Great location, food was good, rooms have no phones or TVs and I consider that a double plus. Audrey, Marty and the head chef provided excellent service! We had a party of 11 and everything worked out great with rooms and meals. I can easily recommend this place without reservation! Vic is the owner and he's very hands-on! I'm looking forward to my next stay! read more

Your drinks were great! Your service in the bar and restaurant were lovely! Your entrees were bland, not as advertised and too expensive. I can put apple sauce on chicken and call it chicken Marsala with apples but at least I would put spice on the chicken. Where was the parmesan on the parmesan encrusted salmon? There was a very un flavorful sauce on the bland salmon. You need a new chef! Also, your people in charge of rooms need to respond within 24 hours. I asked for a room when one was available on VRBO. I got a response 2 days later telling me you had no rooms. It's great you guys are the only circus in your town. Otherwise, you would be out of business. read more

I absolutely love this place, it feels sorta like vacation each time I'm there. The burgers are delicious, they use fresh local beef. The French fries are cooked to perfection. We typically come here after hiking in the woods. I've tried a few other dinner entrees and I've liked them all. The service is lovely. They know us by name and the wait staff really engages with you. They always check in to see if you need anything. Last night even the chef came out to ask us how our meals were. I'm always impressed with people who take such pride in their craft. Atmosphere of this place is epic. You feel really far away, in a good way. It's like a ski lodge in the mountains. I love the bar area with the river rock, barn wood theme. So many windows to see the snow on the pines. Thank you for a great evening with many more to come. read more

The Clarion River Lodge - The burger and fries. - American Near Me - Cooksburg, Pennsylvania

Visited Clarion River Lodge last year when in town. The food was your typical bar fare. Overall, the food is good. It's definitely a good option when in Clarion and there are very few options to choose from. read more

My wife and I stayed at the lodge on our way home from skiing. We had a delightful experience. We had dinner and breakfast at the restaurant. The food was delicious and the service was spot on. I had mussels and pan seared walleye. My wife had the steak. After dinner we had a drink in the bar and enjoyed the vibe. We like the rustic feel of the main lodge. I would return for another stay. read more

Food was good. Fire tables and atmosphere were just terrific. Entertainment was great. Truly a pleasant place to spend your evening. Rooms leave a bit to be desired. Small and rustic. No TV. Mattress was awful. No phone signal there but WiFi is very good. We watched a football game on my phone. read more

The Clarion River Lodge - Outdoor Fire Table - American Near Me - Cooksburg, Pennsylvania

See all

This place is beautiful! We stayed in winter and it was so peaceful and serene. Our rooms were clean and warm and each had a theme. Mine was music and my friends was Americano. The beds were comfortable and toasty warm and clean and fresh. The bathrooms came loaded with quality soaps and lotions and pleanty of fresh towels. Inside the lodge is a restaurant and operated a bar, which is nice cause you can have drinks on one side and all ages family on the other. We had breakfast in the lodge and it was delicious. Fresh eggs and toast and delicious pancakes. It was a lovely stay and I can't wait to come back when I have more time to fish and take in the nature. read more

Took my girlfriend for a weekend getaway. The food at restaurant was delicious! There a little rustic bar that got pretty busy for live music at night. Rooms are cute. I would recommend and will be back! read more

The best service, ambiance and experience you'll have. The staff was courteous, welcoming and made it their mission to ensure that we had a great visit. The food was excellent! I cannot believe the view, the scenery is unparalleled. Thanks to everyone at the lodge for your excellent hospitality. read more

See all

We visit Cook Forest often, along with our family and friends. I was really excited to visit & stay at the lodge for the first time. I read all the mixed reviews beforehand, and I wanted to be the person to write a good review for the lodge. I wanted to find the hidden charms of the lodge. This couldn't be further from what happened. After arriving at the lodge, I was surprised at how small it was. For a "lodge" I thought it would be bigger in size. Also, I read that another reviewer stated that bringing in any type of bags or luggage was a challenge, and that was confirmed true. I was fortunate to be accompanied by my boyfriend who helped me but the several steps and uneven constructed ramp leading to the entrance of the lodge was tough to maneuver with luggage. I thought about the elderly or folks that might be handicap would definitely have a difficult time also. After checking in and walking into the small suite we reserved, I couldn't wait to check out the "private balcony" as stated on the website for this room. It was a very small balcony outside but there was nothing "private" about it. Directly in front of the balcony was a pavilion which appeared to be a common area because there was all kind of outdoor activity items sprawled out over the place (cornhole etc.) That was the view? We came back inside the room, and I noticed there was a little space heater on the floor. I was immediately concerned that the ac/heating unit was broken (its June!) and checked the unit and just as I suspected, it wasn't functioning. I immediately went to the front desk attendant with the issue. She came to the room and said she will call maintenance to look at the unit this "weekend"? We were only staying one night. How is this even accommodating to guests that are checking in. Why would we be ok with a stranger in our room with all of our belongings? I should have received a call about the AC instead of asking if I wanted to make dinner reservations from the lodge before I arrived. We received a call from the lodge a few days before we were to check in asking if we wanted to make dinner reservations for the restaurant at the lodge. The lodge is more concerned with bringing $ into the restaurant then accommodating their guest. It's like their priorities are all messed up. It would have been ok if we were told the AC was broken in the room BEFORE checking in and was given options for our money back or another room etc. Instead, we have to deal with this issue while we just arrived and should be settling in? I told the front desk attendant told her no AC was a dealbreaker and I would like my money back. She went to the front desk to talk to the Innkeeper. We followed moments later. At first, we thought the Innkeeper was a guest because of his very casual appearance. The Innkeeper said the AC just broke last night and didn't seem very surprised by this? If the unit really did just break, a refund should have been offered on the spot. The Innkeeper offered us a few fans and then smugly stated to us that the weather was going down to 55 degrees in the evening. I told the Innkeeper that we would like to just receive a full refund. He then asked the front desk attendant to write down my credit card information. I watched her do that and confirmed again that I was getting a refund. I thanked the front desk attendant and Innkeeper and we left. I was hoping the lodge would have made the situation right and eventually provided the refund, but they never did. I had a feeling I wouldn't receive it because of how we were treated but still I had hoped. I even called the lodge in a friendly/ professional manner inquiring the status of the refund but the very unpleasant woman I spoke to knew nothing about it and never called me back. What other rooms have missing or nonfunctional amenities? We cannot be the first guests that this has happened to. Perhaps that is why many of the rooms appeared to be unoccupied while we were there. I hope this review and details will help others when choosing accommodations in the area. Cook Forest is a beautiful place to visit. Happy Traveling. read more

Well wifey and I came to try the "Vowinkle Wings", however wi both decided to order regular meals from the menu. I had Cajun salmon and it was ok, a tad overcooked. Rice pilaf and green beans were awful. Wifey had linguine with clam sauce. Not very good . She added shrimp and they were not tasty. Tomato basil soup was tomato sauce with vegetables. I guess we should have gotten the wings. Service was very good and we dined outside. Ambiance was nice. read more

The food is outstanding! Eric is a wonderful chef. There are 3 things on the menu that are always available, and then 3 others are added that change about every 3 weeks. There is also a burger night on Wednesdays. The service is always excellent. If I have any complaint, it is that it is so far from us (close to an hour). Even so, we will keep going back. read more

We stayed for two nights last weekend 3/9 and 3/10/24. 2 rooms. We had reservations for dinner Saturday night in the Lodge's Restaurant. Unfortunately, the dinner my friend ordered was not fully cooked (Salmon) and the rest of the plate was cold. It was returned to be heated but still inedible. The lodge thankfully removed it from the bill. We returned to the Bar and enjoyed a night of music and conversations with other folks. The major issue came Sunday night; and although we came in & out of the lodge most of the day after hiking and driving around; we returned to an empty Lodge at approximately 7:20 pm. By empty, I mean no employees, no other guests, no attendant: NO ONE! The doors were open and although we were able to secure the front door we didn't know how or if the other doors were secure. We called main number; went to voicemail. No return call. I know it's off season, but really unnerving to be in a Lodge you're paying $179.00 a night plus tax etc.... We were worried about fire, power outages; one of us getting ill and no way to get help. WiFi was spotty at best. Sad to offer the much less that excellent review... I love Cook Forest and have been going there most of my life. It's a beautiful place. I emailed the lodge about our stay several days ago with no response. Very disappointed! Laura Peterson read more

Prior to going camping I called around to verify what places in the area allow dogs on the patio. Their website said "Weekend Reservations Recommend" but we're not bothered about waiting and weren't sure what time we'd be done hiking and then showering. We showed up clean and well dressed at about 5:30pm and the patio was understandably full. There were plenty of benches and a swing on or around the patio. I sat down with my dog while my husband waited for a server to be free. He asked what the estimated wait time was and told they had no idea. Um, ok. He tried to leave his name and then attempted to point to me to indicate where we'd be sitting to wait. He was cut off mid sentence and told they don't take names. That he just have to stand and wait to take the next table. Wait, what? First of all even busy franchise restaurants can ballpark it when a table might be available. They are a =bar= and restaurant, so, I guess maybe it's reasonable to not know. Suggesting though that we hang at the entrance ready to pounce on the next table instead of taking a wait list seems like a very crazy way to run a business. There was a table big enough for 5-6 people that did seem like it might be opening up... but do they really want two people to take it and leave a potential future group (spending more money that two people) in the lurch? It felt inappropriate to do that and also we were just put completely off by the way the waitress barked at us. We left. We won't be coming back. read more

Went here with my mom the other day for lunch.....I heard this place had opened up recently with new owners and heard good things about it, so thought we would try it out..... The place looks beautiful! They've got a great bar area... Rustic looking.... And it has a garage door that they can open up in summertime to enjoy the weather!. Also has a deck area outside the bar where they've got a fire pit with chairs! Awesome! Dining room was nice too!. We both ordered the black and blue burger with fries..... Burger was excellent! Lots of flavor and really juicy! Fries were fresh cut, but really thin....I don't normally like fresh cut, but I didn't mind then since they were extra thin cut... Little more crisp..... All in all the place was great and I'll definitely be back soon! read more

Went for burger day. Food was good. Bar and outdoor area are very nice. Staff was friendly. Drinks are a bit pricey.

I didn't get a chance to order any food because there was a screaming six-year-old in the bar, sitting on the bar. Apparently she's the child of one of the owners. I don't really like a childs butt and wearing dirty shoes sitting on the bar where my food is about to be. She was noisy as children will be and that's OK but not in a bar.!!! I brought this to their attention, and they told me it's a family establishment and sorry it's not my cup of tea. They were very rude to me. Don't eat here. read more

Awesome bar/restaurant! We stayed at the nearby Clarion River Suites (unaffiliated with the Lodge) for a weekend wedding, but we spent most of our time at CRL. Great atmosphere with amazing live music talent on both Friday and Saturday night. Had breakfast, lunch and dinner there and food/service were top notch. We learned from the owner, Vic, the history of the place and the amount of work he has put in to the place to restore it. Still a work in progress but given the work ethic of Vic and Shannon I expect this place will only get better over time! As stated, we did not stay at the lodge so we can't comment on the lodging there, but we highly recommend the bar and restaurant!! read more

Great place for drinks and live music. It's one of our go to summer spots! It's a great place to dine with friends or just a date night.

I stayed in the lodge for 2 nights in March. It was not very crowded due to the time of year but the staff was very friendly and the live music in the bar Sat. night was great and so much fun. However, there were TOO MANY negatives for me to give a better review. The salmon meal I had in the restaurant Sat. night was received cold. When it came back the potato was cold and salmon raw inside and inedible. They took price off bill but i went away hungry. There were lightbulbs missing in room lamps and batteries dead in the clock...no attention to details in the rooms. I left a flat iron in the room and called asking if they could check for it and let me know. I NEVER heard from them. But the WORST was when we came back from dinner Sun. night the lodge was completely empty. The bar and restaurant were dark. No note on desk, no staff ... NO ONE. We were completely alone in this big lodge in the mountains in a snow storm with VERY spotty WIFI. Unable to make a phone call out if there was an emergency. It was frightening and unsettling on so many levels. The staff did not come in till 9 AM the next morning. They said they would tell the owner. After that and emails sent NEVER ANY REPLY. In my mind they should have credited out Sun. night fee but instead we were completely ignored. UNACCEPTABLE!!! read more

A hidden treasure that we can't wait to go back to. As avid fly fisherman this place felt like home. Reminded us of some places in Roscoe, NY. Gorgeous location and atmosphere. We had reservations for Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. Party of 6 with 4 folks being locals. Arrived a little early for our 5:30 reservation and we were greeted by a very pleasant, and polite young lady. The table was ready on time. Lucky for us the same young lady was also our waitress, Elizabeth. We ordered some drinks and appetizers and were advised that meal delivery might a little longer, so as suggested we placed our dinner order. Elizabeth was very attentive and accommodating. Considering the number of tables/patrons she was attending to this was very impressive. The food was delicious as expected and the desserts are well worth saving some room for. Everything was truly great, we appreciated not feeling rushed as we were catching up with friends. Elizabeth's endless energy and enthusiasm to make our visit a great one was much appreciated. Prost until we return! read more

Another wonderful experience at the Clarion River Lodge!!! met at check-in by Vic, the owner. Very welcoming and friendly! Complimentary glass of Sangria and our choice of room for the night. The rooms are charming and each has its own decor. The room and bathroom were spotless. After check-in, We sat outside on the large patio by the fire and listened to live music. The menu has so many choices and the food was excellent, again! the service was great. Prices for food, drinks and the room are all very reasonable! This has always been our experience here and why we keep coming back!!! The scenery is amazing too. HIGHLY recommend! read more

Amazing place! The food was great! The server was so darn adorable!!! What a beautiful place to have lunch! Or dinner!!! Highly recommend!!! read more

I booked a stay here for Oct 14 2022, as me and my girlfriend planned to explore the neighboring state parks. Upon seeing the Vineyard Room, we noticed it was very small, outdated, did not have a tv, and had a pretty uncomfortable looking bed. Turns out those were the least of our worries. We were aware they had advertised live entertainment from 6-9 then 9-12, but what they didn't disclose is that the entertainment would be located directly outside of the guest rooms. When we saw/heard the band playing from our room from 6-9 we thought for sure that they would move the second band elsewhere so that the guests in the rooms could have some peace if desired. Well we were wrong. We could clearly hear the band that was located probably 20-30 feet from our room. Totally unbelievable that the management thought this was acceptable. When we called to ask if they were serious, a girl came to say yes they were and that the manger was too busy to even come to deal with our complaint. I paid $187 for this subpar room and the manager, Vic, refused to even refund a portion of it. Had I known this was the situation that they had planned, I would have never booked here. We ended up making the almost 2 hour drive back to Pittsburgh at 10pm. I never write reviews but wanted to warn people of this situation. To add to this, we patronized the restaurant for dinner. Food was OK but they sat us literally 20 feet from the band speakers. During songs we had to almost yell to hear each other. If you want any peace and quiet please avoid this place. Overall 1/10 experience. read more

Had a good lunch there today service was good and the atmosphere was good recommend this place definitely.

I talked the Lodge up to my sister who was going to visit the area. She booked 2 week day nights mid October - Peak leaf viewing week of the year. A huge disappointment. Outdated rooms, beds that for some reason sit very low(if you have trouble getting out of low chairs) this would not be a choice you should make. No TV's in rooms. Rooms are particularly small. Mondays and Tuesdays during. Peak leaf season, restaurant and bar not open. They still charge full rate. Oh as the person at the desk offered. 'there Is a mini fridge in the room you just need to plug it in. When she said mini fridge she wasn't kidding. It's half the size at best of a College DORM Mini fridge. It looked ancient in my Sister's room. Oh since the bar was closed we were told you could not take your beverage of choice outside of your room. LCB rules, so they said. So mature adults, only guest on the premises, no TV(unless you go to common sitting room)... Don't bring a drink The one very nice thing about the place are the outdoor amenities. Oh wait they were all turned off and or no wood available for a fire. Don't bring a drink. Last point/Question why are they open when the facility has no amenities for a remote Lodge. Oh to be fair,. There is a Keurig machine. I feel terrible that I had recommended the Lodge. read more

drinks and atm were great. food was not good at all, I could barely chew my prime rib the aujus was bullion cube water and my wife's walleye was not edible, tasted like line bolled fish with paprika. read more

We were first and foremost delighted to learn that the Clarion River Woodlands Lodge with Restaurant and Pub reopened! As regular visitors for the last twelve years to the establishment in its previous incarnation as Clarion River Lodge, we admittedly had a sentimental attachment to the place, and we always found it an ideal place to get away and unwind for a couple of days. It's true that the place, as of this writing (March 29, 2015,) is still a work in progress, but due to the tender loving care of its new owner, the innkeeper/chef, and other staff we met this week, it shows great promise. No two rooms are furnished exactly alike, and several have unique wall-paintings and other accoutrements. There are, blessedly, no televisions in the rooms. Instead there is quiet, privacy, and a forest view right out the window. Best of all, there are some things about the Clarion River Woodlands Lodge that are already state-of-the-art. First of all, the Woodlands Restaurant has never been better. The chef-and-innkeeper, Shawn Russell, offers a nicely varied menu of appetizers, salads, main dishes, and desserts, much of the fare being locally sourced. The first night we had brie in beggar's purses to start with, and then the Woodlands salad (with delicious local pea sprouts and the chef's own dressing). I segued to the chicken, which was stuffed with a subtle preparation of garlic and herbs, and served over couscous and fresh green beans; my partner had the homemade pasta, filled with fresh mushrooms and spinach, which again was quite delicate and worth paying careful attention to for the carefully balanced flavor palette. This was accompanied by a very reasonably priced merlot and homemade cake for dessert.  Surprisingly, the menu we were handed the second night was actually a variation on the first one, and we both opted for the bolder fare that was on offer. The artichoke dip was our appetizer, and we learned from other guests dining there that night (all of whom also ordered it) that it's famous in that neck of Cook Forest. I had the Greek salad, with a robust orange-flavored dressing and feta cheese, followed by the Delmonico steak (from a local ranch), done to a medium-rare tee, barely requiring a knife, and served in a Burgundy reduction. My partner had the Milanese chicken, which was new to that night's menu. This time we had a cabernet sauvignon as accompaniment, but just couldn't find room for dessert, in spite of the fact that there was cheesecake.  But the best thing about our stay and our meals was the staff themselves. Mr. Russell spent some time talking with us about the dishes he was preparing, the origin of the ingredients, and some of the history of the Lodge itself. He took the time to recommend places to visit during our days in the forest, and in general treated us, we felt, more like guests in his home than as mere customers. Jill, who saw to breakfast our last morning in the Lodge was equally warm and fun to talk with. This place is such a rare combination of first-rate cuisine and unpretentious hospitality that we are bit torn. On the one hand, we would be delighted to see it take off and become a highly successful business; but on the other, we would hate to see it lose an iota of the local friendliness and sophistication that seems to go missing from similar inns that get a bit homogenized by success. The Clarion River Woodlands Lodge is unabashedly local and run by creative, intelligent, friendly people. We'll be back as soon as we can think of the slightest excuse to go out into the woods again! read more

See all

Valentine's Day weekend 2015, about a month ago, my fiancé and our friends made reservations at the Clarion River-Woodland Lodge for our friend's birthday celebration. Based on reviews of the new ownership, we decided that this might be a nice place to stay. When we arrived, it was truly beautiful, although the weather was close to -15 or so. Snow glistened on the trees, the windows of the lodge were large, allowing the warm golden glow of lights to flood the snow. At dinner, half of my table ordered the "ginger sauce scallops with risotto". What arrived for us was a dish of some cooked, and some totally RAW scallops. They were sitting in a soup of soy sauce! Not just as a garnish, but all of us legitimately had pools of soy sauce without a trace of ginger. Our risotto sat in this salty, fishy pool as well. The risotto wasn't able to be eaten in place of the raw scallops because the rice was undercooked and chewy, not creamy as risotto is supposed to be. Then for our friend's birthday, he and his wife asked for a cake. They brought out cupcakes and proceeded to throw it on ALL of our separate bills! The birthday cupcakes were the couple's idea, they made it clear they wished to pay for everybody's. Our waitress walked way, did NOT take the cupcakes off of everybody's bill. Luckily, because we were staying the night, we each had a $60 meal credit. Even with our waitress's terrible attitude, raw food, and her utter refusal to take the cupcakes off of our bills, we left her a very good tip. We decided to go to the bar for a few drinks. My fiancé and I ordered 2 mixed drinks each, and he ordered 2 beers while I ordered 1. Our bill came to $72! We were charged for drinking 4 doubles EACH and the right amount of beers. It came to $60 for 4 mixed drinks that we didn't even drink. We have gone out all over Pittsburgh and have never once even spent that much while drinking three times as much! Our friends drank 2 mixed drinks each before dinner and 10 beers after dinner, and their bill totaled $20! This is NO JOKE! This cannot be made up! I sadly paid with my debit card, thus I was unable to get my money back at the time. The woman at the front desk was very shocked at our check. What makes the whole scenario peculiar is that the same waitress we had for dinner was the same early 30s, straight long-haired brunette woman who rang up our dinner bill and also the same woman who rang up our bar bill. The rest of the night was enjoyable back in our rooms where we had a smorgasbord of alcohol that we obviously should have just drank from the get-go that came to half of what we paid for 9 drinks at the bar. It was made enjoyable solely because the decor in the place is very nice, and our company was fantastic. The beds were comfortable and it's actually enjoyable without TVs so you're able to enjoy the gorgeous snow-covered pines out of the back window. But, the icing on the cake was the next morning when we went to pay for our room. Our brunette waitress who overcharged us the night before even after a fabulous tip for raw food, didn't log our payment for our dinner with the dinner credit. It appeared as if we were waiting to pay on the dinner bill still along with our room and had it stapled to our payment information! This woman's nerve has completely blown mine, my fiancé's, and our friends' minds! After proving that we had indeed not only paid for the dinner but paid way more on our bar tab than should ever be necessary anywhere and a large tip, we paid for our room and left. Our friends were more upset than we were, as this had been their idea, their plan, for all of us to enjoy a birthday/Valentine's Day weekend together. They vowed to never go back, even though they were seriously undercharged and didn't go through anything my fiancé and I had to endure, it was just the principle that respectable businesses don't do that to honest-paying customers who expect a rustic, beautiful, superior-quality stay at a beautiful lodge in Cook Forest. After months of failed attempts to speak with the owner, we will clearly never return. read more

See all