on food. See pic. The waitress was not very friendly, more of a short quick take the order and move on. The coconut shrimp were super greasy, my husband patted them down with the napkin. They were small, and the shrimp were not firm, but soggy. The main dish was mahi mahi over rice. The rice in my husbands was okay, my rice was crunchy, like it was scraped off the bottom of the pot. I told our server she just said she will let the back know. Never brought new rice. That was it. Will probably not return to this place. read more

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July 2025: we were visiting the Skaneateles area and wanted to grab a bite to eat downtown. Most of the top rated restaurants that were recommended were either fully booked or closed. We walked past Blue Water Grill and liked that it was on the water and they had one high top table open for two inside, so we took it. We were seated at a tabletop in the back of the restaurant in a corner across from the back bar. We both felt it was very warm inside the restaurant, it seemed like they didn't have air conditioning and it was 85 degrees outside. It was uncomfortable for us but we were hungry. The menu was large with a variety of items- from sushi, to hamburgers, to salads, steak, curry, pasta, and more. We ordered the Classic Napoleon and a few sushi rolls for dinner. I liked the Napoleon because I liked the combination of the pineapple, onion, and avocado. My husband thought it had too much red onion and needed a starch. The maki was okay. Overall, a nice place to stop if you want a variety of menu options and a decent meal. read more

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I'll say right off the top that the service and the view are the only things that salvaged the second star. The hostess was very pleasant and seated us right away and our waitress, Rose, was fantastic, but my meal was disappointing, at best. I had a cup of the scallop, garlic, and corn chowder soup and the ginger lime tuna app. The chowder was too thick and the scallops were mealy. The texture of the scallops led me to believe that they weren't shellfish, but skate or surimi. And the thickening agent (cornstarch?) was way too much. As for the tuna, it was a great concept, but very poorly executed. The ginger/lime sauce was superb, but the bed of seaweed was way too soggy and the tuna wasn't sashimi-grade Ahi, but a frozen tuna steak that had been seared, sesame seeded, and sliced. The portion size was huge, especially for an app, but the tuna was watery, flavorless, and had that frozen fish texture that was really sub-par. I'm really glad I didn't go for the sushi. Recommendation to the kitchen: upgrade the fish to fresh, sashimi-grade Ahi, reduce the portion size, and keep the price the same. Recommendation to you: head across the street to the Sherwood (especially for raw bar on Friday nights!) or stay in and order delivery from Wegman's; their seared Ahi is great, as is their sushi. read more

The bar area smelled like a dive bar, drinks were made with low quality ingredients, sushi should be fresher. I was disappointed.

Came for dinner on a Wednesday pm. Very crowded and noisy even in a cold and rainy summer evening. Still high tourist season, so a reservation is highly recommended. I enjoyed the gorgonzola chopped salad with flank steak, although the meat was somewhat overcooked and on the tough side. It was well seasoned and tasty. Delicious complimentary bread and butter was brought to the table which is very rare these days. Everyone enjoyed their meals including the brie appetizer, the Blue Water burger, the lobster bisque and salads. Conversation was a little challenging due to the noise. The service was excellent. read more

Wanted to recognize Blue Water for their awesome brunch. They have a very fun and unique bloody Mary bar, where you can customize your Bloody Mary and create your own skewers. The eggs benny was delicious and a good portion size. Our server was super kind and kept an eye on our table in case we needed anything. Overall, great experience and will be back! read more

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Originally from the area and grew up coming to Blue Water and the quality is still top notch with great service and a varied menu. No matter what, you gotta get the bread. It's still from the patisserie and softs and delicious. While I've had a lot of meals here in the past, came here closer to closing on a Friday and they were still happy to serve us and our server was a delight. I had the curry mussels which was a delight! Not too spicy but very warm and tasty. It's a great dish to share, though I had just for me. Lots of mussels, excellently cooked, and more of that amazing bread to dip in too! This place does remain the best and absolute lake front restaurant, great for brunch, lunch, happy hours, dinner, an a great all year round lake adjacent dining experience. read more

Blue Water Grill - Seafood Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

I always enjoy my time at blue water grill as the service is always great and just a good energy overall. It typically gets busy for lunch time so we tend to find a seat in their bar area. Or if it's quieter my mom loves to sit with a view of the lake. The food is always delicious and the fish tacos are always a good choice that a filled to the max. We also love the shrimp corn chowder when they have it! I tried a mojito on their specials list but I didn't care for it. It tasted like candy with a side of bitterness. I'm not sure how to fully explain the taste but I usually enjoy mojitos, this flavor just wasn't a great mix. Overall I'll always come to blue water grill when I'm out in Skaneateles! read more

Blue Water Grill - Fish tacos and a specialty mojito - Seafood Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

I stopped here for lunch with a few friends while in town for the Dickens Festival. It was a rainy damp day, and I really wanted a nice bowl of soup. I was very happy to see lobster bisque on the menu. Another in my party also ordered the lobster bisque. The other two split a huge order of nachos topped with black beans. The lobster bisque was amazing! I had nice chunks of lobster in every spoonful. It was creamy and smooth and perfectly seasoned, allowing the lobster to be the star of the dish. The nacho platter (it was huge) looked delicious. I tried a few bits. Everything tasted fresh. The generous wine pours topped off our lunch. We ate in the bar area. It was airy and comfortable but had no view of the lake. The main restaurant area had beautiful views, but considering the dreary day, it didn't matter. Excellent service was the topping on our quick meal. 2023-121 read more

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A fun spot right on the lake. Sushi was great! Service was amazing. Food and beer were pretty good! I would go back and definitely get more sushi! read more

Blue Water Grill - Seafood Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

Specific to their popular Sunday noon time bloody Mary bar special, I have yet to find a better spot than right here on the lake. For $16 you get a bloody Mary with your choice of libation along with a 7 ounce corona with lime. Start by picking your favorite libation, then proceeded to a menu of olives, shrimp, assorted veggies, and various other foods to spear. You can get your glass rimmed with old bay or other flavoring to sip your beverage through. Pick from one of three tomato type mixes to finish off this party in a glass. read more

Blue Water Grill - Sunday bloody Mary - Seafood Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

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Didn't have brunch ends 2pm but some of our group enjoyed their Bloody Mary's with goodies and a beer. Others enjoyed their fried calamari, which was excellent. Great taste and fantastic dipping sauce. Bison burger with fries excellent taste and cooked perfectly. Salmon burger also was very good. Great food and service all around. Back area was busy and based on that noisy. Free parking on Sunday read more

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Beat food I've ever had. Coconut shrimp was a dream, everything was perfect! 100/100 for me read more

This place was great! Service was very good and views of the lake and stream from the restaurant were also very cool. Crystal clear water so could see fish! It was quite busy so I would recommend a reservation if you plan to come at peak hours. As for the food, was pretty good. Everything was cooked to order and brought out very quickly. The food that we got wasn't anything to write home about, but I saw several people order lobster rolls which might be what I should get next time! read more

Blue Water Grill - Grilled Chicken Sandwich - Seafood Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

What a great place! Nice ambiance, lots of different places to sit (bar, high top, table, inside, outside) and super wait staff! We stopped in for lunch on a busy Sunday and were treated to live jazz. Ordered the scallop and corn chowder, and a few cocktails. Mains were lobster salad (hug portions of claw meat!) and butter chicken tacos (amazing!). Couldn't be happier! read more

Blue Water Grill - Chowder & cocktails - Seafood Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

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I know it's summer and I know its busy--we have been there countless times and the food and service has been outstanding--maybe it was an off night but our server never checked on us throughout the meal and never asked for more drinks and we had to track down the hostess to get our check. We had to ask someone else for water. Our tip would have reflected the poor service but as we were paying with a credit card, our server was hovering to see what we did. I love the food there but it will take some time before we return. read more

Good solid choice. Nothing spectacular, but checks most of the boxes you'd want in a place like this: crowd-pleasing menu, good service, great spot and views being right on the lake. My wife and I shared the lobster role, as well as the salmon burger. The lobster role was understandably a bit pricier, but the quality justified it. The salmon burger even surpassed our expectations with a large cut of good quality salmon. The salmon burger was priced quite low too for what it was which was nice. Everything else was enjoyable and service was very attentive. You shouldn't expect to come here to try the bold and unexpected, but if you want comfort and familiar food and a nice spot, then this fills that need. read more

Eh.. it's ok. Reminded me more of a diner environment. Decent food. I wouldn't go again though. read more

Blue Water Grill on Skaneateles Lake is a great lunch spot with much to offer. The varied menu includes sushi, salads, chicken sandwiches, and burgers. They don't take reservations for lunch, but two of us got seated quickly, even with a line ahead of us. We enjoyed it very much! Service was excellent, and the food was just as we ordered. Parking on the street or in metered municipal lot is only a block away. Indoor and outdoor seating. read more

Blue Water Grill - Front of Blue Water Grill - Seafood Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

Always delicious food and excellent service. One of our faves in Skaneateles! Sushi is always on point, fish fry is fantastic. Try the pies! read more

Blue Water Grill - Cranberry Goat Cheese salad with salmon - Seafood Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

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So after wandering around skaneateles before the afternoon enjoying the festivities at the Dickens Christmas, we stopped into this restaurant for dinner. I had called ahead a week earlier to possibly make reservations and was told that they don't do that however if we were going to be getting there around 5:00 p.m. or so it will be in between their lunch rush and their dinner rush so it wouldn't be too hard to get a table. They were correct it only took about 5 minutes. We had originally intended after looking at the menu online, on ordering quite a bit. This place has a few things on the menu that we have had other places and so we were looking forward to trying them here so we could basically compare and go back to our other favorite restaurants and possibly bust their chops and tell them we found better food elsewhere. Okay I know that sounds kind of mean but the restaurants we would be going back to we frequent very often and know the people so it would all be in good humor. The problem is by the time we got to the Blue water grill we weren't really that hungry, so we settled on a couple of burgers and fries. Oh and we had the try the lobster bisque for an appetizer. The lobster bisque was amazing. Not a whole lot of lobster in it however I'm comparing it to what we would order in Maine where you can't drag a net anywhere without bringing up a lobster so out there they kind of pack their stuff with it... But aside from that the flavor was awesome it was nice and creamy and I would have probably gone for more had I not been so stuffed already. The burgers came out and they were also very tasty. Not dried out by any means as sometimes we order burgers in other places and they are. Even the french fries were good, and I only word it like that because you know a lot of places just throw you some french fries on the side but this place actually has french fries that taste like they really wanted them to stand out instead of just being a side dish. If that makes any sense? We unfortunately turned down dessert because by the time we finished the burgers we really really really were full, plus we had a box of goodies from the bakery down the street waiting for us in the car . So anyway I definitely recommend this particular establishment if you're in the area. We are going to be going back hopefully sometime before a year from now when we do the next Dickens Christmas out there. read more

Blue Water Grill - A simple classic hamburger... Very tasty - Seafood Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

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Our waitress was very nice. The Mahi, mahi was overcooked and possibly frozen fish not fresh. A long wait and the enclosed outside space was like a sauna. Never will come back again read more

The food was good! The lobster bisque was really good, coconut shrimp mediocre, and the Nashville hot sandwich was pretty good. Overall basic but pretty view and cute town! read more

Blue Water Grill - Coconut shrimp Lobster bisque Nashville hot chicken sandwich - Seafood Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

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While spending a few days in town, we had a couple of meals from Blue Water Grill. We all have different dietary preferences, so it was great that someone could have wings and a burger, and someone else can have sushi. We did one meal eat in, and another meal to go, and both were handled with excellence. The staff was top notch, and everyone befriended the toddler in our party. We got lucky with street parking both times, and both times the restaurant was fairly busy, but we could still get a seat without waiting. The inside was warmly lit and comfortable, with a cape cod feel. We would happily come back here. read more

Blue Water Grill - Napoleon salad with tuna. - Seafood Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

Location and service were great...sushi was okay but the rest of the food we ordered was pretty tasteless.

Very disappointing! Hadn't been there in months and was visiting the area. My burger was tiny and dry as a bone, I ordered med rare . Corn chowder was nothing like I remembered and bread bowl was hard . Waitress never came back to ask if everything was satisfactory. read more

I'm going to have to try really hard to find ANYthing positive to say about my family's experience there. We braved the cold to attend the Dickens thing again this year, and made our way to the Sherwood - our usual spot for lunch/dinner. They weren't taking names until 4, even though there were tons of empty tables and a lot of hungry people waiting. So we decided to head down to the Blue Water Grill. "They have great food" I told my family. No, they don't. First off, it's really more of a diner than a restaurant. Kinda grungy. It was very special to have the young fellas running around moving tables and chairs and sweeping the floors inches from our table. It's always pleasant when the staff of a restaurant shares with its seated customers the joyful sounds of sweeping and tables and chairs being dragged across the floor right next to you. I knew we were off to a very bad start when our waitress started speaking to us in a gravely voice that clearly gave away that she had a bad cold. She was sniffling, too. What the F*#! is someone doing touching people's plates, glasses, etc. and breathing all over them if she has a COLD? NOBODY should be waiting tables if they have a communicable disease!! But we stayed anyway. My family didn't share my concern. My order: A bowl of scallops/garlic/corn chowder. It sounded way better than it tasted. Very bland. More of a soup than a chowder. Coconut Shrimp. Passable but not remarkable. And the absolute WORST chicken sandwich I have ever eaten. One bite and I wanted to toss it into the lake. It was nearly impossible to bite into it, it was so overcooked. My choice was to eat it or complain and get a replacement, which would likely have been "doctored up" by the disgruntled overcooker in the kitchen. I don't like to send food back because I have no way of knowing what a ticked off cook might do to whatever I order as a replacement. So I soldiered my way through what they call a Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich. It could not possibly have been any drier. Disgusting. They should be ashamed to serve such a thing to a customer. My daughter had the baked brie, which was passable. Served on bread with a apple slices and too many candied pecans for my taste. She liked them enough. Didn't rave about them, though. My wife and other daughter have to eat gluten free and there are very few options for them at Blue Water. They seemed to enjoy the ones they got, but again, it wasn't a home run experience for them. With tax and tip, the bill came to just under $200. It will be the last dollars of any kind this restaurant gets from us. Thoroughly unenjoyable experience. Now we're all just waiting to see if our server gave us all her cold. read more

I came and sat at the bar for a quick dinner. The bartender was great! I started off with their blood orange margarita and scallop chowder. I had to try this soup even in the dead of summer. So glad that I did, it was delicious! I had the salmon BLT with sweet potato fries for dinner. The salmon was really fresh and I loved the caper mayo spread. Fries were perfectly crisp yet soft inside. Took some key lime pie home to try tomorrow! Their baked goods are locally sourced. read more

A great place to chill out by the lake and enjoy a summer brunch. I had a burger with blue cheese. I really liked the burger because the meat was very lean. The blue cheese sauce came very well with the crispy onion and the caramelized onion. I didn't want too much carbs so I switched the fries with salad, and it surprised me with such a a big salad! The staff were very warm and friendly, and everything seemed to operate very efficiently. read more

Blue Water Grill - Seafood Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

I would like to give this place a 4.5/5. My child didn't love her pasta, which they said was too few noodles with much too much sauce; the green beans were also al dente, which I thought was delicious, but I haven't yet met a kid who likes them crisp. For us adults, however, the experience was great. I had a grilled salmon blt sandwich with fries, sub avocado for the bacon, and the husband had an English-style pub curry. He thought it was SO good, and I thought mine was great, too. The price was a bit high, but if you ask and wait for a seat aside the water, that makes up for it. I'd come again! Mmmm, mmmm. read more

Blue Water Grill - Middle section dining room. You can seat the rear section in the back, through the doors; the best water views are there. - Seafood Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

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Arrived with 4 other girls on a Saturday, was told the wait was 35-40 minutes. It ended up being less than 30. They could not accommodate us on the deck as the tables were only for 4 seats. We were sat in the back sunroom, which was a decent view of the water, the only complaint was how many bugs, flies and moths were above us, but not really sure that could be helped with an open door to the deck. Our waitress was very nice and had great suggestions, attentive as well coming around with water refills and drink refills a couple times. I kept it light with a soup and salad that night, the kitchen forgot to put dressing on my salad but the waitress quickly fixed that. All the food was tasty. The room wasn't too loud so we could all chat and laugh. Overall a really great visit and I would come back again. read more

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Well, how do I begin...dinner started off with the hostess's bad attitude, and although we tried to redeem the experience it only got worse. The food was an absolute disaster. We ordered the bison burger and the ahi tuna tacos and neither were palatable. The tacos were tasteless with hardly any tuna to be found. Any bits we discovered were overcooked and dry. Similarly the burger had to be augmented with apple wood bacon jam to bring it to tolerable level. We were just about to go into the kitchen and teach the cook how to make a basic taco and burger. About the only saving grace was the very nice waiter who kept filling my water glass. Will never return an read more

Staff was so unacceptably ridiculous. My boyfriend and I took off work today to enjoy a day in this cute town. We sit down for lunch here and immediately noticed the staff was all talking about customers and each other right at the bar top in the back, next to our table. We even heard a comment about us. This continued up until we left. Super disappointing when we pay to try and enjoy ourselves. Staff needs to do better and not act like high school girls. read more

Bartender at the front bar was outstanding. It was also her birthday. After we were seated, we waited 15 minutes and then had to ask where our server was. A server finally came over, but it was obvious that this was not her normal table and was doing us a favor. We like coming here every time we come to Skaneateles, but this place needs some revamping. The bathrooms were dingy and dirty and there's no excuse for that. The whole place needs some painting and cleaning. In the very front room closest to the lake the ceiling fans were disgusting. We will come back just to see if there's improvement been made. The food was still good once we got it. The wine list is extensive. This place can do better. read more

Very nice restaurant near the top of the lake, and at the corner of West Genesee Street and Jordan Street. They feature seafood items, but also offer plenty of other dishes as well. On this visit, our party had a salad, shrimp Po Boy Tacos, Maui Maui tacos, and onion rings. The food, Atmosphere, and service were great! read more

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The food is very good, but there's more to a restaurant than the meal itself -- such as convenience. When my party of three arrived at 2 p.m. for lunch, I went to the men's room and was surprised to see two completely empty rolls of toilet paper in the stall. I went up to a worker at the bar adjacent to the restroom to alert them that the restroom lacked this most basic of necessities. Fast-forward one-hour and 25-minutes, when my meal was finished: I returned to the same restroom, and -- you guessed it: Still no toilet paper. That's a deal-breaker in my book. Moreover, it's a violation of the Health Code of Onondaga County, which oversees and regulates all eating establishments in its jurisdiction. Not only didn't Blue Grill proactively check on supplying their restrooms, but they apparently don't care enough to remedy the violation once it has been pointed out to restaurant management. Inexcusable! I looked at Yelp's "Health score" for this restaurant and see that on March 4, 2025, there were unsatisfactory inspections in this restaurant, including: Food contact surfaces not washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any time of operations when contamination may have occurred Non food contact surfaces of equipment not clean Plumbing and sinks not properly sized, installed, maintained; equipment and floors not properly drained Wiping cloths dirty, not stored properly in sanitizing solutions Non-food contact surfaces and equipment are improperly designed, constructed, installed, maintained (equipment not readily accessible for cleaning, surface not smooth finish) Floors, walls, ceilings, not smooth, properly constructed, in disrepair, dirty surfaces Single service items reused, improperly stored, dispensed, not used when required Food not protected during storage, preparation, display, transportation and service, from potential sources of contamination (e.g., food uncovered, mislabeled, stored on floor, missing or inadequate sneeze guards, food containers double stacked) Inspections I guest the lack of toilet paper in the restrooms is just one in a long line of violations this restaurant just doesn't seem to care about. read more