It seems that most people are reviewing this establishment based ongoing during the very busy hours around sunset. I can definitely see why the reviews are pretty lousy at that hour. But in general, if you come a little earlier, it looks like they have the full menu, and service is actually pretty great. I would say the food is a solid six or seven out of 10, and we are serious foodies over here, husband went to culinary school. I think also people giving this place such poor reviews are also not keeping in mind the view. And dining outdoors. That is definitely a huge part of the experience here. And worth a little extra money. I would say the Food, the service, and the environment All make for a pretty good experience worth returning To. For food I would recommend the burrata salad and crawdad bucket. We also got the skewers and fish tacos which left room for desire. read more

This was an unexpected disappointment. I'm not sure what niche this restaurant fills. The bar was crowded and fun (Tuesday night trivia). The dining area has an entire wall specifically designed for fun instagram shots. And the view off the patio is breathtaking. The staff is all young and enthusiastically pleasant. Parking is easy and plentiful. The menu and wine list is varied and will easily satisfy a large group's diverse palate. Jambalaya and gumbo were delightfully spicy. The lighting in the dining room was bright - but a 7 pm, this just gave a cafeteria vibe and no ambience. The food is fine, but one our party had to wait 10 minutes for her food after everyone else had been served. After much thought I'd say the entire evening was ok, the staff is eager. However, this place is like a very clean dive bar and dining is not its main draw. read more

We stopped into Crawdads on the Lake on a holiday, and they were serving a buffet-style setup for the occasion. The atmosphere was still nice, but I do think the food would have been a lot better if we had visited on a regular day with their full menu. That said, the drinks were excellent, well-made, refreshing, and definitely the highlight of the visit. Even with the buffet setup, the bar really stood out. Overall, I'd be interested in coming back on a normal service day to get the full experience, because the drinks alone were impressive. read more

I came on a Sunday when they had live music playing and it was such a vibe! The service was super attentive and quick considering there were so many people. My crab grilled cheese was tasty and very filling. I was only able to eat half and got the other half to go! Aperol Spritz was okay- it lacked the sweetness I'm used to but they made it without it being on their drink menu so I appreciated their flexibility! Hearty serving for dessert. Could definitely be shared. This place is definitely worth a visit and in a great location to enjoy the shops downtown afterward which is what we did on our girls afternoon. read more

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I went to Crawdad's on the Lake on a Sunday afternoon. I definitely recommend making a reservation if you want patio seating. It's such a great spot to hang out with friends, especially on a nice day. We started with the Cali-flower wings, which were okay. They were battered and fried with the buffalo sauce on the side, but the pieces were pretty large and a bit awkward to eat. I would've preferred smaller, more bite-sized pieces. For my meal, I had the crab grilled cheese, and that was a standout. It was super filling and had way more crab than I expected (a great surprise). It wasn't overly cheesy, which I appreciated. I ended up only eating half because it was so hearty. Service was friendly and pretty quick, especially for a busy weekend. Overall, a fun, casual spot with a great patio. I'd definitely come back to try more of the menu. read more

Crawdads on the Lake - Cali-flower wings - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Folsom, California

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Spectacular dining experience! I ordered the Cali Chopp salad and it was excellent--everything was incredibly fresh, and the portion was very generous. This time, ample grilled chicken, yay! I paired it with a glass of Juggernaut Cabernet that complemented the flavors of the salad perfectly. There is nothing like sitting by the water with a great meal and a glass of wine on a Friday. Highly recommend the Cali Chopp if you're looking for something fresh but filling! read more

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Very confused why this place has a 3.2/5. My first time here and everything was incredible. Staff was friendly, food was delicious and the ambiance was stunning. The top dishes were the Creole burrito and the Cajun pasta. The creole burrito was filled to the top and every bite was full of flavor. The Cajun cream sauce for the pasta was next level as well. I will come back for sure - not only for the food but for the ambiance and the friendly staff. Easy 5 stars read more

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I had a really good dinner at Crawdads by the Lake as Cajon food is some of my favorite. Crawdad's is in a great location on the edge of Folsom Lake and has indoor and outdoor seating. I enjoy outdoor seating the most but since it was late,l and a bit chilly outside, I elected to say inside. Their seafood pasta was fantastic and would definitely eat it again-I am sure I will go back for more. My top self margarita was OK (I am a bit picky on my margaritas as I make really good ones at home so can't be too picky). The bartenders were great and they had really good service. The bartenders area is a great place to sit if you are there during game day. Their menu has plenty of appetizers and beverages to choose from. Great place to stop in if you are in the area! read more

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January 31, 2026 - Folsom, CA . We pulled into the parking lot at 4:15 on a Saturday and my first thought was, "I'm so glad we made reservations." The place was packed. The noise level inside was very loud, so I was especially happy we had reserved an outdoor table. Thankfully, it felt like a spring day in January--sitting outside was very pleasant. From our table, we could see the live band and really enjoyed the music. As other reviewers have mentioned, the service was below par. Our server was friendly and likable, but it was obvious she was overextended. There was a long wait to order a second round of drinks--long enough that they arrived after we were mostly finished with our meal. I ordered the steak and shrimp skewers with a house salad ($26), and it was a perfect meal for me. I appreciated the simplicity of just steak, shrimp, and salad. I ordered the steak medium; it came out closer to well done, but it still tasted good and I would order it again. The view overlooking the bike trail and the water was amazing. I never imagined we'd be sitting outside in January without coats, but that was the case. All in all, despite the service issues, we had a good time and really enjoyed the setting. read more

Crawdads on the Lake - January 30, 2026 - Surf and Turf Skewers ($26). - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Folsom, California

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Atmosphere was great and food was good. Although it took a long time. Sat at the bar first and was ignored for about 10 min. Then our table was ready, sat with no menus. Server finally took our order. They were busy but nothing crazy. Server didn't check on us. Asked for more water had to flag down the busser to get some. It's sad its such a great spot but service sucks. read more

My sister and I stopped here for drinks on a Saturday afternoon. We were greeted and seated moments after arriving and they had patio seating available which was surprising for a Saturday. The service was great, friendly and knowledge on the drink selections. The weather and the view did hurt the vibe. The weekend warrior is delicious and so is their frozen lemonade cocktail. The mojito was ok. read more

We were told that the wait for 2 at 11am on a very nice Saturday would be about 45 min but it was really a 4 minute wait, so I am glad we decided to wait. The frozen drinks are good and the views were great, but I would not go again for the food. The crawfish was extremely chewy and you could tell they were frozen and overcooked. Our waitress was also not attentive and it seemed like staffing was an issue because she had to service the whole patio with just one other person. While she was nice and apologetic, the lower energy tables like ourselves had to wait a long time for anything, while the fussy tables had her running back and forth. There was also a large party of maybe 12-15 guests on the patio and again, the restaurant was just not staffed to accomidate that. read more

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Went up to Folsom for a couple of days for the holidays - place was nice. Service was good, ambiance was okay, and food was solid. My party went here for lunch. We order the rotational IPAs, Bloody Marys, Chips & Queso, Crab Grilled Cheese, Fries, and Cauliflower Tacos. Food & Drinks were consistently solid. The only downside really was the food took awhile to get to us and the queso should've been hot instead of cold but seasoning was on point. Overall 3/5, solid place to watch a game and have drinks/food. Though nothing blew me away food/drinks were good and bartender/servers were friendly. read more

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Beautiful spot for lunch on a nice day. Food is good and big portions. Steak sandwich and ahi sandwich in the photo - both yummy! read more

Crawdads on the Lake - Steak sandwich and ahi nachos - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Folsom, California

Back again & trying different options Seafood simmer Grilled Salmon And for desert - Churros with ice cream Excellent service as always, great ambiance & beautifully decorated for Christmas read more

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Stipped into Crawdads on the Lake with co-workers, for the first time on a Thursday afternoon. It was pretty quiet in the parking lot and inside, maybe because it was during the work week, and or because it was raining. Once we arrived we were quickly seated at the large bar style table near the alligator statue in Christmas garb. Once all 6 of us had arrived we had our orders arrived and socialized as we patiently waited. Ordered: Strawberry lemonade Arnold Palmer Bloody Mary (Virgin) Louisiana Gumbo Jumbalaya Cajun Grilled Chicken Club Crab Grilled Cheese (x2) I mentioned earlier the time of day and the weather, because maybe they were short on staff. But our meals took like 40 minutes to arrive; definitely enough time that all of us started to notice, and were about to say something. And our waitress noticed bybthis that time as well, and came by to tell me our food would be outside shortly. Thankfully the food was good and no one had complaints with that. Overall: The food was good, amd the staff was friendly, and the food definitely took longer than expected. read more

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Ambiance, amazing. Food, amazing. Drinks, amazing. Views, amazing. Free live music, amazing! This is the better version of Crawdads on the River. Highly recommend if you're in Folsom! read more

I had citrus beet salad added chicken,my sister got the Cobb salad and mom got the carnitas tacos.Also shared chips and salsa (salsas garlicky FYI) Loved our dishes but my mom thought kinda awkward eating tacos,soggy read more

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We really need to come back at sunset to get the full picture of this place. Or at least when its not too cold to sit on the patio. We had a lovely dinner with Isabella as our server aiming to make sure we were well taken care of. I dont think I've ever been to a place where we got our appetizer before our drinks. I will say this tho, the chowder fries saved the day. The portion size was more than enough for the both of us to share. Its weird, French fries and chowder, but it totally works. I tried one of their valentines cocktails, a cran-orange aperol concoction, possibly the only one without gin in it. Not bad, but not great. It left a weird aftertaste. My husband had the bucket 'o crawdads. Again, the portion size and service was great, but they could learn a thing or two about seasoning. A little on the bland side. My filet medallions with roasted veggies were tasty and tender, which was surprising because the steak was closer to well done than it was the medium that I asked for. Swimming in a pool of demi place that drowned the 5 stalks of asparagus, and turned the (actually rather good mashed potatoes) to soup, I most likely wouldn't order that dish a second time. Everything considered, I'd go back to give them another try. Probably not for dinner, maybe a late lunch. read more

Very poor service and the food prices are ridiculous. Good vibes at night for beers and entertainment but not a place to expect a great meal. read more

Back in September (sorry I tend to forget to do my reviews right away since I probably went into a food coma right away lol), we had a nice lunch with my sister's family. Everything we had was really good. The ahi nachos that we all shared together were my favorite and I was really happy with my Cajun pasta. I rarely get pasta because it tends to be too filling but I couldn't stop eating it. I had a taste of my husband's jambalaya and that was delicious as well. Thinking back and looking at these photos is really making me hungry. I definitely want to go back and try all the other entrees and appetizers on the menu. Service was great as well which makes the whole experience even better. Restaurant was really nice and we sat outside to enjoy the wonderful weather. read more

Our reservations were cancelled by the restaurant and we didn't know until we arrived. Said they overbooked. They promised us a table, we sat at the bar, they never came back. Went to ask but nothing. I believe they were/are understaffed. Hopefully our experience is better next time. read more

My friends and I made a reservation to eat here for the 4th of July since we were going to the Dylan Schneider concert and we were very impressed! For cocktails, we each ordered the Mardi Gras which was passionfruit, guava, Bacardi Malibu rum, and Whaler's dark rum, and boy was this strong, but in a good way! This ended up being the only drinks me and my friends got, but I'd love to go back to try their others as they have such a good fruity cocktail menu. For food, I ordered the small Louisiana Gumbo and I was amazed at how big the portion was when it came out! It was piled high with sausage and chicken, and I loved how flavorful the gumbo was. Overall, service was great considering it was a major holiday. I'd definitely return! read more

Crawdads on the Lake - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Folsom, California

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I am 59 years old and this is only the second time I've ever written a bad review but I feel it's necessary and I think people that go to this place for the most part would understand what I'm saying. I'll try to keep this short and sweet it is one of the most poorest ran restaurants that I've been to in recent times. My father was actually one of the original crawdads owners down on the river in Sacramento I go to restaurants almost every weekend I go out of town. I travel the world and this place is so poorly ran. It's ridiculous They will take your name. They will put it in a hat. They will tell you it's an hour to wait and then several times now they'll tell you you have your table, but then you sit down at the table and they tell you that they're no longer serving food even though that's what you told him you were there for to begin with. I've never seen a restaurant do that in my life at least keep one section open if they're having concerts for food and if you don't, that's fine as well, but don't tell people you're going to sit them at a table when they're there to tell you they want dinner and then tell him after an hour that The Kitchen is closed and then walk up to you and ask you for money for the concert when they should've stated and asked all this the minute you walked in besides this extremely unorganized situation if you're lucky to get your food within 45 minutes to an hour it's not that terrible. The only good thing about this place is the atmosphere. This is the most poorly ran place. I've been to in a long time once again. It usually starts at the top and it shows with most of the employees that you talk to. There's definitely a couple nice ones that try, but their hands are tied. read more

Food was great service felt rushed . Is it not customary to offer dessert anymore.? Had to add that after the bill. Then received a cold cup of coffee. The server said it was on the house . Beautiful venue though. read more

Crawdads is one of our favorite places to go. The clam chowder fries and green beans are delicious! And the view is incredible. The drinks and bar is also great. 10/10 all around. read more

Took my family for Mother's Day, worst service ever. They had reservations made for a brunch at 130, 2 and 230pm. There was not enough food for every one and was set up like a buffet. There was barely any selection of food and we were told that they were serving limited deserts. This brunch was $75 per person and a complete rip off. Would highly not recommend. read more

Definitely feels like they are listening to the reviews and improving upon it, because our experience was wonderful: Zoe was extremely attentive and the rest of the team helped bring out umbrellas in the hot sun. Definitely recommend the crispy green beans; they were thin like shoestring fries. Lovely ambiance with feel good music, and we love the view. read more

Crawdads on the Lake - Crispy Green Beans - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Folsom, California

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Went at 7 pm on a Wednesday night and the place was packed - inside and outside. We were warmly greeted by the hostess who apologized there would be a 15 minute wait. We found seats in the bar and were quickly greeted by the very personable and busy bartender. Drinks came quickly and my sweetie loved her White Linen. I was texted in about 10 minutes that our table was ready. We had requested outdoor seating and were seated at a table overlooking beautiful Lake Natoma. Our extremely friendly server quickly arrived and at our request shared his favorites from the menu. We lingered a bit savoring our drinks and were checked on appropriately by our server until we were ready to order. Sweetie had the Surf and Turf Kabobs which were nicely presented and the beef was cooked exactly as she ordered. She rated it a 4. I had the recommended Gumbo which was very good. Dark brown roux with lots of andouille and blackened chicken. Served with nicely toasted and buttery bread. A solid 4. Desserts included Lemon Chiffon Cake and warm Apple Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream. Both were solid 5. The place is great industrial decor with comfortable seating an a very clean restroom. The outside views are nothing short of spectacular. We will definitely be returning. read more

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It's honestly hard to talk about the food when the view is this amazing. I mean you are overlooking the entire river and you just can't get that great of a view from the old Folsom side. The new patio has a lot of tables so you aren't fighting over which table you get, they are all great! The food was really nice too. Personal favorites are the ahi nachos and the bucket of crawdads. The ahi nachos were a huge portion and I know some people complained about the portion of the crawdads but ours was great. I wish we had been given wet wipes, but we just washed up in the bathroom. I love that the whole family can get messy eating things like crawdads while watching that view. Service was also good and I appreciated that there was ample shade over the tables. read more

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Love the staff and the food. Always good service and they make good drinks. We really like the jambalaya and my son gets it every time we go. read more

I've been wanting to come here since it was Cliff House but never had a chance until now. I made a reservation online to ensure we have a table but the place was almost empty on a rainy Sunday lunch. We requested a table next to the window and we got it. The views of Lake Natoma was spectacular. Our food came in a timely manner. The buttered bread that came with the gumbo was bitter and oily/soggy. The gumbo was under seasoned and lukewarm, the salt shaker on the table was a "food saver"! Not pictured is a bowl of clam chowder. It tasted very creamy as in milky, not "clammy". Overall, the food was average at best. I would be back for the views! read more

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The food here was so good and the view from the patio is so nice! The staff was on top of it. We will be coming back next time we are in Folsom. read more

Would give a zero star if I could. Horrible service, food on the menu wasn't available ("come back later and you can order clam chowder") It was 5pm when we were told that... Ordered food that came missing crucial items listed in their Bucket of Crawdads and were not told it would be missing. Lastly, had to ask for water 3 times before they brought the 3rd water to the table when 3 of us arrived and only 2 got water. Will never go back. read more

Crawdads on the Lake - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Folsom, California

To whom it may concern, Dear foodies, DO NOT EAT HERE!! I've worked in the service industry and I don't ever say anything or complain about the service even if it wasn't the best. This place though..... especially where it's located was so distasteful and disappointing. The bare minimum service you should receive when eating at a restaurant they weren't even able to provide and they were out of everything and the food was terrible. Sincerely Fellow foodie read more

Location, location, location... wow! Lake life is so different in comparison to their original river location on Garden Highway. This location has a nice view of the Folsom hillside and on a clear day you can catch a beautiful sunset from one of their outdoor patio tables! Other than that, not much to say about the food and drinks since it's exactly the same at the river location. read more

Had high hopes for this spot. Unfortunately food was on the bland side. Service was slow. Staff wasn't too attentive, took 25 minutes just to order our food on a Monday evening, restaurant was pretty empty too. Best part of the evening was the view of the lake. read more

Crawdads on the Lake - Cajun pasta - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Folsom, California

Came by for the second time after a long walk on the Johnny cash trail This time around it seems like they finally have their ducks in a row.... the one host out front was sooo nice adore her. The waiter we had was attentive she turned heaters on outside for us and even had a little throw blanket if we wanted which was nice the outside vibe is very peaceful. Maybe this time around I could have tried something different but one thing I was craving was calamari And honestly I wasn't in the mood for a chicken sandwhich or pasta or anything else especially because based on the reviews it just didn't seem that appealing to me. Calamari was still okay except the add a bunch of friend lemons I ate one mistakenly because they add so many, I think the first time we came they added like fried pepper or something. I don't like that they try to add these extra fillers. The crabs cakes seemed thicker I still think they were good. The creole burrito however was better the first time around. This time it seemed like it had more rice than anything it was so disappointing. I may try something else. I really only come back for the ambiance it's a very nice vibe, would still be back for the views and maybe a beer. read more

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From start to finish, had a great experience! The hostess accommodated us with our little Westie and my 6 year old son without a reservation. Destiny, our server, was very friendly, checked on us often and had great recommendations regarding the slushies. We enjoyed the mussel appetizer as well. We will definitely be back! read more

Crawdads on the Lake - Mussels - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Folsom, California

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They need a better menu-there wasn't something for everyone. Most dishes are heavy and will put you in a food coma. And the waiting service was maybe the worst I've seen. We went for a birthday dinner with a group of 10, at 6-6:30 PM on a Saturday and we had reservations. We sat on the side by the bar, in front of the outdoor patio seating. We all ordered at the same time-some of us ordered 1-2 appetizers as our dinner, pasta's, sandwiches, the crab cakes, appetizers for the table to start and share, and I ordered the Ahi Nachos. Shared appetizers for the table came at expected time and we enjoyed those with our drinks from the bar. And thankfully they had a bar and served alcohol because we probably wouldn't have stayed as long as we did waiting for our dinner had they not. Half of us got our food in a normal expected time while the other half of us got our food more than an hour later. The drink/bar service was excellent and so was our waitress-drinks made well, delivered on time. Appetizers arrived on time. But why the dinner orders from half of us that ordered pasta's, sandwiches and Ahi Nachos (me) took over an hour? IDK. Basic ingredients like pasta, French rolls, and chicken should not holdAhi Nachos took the longest. It was about 8:15 and everyone was ready to leave and my Ahi nachos still hadn't arrived yet. So I told them to cancel it since we were waiting for our check already, and I got full taking samples from everyone else's food. It wasn't our waitresses fault (I don't think), she was good at bringing the rest of our food and drink orders out, so maybe the kitchen ran out of pasta, French rolls, and Ahi tuna and decided to make a grocery list run while we were waiting? Drinks were well made and they were not tight with their alcohol either. Restaurant & bathroom was clean, had a good vibe, good music and scenery. Private parking lot, accessible for wheelchairs and in a nice location. I might return to the bar only but not for dinner-I wasn't crazy about the food and I don't trust that I'll get my food on-time next time. Oh-forgot to mention that they eventually brought my Ahi nachos out (even though I cancelled it because it was almost done by the time I cancelled it), but they didn't charge us for it or the other plates that came out over an hour after ordering. That was great of them and I think we all expected that. My ahi nachos weren't that great either-kind of soggy and dressing was a little too sweet. I've had way better elsewhere. There wasn't much crunch in them if you know what I mean. We had a good time because we had drinks and were together with a group of friends, but not because of the dinner experience. read more

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