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Love the Gem - it's another Bolton Landing favorite. Last time we only came for drinks, so I'm glad that we finally stopped in for a meal. Everything was really good and portions were so big. The nachos were insane. Like, could literally feed five people. If you are ordering these just be aware. They were so so good and came smothered with lots of queso and pulled pork. The wings were also super tasty and they are a variety of dipping sauces. We ordered them plain rubbed and my daughter ended up loving this - perfectly flavorful without too much heat. The outdoor area has a ton of seating and they did such a cute job with the decor. They have a fun list of cocktails, and if you come out back for drink only you can grab one from the adorable airstream. For a great meal in Bolton you can't go wrong. It's a GEM :)
We are staying at the Sagamore Resort this week and wanted to check out the local food scene. We stopped in this evening and were very surprised by the quality of food and drink at The Gem. We started out with the Presbyterian and the Home on the Range cocktails. Both were very good. We decided to share several appetizers. We had the pimento cheese and pork rinds, barbecued peel and eat shrimp, and the Little Gen Lettuces. All of them were excellent and plenty of food. Service was excellent. We finished with a couple local beers.
The Gem in Bolton's Landing is an adorable bbq and cocktail eatery with a large outdoor dining space and soft serve trailer. We had our first meal of the 4th of July weekend here and it certainly gave backyard bbq vibes. We started off with an order of buffalo and Alabama white sauce wings and nachos piled high with guac, sour cream and fried chicken. The nachos were great and the Alabama white sauce wings were some of the best wings we've had. For mains we had the fried chicken sandwich and meat combo with fried chicken and hot links with sides of potato salad, tater tots, green goddess slaw, and bourbon baked beans. We finished off with a stop for soft serve at the soft serve trailer. We loved this spot for its casual ambiance, great cocktails and delicious eats
Back to the Gem! Amazeballz Peel and Eat Shrimp app is still here and still massive. Drinks are still expensive but you are in Bolton Landing and expensive drinks are necessary to make the tourists feel like they are spending for the good life and eating at this joint is certainly the good life. Kayla is the awesome and beautiful barmaid and she the reason we sit at the bar. She took care of us and she'll put a smile on your face. Recommended!
If you love barbecue, this is a five star must stop when visiting Lake George. Less than a five minute walk from the Sagamore is this incredible establishment clearly run with pride. Perfect ribs, perfect chicken wings. Smokey goodness with tender fall off the bone texture. Outrageous drinks and great outdoor seating. Lovely staff (can not remember her name but our waitress either Martha or Marsha was super patient explaining everything up and down the menu to us) Prices were so good, nuts for four people with drinks total bill was $120 and we ate like kings. Highly highly recommend.
As someone who's not a big barbecue fan, these ribs were amazing and I wish I lived closer so I could go back!
It's so hard to find a quality food experience in the Adirondacks! The sophistication and attention to detail are phenomenal. And it leaves all the pretentious options found in some places at the curb. We were so impressed by little things like the friendly staff, cucumber in the water, metal straws, vintage surroundings in small places. Every ingredient was noted and appreciated. Hoping this place sticks around for a long time. We need to raise the bar locally and they certainly do!
Service is very good and friendly. Ice cold water with cucumber served immediately At seating is excellent. Smoked wings are very good. All the house made sauces are a great touch and all very good. Tots with pork belly so so. Very little pork belly and tots just frozen from bag. House made fries would be better than the tots. Chicken sandwich not very good. Average at best. Lacking flavor and little chewy. Tastes like frozen chicken. Not fresh chicken. Ribs were amazing ! Coleslaw delicious. Corn excellent. Atmosphere is causal and fun. Pricing mostly fair but some apps are overpriced. Drinks are very good. Locally made sour beer great. Outdoor seats not comfortable.
We had a reservation and were seated outside, never asked what we preferred. Hostess not friendly at all. We ended up sitting inside near bar, it was cold out. Went to wash hands, there were no towels at 7pm. I told our waiter and said he would take care of it. We ordered drinks, shrimp appetizer and entrees. The shrimps came to our table 2 minutes after ordering. They were served in a cast iron skillet room temperature! The shrimps were not even cleaned, dorsal tract. (see photo) I complained and they made another. These took 12 minutes and were still not hot or cleaned. We both had the trio meat platters. They were good, a lot of food. Very good sauces also offered. Overall service not great, stick to the meats. Before leaving I had to wash my bbq hands, still no towels.
Had a great meal here on Labor Day weekend, made a reservation online which was super easy. We really enjoy the excellent service and cozy ambiance at this spot. We ordered the pimento cheese and pork rinds appetizer- perfect nice and light option to get started. For meals we did the pulled pork nachos (from the appetizer menu) and brisket meal that comes with two sides. Highly recommend trying their cheesy corn it's unique and delicious. And they have an awesome cocktail menu of all different fun options - my husband loves they have manhattans on tap too!
24 days ago
The Gem was a pleasant find during our stay. We made reservations, which I highly recommend, and chose it for my husband's 50th birthday celebration after another restaurant at the resort had completely missed the occasion the night before. No acknowledgment, candle, or mention of his birthday despite it being noted, so our expectations were modest. From the moment we arrived and were served cucumber water that was VERY refreshing, the Gem delivered a much better experience. The atmosphere was lively and inviting, and our server was friendly, attentive, and genuinely engaged throughout the meal. The cocktail menu was creative and fun. While I felt the pours were a bit shallow for $18-$20 drinks, and the oversized ice cubes seemed to take up a lot of glass real estate, the drinks themselves were well-made and enjoyable. The food was the star of the evening. Everything we ordered was delicious, and it was easily one of our better meals during the trip. When it came time for dessert, we asked if they could add a candle so we could celebrate my husband's birthday. Unfortunately, the dessert station had already closed, leaving bread pudding as the only option available. While that was a bit disappointing, our server went out of their way to make the moment special by bringing over a mini mint cordial. There was still no candle, but the thoughtful gesture was genuinely appreciated and meant far more than a scripted birthday acknowledgement. The Gem struck a great balance between good food, a fun atmosphere, and attentive service. Our only regret is that we didn't have another day to try the outdoor seating area in the back, which looked fantastic. Maybe next time! read more
Most Americans generally associate slow-cooked, wood-smoked meat with the southern regions of these United States. Finding respectable barbecue in upstate New York requires a slight adjustment of geographic expectations. The Gem, located in Bolton Landing, attempts this feat with a wood-fired smoker and an ambitious cocktail program. My wife ordered the smoked chicken wings and a side salad. The wings possessed a deep smoky flavor and properly rendered skin. The salad performed its minimal duties without incident. My youngest son consumed the kids cheese fries. They were sufficient to satisfy an 11 year old's palate, though underwhelming when subjected to adult inspection. I selected the brisket, which spent hours absorbing hardwood smoke. The flavor was rich and beefy, though the cut was somewhat leaner than I prefer. In my experience, truly magnificent brisket requires a generous layer of rendered fat to achieve complete structural tenderness. This was good, but it was not that. The genuine masterpiece at our table belonged to my oldest son, who ordered the pulled pork. It was moist, tender, and properly seasoned. I found myself eyeing his plate with the quiet envy of a father who made the wrong selection at the counter. To assist with the meat, the establishment places four distinct sauces at every table: Texas Red, Carolina Copper, Georgia Mustard, and Alabama White. Experimenting with all four is an enjoyable exercise in flavor chemistry. The bar produces some of the finest craft cocktails in Bolton Landing, maybe in the entire Lake George region. The drinks are mixed with intelligence and high-quality spirits, which helps soothe the human nervous system after a long day in the sun. The primary defect of The Gem is monetary. Prices in Bolton Landing include an unwritten tax levied on tourists. Other local establishments justify these steep prices by offering a view of Lake George. The Gem sits on Lake Shore Drive, offering a view of asphalt and passing automobiles instead of water. Paying high-end prices for barbecue without a lake view attached makes the final bill a bit harder to digest. Still, the pulled pork and the cocktails were good enough to warrant a return visit. One must simply prepare to surrender a few extra dollars for the privilege. read more
Love the Gem - it's another Bolton Landing favorite. Last time we only came for drinks, so I'm glad that we finally stopped in for a meal. Everything was really good and portions were so big. The nachos were insane. Like, could literally feed five people. If you are ordering these just be aware. They were so so good and came smothered with lots of queso and pulled pork. The wings were also super tasty and they are a variety of dipping sauces. We ordered them plain rubbed and my daughter ended up loving this - perfectly flavorful without too much heat. The outdoor area has a ton of seating and they did such a cute job with the decor. They have a fun list of cocktails, and if you come out back for drink only you can grab one from the adorable airstream. For a great meal in Bolton you can't go wrong. It's a GEM :) read more
We are staying at the Sagamore Resort this week and wanted to check out the local food scene. We stopped in this evening and were very surprised by the quality of food and drink at The Gem. We started out with the Presbyterian and the Home on the Range cocktails. Both were very good. We decided to share several appetizers. We had the pimento cheese and pork rinds, barbecued peel and eat shrimp, and the Little Gen Lettuces. All of them were excellent and plenty of food. Service was excellent. We finished with a couple local beers. read more
The Gem in Bolton's Landing is an adorable bbq and cocktail eatery with a large outdoor dining space and soft serve trailer. We had our first meal of the 4th of July weekend here and it certainly gave backyard bbq vibes. We started off with an order of buffalo and Alabama white sauce wings and nachos piled high with guac, sour cream and fried chicken. The nachos were great and the Alabama white sauce wings were some of the best wings we've had. For mains we had the fried chicken sandwich and meat combo with fried chicken and hot links with sides of potato salad, tater tots, green goddess slaw, and bourbon baked beans. We finished off with a stop for soft serve at the soft serve trailer. We loved this spot for its casual ambiance, great cocktails and delicious eats read more
2 months ago
Back to the Gem! Amazeballz Peel and Eat Shrimp app is still here and still massive. Drinks are still expensive but you are in Bolton Landing and expensive drinks are necessary to make the tourists feel like they are spending for the good life and eating at this joint is certainly the good life. Kayla is the awesome and beautiful barmaid and she the reason we sit at the bar. She took care of us and she'll put a smile on your face. Recommended! read more
2 months ago
2 months ago
2 years ago
If you love barbecue, this is a five star must stop when visiting Lake George. Less than a five minute walk from the Sagamore is this incredible establishment clearly run with pride. Perfect ribs, perfect chicken wings. Smokey goodness with tender fall off the bone texture. Outrageous drinks and great outdoor seating. Lovely staff (can not remember her name but our waitress either Martha or Marsha was super patient explaining everything up and down the menu to us) Prices were so good, nuts for four people with drinks total bill was $120 and we ate like kings. Highly highly recommend. read more
10 months ago
As someone who's not a big barbecue fan, these ribs were amazing and I wish I lived closer so I could go back! read more
1 year ago
1 year ago
It's so hard to find a quality food experience in the Adirondacks! The sophistication and attention to detail are phenomenal. And it leaves all the pretentious options found in some places at the curb. We were so impressed by little things like the friendly staff, cucumber in the water, metal straws, vintage surroundings in small places. Every ingredient was noted and appreciated. Hoping this place sticks around for a long time. We need to raise the bar locally and they certainly do! read more
Service is very good and friendly. Ice cold water with cucumber served immediately At seating is excellent. Smoked wings are very good. All the house made sauces are a great touch and all very good. Tots with pork belly so so. Very little pork belly and tots just frozen from bag. House made fries would be better than the tots. Chicken sandwich not very good. Average at best. Lacking flavor and little chewy. Tastes like frozen chicken. Not fresh chicken. Ribs were amazing ! Coleslaw delicious. Corn excellent. Atmosphere is causal and fun. Pricing mostly fair but some apps are overpriced. Drinks are very good. Locally made sour beer great. Outdoor seats not comfortable. read more
7 months ago
Ambiance is amazing and the cocktails are so good!!! The wings are also a must try!! Would highly recommend read more
2 years ago
We had a reservation and were seated outside, never asked what we preferred. Hostess not friendly at all. We ended up sitting inside near bar, it was cold out. Went to wash hands, there were no towels at 7pm. I told our waiter and said he would take care of it. We ordered drinks, shrimp appetizer and entrees. The shrimps came to our table 2 minutes after ordering. They were served in a cast iron skillet room temperature! The shrimps were not even cleaned, dorsal tract. (see photo) I complained and they made another. These took 12 minutes and were still not hot or cleaned. We both had the trio meat platters. They were good, a lot of food. Very good sauces also offered. Overall service not great, stick to the meats. Before leaving I had to wash my bbq hands, still no towels. read more
2 years ago
Had a great meal here on Labor Day weekend, made a reservation online which was super easy. We really enjoy the excellent service and cozy ambiance at this spot. We ordered the pimento cheese and pork rinds appetizer- perfect nice and light option to get started. For meals we did the pulled pork nachos (from the appetizer menu) and brisket meal that comes with two sides. Highly recommend trying their cheesy corn it's unique and delicious. And they have an awesome cocktail menu of all different fun options - my husband loves they have manhattans on tap too! read more
9 months ago
1 year ago
Awesome mule cocktails with fresh ginger! THE BEST WINGS EVER. I go with naked (wings, not me) then add sauces after. Great service too. Kayla was nice and professional with all when some grown-ass woman had a tantrum over nothing. read more
1 year ago
This could be such a long review, but I'm going to try to stay on point. Great north country/lake atmosphere, very friendly and welcoming staff. It's best if you've got a designated driver so you can try and enjoy the interesting cocktails. My wife had a Don Lockwood ($15) - a mix of bourbon, maple syrup, Islay scotch whisky, and chocolate bitters with a huge twist of orange. With a really nice smokey flavor this may have actually been the highlight of the evening. I had a Common Roots Lager draft ($7) because it was the only draft available of the six listed on the menu. Our server read my mind and opined that they shouldn't put items on the menu if they don't have them available. I don't know why I was not charged the $6 Happy Hour price, unless HH prices are only available at the bar. But that should have been printed on the menu. My wife ordered the Barbequed Peel & Eat Pub Prawns ($22) with "soppin' toast" that was not toasted. The prawns were perfectly cooked (except for one) in a very flavorful broth. The untoasted potato bread was fresh, delicious, and probably much better at soppin' than toast would have been. I ordered the Smokehouse Combination Platter ($32) comprised of sliced Texas brisket, pulled pork, two beer brats, and two sides. For sides I chose coleslaw and BBQ yam steak fries. There was plenty of delicious, black-charred bark on both meats. I kept alternating between the four house-made sauces, each of which our server was able to describe in great detail, trying to find a favorite. A tie between the Georgia Mustard and the slightly spicy BBQ sauce narrowly beat out the Alabama White and the Carolina Copper. Those BBQ yam fries were delicious. My personal preference is for slightly more smokey flavored meat. The brats were good as were my two slices of the potato bread. Definitely worth another visit. read more
1 year ago
Probably the best smoked wings I've ever had, ribs were fantastic, loved all the sauces (the mustard one was probably my favorite and I don't even like mustard), and server was excellent. Beans have bits of meat in them and Cheesy Corn was plentiful. read more
1 year ago
This is no dive bar with pint-sized Long Islands. The Gem offers New York City quality cocktails in what seems like a fun, clean, modernized mid-century Adirondack lodge. You never leave the lake aesthetic, but you're definitely transported elsewhere when you take a sip of the magical elixirs they concoct. I was going to write something about venturing beyond an Old Fashioned here, but even that drink is special at The Gem. I very much enjoy their Mai Tai which seems to be their previous-menu-now-secret-menu signature drink. Regardless, do yourself a favor, stay within walking distance, get yourself a sober ride, or come back a few times so you can run their cocktail menu. Every single one is great. The service is quality with each person trying to make your experience a great one. The place can get busy but the staff never lets that get in the way of being attentive to everyone they're serving. If you need something, they're happy to make it happen. There's food too! Other people have covered the food already so I won't bother wasting electrons. I'll add that I'm not usually a fan of chicken wings but the ones The Gem offers are fantastic. Why? I couldn't tell you. Maybe it's the way they smoke them. I don't know. What I do know is that they're meaty and firm but not dry on the inside. They just work for me. Maybe you can try them and let me know what it is about them that's great. read more
2 years ago
Great atmosphere. Excellent cocktails. It really is a Gem. I would highly recommend. The bar tenders were incredibly friendly. read more
1 year ago
I was really torn between a three and four star rating. I would probably lean towards 3 1/2 stars simply because it was an inconsistent experience. I'm hoping that it's just due to being new and still working out some kinks. First...it's a cool place with a huge bar area and a decent amount of seating inside. Simple yet rustic decor. Service is very friendly albeit a little awkward at times. We decided to share a sampler platter among the four of us so that we could try as many things as possible. Ribs: star of the show. I would go back just for these. Unfortunately, the platter only had enough for one rib each (came with 5 but we took the leftover one home). Really, really good ribs!! Pulled pork: also fabulous-moist and tasty even without one of their homemade sauces. Wings: second star of the show-smoked gigantic wings with a really delicious sauce. Chicken: just ok...nobody really thought it was as good as the other items. Brisket: also just ok-our meat connoisseur would have liked it to be more moist. Cheesy corn: we all agreed that we didn't care for this side dish. Cole slaw: also not a favorite of the table Fried artichokes: tasty and different! Baked beans: also not on anyone's list to get again Salad: actually very tasty, just really difficult to eat as it's whole pieces of romaine and a very nice dressing. Dessert! Upside down apple cake and sticky toffee pudding: winner winner! We demolished those and left nothing to the imagination. Overall, I would definitely give this place a shot again and stick with wings and ribs. There are other sides that we didn't try, but we weren't enamoured with what we ordered. There is an extensive cocktail list that is worth exploring, but my friend that had the "frozé" didn't care for it. If I was not driving, I might have tried one of the many interesting options. read more
4 years ago
The menu might be small but the barbecue is great and the cocktails are world class. And the service is too. We had a great barbecue platter, unique and wonderful baked beans, and some really amazing cocktails. All finished off with a sticky toffee pudding. read more
4 years ago
3 years ago
3 years ago
Now atmosphere . Great service. Nice portions and fair prices. Good drink menu and fine beer selection. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
They were able to accommodate our large group. The food was delicious. The decor is cute and the atmosphere is very friendly. The drinks were amazing and we are pretty sure they make their own tonics and sodas. I'm a vegetarian and even I was able to find something to eat. I had the no meat combo where you can choose 3 sides or salads. I chose the cowboy caviar, tater tots, and the little gem lettuces salad. All were very good. One piece of advice, go early because they may run out of some items and you don't want to miss out on the ribs or brisket. read more
2 years ago
4 years ago
This review is for their cocktails, dessert and the ambience. The staff was super attentive and the ambience was great. It has a very nice wooden bar that gives an amazing feel. We got the Negroni and the mulled wine both of which were yummy. We also got the toffee pudding with ice cream for dessert. Check this place out if you are in town :) read more
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More info about The Gem
4983 Lake Shore Dr
Bolton, NY 12814
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(518) 240-6083
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http://www.thegemlittlegem.com
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The Gem - tradamerican - Updated August 2026
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