This place is fabulous!!!! I have never given a five star review before, but this place, hands down, is my favorite restaurant of all time! The food is excellent! The service is excellent! The atmosphere is excellent!!! There are even rocking chairs to sit in before or after you are done dining to relax in and enjoy your surroundings! read more

Had dinner here again yesterday afternoon (11/10/13).Another EXCELLENT meal! Hubby was looking forward to the Perch dinner, a Crab cake and the Lobster Bisque. He was not disappointed. His meal was great! I decided on the 8 oz Filet this time. Had it cooked medium rare and it was perfect. Asked to have it topped with Blue Cheese but when it was served it was topped with Horseradish instead. I did eat it anyway and it was still good. Fortunately I happen to like Horseradish too. :D I did mention it to our waitress Jacqueline and she did offer to replace it but like I said I chose to eat it the way it was. I had the Garlic mashed potatoes and the small Caesar salad as my sides. Topped off our dinners with dessert. Hubby tried the Strawberry Shortcake. Fresh Strawberries on a homemade biscuit with lots of whipped cream. Awesome! I chose my favorite, the Creme Brulee. Always delicious. The atmosphere in this restaurant is very relaxing, love looking out the windows at Cedar Lake no matter what time of the year. Our waitress Jacqueline was very attentive and we'll definitely be going back again......soon. :) read more

We chose the Lighthouse Restaurant for our 1st Wedding Anniversary dinner and enjoyed our meal at a window table overlooking the lake and the just-setting-sun. Decided not to have our usual pre-dinner drinks and ordered the Yellow Perch dinner and the Grilled Shimp dinner. Both were D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s, totally tender, tasty, just great! For our after-dinner dessert we chose the rich & creamy Brulee plus the oh-rich-and-creamy Banana Cream Pie ..... These desserts were GOOD GOOD GOOD! After dinner we walked along the deck to check the rocking chairs and the nice outside patio dining area; next time it might be nice to have pre-dinner drinks in the rocking chairs overlooking the lake and then dine outside - we'll see. Be aware this is not a cheap place but deserves the pricing for the excellent food! Try it for a fine dinner, or even for a burger. read more

First, the food was amazing. We had burgers, calamari appetizers, and a pizza, with two desserts... Came to $75 and with it. Super delicious food. The view? Can't be beat. Beautiful lake view... Just gorgeous. But the atmosphere and the servers (not service, the servers themselves) made this one of the most uncomfortable places I've ever eaten. Being waited on by incredibly snooty and stuck up teenagers, or perhaps 20 something's made this experience terrible. In fact, if the food weren't so great this would have been a one star rating. The music being played was awesome, for a dance club (ranged from I like big butts to imagine dragons to some dub step). Strange for a place trying to be upscale. The servers all look at you and everyone else as though they smelled something bad. Because of the attitude of the servers and ambience of the place, I would never go back. Which is unfortunate because the food really is good. But not good enough to cover the sorority and fraternity working there. read more

My husband and I went here for our anniversary and it was very good, the crab dip appetizer was absolutely delicious, my chicken marsala was good, and so were my husband's crab cakes. I got some kind of blueberry drink that was very good too and the inside of the restaurant was very nice too. I will definitely go back. read more

My husband and I have been to The LightHouse three times now and we absolutely LOVE it! We've each had various things off the menu and have not been disappointed yet! The food is always hot and cooked perfectly and the service is great! It can be a little pricy but definitely worth every penny. If you're looking for a nice but not too fancy restaurant where you can relax and have a great meal I would highly recommend that you give it a try. read more

My cousin recommended this place and I take him seriously about restaurant food as he once own one. Took a group of friends (1 who had been there before) there (6) about 4p on a Sunday. Decor and setting very nice which elevated expectations. I had already checked out the menus on their website and pre-selected some choices. So I was aware of the offerings and price (though a little high for Cedar Lake - everything is ala carte). What resulted was a pretentious and arrogant staff where 50% of the meals were returned to the kitchen for recooking. As others have noted, we had a new server (1st day on job) who was followed by a more experienced server (w/a 2-day shadow). No problem really except that the new server could only recite - parrot like -- menu items. The regular server recommended, however, two offerings as signature dishes - the crab cakes and sea bass. As someone who has sampled crab cakes often from Chicago to Baltimore to New Orelans, I was a little skeptical of a boost that the Lighthouse crab cakes were the best in the midwest. The server could not tell me where how the cakes were made, where the crab came from, etc - so we passed as such a boost was bound to disappoint an experienced crab cake eater (though one of my friends had them there before and like them but they were very small). Instead we ordered the following: the fried calamari to start, pork chops (2 ordered same) chopped steak, salmon and 2 different hamburgers, along with 2 bottles of wine. The first sign of a not so 1st class restaurant was the bread. It was warm but stale - crusty sliced and little flavor. The soft "butter" did little to improve it. Even so, the bread ran out (we were starved) and we asked for a refresh. The older server indicated that a fresh loaf was being baked and it would take a while. It did take a while but the 2nd loaf was warm but stale as well. (It almost appeared that rationing was in play on the bread here.) When the 2nd bottle of wine came out, the server offered to replace all the glasses as it was red and the first white. This showed some protocol with the wine. However, the bus boy (looked about 12 or 13 yo) got confused, mixed up the used and fresh wine stems among us causing us to wonder if the new wine pours into the used stems anyway. Sounds picky I know - but you need to look at the whole context of the pace of the meal and the prevailing attitude that the customers knows little about food and the help knows everything about food and service. And the food came - first the calamari. The menu claimed it was dusted with Cantonese flour and fried. One of us was Japanese and inquired about "what is cantonese flour?" The waiter indicated it was flour with a little spicy kick to it. Oh well. The appetizer is arrives and is served with a finger bowl of cold marinara sauces. Fried calamari often is served that way. However, this was odd as the calamari had oily slightly sauted hot peppers poured over it. While the few individual calamari that were fried (traditional in taste) and not covered with oil were good and could be dipped in the marinara, the breading on the majority of the calamari soaked up the oil mix and the pieces began to fall apart. For $12 (and a portion size for 1 or 2 persons, not 6), this prep definitely lacks any culinary appeal -- not very enjoyable. The main courses arrive. I explicitly ordered my chopped steak medium rare and it arrived as such - and as that dish was acceptable. The two sides I ordered were individually good (the garlic mash and garden medley veg) but were very wet. The way the 3 items were plated all the juices from the meat ran into the mash and the mash ran into the veggies and the veggie juice ran into the meat. Even a TV dinner keeps the sides from oozing into the main meat. However, one of my friends ordered a pork chop. The chop arrived with a very red center (they are thick) and a very pale grayish top and bottom. He asked for a re-cook. So he needs to wait while the rest of us have our food. Then the mushroom burger friend noted his meat was well-done and he ordered it rare. The lighthouse burger friend noted the same - well done for a rare request. The latter had a side of garlic mash with it. Since you cannot uncook a well done burger, they bought him a new burger cooked as ordered but no garlic mash. When the pork chop returned it was STILL largely pink in the middle and came back in about 3 minutes. This suggests it was microwaved not char'd in those high temp ovens they brag out there. It also suggests that the chop was probably frozen initially and not well thawed out when then they initially cooked it - hence the red center. Well, he asked for the chop to be replaced with a new one and the server agreed. Well when the chop returned a 3RD TIME - it was blackened on both sides and cooked through BUT it was the same chop not a new order as requested and promised. Very poor op. read more

We visited, based on a recommendation, as I was in town because my son planned propose to his girlfriend. I had made reservations online, where there is no place to indicate the logistics of your party. When the hostess learned we needed a high chair added to our table, she became snippy and let us know we'd have to wait. The lighting was so dim, we wanted a flashlight to read the menus. The server was very rude, standing at our table, repeatedly insisting that we order, while we were sitting with our heads bowed, eyes closed, audibly asking the Lord's blessing on the food. Wow. Beyond that, the food was fine - nothing special, certainly not a $30 meal, though the portions were large. And the server failed to refill our water. For this, the restaurant graciously added a $28 tip to our bill, for her. I'm certain none of the 7 of us plan to return. read more

I have to write in again... this place is just going down hill was there for lunch yesterday when they opened at noon, hardly busy... service is SLOW!! Last few times has been terrible... they do not time well at all... It takes forever for an appetizer and salads and meal. Also we had a reservation and specific request and they could not get that right. Said it was fine on the phone and completely disregarded when we came in. And the server is no where to be found most of the time. The time before this my 9 year old niece fell asleep at the table waiting for the food. Has happened at least the last 3 times we have been here, that we had to complain. And they offer a dessert. I don't want a dessert for free. Either take something off the bill or train your kitchen staff. This place is beautiful... best thing it has going... have tried many times since the last review. But I am done for awhile.... Can't say the food was bad, although my Halibut special yesterday had a lot to be desired. Tasted burnt, and the veggies were swimming in oil. Told the server, he said, "Ok". OK? What kind of response is that. Mother's Day was the worst! Last year, they gave every woman in the packed place a flower but my mother. Such a simple gesture and it felt so terrible to watch them pass them out and walk by our table over and over and over look her. What is wrong with these people? Learn how to run a kitchen and restaurant and take care of customers. read more

Lighthouse management. My wife and daughters dined here tonight. Only advice I have is when a huge group shows up and decides to throw a birthday party complete with balloons, being obnoxious and having a total disregard for the rest of the people in the restaurant trying to eat. Would you please suggest they go into the party room that was empty anyway. Now I'd bet that the group was offered that option originally but passed since that would have been extra. Walking around the main dining area like they rented the whole place and being so f'in loud just made me want to toss my silverware in the air and let my face slam into those garlic mashed potatoes to try to drown out the noise. Funny thing was it wasn't just me as I typically have a high tolerance and our waitress actually suggested to us we could move if we liked. She read our minds so off we went to a better spot kinda devoid of anyone not taught how to act in a public setting since we couldn't escape that level of madness no matter where you were at in the restaurant. Felt more like we were hanging out at a Chucky Cheeses in Merrillville except we were paying premium downtown like Chicago prices which made the delicious lake perch alittle hard to swallow. Instead of management tip-toeing around asking if everyone is ok or if they'd like to move knowing full well why it is you are asking I'd suggest you actually run it like the higher end restaurant you portray instead of another nwi dive. read more

I have been going to the Lighthouse for years. A friend and I went on Sunday, 9/7/14 and the service was absolutely horrible. The inside host was very pleasant and helpful, however, the outside servers couldn't be bothered. We had requested the outside in order to enjoy the beautiful evening and wanted a cocktail. The server at the stand told me that we had to sit in a certain area. I inquired whether we could receive bar service and was told, very curtly, that I needed to go back inside to get a drink. This was contrary to what the host had mentioned. Fast forward, when another party walked in, they were immediately waited upon for drinks. A cluster of servers was gathered around the wait station -- It seemed that they were more interested in socializing with each other than performing their jobs. So very disappointed. read more

Always a great meal! They even accommodate my gluten free dairy free restrictions. The Resturaunt was decorated beautifully for Christmas! Elegant, clean, friendly, delicious! read more

You know, we've been here numerous times. I guess because it has a reputation and is always busy. We like the building location landscaping and lakeside ambiance. The food is ALWAYS heavy handed and over-salted. Good food is not decided by the amount of salt added. We even have a problem when we request little or no salt. Wait staff turns frequently and is pretty lackluster. Food is on the oily side. Like I said, heavy handed. I had the "prime bone-in ribeye which was grisly, salty and very oily. For 38.00, I can do a lot better at a lot of restaurants. Been to all the best steak places in Chicago and have never had meat this bad. I will say that I always tip the wait staff well as this is their living. Unfortunately, we won't be back and will not recommend to others. My wife and I are foodies who appreciate well prepared food. This is not that kind of a place. Great on visuals and bad on quality read more

This restaurant is phenomenal! Food was great and the price was completely reasonable for what you get. I ordered salmon and my husband had seabass they were both delish! They have a great selection of wine too! I love the piano bar and the ambiance of the restaurant. Highly recommend! read more

four of us made reservations for 9/10/09 at PM. we were left to wait for over 70 minutes. I will never go back, over rated for food. I had to try it once because it is so nice from the outside. once you get in and eventually get a a seat it is all down hill. waitstaff rude and abrupt, food is fair to poor, forget the salads and the soups they are terrible. pork chop was fine, but I make them better at home. don't waste your time and money. Try peir 74 near the Dairy queen read more

Great food and ambiance! I have had steak and the crusted fish (I forget what the crust was but it was delicious!).

Same menu since they opened except for a few specials on the black board. Nice place and good service.

First thing to know about the Lighthouse is that it is ALWAYS packed. My friend made reservations for us at 5 p.m. on a Saturday which honestly, my husband and I consider to be SUPER early. Apparently, Indiana diners eat early because it was already just a hive of activity. The bar in particular was doing a bang-up business and so thick with people we couldn't even walk by it. That said, this place is decorated in a very cute, faux-weathered, nautical theme, reminiscent of literally any restaurant in Nantucket. I was impressed. One of several hostesses led our party of four to a booth and my friend asked if we could possibly get a lake view table. The hostess went to check and we were taken to a table right next to the window! Very nice, even though the evening was rainy and overcast. I have to say that I was impressed with the wine selection. I never expected to see a reasonably priced white Bordeaux by the glass and yet...there it was. And I will add that it was perfectly chilled, too. Restaurants usually don't get that right for my taste! My husband was disappointed with their gin selection, though. They only have Beefeater and Bombay- he likes Hendricks. The beer selection is pretty great, with a lot of craft and local beers available on tap. Although I saw lots of alcohol being run out to the tables surrounding us, I'm sorry to say that most people were ordering crap like Beringer's. Honestly, you can get that at the grocery store for five dollars. Why would you order it with a nice meal? Onto that meal...My friend and I ordered salads while the men ordered the special soup, which was lobster bisque that night. They RAVED about it. Unfortunately, our salads came covered with meat- chicken, bacon-- you name it. I don't eat meat, but even if I did, I felt it was odd that a side salad would have that and regretted not getting the soup. The waitress said we had been given the wrong salads, took them back and brought the correct ones. Mine still had some bacon in it. So, I'm not sure what the problem was there. Next time I'll try the potato leek soup! The bread basket was kept filled and it was absolutely delicious. I was hoping they would have a little more in the seafood department, like scallops and clams, but the predominant focus seemed to be on shrimp and fish. They had a few totally vegetarian pasta dishes that were too simple for the price. My shrimp scampi was quite good and you get one side with that, from a list of several. I chose the baked potato, which was good. The men got steaks and said they were prepared perfectly to order. The side of vegetables my friend got seemed a bit oily to me. The garlic mashed potatoes were a huge hit at our table. For dessert, I got the special wild berry crisp which was outstanding- bursting with fresh berries, an interesting dark crisp, almost like granola, and with Fair Oaks vanilla ice cream on the side. My friend got chocolate ice cream and my husband got the mini creme brulee. We were not rushed at all, our server was very attentive and overall, I came away with a very favorable impression. I'm surprised to read other reviews here saying that a lakeside table it difficult to get or that they have a two-hour limit. We were there well over two hours with no trouble at all. My only complaints might be the lack of higher end spirits, the perpetual crowds at the bar and the weird meat problem in the salads. It's a little out of the way for Chicagoans, but a very solid selection, particularly if you have friends in the area or are looking for a local getaway! read more

Great mix of local fare, including craft brews, and great classical dishes. Appetizers are all wonderful and the pork chops are to die for. Great service and great staff. Highly recommend! read more

I love this place. Always have a great meal here. Our waitress Toni was great. She was very attentive and took the time to discuss the specials. She was great with my kids as well. She definitely is a plus for their team. Next time I am there I will ask to be seated in her section. read more

Beautiful place with a beautiful view! The outside is really nice and they have a fire pit. I ordered the Cajun pasta which was very good. My husband loved the lobster bisque soup. Our server was really friendly. We will be back. read more

We had reservations on Valentines day for eight. when we got there the guy looked around and said sorry we can't seat you all together. He wanted to split us up across the room from each other. I understand they made a mistake but I thought they would attempt to accommodate us, he made no attempt. He was rude and after we left and went to the House of Kobe, food was great, we decided to tell everyone we know never to go there. Not because of one mistake but because the guy in charge was rude and didn't have the ability to admit they made a mistake. I'm sure the food is good and the staff is wonderful but the boss is a rude pinhead. read more

We made a reservation for Sweetest Day at 7:15 and were seated immediately upon arriving. (How wonderful.) I was told by a friend to order the Shrimp Cocktail. It was amazing! The shrimp were huge and delicious. I will order it each and every time we go back. My husband is hard to impress and he gave the lobster bisque 4 out of 5 stars. I had a mouth watering steak and my husband had the perch. They both were cooked to perfection. Our waiter was super nice and never rushed us at all. Wish this restaurant was closer to our house. It was a drive, but well worth it. We will definitely be back. read more

The food was delicious, the tuna appetizer was great. The filet and grouper were both done well and very tasty. The service on the other hand was not so good-our water glasses were left empty, plates were piled up on top of each other when taken to box up, and there was little regard for what was the next step to the meal. She was pleasant but was preoccupied with a group of 16 so we weren't a priority. Overall we do enjoy this spot; quite busy even for s Wednesday. My advice call ahead for reservations. read more

Great food and service at a reasonable price. I am glad we spent our money here rather than going downtown. The Bloody Mary's are all quite good as well. read more

Lovely atmosphere, adequate wait staff and average food. The Chilean Sea Bass was good but the bed of vegetables it was served on was overly salty and overly seasoned. Nice appetizers and good drink specials on a Tuesday night and good selection of beers. Overall not great, not bad. read more

All the way around. It was an outstanding experience! !! Waitress was Kat, she was amazing! Food was great!

Each time I come here, the Lighthouse never fails! They have really great appetizers, my favorite being the calamari. I normally get the Chicken Marsala or the Pork Chop. Both are cooked and seasoned very well. Their side chopped salad is something I cannot go without when dinning here as well! read more

Skip the calamari. Tasty but greasy. Garlic mashed potatoes good but swimming in butter. Steak was excellent. Perfectly cooked. This place is huge and was packed. Make a reservation for sure. read more

incredible Chelean Sea Bass

I've been there many, many times and the last time I was there it was awful. The hostesses were young girls with attitudes a mile high that should've been checked at the door when they walked in. My boyfriend and I requested a table by the window in the bar, it was aTuesday night and they weren't busy, the hostess was trying to put us at a booth next to the bar which we politely told her we wanted a window seat. She acted like we were putting her out to walk three feet to four empty booths by the window. The waiter was very nice and polite. The food service took over an hour and half to get our meal and did not come out at once but kept trickling out during the meal. For spending over $100, I'd rather go downtown and spend the money. Definitely off of one of my favorite places to eat. read more

This was a nice restaurant and had an even better location and view. We went on a busy Saturday evening but were bright enough to make a reservation ahead of time. We were seated immediately but there were some apparent challenges in finding the right table for our group, which to be fair included a family member in a wheelchair. Our waitress was polite enough but I was not overly impressed. We were seated near a work station for the servers and had servers rushing past us all night. I was also on the end of the table so I had to hear some of the squabbles and complaints of the servers. The food was good (I didn't like the cole slaw at all) when we were able to get it. More than an hour after we were sat, our main course order was taken. Again, I realize it was a busy, packed Saturday night but 1 hour just to ORDER our dinner? I work in the service industry so I found the server squabbles and complaining to be unprofessional. Overall, I would recommend them for a nice dinner but I think there is room for improvement. read more

update review. This was our second time going to Lighthouse. A100% difference than the first time we were there. The waitress greeted us right away and took our drink order. the waitress was very knowledgeable concerning the menu and offered suggestions as to what was good. I had the chicken marsala was wonderful. My husband had the ny strip which this time was cooked to order. We will go back again after this experence. Certainly a 100% turn around from the first time we were there. read more

Very nice! Food good for the area, but then again the only place to choose for a good steak! Lobster Bisque was very good but would have been beret with larger chunks of Lobster. The soup was rich and buttery! Entrée was the prime ribeye! Ordered medium rare but came medium! Cooked exactly the same as my friends medium strip! Although slightly over cooked, steak read outstanding! The chefs veggies were just your typical steamed medley, nothing special! Garlic massaged potatoes were good but to much! By the time I finished then they were cold and gloppy! Service read s bit slow and found myself ordering another drink as the first was delivered! read more

Excellent food! Service is ok, bartender girl thinks she's in LA' they hire people that aren't down to earth!

Very nice view, friendly professional staff, but we should have stopped eating at the free bread. We ordered a $13 appetizer which was 2 crabcakes-small and very spicy. $28 salmon entree for myself which was soggy and not fresh tasting. $33 scallop 'special' for my wife on toasted almond rice. Rice was maybe worst ive ever had-drowning in olive oil/butter and ton of garlic. $75 worth of food, a double digit tip and we were both sick to our stomachs. All the time n space i have. Save your money. We will not be returning probably ever. Very little food for the money. Still not worth it even if the food was good in my opinion. read more

Awesome location, good is terrific. Be prepared be there for a while though. We love to go there, just kind of slow.

Lighthouse is nice... the decor and lake is really lovely. The food is great, but there is just sooooo much of it. I wish they'd scale down the portions and the prices, so that we aren't stuck with 2 days of food. It would make the dating experience better vs. (1) my date paid for all that stuff, (2) it's not going to get eaten, and (3) it's going to smell up his car on the way home. read more

Great dining experience. Food was perfect, but on the expensive side. Will return only on special occasions.

Good food, good service, great view. Five guest, all foods were prepared as expected. Lobster Bisque is great. Place is very busy on weekends in season. This was our first visit, would recommend, somewhat pricey though! read more