Hawkeye Bar & Grill

A beautiful venue overlooking the magnificent grounds of The Otesaga Hotel and Otsego Lake, headwaters of the Susquehanna River. It was only complimented with excellent food and service. Nice wine selection as well.

Lovely waitstaff, obliging manager, beautiful setting but… the food was a great disappointment. The salad greens were wilted, the fingerling potatoes seriously under cooked, the blackened red snapper not blackened and poorly prepared. On the other hand, the substitute polenta was excellent and the manager «sweetened» the experience by giving us desserts of our choice on the house. Perhaps, it was chef’s night out? I hope so for future guests

This was our first experience with dining at the Hawkeye Bar & Grill. Reservations were easy to make on line, received an e mail confirmation immediately. Upon arrival we were seating right away, offered a cocktail, and then handed the menu. Everything was a positive experience, and can’t wait to return. Also, the noise level was low so we were able to have a discussion at the table unlike other restaurants.

This place has beautiful scenery if you sit outside as we did for my 40^th bday in September. It was a little chilly but they have heat lamps which was a nice touch and kept us warm. The food was very good, I had the French Onion soup for app and a chicken entrée, I can’t remember exactly which one but it was good. We have a summer home up this is a beautiful place to go while we are up that way.

Overly cooked meatloaf, way too much un-​crushed peppercorn in the spinach. Very dry pecan cake. Way too many knats and flies around the table. But the waitress was nice. A «fail» considering the price.

Service was very very slow.
Waitress was very forgetful.
Food was dry.

We ate here last weekend for my mom’s 70^th birthday celebration. We were seated at a corner table out on the patio and it was absolutely gorgeous, with beautiful views of the lake. The food was excellent — we had a range of entrees at our table from burgers to vegetable napoleon to steak, and they were all really good.
The service was very good as well — another table bought us a round of drinks and then my brother bought them a round back. That’s a painful process for servers to ring up and handle logistically, but they were great about it. They also got the harpist (not a normal thing, she was playing a wedding the next day and trying to make some money the night before) to play Happy Birthday for my mom, and brought her a cupcake with a cute edible happy birthday sign on it.
Really enjoyed our dinner here, and most importantly, my mom did, too. Would absolutely come back when we get up to Cooperstown again.

Big disappointment. It was my daughter’s birthday. Food was mediocre at best. Ordered three appetizers. The crab & artichoke dip was a joke, it was too many chips & not enough dip — we only found one small piece of crab. The blended eggplant topped with Greek olives was just a tablespoon & Luke warm (I think it was supposed to be cold). The Caesar salad had very little dressing. I asked the waitress & none of the dressings are made in house — another big disappointment for a finer dinning establishment. The balsamic vinegar was sweet — a sure sign it was not house-​made. Dinner entrees: two prime ribs, pesto ravioli made with goat cheese — no ricotta. Reuben with Marble bread — no rye, which is classic!
Prime rib — baked potato was dry, the prime ribs were Luke warm at best. The sweet potato fries were burnt, and one dinner didn’t come with a vegetable — when pointed out to waitress she brought a serving of over salted asparagus.
Desert was okay, except the scoop of ice cream on top of the chocolate chip cookie was less than a tablespoon worth– joke!
$ 150. For a dinner of 4. Definitely not worth it, will not return or recommend.
Manager is welcomed to contact me to discuss further.

It was a busy Saturday night, but the service was exceptional. It definitely felt like a country club, but more relaxed. We enjoyed our comfort food meals; meatloaf and beef stew but the crab cake starter was remarkably delicious. No draft beers but the piping hot bread basket made up for it! Overall a good value.

We just returned from the Hawkeye and I’m moved to write about what a great experience it was. The bread is insanely good. We split the crab cake appetizer which was the best I’ve had. This dish was the real deal and very hard to find great crab cakes out. The rest of the meal was terrific and our waiter, Patrick, was so attentive and kind he really made it a great night! I can’t say enough. Lovely place!

Located on the lower level of a beautiful Otesaga Hotel with sweeping lake views, the Hawkeye is a class act all around. If you sit inside, you’ll enjoy the cozy and dark confines that feels a lot like a dining room and lounge of a country club. Being located next to a golf course only adds to the club vibe.
During our visit, it was cold and dark and December. We arrived a bit early for dinner, but the maitre d’ let us in anyway and served us drinks. We then grabbed a table next to the fire place. Oh, the romance. Can’t beat that on a wintery night.
Food-​wise, expect your traditional hearty American fair with a few local twists. We tried the French onion soup and roasted squash hummus for starters. The soup was perfect — savory and served piping hot, exactly what you’d want and expect from a place like the Hawkeye. The hummus was light and fresh and served with flatbread on the side.
We split the meatloaf for our entrée. I have to say I appreciate that they served us equal servings on two smaller plates (rather than expect us to split it up ourselves). The meatloaf was a ground beef and italian sausage blend and tasted hearty and delicious. Mashed potatoes and spinach were served on the side.
Don’t come here expecting any new surprises. Rather, come for the comfort of a few drinks, a good meal and great company.

The atmosphere is really nice beside the lake. The food was above average. Ordered the Beef on Weck and family had burgers. Both very good. Read the prior reviews and was hesitant but pleased overall. Service was good and food was prompt.

If you get there early for lunch you can get a seat outside overlooking the lake. It is quite scenic.
The staff is friendly and service is prompt.
We had the fish tacos and the fish and chips. Both were very good. The fish in the tacos was grilled, which we prefer over fried, and they came topped with avocado. The fish and chips was fried in an ommegang stout. The batter was very good as was the fish.
Only downside is that they don’t have any beers on tap. They serve a good variety of ommegang beers but they are all in bottles.

The service was slow and the prices did not match up to the food quality. The «artisan» tomato soup tasted like slightly warmed chunky marinara sauce. Skip the food and maybe just go in for a couple of drinks or dessert and take in the beautiful view which was why we decided to go there in the first place.

My girlfriend and I came here around 2pm on a Saturday to enjoy the view and some cocktails. We requested seats on the patio and were lead to a table right on the cusp of where the patio ends, facing the water, which was perfect. This was about the highlight of the experience.
We ordered cocktails, they took forever and were just ok, a little watered down but that is someone expected at a place like this. I had to get up and go inside to get a server to order more drinks, which they took a while to bring out, we were in no hurry so it didn’t grate on us too much at that point.
In ordering the third round, we managed to get the attention of a server who wandered outside and also took the opportunity to ask who was actually responsible for the patio service, as we had dealt with three different people already, mind you; the restaurant and patio were practically empty as it was nearing the end of the prime golf season, late September to be exact. The waitress didn’t know, so we asked if whoever it was, when they found out, could check on us periodically so we could routinely get drinks. We also requested waters, which we had to ask again for.
This is where it got weird. After we got our waters, they brought the check over; this is around 4:45pm. We were not finished, so I asked if they needed me to provide a credit card for the tab, as I didn’t ask for the check. The waitress said oh, well we are opening for dinner soon, so we were going to close you out… What? I told her we weren’t done and asked her to kindly bring us another round. The setting was too good to pass up and we were enjoying our conversation along with the perfect weather.
It took them at least 15min to bring out our drinks, at which point they asked if we were finished. I asked if there was a problem with us being on the patio, because we were enjoying it there and wanted to stay a little longer to enjoy the sunset. She seemed confused, left and never returned.
At about 5:30, they sat about 4 tables on the patio area for dinner. A few were close to the hotel and a few close to us, the ones that wanted to enjoy the view I suppose. Despite servers passing by over and over again, they would either tell us they would be right with us or that they would get someone to come by and take our food order, we were hungry at this point. Nobody came by and finally I got up and went inside to find someone to take our order. There was an older woman standing near the bar and I asked if we could have menus and table settings so we could order dinner, she turned out to be the manager. She asked if we were done with our cocktails, I was confused and said well yes, but we want to order dinner. She told me that the outdoor tables were reserved for dinner parties as they were larger than the inside tables. I said that’s fine, then I gave her my order, at which she again said, well if you wouldn’t mind moving inside we will serve you in here. I laughed at her and told her to give me the check.
I went and got my girlfriend and paid, we had spent a considerable amount on mediocre drinks. I left no tip, at which point the manager looked right up after me handing it to her and told me that it was entirely unacceptable for me not to leave a gratuity. I told her she was lucky to be employed as stupid and useless as her and her staff were, and subsequently told her I would be looking forward to having a conversation with the hotel manager. She was not pleased. I was very very upset and my girlfriend was also unhappy. If we weren’t a bit more mellow than usual from the cocktails we would have been much more pissed off.
These people in Hicktown USA think they are entitled to fleece tourists in a blatant, rude fashion, and still be rewarded for that sort of behavior. The next day I walked through the banquet room to see the breakfast buffet, at which point a waitress ran over and loudly instructed me to remove my hat, in front of other people waiting. I told her to get out of my face and get back to work before I made a scene. She did. I was dressed for golf and there were no dress codes posted or insinuated. It was again, weird. In defense of this establishment, most of the restaurants we ate at in Cooperstown had the same attitude towards tourists, so I can’t fault them for being status quo…
Enjoy the view, and you won’t enjoy the service. Can’t have everything.

A little sleepy, as we visited pre-​Memorial Day. Nate the bartender took great care of us, and was an excellent Ambassador to the Hawkeye & soon to reopen Hotel.

We asked most of the locals what their favorite restaurant to go to was and they overwhelmingly said Hawkeye. It wants to be a really upscale restaurant (I heard there is one on the second floor where it’s formal attire) but this can be more casual. Service was outstanding. The food was good, not excellent, but very good. Some items can be on the more pricey side but all in all it was reasonable and would go back again.

Chose this restaurant for the patio area overlooking the lake. Beautiful view.
Was disappointed with the service. Waited over 15 minutes for drink order to be taken. Had to ask for a glass of water 3 times before it arrived.
Ordered the quiche special of the day. When it finally came out, it was cold in the middle. They took it back and made a new one. It was removed from my bill. In the meantime, my child complained about her hot dog. It was cold. Not sure if it was cooked. Husband liked his hamburger.
Overall, it was extremely slow service and food was not great.
Recommend for cocktails and views, not food.

Casual restaurant in an AAA 4 Diamond resort near the Baseball Hall of Fame. Nice view along the lake with outdoor seating available. We ordered the 12 oz. pork chop and ½ chicken. Both were good. Enjoyed the sweet potato fries with the pork. A little pricy but expected in a resort. Service was attentive but a little below the quality expected at a 4 diamond resort.

Like most people, I didnt know if this place was casual or formal or what. I had to call to find out if there was a dress code. There was not. So I walk in in my t-​shirt and jeans and boy did I feel out of place. No dress code, but everyone was dressed up. Awk. Ward. Whatever.
The food was awesome. A little pricey, but it was worth it. Drinks were kinda expensive as well. Weird I had 2 separate bills even though I ordered food and drinks at my table…