Ohio Lakefront Restaurant Review: The Atwood Dock Marina and Grill
Just recently I was filming an episode of Lakefront Bargain Hunt which featured two lakes in Carroll County Ohio, Atwood Lake and Mohawk Lake. Coincidentally we ended up filming a scene at one of the restaurants at Atwood Lake called the Atwood Dock Marina and Grill (Stay tuned in the next few weeks and we’ll talk more about the episode) and I found that it was overall a really nice experience, and stuck in my mind to the point where I deemed it worthy and necessary to write a blog about it.
To start with, Atwood Lake is a public lake (although owned by the MWCD) and so the restaurant is open to the public as well, and in a rural area it can be a nice commodity to have a nearby local eatery with good food and a nice view. Not to mention that it is in the same location as a marina so you can get all your gas and boating supplies. When we started filming the scene at the restaurant it was early, so the place wasn’t packed, but as the day went on you could tell it was a popular location for visitors at the Lake. My main concern from the start was that since the marina and the restaurant shared a location, that the noise from the launching and docking boats would be too distracting to enjoy my time there. In my experience that wasn’t the case, to be honest once I was inside I barely noticed, and that was for several reasons.
The first was that the food was surprisingly good. When you walk in it has the look of a casual small town bar with a lakefront flare, but the menu depth and level of execution of said menu was impressive. Although I would classify it as a mix between bar food and small town diner food, it was pretty good. After all those two types of food can sometimes be the best. Granted I didn’t have every item on the menu, but what I did get the chance to taste, tasted great, had good portions and cost a lot less than several chain restaurants I can think of who’s food is a lot worse. And not one member of the filming crew I was with had any complaints, in fact they praised the food as much as I did.
The second reason I had a great experience was that the location and the view were great. The picture used for the caption of this blog was actually one I took from my phone while I was sitting there eating lunch. It was a great expansive view of the lake, and at that particular time the lake was calm and clear. I have been to several lakefront restaurants, but this one was the first one I had been to in a long time that had a great combination of good food, a peaceful atmosphere and a great view of the lake.
The last, and most important reason I had an awesome experience at the restaurant is because of the hospitality, or what some of you may refer to as “customer service”. I for one will not go back to a restaurant if I’m treated poorly as a customer, I don’t care how many stars they have. And the customer service at the Atwood Dock Marina and Grill impressed me so much that it is in fact the number one reason why I wrote this and why I would go back. The food was good, the view was great, but the way I was treated by the staff earned them my business every time I visit Atwood again (which is quite often due to how many clients we have who like the lake). And I know what you’re thinking “how good could it have been?” Well let me tell you….
After we got done filming the scene for the episode I walked over to my car to realize that I locked my keys inside, inside the trunk to be specific (long story on how that happened). And I immediately went to call AAA or a tow truck service or someone who could help, only to realize that my phone didn’t have any service. So I went to the manager of the Atwood Dock Marina and Grill to ask if she knew of anyone and not only did she point me in the right direction, she actually took the time to use her personal cell phone to call three different places all in an attempt to get someone over there to help me out. Then she waited with me for over an hour to make sure the park ranger eventually showed up to help me unlock my car. Not to mention that while I as waiting there during that time her and her staff all checked on me regularly, even though I had already finished lunch and wasn’t ordering anything else, they still checked on me regularly. Some might say that this simple act of kindness wasn’t a big deal. For me it was, and honestly I’ve had plenty of other experience at restaurants and business that were sub par in comparison. By the time it was all said and done I got the firm impression that the manager and any of her staff would have done that same act for ANY and ALL of their patrons, and in the end that was what truly impressed me.
So what else can I say? The Atwood Dock Marina and Grill had good food, good prices, a great location with a wonderful lakefront view. And to top it off they had one of the friendliest and hospitable staffs I had ever met at a lakefront restaurant. I don’t just recommend going there, I encourage it.
Written by – Justin Shelton “Lakefront Consultant”