Lakeside Bar & Grill

This trendy restaurant in the Bohemian Hotel, in Celebration, Florida, has some of the best food around. In fact, we are from San Francisco and my husband and I were here celebrating our anniversary and seeing family. We each ordered the scallop dish. They were sautéed to perfection by Chef Charles. Light roasted greens and flavorful sauce with sweet corn. Their specialty drinks are wonderful and their signature Kessler wine, from Napa Valley was superb!
Head chef, Jake, put on a fabulous Mother’s Day brunch too. Overall, the staff was excellent. We stayed 3 nights in the Bohemian Hotel, which is a Marriott «boutique» Autograph hotel. This was the second time we stayed here. It will be the only place we stay when visiting family in the Orlando area.
We look forward to our next visit.

Went here for Christmas Eve dinner. It is right inside the Bohemian Hotel in Celebration. We opted to sit outside. BIG mistake. The mosquitos ate us alive. While the food was really good, we kept having to swat away the mosquitos throughout dinner. And then there were multiple geckos/​lizards running around all over the walls. This is central Florida, I get it. I’ve eaten at outdoor spots multiple times, but this was the most critters I’ve seen buzzing/​running around at a dining establishment.
They had a special menu for the holidays. I had the cinnamon scented carrot bisque with ginger crème fraîche. It was thick, hearty, and delicious. I could have had a large bowl of that soup with some good bread, and would have considered it a fantastic meal.
We ordered an artisan cheese plate to share at the table. It was a good spread. We cleaned the plate off.
For my entrée I had the filet mignon accompanied by mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. The filet itself was delicious, perfectly done and we’ll seasoned. The mashed potatoes were scrumptious, clearly made from scratch. And it was the most interesting vegetable mixture I’ve had. While the veggies were visually very appealing, I couldn’t eat as much as I wanted because they were very underdone, almost raw. There was one vegetable I couldn’t identify, but it was straight up bitter.
The service was a little spotty, we had to ask to have out drinks refilled twice. And then it took a long time for them to bring us our checks.

I live in Celebration and I love their patio on the lake but I am DONE going there because of the very poor service.
Last time we had dinner it took no less than 45 minutes to get our food from the moment we placed the order. It was raining outside so the patio was empty and not all the tables inside were used.
Another time we went to have breakfast with my inlaws and it took no less than 25 minutes for my mother in law to get a… TEA.
This morning we tried to have breakfast there and after telling the older gentleman in charge of seating patrons that we were in a rush and that the kids were hungry, no sign of a waiter for the next 15 minutes!
When a waiter finally arrived on the patio, I called him 3 times and he ignored me. I followed him inside and asked him whether he had heard me. He said «yes, but I was busy bringing this food inside.»
How rude. He could have acknowledged me and said «I’ll be with you in a minute.»
There were two waiters this morning and only 4 tables with patrons.
I am DONE patronizing this business. So little respect for customers.

We ate at the Lakeside Bar and Grill in the Bohemian Hotel (a pretty boutique hotel) on November 10, 2015. Boy are we happy we did. We were seated promptly. We had to sit inside as there was a private party outside due to the Food Festival being held that week prior. The lobby seating was nice. Well appointed. Our waitress Maria greeted us promptly and was very attentive. The bread and butter came quickly as did the wine from their more than adequate wine list. We had the She Crab soup (simply amazing), wanted to take some home. Creamy, tasty with plenty of crab. We had salad but I can’t remember which one but it was excellent also. We shared the Scallops with the citrus hot and sour glaze, baby carrots, radish (red inside-​white outside-​never had them before) sugar snap peas, golden beets and grape tomatoes. This entre did not disappoint. To top off the meal we had a slice of the salted caramel cheesecake. Fantastic. We can’t wait to return. We were also seated next to regulars Bill and Jean who provided perfect conversation throughout the meal. Thanks to the Lakeside Bar and Grill for delivering a truly wonderful meal.

I went to dinner here last night and it was my second time here. I walked in and waited at the hostess stand which is right in my lobby and probably stood there for a good 5 plus minutes without being helped. Many staff members including those at the bar, servers, and reservation desk saw me and did nothing which was awkward. The valet guy, Juan, saw me and immediately seated me. He cleaned off the table we wanted and was so polite and attentive. Note to bohemian you need more employees like Juan he gave exemplary customer service when all others ignored me. Food was good. I got the filet spring rolls and pork tenderloin dish. They currently have a magical dining menu and I even got 10% off that for being a resident. Desserts were good the salted Carmel cheesecake and lava cake were what we tried and I would recommend both. If you come mom-​wed you can get 25% off bottles of wine which is a good deal. I recommend dining outside its quiet and you can look at the beautiful lit up lake. Inside is a bit noisy.

What a pleasant surprise! The restaurant is in the lobby of the Bohemian Hotel and is excellent. Ambiance was casual with live guitarist playing starting at 7pm. We started with the quesadilla bites which were very tasty. For the entre, we had the salmon (wild) and the ginger chicken. Both were excellent and on par with any gourmet restaurant. We came during happy hour so the $ 5 glasses of wine were very nice. There are plenty of things to watch because of the lobby location and the food was 5-​star. We’ll be back despite the inattentive and slow wait service.

Yuck. Found a fly in my salad! The ambiance was cool, bohemian, but the tables were uncomfortable — I sunk so far into my cushioned seat that I felt like I needed a booster chair. My burger was piled high with bacon and cheese, but I found the meat to be grainy at medium temp and the burger fell apart as I ate it because the bun was close to stale. The price for this meal was astronomical.

Nice atmosphere. Slow service, poor food presentation, very over priced. I wouldn’t dine here again.

Nice happy hour away from the hustle and bustle of Orlando. Comfortable couches and cool outdoor seating over the water. Try the Filet Spring Rolls. Tasty.

Visited for Valentine’s Day — pretty décor but that was the best part of the evening. Seated quickly and waited so long for any form of service i went to the bar myself for drinks and took them back to table .Had to ask for bread and when waiter did arrive although polite he proceeded to ask us for our complete order without even explaining anything on the menu (it was a $ 60 set menu). As didn’t want to be too rushed we ordered the first two courses. The soup was tasty but cold, the lobster salad was lobster in name only and was two tiny pieces of something fishy. I had a Greek salad that was just a packet salad dumped on a plate with three cuts of feta, no olives, no oregano, dressing looked and tasted of nothing. For entrée lamb was was very tasty (they never asked how we wanted it) but supplied with vegetables that were so overcooked they could have been in a potpourri! My wife’s duck (again never asked how we would like it) was overcooked and bland. Then dessert … Whatever can they opened the strawberries flambé from it was basically stewed strawberries on a store bought frozen pound cake And to call it flambé with no flames and frozen was a joke ! I had cheesecake which again was clearly store bought tasted as such. Ultimately overpriced, poor service bland not homemade food made to make a quick buck. The bar good looked a better choice — won’t be returning after a ruined, expensive evening.

I really love this restaurant and location. The atmosphere and furniture is really classy and is a great date spot. There filet mignon eggroll is absolutely to die for.

Zachary Martin has returned to the Bohemian Hotel Celebration.
Chef Martin was at the property from 2008 through 2012, and with his return, the Bohemian Hotel Celebration has introduced a refreshed menu to its Lakeside Bar & Grill. The new menu features fresh Florida ingredients that focus on classic American foods with a southern contemporary twist. Born and raised in New Orleans, Chef Martin’s hometown roots have influenced his innovative culinary creations and his modern approach to classic cuisine. Chef Martin’s techniques and talents have been fine-​tuned through mentoring by the likes of Emeril Lagasse and Bernard Carmouche.
The refreshed menu is focused on locally sourced and sustainable ingredients from some of Florida’s best all natural farms like Waterkist Farms and Cahaba farms who grow most of their produce hydroponically. Other farms the hotel uses for ingredients like Pero Family Farms and Arc Farms, have a big focus on being environmentally friendly and being 100% sustainable farmers.
We started our evening off with a Summer Corn Bisque with citrus yogurt. The bisque was made with organic corn from Alderman farms, and was full of flavor in every bite. For the greens portion of our meal we had the Beets and Bleu. This salad is made with organic mixed greens, roasted beets, pickled red onions, bacon, and bleu cheese with an aged balsamic vinaigrette. I really enjoyed the salad and all of the unique flavors and textures. It was quite tasty, and was paired very nicely with the Kessler Chardonnay 2011
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Our next dish was the Crab Cake. The cake was served with shaved fennel, tomatoes, red onion salad, and a delicious champagne yogurt sauce. To continue on in our seafood selection we were treated to Chilean Sea Bass. The fish was topped with prawn butter and sat atop a bed of soba noodles, pea tendrils and shiitake mushrooms in a coconut curry sauce. The fish was nice and flaky and I thought the addition of a coconut curry sauce was a nice flavor enhancer. Both the crab cake and the sea bass were paired with a wonderfuly crisp Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc 2010.
Our final entrée of the evening was a Filet Mignon with summer roasted vegetables and roasted fingerling potatoes. The steak was topped with a fresh herb butter that helped it to literally melt in your mouth

I do enjoy going to happy hour at the Bohemian. I can bring friends and kids no problem. However, the service is not consistent. Some days they are very good and other days we are sitting there for 15 minutes with no sign of the wait staff. I like the location and you can sit outside and enjoy the lake view. Plus, they have live entertainment next to the bar most nights.

Unique setting in hotel lobby with live music every night. Conflicted due to Unilocal reviews and that we were staying there so very convenient. I had the scallops appetizer and sea bass in Thai coconut curry. Both were very good. I would’ve given 3.5 stars if possible. Overall experience close to 4 stars except that the mozzarella and tomato salad was served on a warm plate, the salad replaced the corn bisque which was quite awful and there was too much «sauce» in the sea bass dish.

We wanted a light meal so we stopped in for salads and flat bread. It was just what the doctor ordered. Service was great. Wine list was nice. The outdoor seating area is terrific. Interesting eclectic seating choices and very friendly staff.
We loved the art as well. A nice departure from your standard hotel bar.
I was quite surprised by our great experience based on previous Unilocal

Beautiful hotel. Not set up to serve food, especially not at the prices they were charging for a steak. Very slow service. Food was ok at best. Over cooked steak. Server did not check back to see how it was cooked until about 15 minutes into the entrees.
Will not be back.

Beautiful location on a lake in Celebration, but unfortunately the food and service is not up to par. Been here many times and would just recommend for relaxing drinks. Plenty of better eats within walking distance

Hm okay so I’ve always enjoyed drinks and whatever appetizer/​finger foods we’ve ordered here but our most recent visit in particular was unacceptable. The weather was perfect so we headed straight outside to the deck and grabbed a seat (since we were told it was self seating) and I kid you not, we waited 20 MINUTES until someone even came up to us to take a drink order! My husband was steamed and well past ready to just up and leave but I was enjoying the weather so much I wanted to just relax but I really did not appreciate how long it took for someone to acknowledge us and even when they did there was zero apology given. Drink quality they are a 4 star, location 5 star (right on the water in Celebration), but service from our last visit is a zero so I think my 3 star rating is VERY generous.

I have always wondered about the illustrious Bohemian Hotel in Celebration, as I live just down the road.
My expectations were quite high almost exclusively because of the hubbub around town about what a nice hotel it was. My dining partner and I came in originally because, at this time, it is a participant in Magical Dining month, and thought it would be a nice new thing to try, and again, I had heard that it was nice.
First things first: The restaurant isn’t really a restaurant, but a few tables sprinkled around the lobby and some on the back patio. Most of the tables in the lobby are coffee tables, so if you plan to eat there for an extended period of time, you should probably book a massage for the next morning.
Upon registering that we were actually standing in the lobby/​restaurant, I looked around for a hostess stand or a sign that said «Seat Yourself.» Alas, neither were to be found, and thereupon decided to go to the Front Desk and ask. Upon informing him of our desire for lunch, he said «Let me see if I can find a server.» He was the most helpful man of this whole endeavor. He found a server. She sat us at a table right next to a business meeting. I’m sure they weren’t particularly fond of us being 3 feet away, and neither were we, however, the table and chairs were of average height, and I didn’t want to sit at a coffee table. We politely asked for the Magical Dining menu (fixed price) and it was delivered promptly.
We ordered ice tea and a club soda with bitters, only to be given a club soda with lime and peach ice tea.
Several minutes later a different server came to our table and told us that we were not allowed to have the menu we had requested, it was only available at dinner. Seeing as how that was the reason we had decided to dine there, it was disappointing. We then asked for the regular menu, which took another minute to get to us.
Glancing through the menu, nothing was particularly interesting, or eye-​catching. Tuna Sandwich, Calamari, Caesar salad. None of the items that we had desired to order from the MD menu were available. I then saw the cocktail menu and decided to order a Dark and Stormy, and figured I needed something to eat along with it.
I ended up ordering the Tuna Sliders appetizer.
Come to find, there is no bartender on duty, so the servers must ask the manager to open the liquor storage area, which takes approx 5 minutes, another 3 minutes later I turn around to see both of the servers staring at the menu and trying to find the right rum to put in the drink. Then my newly appointed bartender-​server shakes my Dark and Stormy, and pours it into a highball glass. No ice. No nothing. Needless to say, I didn’t care for my flat ginger beer.
The other server brings it over and explains, they don’t have a bartender so they did the best they could and hoped it was right. It wasn’t. In fact it was pretty awful.
Then my food is arriving 20 minutes after I’ve ordered it, which for an appetizer seems strange. It appears even stranger when I realize that it is 2 potato buns with 2 thin slices of sesame edged tuna, a tablespoon of onions, and another tablespoon of bean sprouts. But in order to recognize all of that I had to turn my plate around, because the server put the plate down backwards.
I taste my appetizer, hoping it will redeem this already disastrous service, but to no avail. All I taste is bread and spice. The wasabi-​ketchup was overpowering the fish, and the bun was 3 times bigger than the actual fish portion. I did my due of giving it more than a one bite dismissal, took the bun off the other fish and proceeded to eat the contents of my slider. That would have been a delightful snack, but not $ 12 worth. I realize that it is a hotel restaurant so prices are a bit inflated, however, $ 12 for potato buns and nothing spectacular in between, left a bad taste in my mouth in more ways than one.
I asked for the check, immediately checked the bill and saw that my ice tea and the club soda sans bitters were $ 3 each. Well that was a surprise… I’ve never paid $ 3 for club soda before… apparently it was a very expensive lime garnish.
I waited for the server to pick up my credit card after 2 passes and removing my plate full of food. Upon paying and leaving, I knew I would never come back here, nor recommend it to any of my guests.
If all that was too much too read, here’s the long and short of it:
The service was slow, disengaged, unprepared, and unobservant.
The food was overpriced, underdeveloped, and not appetite-​inciting.
I’d like to say that I’ll give it another shot maybe in a few years, but this was by far one of the most disappointing dining experiences I’ve ever had.

So, I normally come here for happy hour every other week or so. The food and drinks are pretty solid, decently priced (~$ 5 each), and I love the atmosphere. With that said, the service REALLY needs work. It takes quite a bit of time before someone acknowledges that you are waiting, as well as getting served and receiving your food.
I had guests in town, so inquired about there Sunday brunch. The server said «It’s phenomenal» Well, since I am the first review, I had to take her word for it. So I called, was hung up on, called again, told that no one was available to take my call and left a message stating that I wanted to make reservations for brunch. I was told I would get a call back to confirm, but that did not happen. OK, no big deal, If they didn’t have my reservations we would go somewhere else.
So Sunday comes around, we go in and we actually had a table for 4 reserved. Great start. The brunch is $ 34.95 with all you can drink champagne and mimosas. The Bloody Mary bar is extra. I think $ 6 per Bloody Mary. One thing to note is that the «buffet» is relatively small and contains some peel and eat shrimp, thawed out mini bagels, cheese a few dessert items, and a carving station that was not manned with cold meat. You also get to order one item off of the menu (omelets, fish, chicken, etc)
The server came over took our order, and returned promptly with our drinks. Well, 3 of us got our drinks, the unlucky fourth got her drink spilled on her. ouch! The waitress apologized profusely, and proceeded to clean it up. While it was funny, I was expecting a manager to come over and apologize. Nope, not until 45 minutes later when I complained about how long it took for our food to come out.
I get it, people make mistakes and spill drinks, but I would expect that this would be handled immediately. When he finally came over he did comp us 2 of the 4 meals. Great gesture, but this should have been done sooner. I will definitely be back for happy hour, because, hey it’s cheap, but will probably avoid brunch i the future.
#Yelp100