chandler - absolute boss. great beer, great service, great food, great ambiance. will return.

We tried Crying Eagle - Lakefront location for the first time this evening, and every bit of our experience was nothing less than phenomenal! Ryan was THE best choice for the General Manager. He is doing an excellent job with his staff and the ambiance of the restaurant. Our server, Gage, was a prime example and reflection of the care going into this place. Gage was so sweet and took very good care of us. Now for the food. Everything was so flavorful and worth every penny. The kitchen staff knows what they're doing, and they are killing the game. We started off with the pork belly bites and the shrimp toast for appetizers. That spicy aioli mixed with the chili glaze on the pork belly was top tier! The shrimp toast was perfectly crispy and delicious. The entrees were just as much of a slam dunk as the appetizers. I had the beer braised beef short rib with the mashed potatoes. Talk about melt in your mouth. The short rib was so tender that I was able to pull every single bite off the bone with my fork using very little effort. It was MELT IN YOUR MOUTH TENDER! My husband had the Tasso brined double cut pork chop with collard greens. The Demi-glace was absolutely delicious and the greens were well seasoned. My father-in-law had the wedge salad that he asked to spruce up with a few extra dressings, and they had no qualms meeting his requests. We were too stuffed to try dessert, but we will absolutely be back to try it another time. The pricing was very fair for the quality of food and atmosphere. All of the staff were super kind. You can definitely tell they enjoy their job and take pride in what they do. We can't recommend the lakefront location enough. It's definitely going to become a top favorite that we'll continue to frequent. read more

Very nice new location. Service was excellent. Selection was much bigger than was expecting which is great. Food was a miss at least what we ordered and no birthday nothing. Disappointed and didn't feel special. Tuna was cooked right but could use some extra seasoning. The burger was blah and expensive. Again needs seasoning or salt. The chicken tenders were tasteless. The crawfish queso and crab claws were both good. The grilled ceasar I heard was good but didn't try it. The brownie skillet was over cooked and hard. Needs more peanut butter. Pricey and bougie but would try other things. read more

Crying Eagle Brewing - Lakefront - Tuna - Southern Near Me - Lake Charles, Louisiana

Where brewery meets boujie. I had been to Crying Eagle years ago, but at the other location, the actual brewery. When we arrived, they took our names and we waited about 15 mins for a table. It was weird because there were plenty of tables and the wait staff was all standing in a row as if they were waiting for people. Anyway, we were seated upstairs on the patio overlooking the lake. There were category 3 hurricane winds (not really but seemed like it) so we had to hold on to our menus. I wasn't hungry so I just got some onion rings and a couple of beers, no flights available at Chateau de Crying Eagle. The beers were solid and the onion rings along with the ranch dipping sauce were really good. This place is a restaurant that serves Crying Eagle beer not a brewery. The menu is much more upscale with things like beef tartar, redfish on the half shell and tasso brined double cut pork chops. All of those things sound great, but I was dressed more for the old location vibe. I'd come back but only if I was wanting something more upscale. read more

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We made a last minute reservation for lunch while traveling on I10. It seems like reservations function more like call ahead, though, as we waited 15 minutes past the reservation time to be seated. Waiting became the theme of our experience. Our server was professional and friendly. He took and delivered our drink orders quickly, and he was knowledgeable about the menu. He went out of his way to get a taste of the gumbo to be sure my son would like it - and he did. We placed our orders and waited. And waited more. Our server kept our drinks full, but it took about 40 minutes for our food to come out. Everything was excellent, but it was an awfully long time to wait to eat. The building itself is fabulous - soaring ceilings and panoramic lake views. The furniture and decor is new, modern, and clean. Again, the food was great, and hopefully they can speed up the timing. It is a bit pricey, but fair for the quality and quantity. read more

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Our meal was excellent, way better than we ever expected. The seafood gnocchi had a great sauce paired with it. Great views on the patio as well. read more

Crying Eagle Brewing - Lakefront - Deviled eggs - Southern Near Me - Lake Charles, Louisiana

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I would recommend for drinks only. The food looks great but there is NO taste. Disappointed and drive from Texas for it. read more

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Nice, relaxing ambiance. Sat inside, the AC was blasting. Nice servers. Gumbo is a small portion, but very flavorful. Crawfish bisque is also a small portion and the bisque itself was really good, but the crawfish was mushy (almost as if it was frozen and then reheated, iykyk). Ahi & crab nachos were very good! Again, small portion. Service was very slow and it was not very crowded at all on 2 PM on a Sunday. Enjoyed the food overall! read more

Crying Eagle Brewing - Lakefront - Crawfish bisque - Southern Near Me - Lake Charles, Louisiana

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Five star food, 2 star service. We sat out on the patio and the view was incredible. We loved all of the food. The crawfish cornbread was incredible. The French onion soup was to die for...perhaps better than Cafe Maspero in New Orleans. The beef short ribs were tender and tasty, but they were out of the brown butter mashed potatoes. I was surprised they ran out so early considering our reservation was for 6:45. My wife said the crab cake was delicious, but it was only like warm. However the corn maux choux was great. The side of Mac and cheese was also fantastic. The brussel sprouts took home first prize on the sides! Best..ever!!! The downfall was the wait. Three tables were signing their checks and we still didn't receive our entrees. Our entrees arrived an hour after the appetizers. Apparently the order got lost. For a 6:45 reservation, we got the check after 9:00. Our waiter was friendly, but not attentive. He spent much of his time talking to other customers that he was friends with, but neglected us most of the time. We did get a free dessert for our inconvenience; it was offered without us complaining. We got the bananas foster bread pudding. It started off really good, but was very bland in the middle. One bite just tasted like plain bread. I'm going to give them another try; the food was too good to not give some mercy. They are new and some kinks will have to be worked out. There's so much potential! With a few tweaks, this would easily be a 5-star review. read more

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Food was worth the wait. Lovely restaurant with lakefront views. Service was friendly and attentive. We had the deviled eggs and fried oysters BLT. read more

Crying Eagle Brewing - Lakefront - Deviled eggs - Southern Near Me - Lake Charles, Louisiana

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The food is not good. My wife and me both had bad case of diarrhea as we left. Also the service was really slow. Never have I saw French Onion Soup made with chunks of bread a very little cheese. I think the diarrhea came from the oysters, my guess. read more

Absolutely sexy place for a date. The menu is limited for now but the happy hour was legit.

The whole experience was great from the food and drinks to the panoramic view. Highly recommend the tuna nachos and the deviled eggs with fried oysters on top. The sunset over the lake while we ate was icing on the cake. read more

Great service. Great beer. Great food. Great location. Ask for Chandler to be your server

This is a nice place to eat on the water. The kids food came out super quick which we appreciated. The restaurant is very nice and clean. I like that it's super close to the downtown park and events. The food we had was really good but not mind blowing. To be fair we ordered pretty basic this time but definitely want to go back and try the more complex dishes and cocktails! The truffle fries were great. read more

Loved it really clean we a great waiter Austin...and he said it was only his 4th day and he was AMAZING. You can request him. Oysters were great different taste butt awesome. Seafood gnocchi reminds me of crawfish etouffee with more kinds of seafood over gnocchi good. French onion soup good. I prefer my cheese slightly burnt and browned on top but it was good even without that. That is my personal preference. Sat outside was gorgeous even when drizzly. Go try it. Oh and we rode the elevator oh and my friend had the truffle fries. They were OUT OF THIS WORLD. Best I had in life fried hard get them if you like French fries. You will be happy and satisfied except you will want more of that delicious ness. read more

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Good food. Good service. Went in the evening, but look forward to going on a nice day to enjoy the view.

Wow!!! What an amazing venue! Incredible view of the lake and city. Great ambiance. Excellent menu choices. Our table ordered a variety of appetizers and entrees. Favorites I tasted were grilled redfish, gulf coast gnocchi, fried shrimp, fried catfish and deviled eggs. Had a alderweizen and front porch hazy ipa. Both were delicious! Anxious to go back again to try different options while enjoying the breathtaking scenery. read more

The service was slow, but everything else was good, especially the drinks. Beautiful building, beautiful views.

Delicious food and the atmosphere cannot be topped! I have been multiple times here and the service both times were top notch. Even if the kitchen was behind (expected as they work out the kinks), the servers kept us in the loop and made sure we did not feel forgotten about. We really are excited to see the lakefront thrive and proud to have a business we can support that shows our desire to revitalize the lakefront. read more

Great location. First bar was lackluster. My first drink was incorrect but the bar staff were friendly. I like the look and feel of the place. Food was ok but still flushing out the flow because it is new. I have a Feeling once they find their grove, they will rock it. When I'm back home visiting I will be back. read more

Stopped in for lunch on a Thursday. Happy Hour is( 2-6) Mon-Thurs. 25% off beer ,only if seated at the bar. This is a very nice location. Food was good. Unlike the Mcneese St. location you cannot get a flight of beer. read more

Nice venue, but food is terrible and expensive. $88 for a $14 bottle of wine, my redfish was raw and I got a fly in my wine. No sorry you have to do better than this !! read more

Don't think of this as a brewery, it's a lakeside sitdown restaurant with a much different vibe than the other location. You must make reservations, even if there are many empty tables. Food was good but took forever to come out when I was there. Great view and nice looking facility. read more

Awesome spot!! Me and the wife loved the experience. So glad to see Lake Charles finally has a place on the Lake to hang out and have a wonderful time and food/drinks. Beer choices were outstanding!! Highly recommend the Virtuoso. Hanna is the best server we've had in a long time!! Love this place!! read more

I was looking forward to Crying Eagle on the lake. Overall, very disappointed. There is no part of the original Crying Eagle at the new one. The food is mediocre and over priced. My fancy Cuban only had one slice of ham. The scallops were okay, but not for $48. This was my second time there. Both visits were about the same. Hope it gets better, but it's a pass for me. read more

Incredible food and view!! I can't recommend this place enough! Our server was kind and helpful all evening! I look forward to returning

Great food.... excellent service from the Bartender ..and the ambiance is spectacular

Seems like a super nice place, except for the fact that the service is awful. Went with a couple friends and sat at the bar. Never greeted and glossed over. I work in customer service, so I understand that it can get busy. What I don't understand is that it wasn't busy, and the group of people who sat directly next to us were greeted within ten seconds of them sitting. Don't recommend at all. Find somewhere better for your time. :) read more

Sat outside on a beautiful day! The restaurant and atmosphere was beautiful. Our server, Ashton, was very friendly, knowledgeable about menu and attentive throughout our dining. Ordered crab cake as an appetizer...the corn that it sits on top of was delicious! The crab was very good, just didn't like chunky vegetables in it, took away from flavor of crab. Had shrimp poboy as entree. Could eat a plateful of just the shrimp, they were so good!! The bread however was very dry and could use some kind of sauce/condiment. Overall great experience and will be back! read more

We showed up last Friday night , I let my mother handle dinner plans, and she was unaware that reservations were needed, we are from out of town and in town for my daughter's wedding , she recently moved to the area.That being said my mom and her cousin sat in front of the restaurant for at least an hour waiting for the rest of our party to show up visible to the front/hostess desk, people were coming straight from the airport from California traveling most of the day , we were planning to have dinner with the bride and bridesmaids , 11 people total. Mind you a big party was walking out as we were Showing up. We walk in and were told reservations only, and they made it clear they were not trying to accommodate us and directed to the other location across town. The front desk girl stared us down as we tried to figure out our plan B , it was around 730 at this time , we decide to get in our cars and go to the other location which is a fast casual environment , not a sit down restaurant and to be honest very glad we were greeted with kindness, and not the same unwelcoming , unfriendly, off putting vibe I got from the Lakefront location. As we are driving I check the available online reservations for the lakefront location and see that there is 8, 815, 830 open , I go to make a reservation and it does not accommodate more than 6 at a time , and states to call in to the restaurant for help, well , hello , there we were in the flesh and blatantly no willingness to help. I was able to tentatively book both an 8 and 815 for 5 and then 6 people to account for our 11? I did not complete the reservation but imagine If they just showed a little hospitality, especially for a new location, you missed out on a good group of people. And could have been a part of our good memories as we celebrated our bride to be, however , instead you will be remembered as a rude , pretentious, unhelpful establishment. I'm glad we dodged this bullet , the other location was delicious and fun with live music. read more