Went w/a group of 4 adults and 4 kids under 10. Was so excited as sitting outside w/a wonderful view seemed perfect. Drinks took about 30 min. to come out and food - literally well over an hour. Food was not great either. Besides a great view, only other good thing is I think they screwed our bill up in our favor. I wasn't going to say a thing since we were there for well over 2 hours for a lunch w/4 young kids. Don't be tempted by the view. Not worth the wait! read more

Went there with friends last week. We had to fight off the flies for our food. The waitress said 'they come in with people when they walk in the door'. Really? Because I've walked into plenty of restaurant doors and never had to fight off the flies. It was disgusting! We saw 2 groups of people get up and leave because of the flies...I wish we had been smart enough to do that. Then the waitress dropped a bunch of our french fries on the floor next to our table when she was serving and just left them there, didn't apologise or pick them up! Will never go there again, that's for sure! read more

Average to above average food. Friendly service. Inside tends to get some flys because of the outer deck but I don't know how that could ever be prevented. If you want good food and a cold drink in Naples it would be hard to beat the Freedom Cafe. Outside in the summer time is tip top read more

DO NOT ORDER THE CAPTAIN'S BAKE. It's made way ahead of the dinner rush, and it's haphazardly prepped because there was plastic in mine. A large piece of a plastic wrapper right in my "bake" which was disappointing and over-priced to begin with. I re-ordered a burger, which was good. Though the mishaps weren't over when the waitress took off the Captain's bake from the bill and tried to charge us for two burgers when we only had the one. One positive, there's a great view from the deck. 2 starts for the burger and the view. Zero stars for the service and the plastic baked into my food. read more

My wife and I have eaten there twice with the same results. Way overpriced and meager portion sizes. The first time was just the two of us and we had an appetizer, a couple drinks and each had an entree from the seafood menu. The food was terrific but we spent over $100 and left hungry. A couple yrs later my brother and sister inlaw wanted to go there, their treat. I told them of my last experience but they insisted. We went and same thing, great food and service but we all left there and ordered a pizza. I only go there now during Blues fest for the band and a cold one. read more

8 of us today! Food was good but would not go back. Service was horrible. Waitress was new and totally inattentive. Food was served over ten minutes and not together. Managements fault for not watching and checking new waitress. Could not believe wait staff was throwing water not drank and soda and lemons over the deck near us! Wake up management. Your staff is killing your business read more

I was not going to write a review. I left a private message on FB and was hoping they would respond there. I know the message was read and I got no response so I feel I must leave a review. My husband and I went there for the first time on Friday. We live down the road in Casco and decided to change it up a bit. I had the Lobster Carbonarra - which claims to have the meat of a 1lb lobster. There is absolutely no way there was meat from a 1lb lobster in that dish. My husband ordered the Prime Rib - medium rare.It came out medium to medium well. At no point did the server ask us how everything was - probably because she knew both of our meals were horrible. There was a lady at the next table who ordered the same exact meal as I did and she immediately sent it back - Good for her! read more

I had the blueberry pulled pork which was very bland. We shared the artichoke and spinach dip which was mediocre but the chips were stale. My companion had the lobster scampi which she liked but I was not impressed with. The only reason I gave a second star was because our server was on point and on top of things. read more

One of the worst experiences I've ever had at a restaurant. We never even ended up eating after spending more than two hours there, WITH a well-planned reservation! My family made a reservation for a large group (nine adults, four children ages 3 and under) early on a Sunday evening, explaining well in advance we would need to be in and out of there quickly due to the little ones. We were clear that this was a necessity. They told us they could accommodate us, no problem. When we arrived, we noticed the place was busy, and we were seated around the same time as two other large parties. From the get go, things were shaky. They ran out of water cups, and initially gave us one small carafe of water for all of us that barely filled three cups. When ordering (not before), we learned that four or five things we tried to order weren't available anymore. Some drink orders came, some didn't. My husband asked if they had plastic ware for our daughter. They were out. It was clearly busy, so we chalked it up to it being the end of a holiday weekend. About 15-20 minutes AFTER we ordered, the waitress told us the chef wanted us to know that because it was so busy, our order was going to take a while. Why didn't they tell us BEFORE we ordered? Well, we were there, we were settled, so we'd wait a little longer. Some of us ordered the clam chowder and were served that about 45 - 60 minutes after arriving. It was salty, but as we were hungry, we finished them quickly. With no kids meals in sight, the little ones kept busy munching on whatever snacks we'd brought for them. Some of our party had to take to ordering drinks from the bar ourselves. About another 50 minutes later, the waitress came to tell us that whoever ordered the lobster stew for their meal would need to order something else, because the stove that cooks it broke! What??!!! We ordered a lobster carbonara instead, and the waitress asked if that was on the menu! By then, we realized that she didn't really know the menu. Or much of anythin for that matter, as she came back to let us know that, actually, only burgers, steak, and salad could be ordered at that point! But our other food would still able to be served?? Things were just not making sense and nothing was clearly being communicated to us, so we asked for a manager. He apologized of course but had very little to say about how they could remedy the situation. Nor could he tell us when our food was going to come, other than that it would be at least another 15 minutes. This was already 2 HOURS after we arrived, and the kids were very hungry and restless (not to mention the adults!) One of the big tables sat at about the same time as us had eaten and were getting ready to leave, and the other was being served their food. We were also hearing rumblings that there was a fight in the kitchen with a chef that was about to quit and then a fire in the kitchen, too. With the manager offering us absolutely no guarantees of when we could eat or even trying to make it up to us, we decided to leave. They were clearly having some pretty bad management and staffing issues, and because of their inability to handle all of the tables they decided to seat or communicate with their customers or one another, we suffered. They made no attempt to rectify the situation with us. Thank goodness for Rick's across the way. We walked over there, explained our situation and the manager immediately had us seated, got the kids fed quickly, and us shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, what we'd hoped would be an early night for a family dinner ended up being anything but and we won't be stopping by Freedom Cafe again. read more

This place is definitely not worth the aggravation. For the short story: poor to fair service, depending on who you're dealing with; horrible wait times for a place that wasn't even full on a Friday night; we can't really rate the food because, other than bread, we never got a chance to actually eat our food due to the service/wait time. And to top matters off, the manager is either a coward and sent out one of his waiters/bartenders to listen to our concerns, who didn't look older than 22 to us, OR the staff working this night were all trying to cover their asses by not telling the manager what was going on and having another waiter/bartender play the part. The long story... We came in on a Friday evening. Apparently, according to the "manager" we've learned that's a bad idea. Two other small groups are waiting inside by the entrance. For a party of 4, we're told about 15 minutes for a table, about 20-30 if we want to sit on the deck. We put our name in for a table and tell the girl we'll wait at the bar. The bar was not by any means packed for a Friday night. A few seats at the bar were empty with an empty pub table and two empty dining tables. A waitress came around the bar area and called out our group's name. We got our drinks and went to follow her and she had already grabbed the next group at the hostess area and brought them into the dining area. One of our group was trying to find out what the hell just happened and we were told by the "hostess" that we can sit at one of the two tables in the bar area. Okay. One of our group sees the waitress come back in that just gave our table to someone else and she tries to get an explanation from her and the girl tells her they're short-staffed and having a hard time covering both the dining area and the deck. We get a waiter to our table right away though...cool. We ask for a few more minutes to look over the menu and decide. About ten minutes later we place our orders for appetizers and dinner. Then the wait...and wait....and wait. Throughout this wait, 3/4 of our group have gotten up to use the restroom and explore this fairly large and cool looking place. We have come across the several "short-staffed" employees horsing around behind the bar, hanging out in the empty area near the restrooms, kitchen, the dining area with tables that were empty, etc. After almost an hour, we ask about our appetizers to be told they're "on their way." Our first drinks still on the table,we asked if we could get some bread, since we saw the other few tables in our area with it. We got that after a few minutes. Inquiries about our food got another curt "on their way out" response. Now over an hour has past and one of our group went up the bar only a few feet away to try and get a second drink (simple white wine) and a glass of water. She had to wait several minutes until the bartenders horsing around finally help her and got attitude for it. At this point, we're calmly fuming, several tables around us have cleared, one person asked our waiter for the manager and another person went up the hostess area, at the same time, to ask them as well to have the manager come out. One person gets told the manager is Richard while the waiter sys it's Patrick and LO AND BEHOLD our appetizers are now ready. Ok nobody wanted to touch the food since we're concerned about if anyone might have done something not so professional to the food, since we're obviously being difficult. Not to mention the fact that we didn't think crab cakes are supposed to smell like hamburger. Suddenly, after several more minutes, the "manager" Patrick comes to our table. Wow, impressive that the"manager" barely looks old enough to shave and gives us attitude about how we obviously shouldn't expect fast service on a Friday night. !!!!!!!!!! Yeeeeeuppppopp! By the way, a few quick internet searches and we have come to find out that the REAL manager's name is actually Darryl Murray...obviously not who we met or ever will. read more

Food is ok, I had the chicken parm and my hubby had the Alfredo. His was extremely watered down and did not have a lot of flavor, my red sauce had no flavor either. We got the Irish nachos to start and it was small and not a lot of topping. One thing that really bothered me was after we put our names on the wait list they told us 30-40 minutes for 6 people so we went to the water to look at passing boats, we went back in after 20 minutes and the hostess rudely told us that they called us already. She then rolled her eyes at us when we told her we were right outside by the water. She then told us it would be another 30 minutes and right in front of us she told the gentlemen seating people that WE missed the call and expected to be sat and the entire time she was rolling her eyes. Considering how upset we were over her first rude comments I felt we were not being difficult. If I was not so hungry I would not have stayed. The gentleman seating us said it would be about 20 minutes. Our waiter was very nice and attentive so that did help my experience, plus the view was very nice. If I get that attitude ever again I will not be back read more

Food and service has gone steadily down over the years and prices have gone up so I just had to post. This is the nicest building anywhere but the quality of food and service no way lives up to expectations. Went out for dinner with friends early on a Friday. Chicken salads were lacking 3 ingredients, Caesar salad had no parmesan cheese, alfredo was blah, pretty watery. The service was quite slow, but we were visiting and the place was busy so we gave them a pass on that. Then the waitress brought the check, we asked for it to be split, (she had never came by to ask if we wanted dessert or were we ready for the check). She said no they couldn't. I asked why not so she said, "don't say anything" and left to split it. It came back all right, three meals on one, a meal and appetizer on the other. Crazy. We checked the reviews from our phones and sure enough....lots of poor reviews! It's too bad, this used to be a good spot. read more

Relaxing pub with a beautiful views! Everything we have had there has been excellent. Our favorite is the chili nachos. Portion is hugh and more then enough for two people. You always get a friendly hello when you walk in from the bartender. We always ate outside on the porch overlooking the water. Nice restaurant and nive staff. read more

What a disappointment! For $40 for two, we 'enjoyed'; sitting in the back room which was dark enough that I asked for the lights to be switched on, nachos that consisted of burnt tortilla chips with a small handful of cheese thrown on top, fish tacos that were served on a hard flatbread and had zero taste, and finally, my spouse, who asked for a chicken sandwich, was served a fish sandwich instead! Oh, and heard the neighboring table ask that their soup be heated up. That should have been a clue! Bland food, decor stuck in the 1980s and insipid waitstaff. What a waste of money. Will never go back. read more

This was an outstanding meal. The view is a 10 for sure. The staff was quick but not intrusive. The haddock dinner was wonderful - they just hired a new chef a month ago and he's absolutely terrific. Loved the portobello stuffed ravioli , the sauce was delicious. Best restaurant on the lake - no question. It's a must for those who visit Naples. We go 2X a month and this last dinner was by far our best. Hurray to the new chef, he's a star . Oh - the prices are VERY reasonable, something for everyone. read more

I would NOT recommend going to Freedom Cafe, the location is beautiful but the service is absolutely horrible. We requested our bill to be split amongst the couples at the table and it completely overwhelmed our waitress. What??? Really???? You cants split the tab? Come on? It took her over an hour and then she came over to our table and said "this is too much!" In addition the food was just ok. Our calamari was overcooked, the taste was bland and the quantity for the price is a joke. Don't waste your money. read more

Beautiful place with a view of the lake. Good food and the bartender Janelle can make and awesome mudslide.

We had a terrible experience and I'd avoid this place. Overpriced for what you get and lots of frozen stuff heated up. The jalapeno poppers are straight out of the deep freeze which isn't major sin but not great, the wings were undercooked, not meaty and the sauce was probably the worst I ever had on any buffalo wing I've every had (I'm born and raised in Western NY), the veggie burger was cold on the inside and clearly was frozen right before it was served to us, the chili was very sweet and here's the topper, our one year old's mac and cheese was Kraft straight out of the box (confirmed by our waitress) and was only 1/4 of a box - our one year ate it all and was still hungry - and they charged $6. (While I realize $6 is not a lot of money, it is for 1/4 box of kraft.) When we told the owner/manager we were disappointed in our 1/4 of a box of kraft mac and cheese he argued with us and asked how everything else was. We told him we were unsatisfied with other things, but that was not the point, and he kept repeating what do you want me to do. We didn't want a free or reduced meal but expected a bit more than kraft at a place that has Ahi Tuna and Prime Rib and perhaps a kind apology or acknowledgment.. Basically the guy is a jerk and when telling others (our family has had a lake house in the area for over 100 years) they agreed and told us that's why they avoided the place. There are better choices in Naples. Sandy's and Rick's aren't great but don't have surly management like that. It's too bad as the place has a lot of potential and the young servers are nice and efficient. The owner could use an attitude adjustment and the food could be ratcheted up. We'll be taking our business elsewhere. read more

great view, friendly service, good chicken parm.

Very unscrupulus business practices. We had an event here and while we made reservations for 18 people and specifically requested food for only 18 people and were only served food for 18 people, we were charged for 32 people because that's how many people actually showed up. I specifically informed Michael, the event coordinator, that it was a distinct possibility that more people would show up but that I was okay with only having food for 18 people as I knew most people weren't going to be eating anyway. He NEVER told me we would be charged for the additional people. I simply don't understand how as a professional business someone can charge for services that were not provided? We never were served any additional food, why were we being charged for it? Owner and management staff very untrustworthy and downright seedy if you ask me. My advice, if you still want to eat at this restaurant (although I don't know why you would based on most of the other reviews I see here), check your bill carefully, from what I hear, I am not the only person to be overcharged at this restaurant. read more

My family is not easy to please...we like our typical chain restaurants, greasy Chinese food and extreme diners for breakfast...Freedom Cafe was TERRIBLE. We've lived on Long Lake now for 3 years and the first 2 years we were very pleased by Freedom Cafe but this summer has been down right terrible. We've tried to give it a chance time and time again but we leave before even being seated (or tonight before even getting a drink at the bar). Our latest experience (on 7/27/14) was brutal. We wanted a seat outside and so we put our name on the list, she told us 20 minutes (totally fine-actually not that long for a Friday night). The bar was pretty empty so we walked to the bar for a drink. We stood behind some people who were sitting and no one ever came for our order. There were 3 people working behind the bar and only 10-15 people sitting at the bar. There was plenty of service but no one willing to serve. A couple got up so we sat down and no one ever came to clean the empty glasses away. When someone finally came to take our drink order (Dan) we had to ask him to clean up the bar in front of us. There had to have been 8 empty glasses and a full bottle of liquor just sitting on the counter. I could have easily taken the bottle and walked out of the restaurant without them even knowing. When Dan finally removed the empty glasses and came back we then had to ask him to wipe down the bar since it was dirty from the people before us. Costumers should never have to ask to have previous food/drinks taken away and the counter wiped down. Dan gave us quite the attitude and told us he was doing his best...let me tell you if Dan was doing his best we would have excepted the slow service and dirty bar but he was not doing his best. He only cared about his friends that were sitting at the bar. Because of Dan's terrible costumer service (among other things) we paid for our 2 beers and walked out. I forgot to mention they were letting one costumer reach over the bar and pour her own drinks....so unprofessional. Needless to say we will not be back and we are sorry for this because Freedom was once one of our favorite spots. Now let me add if Janelle is on bar, you'll have gray read more