I've been coming here for years and I love the outdoor ambiance. It's a very relaxing environment and the food is decent. It's very laid back. Come here if you want to kick back chill.... Not if you're uptight and impatient. The service can be slow but it's not a fast paced type of place. So if you wanna chill outdoors by the water with a couple drinks and appetizers, this place is a perfect gem. read more

My friends and I hosted a bridal shower brunch at Pier 54 and we were thrilled with our experience! Christina and her husband provided exceptional service from day one of planning. Christina meet with me in person and answered all of my questions about decorations, layout and pricing. Christina let us arrive early the day of to setup and decorate the restaurant. She, her husband and the AMAZING bartender Emily helped us set up and find us obscure things we needed. Her husband also helped me hookup a slideshow and video to all the televisions, which was a big hit! Also, Emily was truly exceptional. Her services and personality really elevated the event to another level. The bridal shower was amazing and I couldn't have been happier with the result. We served a brunch buffet and mimosas. The food was delicious and the mimosas were unlimited and a big hit! I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND Pier 54 for any event hosting. Thank you Pier 54 for hosting a day my bride will never forget. read more

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Horrible service, the waitress did not know the menu and misrepresented which sides came with melas and didn't even offer to fix the mistake. We waited an hour for cold food, incorrect sides, and rude service. I won't be coming back. read more

Our guy Matt the bartender did everything to make our experience extraordinary. Highly recommend

I rarely complain about bad service, but it was really bad here. We were in town for an event and went to Pier 54 with a large group of people. It took a long time to get our food. Once we got our food, it started pouring. Since the entire restaurant is outdoors, a good amount of the tables are uncovered. No one came out to help us. We covered our food with napkins and started to move the tables ourselves. I understand mother nature is out of their control, but they could have done more to help us. We asked the server to close us out and after 20 minutes, still had no check. I went and asked her again and told her I was in a rush to get somewhere else..still no check. The third time, i brought cash to pay. She went back in the kitchen and didn't come back out for another 10+ minutes. We were close to just walking out. (i honestly don't think the server would've even noticed) From the time we asked for the check till when we left was almost 45 minutes. I understand that good service can be difficult with big groups, but you would think that so many paying customers, they would try a bit harder to provide better service. Although there were 20 of us, we sat at separate tables with separate checks. 5 tables of 4 people could not have been that difficult. We sat down at 5:30pm and left at 8:00pm to go eat dinner somewhere else. It took 2.5 hours for 3 apps, one sandwich and 2 drinks...that is pretty unacceptable. I am only giving them 2 stars because of the nice view and the tasty cheese balls. read more

Great atmosphere...good food. Love being on the water!! Service was good. Prompt, courteous. read more

Tonight I was part of a party of 4, told to wait 45 minutes for a table, only to check in after 50 minutes to be told, "Oh yeah sorry we didn't text you...your table is ready." Then we were seated and waited 20 minutes just for someone to take our drink order. Waited an additional 20 minutes just for the appetizers. After those were served, we never saw our waitress again. Nor did we ever receive our main entrees. We were there a good 90 minutes, just so busy visiting & catching up that we let so much time go by before we realized our food had never arrived. Meanwhile, the same waitress who had taken out order had served everyone else nearby and checked on them multiple times. I was the only Black person in my party. One of three black folks in the entire restaurant. At this time, it was after the dinner rush. The live music was over. We still had no food. When we were finally able to get anyone's attention to ask what happened to our order, all we got was an "I'm sorry" and 25% off our appetizers. No explanation of why we received no service or attention of any kind for the past 90 minutes. Now, as a black man, I can either consider this to be 1) willful discrimination or 2) maybe just negligence. In either case, our party of 4 was treated very poorly, given no explanation as to what happened with our order, and ultimately left with a bad taste in our mouth, but it wasn't from the food. My girlfriend (who happens to be Caucasian...hmmm) hyped this place up to me and couldn't brag up the place enough. She's always had great service in multiple visits prior to this one. Not this time. This was my first visit. And will also now be the last one. For both of us. If you are a person of color, you may want to avoid this spot. read more

Really enjoyed! I had quick service, great food, and a wonderful atmosphere!! Will definitely be back for happy hour! It's truly a hidden gem! :) read more

Cool place to hang out lake side and enjoy a drink. Enjoyed the pork tacos, thanks!

We love the atmosphere of PIer 54. The pizza and quesadillas are pretty good. You are really going there for the atmosphere and a drink. Heads up DOG OWNERS: Recently they are NOT dog friendly any more. The pup's have to stay on the outside of the fence. But the waitresses are always so nice and bring a bowl of water for the dog. So still bring them, just know there not allowed on patio any longer. read more

We took our 4 children for Sunday brunch ages 12, 10, 5 and 6. 6 people ate till everyone was full for under $45. We sat by the water. The kids loved watching the boats and ducks. Kids menu is an awesome value, with breakfast almost as big as an adult portion. Service was very good, and everyone was very friendly. The hashbrowns are THE BEST I have had at a resturaunt. The potatoes are thin and very well seasoned. The kids loved the pancakes with a scoop of icecream!! I loved the the veggies used were not canned or frozen in the omlets. The children left saying..,, " We should come here for breakfast everyday!!" A great family friendly place for breakfast!! Thanks to the staff working, we will be back soon. read more

We love to go here because it is in the hood but the service is S l o w. We waited 45 minutes for lunch. They hooked us up with lemon cake because we waited so long, but lunch shouldn't take this long. The food and drinks are yummy! read more

Great setting, great vibe, horrible service. You should not have to ask for every single thing like silverware, salt, napkins. Literally had to ask for all these thing and received condescending stares like how dare we. Food was bland very underwhelming even though they pride themselves on taking time to prepare their food My entire party received their meals minus one entree. The kitchen made the wrong burger. They refused to comp the entree and tried to make it up with free desserts that no one wanted. We ask for a manager and someone came over that was clearly not the manager and said "you ate it sorry nothing we can do for you" . Ridiculous!!!! It was a wrong order made by the kitchen and the proper order came out 15 minutes later. Save your money don't go here. Or go here if you want a garbage dining experience. Good luck read more

IMHO, Tempe's best kept secret. I visit Pier 54 as often as I can -- and while the food isn't amazing (it actually used to be MUCH better, with some delish pastas), it's good bar food (great salads)... but let's be real. It's all about the view. Tucked away so no one knows it's there, friendly, relaxed service (and yeah, I mean slow service, but it's part of the charm of it -- come here, hang out, talk, spend time with your loved ones and snack a bit). I love going there and will keep coming back! read more

everytime i go here i crack up laughing and meet the funniest people at the bar...they serve Heffveisen on tap-fabulous and the bartenders and waitresses are super nice. I am pissed OFF however that they no longer can have dogs there. TOTAL BUMMER! Oh and the veggie burgers rock! and so do the yummy french fries-steak fries. its a good place- go visit and the view is nice, right on the lake and all lit up. read more

Best bar menu in the valley, live music weekends, perfect view of lake, cordial staff....Its the best!!! IMG_0230.JPG read more

Love this place, its outdoors, everyone is extra friendly, service is a little slow but food is excellent.

Really dissaponted. We wanted to try this place for so long, and we sat ourselves at a table (seat yourself sign) and we waited for 20 minutes. And nothing. There was one server for the WHOLE place. He served all the other tables around us, and actively avoided eye contact with us, which I don't blame him for. There were tons of people and I'm sure he was exhausted running from table to table. Still, to not have management or anyone see our situation and not at least come bring us water was disappointing. Won't be trying again, but I hope they add more staff. :/ read more

We are giving two stars because the view is amazing and you feel like you are transported to a little lake town. The service here was bare minimum, we asked our waitress what they were know for since it was our first time here and she stated she was new and didn't know? You would think in training they would teach that, part of being a server is having recommendations and upselling items. She barely checked on us the whole time we were there and spoke so quietly it was very hard to hear her, she just didn't seem happy to be there at all. Trust me I know serving is a tough job,, i did it for 6 years, but customer interaction and friendliness is what makes people want to return. They have a sign when you walk in saying they are a small kitchen and to expect long wait for food, which we were ok with expecting good food for the wait. The food was not good at all, my burger was overcooked, dried out and had no flavor at all, my fries weren't cooked all the way and the bun was over toasted, my boyfriends salmon lacked any flavor as well as the rice it comes with. Overall we would not recommend coming here for food, but would recommend coming for a few drinks. We plan to bring family back for drinks and the view but going elsewhere for food. read more

WOW! What a nightmare this place is! If I were you I would stay far away. I was there this last Thursday around 5PM. We were a party of 5. We were greeted pretty quickly, drink order taken, but then waited for drinks to arrive for at least 15 minutes.The bar was busy and taken care of , our waitress only had two other tables. Finally ordered. Food started to come out. Two of ordered fish and chips. Both came out without tarter, we had ordered extra. Waitress said they were out of tarter. We both said we didn't want fish W/O tarter. She took them back . I then ordered a burger. It came out almost raw, and smelled like rotten meat. Fries were ice cold. I sent that back and said I was done, I wanted nothing else. As my party was finished with their meals the waitress bring me another plate of fish and chips and says that they "mixed" up some tarter sauce. I kid you not , the tarter sauce was pink colored. I thought it was strange she didn't ask me before doing this, but the attempt to please was halted. Everything on this plate was cold as well. I think they took my other fries and fish I sent back and put them on a new plate with the "mixed" up tarter. Believe me out there, I am not that fussy , but this place really takes the cake!! RUN! To top everything off , no one ever came out to see what was going on, apologize, try and correct the problems the waitress was having...nothing. The waitress just said she wouldn't charging us for what was sent back!! Yikes! Like she what we were going to pay for any of it?? Pier 54...hope you read these reviews..you really need a serious makeover of staff and policy. read more

I live in the area and Pier 54 is very popular with the Lakes residents. Nice little place right on the water with typical bar food. Dog and people friendly. read more

Waiter was pleasant. But for 2 burgers and 2 drinks very disappointing. Fries were very cold, brought new batch, but delay. Burger was good but ordered medium and came out well. Was the 3rd day of the waiter but blaming him at all. But we will not be back even if it was nice to sit outside. read more

Love going here for the atmosphere and location. The food is pretty good too. I had chicken skewers. They have a nice variety of food items on the menu. Live music on Fridays and Saturdays. Right on the lake and you can watch the sun go down. There is no indoor seating so you have to be mindful of the weather. But in Tempe...the weather is usually pretty nice! read more

Don't be put off by the looks of this small, outdoor restaurant. The food is excellent! A few tables surround a large open bar, all with a view of the smallish man-made lake that sits inside an upscale housing development. As we ate, we watched a beautiful sunset over the lake, and also saw a few homeowners guide their boats up to the restaurant's small dock. Everything was delicious, from the hot crab and artichoke dip through the entrees to the dessert. I like to try something new, so I ordered salmon tacos with mango salsa and chipotle mayo, My husband is more traditional, so he had the Torpedo -- a man-sized prime rib sandwich with plenty of tender meat. I was tempted by the brie quesdadilla with candied walnuts, and my husband wants to go back for the Southwest pizza. And for dessert? Get this -- they bring a hibachi to your table so that you can roast marshmallows, dip them in a pot of melted chocolate, then roll them in graham cracker crumbs! Unfortunately, we didn't have time for that luxurious experience as we were on our way to an event, so we got the New York cheesecake with berries to go. Around the bar, the crowd was young, with some middle-aged people, and a couple of seniors. But they all were having fun, which made the mood of this small place happy and lively. The place is owned by a husband/wife catering team, so the menu may change with the seasons. read more

Take your date. Take your mom. Take your out of town guests when it's snowing and sleeting from back where they came from so they can be jealous of your wonderful life in sunny Arizona. This is a great place that most people don't know about. You go through The Lakes in Tempe (it's a little fancy suburb). The restaurant is right by the lake. You feel like you are somewhere tropical! The menu is nice and simple, but there isn't a bad thing on it! The beer selection is great and the mixed drinks can't be beat! My boyfriend and I go here all the time and take all of our Chicago family and friends when they come to visit. This is the perfect little spot :-) read more

Great little gem in the middle of Tempe. Makes you feel like you are at your favorite beach dive, if only for a moment. There is a new lake side restaurant next door as well, allowing you to beach (lake) bar hop to one more spot. The summers, I'm sure are brutal, but when it's acceptable to be outside, it's worth wasting away a few hours, dreaming about cheeseburgers in paradise. read more

One of my favorite places when the weather is nice. Good food and service had always been friendly. The view is beautiful, not many waterfront places in AZ. Menu has changed but we have a party here every year of 8-12 people and everyone's able to find something. Good selection of beer and such. It's is an outdoor eatery, food may cool off fast.. sometimes they have live music so maybe hard to carry on a conversation, but it's a fun fun place with the right people! read more

Another restaurant recommended this restaurant to us as there had been a miss communication with our reservation. The manager of the restaurant that we were suppose to go to sent us ahead and said she would be right over to take care of the bill. Once we were seated, we informed our waiter as to what was happening. The owner of Pier 54 came over and immediately started getting angry at us. When the manager of the other restaurant showed up, she showed the owner that she was giving us cash and we could order whatever we wanted. Instead the owner of Pier 54 said she didn't want anyone's cash. At that point we did not feel comfortable staying there and the original restaurant, The Watershed, invited us to come back over and have lunch on them plus a free cruise of the lake. We will never give our time or hard earned money to Pier 54. Don't waste your time, go to The Watershed instead. read more

Food is phenomenal, wait staff is professional, personable and effective. Plus the view! Love love love this place!

We have just put the final nail in the coffin for Pier 54. Our first visit took about an hour and a half from start to finish and all we ordered were two salads. They were great, but I just couldn't understand why the restaurant allowed 1 employee to work both the bar and the patio area. After not being greeted 10 minutes after seating ourselves , we cut our second trip short because we were not willing to endure horrendous service again. Pier 54 has good salads and a great view, but don't expect to be in and out of this place in a reasonable manner/have adequate service. read more

What a wonderful hidden gem! we went for lunch...i ended up not eating and enjoying a few drinks in this amazing arizona weather! Our waitress Kit was outstanding and so much fun! My guy did eat and loved it! I am looking forward to visiting this place more often and spending some daytime here! It was crazy windy, Kit gave me a hair tie..and my guy a blanket...what?? love it. read more

If you're looking for a laid back vibe, look no further. The water front restaurant reminds me of something you'd find near a beach Mexico. Nice beer selection for such a small place. Good food at a cheap price. Spend $20 on dinner and you get a free bottle of table wine. Outdoor seating only, and smoking is allowed. Only knock would be the cleanliness, but I'm not expecting much anyway when going to an outdoor only dive. read more

I've been a loyal patron for years and there is a reason why: this place rocks. What a great escape and awesome outdoor bar. Friday and Saturday nights are always a blast with live music. Very chill vibe and the friendliest staff in town. My only complaint is the eyesore restaurant across the way. read more

I'm in love with this place. Excellent food and great service. Plus the atmosphere is unique and and the view is beautiful.

Good food, friendly staff, and a nice relaxing atmosphere. The hot and sour flatbread is tasty!

Love the new menu! With all the new options I have a hard time deciding what to order. Everything I have tried has exceeded my expectations! Will definitely be going back. read more

My Wife and I went to Pier 54 on a recent weekend evening for dinner, drinks, and live music. Nice ambiance on the artificial lakefront, and we are thankful for the Non-Smoking section ( all seating is outdoors ) . Our server was attentive, the food was pretty good, and the music was great. We enjoyed the pork green chili, and shared the fish & chips. The beer on tap was tasty as well. Keep up the good work, Pier 54 and Staff ! read more

My husband and I visited this place three times, and we've been back because of its location on the water. Not a fan of the smoking patrons, but if you can pick your seat away from them it's okay. What is a shame is the food. The chicken wings were undercooked on our last visit, and the fish and flatbread were dry on our previous visits. To top it off, there was lipstick on our wine glass, and we observed the cook scooping chips onto our plate with no gloves after touching a lot of other things. This place could be so awesome, but we're not coming back. read more

The place used to be nice about 4-5 years ago. Seems like they cannot handle more business. The service is always slow and on the bad side. The view is nice and I believe they count on their local customers from the surrounding houses for business. Food is a hit or miss too. Sometimes they have really nice food. Sometimes the burgers are cold. And unfortunately, I encountered some rude behavior from the waiters too. read more

We have ridden our bikes here a couple of times now and enjoy sitting outdoors and looking over the water. It makes you feel like you are somewhere else. It only has outdoor seating and they do take reservations although the couple of times we have been there we have been able to find a place to sit down. Food and service have been good when we were there. I have tried the flatbread and the turkey con chile sandwich. They were both fine. My husband has tried fish and chips and a burger. I prefer crispy fries and these are hand cut so not my favorite, but had no complaints, just preference. Not amazing, but it's really more about a nice place to sit outside, relax and enjoy being near water. One other time we stopped by with friends after trying dinner next door on a Saturday night and they had live music and that was good too! read more