Going to a place that is as beautiful as Lake Arrowhead, I wanted to make sure my meals gave me every opportunity to take advantage of my surroundings. So when I was looking at the different restaurants in the area and came across the Lakefront Tap Room Bar and Kitchen, I knew it would definitely be on my list of places to visit.
I love how small a quaint Lake Arrowhead is. It’s everything that Las Vegas is not, and although I love my city, it is nice to get away to a place like this every once in awhile. We stayed at the Lake Arrowhead Spa and Resort, and right next to that is the lake and a lot of cute little shops and restaurants. Well, situated perfectly there, with a stunning view overlooking the lake is Lakefront Tap Room!
We went to eat there just as the sun was starting to set. As you walk in, the first thing you notice is the huge selection of beers on tap. I don’t know exactly how many they offer, but its more than enough to try a new one every time you visit for a long, long time! The entire bar ran along the wall for almost the entire length of the restaurant.
The rest of the place is set up like a fun, casual place that clearly doesn’t take itself too seriously. The decorations are simple, and not cluttered. Towards the back where we headed to our seat, it opens up a bit more. There were a line of tables along the huge windows that gave an amazing view of the lake. As we took our seat, I just loved my surroundings. Right below the window, you could see the Arrowhead Queen which was docked for the rest of the night. As the sun set, I felt like I was in the perfect place, on a perfect night.
The owner, John, stopped by our table to say hello. He was super friendly and gave a little history of the place as well as their concept. Coming from a family that runs a business together, I always love to hear about others who do the same. Not only do his and his wife run the place, but they branched of from her parents restaurant, which is a popular pizza place just down the road. They even had their adorable baby there with them! It really does make a place more special when you can see a family coming together to make it work.
The menu is nothing too fancy for the most part. Although there are some “California” style items on the menu, I appreciated that for the most part, it is just typical bar food that they have done their part to elevate. I don’t usually like things that are too fancy, with a lot of unnecessary ingredients. Instead I like fewer ingredients that are done well. They obviously agree with me, as they have done exactly that!
We couldn’t really decide on what to get, so we decided to order a little bit of everything. We ordered some chicken wings, fries, onion rings, and cheese curds to start. Also, to get something a little lighter, we also got what they call “The seasonal,” which is a salad with ingredients available during the time of season you are there.
While we waited, we could think of nothing better than to enjoy the view while enjoying a couple drinks. After hearing the types of beer my husband likes, John recommended the 329 lager, and for me he thought the pomegranate Irish mule and the mango margarita would go over well. We took his advice and ordered all three! Neither of us are big drinkers, so we appreciated his knowledge in that area, and he definitely nailed it. The beer was a big hit with my husband, and both of the mixed drinks were delicious. So far we were really enjoying our visit! Now we just enjoyed the view and the company while we waited for the food to arrive.
Once the food came out, we were ready to dive in. Everything looked absolutely delicious. John came by again to give us a rundown of what we were going to eat. He also brought us out a variety of sauces. And although I could tell he was proud of everything, I think it was these sauces that are secretly his pride and joy. Once we tasted them, it was easy to see why. I am so used to the basic ketchup and mustard, hot sauce, etc., that it was nice to have a change of pace. He had a dark ale mustard, Fat Tire cheese sauce, sriracha ketchup, IPA dijon mustard, house made ranch and a fry sauce. Honestly, I forgot which each was shortly after we were told, but that was ok, we had fun trying all of the food with each of them.
There was so much that we didn’t really know where to start, but we were determined to give it our best. I must say that I love a fresh salad and theirs was just perfect. It had mixed greens, cranberries, walnuts, red onion, fresh pears, goat cheese and was perfect to counteract the rest of the food we ordered which was on the heavy side. I would have been more than happy to eat this alone, but there was a lot more to try.
I had never had a cheese curd, but these were delicious. These would make a perfect appetizer or just a snack while drinking a beer and watching a game on television. I also loved the wings, which are just about my favorite food. They also had several sauces for that, and the teriyaki was my favorite. My husband didn’t even let me get to the onion rings, but considering how quickly he ate them, I guess they were great too. The fries were interesting as they were large and spiral shaped, and tasted delicious. As I said before, I don’t like fancy, just good food. They really have that down.
Once we put a good dent in our food, we realized we also had a couple of burgers coming. We didn’t know where we were going to find the room, but we were determined to try. They brought out a Tap Room burger and a pork belly burger, served with some sweet potato tots, which is something I don’t think I have ever had. I sure have been missing out! The Tap Room burger is American Kobe Wagyu beef, with sharp cheddar, apple-wood smoked bacon, sliced tomato, grilled onion, Guinness mayo, green leaf lettuce, kosher pickle spear, toasted brioche bun. I have never been a huge fan of burgers, but I must say this is one of the best I have had. It is a perfect pub style burger.
Unfortunately, no matter how great the food was, we just had no space left to put it. So we had to tap out in the tap room. The dishes were cleared away and we rested a few moments, finishing up our drinks. Everything had been so delicious and the entire staff was very friends and attentive. The dinner rush was starting to take effect, and the place was filling up with a mixture of people who appeared to be about half local and half tourists.
Finally, we were ready to leave. We gave our thanks to John, his wife Heather and the chef David Salaz for creating such a wonderful experience for us. We can’t wait to get back and join them on a night where they offer live music, or better yet on a Tuesday where they have a different fun activity each week. If I lived there full time, it would definitely be my regular hangout. As it is, I will just have to see them when I head out in that direction.
The next time you head out in the direction of Lake Arrowhead, this is absolutely a place to stop and enjoy the view and food. It is such a fun experience and a total opposite of what you get in Las Vegas. To learn more about Lakefront Tap Room Bar and Kitchen, check out their website HERE.
Leave a Reply