Smuggler’s Wharf

Not bad. We went for New Years Eve dinner. Two prime rib specials, one much rarer and larger (better) than the other. Tasted fine, a little overwhelmed by the «smothered» mushrooms in balsamic sauce — just not my style. Service was excellent. Décor is retro nautical. Could be a cute place, but needs a little spiffing up.

Good food and view from the waterfront. Perch sandwich or choose your item sandwiches. Chowder & potato salad are very good as well

We were in Erie with my family and we needed a place to grab dinner. It needed to be within walking distance to our hotel and it needed to be casual. We’d had a very emotional day and were looking for solid food.
Smuggler’s Wharf hit the spot with us. We all stared with the soup. I had the she-​crab and the rest of the table had the clam chowder. My she-​crab was tasty and the perfect way to start my meal. Both Mom and I had the lobster rolls. It was a nice size roll with plenty of lobster pieces and not recognizable claw of knuckle meat. That’s not to say it wasn’t included, just they they make their rolls as more of a chopped lobster roll. The potato salad side had a spicy kick that I didn’t expect but I found it to be a really nice combination.
I recommend this as a solid non-​fancy place. Everyone liked the food more than they thought they would except for DH, but he just ordered the wrong thing.

This place is awful. The servers were friendly, but we ordered clam chowder, a salad, grilled cheese and fried shrimp and it took 35 minutes to get to the table. I could have done better myself in my kitchen and saved myself $ 35.00. Also, there was flies buzzing around the food and it was generally overpriced and underwhelming. Will not go back.

Great food and great service. My only qualm is the portion size of the meal that I ordered (6 oz. filet). I didn’t see an 8 oz option offered and was a little disappointed since I’m not a huge fan of a New York strip.
Our server was fantastic and ambiance was great… You won’t be disappointed by the view if you arrive just before sunset.
Be warned– if you eat outside, you will not be served a cold glass or glass bottle because they have a «no glass outside» policy.

This little humble abode is located on Lake Erie is my favorite restaurant in Erie. The outdoor patio has beautiful climbing flowers and vines covering the roof and walls creating a private dining experience. We always choose to sit inside where the view of the Lake is just as beautiful. The food has always surpassed our expectations and will continue to eat here when we are in town. The only issue we may experience is trying to figure out what we are going to eat next because everything has been so good.

As a former Erie-​ite, I finally got down to the pier and enjoyed a long overdue date night with the husband. We decided to try out this restaurant based on some family recommendations. The location is obviously great, right on the bay overlooking the water. It was a nice warm evening and sitting outside with that view was nice. Now the problems with sitting outside: the tables are tiny with almost no room to put anything, some of the tables have ivy in your face and your beverages come in a plastic cup. Including wine. Now part of me understands that but part of me is also like, we’re adults, can I please have my wine in an actual glass if I’m paying this much for it?
The food was so-​so. I got the perch which was pretty good as well as the mashed potatoes and mushrooms that came with it as my sides. I don’t usually eat fried fish so it did get a little greasy for me halfway through but such is the nature of that. My husband got the sea bass which came out very dry and not tasty at all. He got the same sides and enjoyed those as well. I guess it’s hard to screw up fried fish but if you want it actually cooked another way, think about ordering something else.
The wait staff was pretty good, friendly and nice and she came over to check on us a few times but wasn’t in your face.
Overall, not sure I would recommend going here but probably wouldn’t advise against it either. It’s one of those «meh» places.

Be careful what you order, but if you go with a typical seafood fave, you should be safe. The outdoor seating looks nicely across the water, which worked well for our sunset dinner. My crab cake sandwich was good, my friend’s chicken pasta dish, not so much. Would recommend for the Erie experience, but not exactly anything outstanding.

This is one of my favorite spts in Erie. Consistently good. Sometimes outstanding. Alas, this time it was good, but not outstanding. Service was very good. She crab soup is normally among the best I’ve had anywhere in the country. This time it was good, but not up to their own excellent standards. I had Carribbean jerk chicken, wuich was excellent. My spouse had crabcakes. Which she said were not as good as usual. But still good. Beer served in paper cups. We were seated outside.
All said, it was good, as expected, but superior which is normally the experience here. We will be back, as their «so so» good is much better than many places very best. Ambiance is always great.
With such a spectacular location, good food is likely good enough. Prices are not bad. Menu is creative and diverse. Something for everyone.
I would recommend this spot to anyone visiting Erie. It’s well worth amending plans to fit it in. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have over the years. I am a former Erie resident. And to get here a couple times a year, when visiting.

The service was very good. Very friendly, very nice.
The atmosphere was quite noisy, our table (for 2) was small as a stamp.
The food was awful. I’m really sorry, but I don’t see a way to say it nice. Cheap, fried food for too much money.
I would not recommend it to anyone.
One star for the nice waitress and one for the location at the lake.

The atmosphere is really cool. Service is not bad, but I had to wait a while for the server to come over and greet me. Another table that got sat 5 mins after me actually got waited on first. The choice beers are good. The soup is amazing. I had the crab cake as my lunch entrée and was disappointed because it tasted very dry and over breaded. I came here for lunch. Was working in the area and had never been here before. The restaurant has a great view of the lake.

Solid three star because of view. Come for cold beer and views and you won’t be disappointed

The first strike occurred when we arrived and saw that the restaurant has no handicapped parking spaces – despite there being spaces directly in front of the entrance. That should be unthinkable thee days. The entrance way was narrow and peculiarly dark at night, kind of weird.
As some other reviews indicate, this is the kind of place that stays business because of its waterfront location, not its food. They décor was standard gray-​wood seaside, though the fireplace was a nice touch. The food was OK, nothing more. Scallops were cooked OK, but very plain and swimming in butter. The fried trout was fried well enough, but had no real flavor, even lacking in salt. The fries were average. The one nicer addition was the option of a side of sautéed portobello mushrooms. These were pretty good, but quickly became one-​note, and couldn’t really raise the overall meal quality by much. The service was forgettable. We got what we needed, mostly with an attitude of indifference.
Many of the those eating were older people, including a number with oxygen and walkers. See my note above about the absence of handicapped parking! You should treat your customers better.

I picked this place because it was near the hotel, and had an interesting appearance. I kind a like the old-​fashioned smuggler/​pirate theme.
The menu starts off with sandwiches, they have a vast variety of options.
I ordered what amounts to a Reuben sandwich. The sandwich also came with a pickle wedge, and potato salad. It was served in a basket.
With this I ordered the clam chowder.
The claim chowder was great. Very flavorful lots of clam, diced potatoes, and celery that was not cooked into oblivion.
The sandwich was also very good. The meet was tender, and there was plenty of it. Just the right amount of cheese and sauerkraut. The dressing was served on the side, so if you don’t like how much you got it’s your own fault.
The only thing I can think of to complain about, was the potato salad. Let’s just say skip it, and order the coleslaw.
The service was friendly and prompt.
Overall a nice place to eat, I will likely drop by again, if I’m ever staying in Erie.

Beautiful view of the water and since we like to support local businesses over chains we ended up here instead of The Sheraton for lunch.
Let’s say: sitting outside you probably have no problems, but after a look inside (had to go to the ladies) my appetite shrunk. Dirty is a too big word, and my English is not that well equipped that I have several options to choose from, but something in the range of dirty, smutty, unclean would be appropiate.
Despite that (my hubby told me tot ‘get over it’) I had a reasonable meal. Put my sandwich together out of the given options. All veggies on grilled sourdough. Mediocre, like the service.
If you have other options: don’t go there. If not, you probably will survive.

This place is fantastic! Awesome atmosphere friendly staff and the FOOD. You have to get the potato salad. It’s drier, which I tend to prefer. The patio seating is amazing with a picture perfect view of Lake Erie. Also, prices are reasonable. This is Pennsylvania comfort food at it’s best.

Good food at fair prices in a nice setting.
TERRIBLE SERVICE! The bar tender pitched in the make it right thankfully.
Where is the manager? Should be fired.

This place offers exceptional seafood.
However, the service could be much better.
If you dine here, expect to be waiting a lot.

It’s a really nice setting since its located right next to pier, clean and rather well appointed. Food wise, however, it doesn’t amount to much. I can’t believe any crab ever fell into my crab soup, the lobster roll I had seemed to be more about other things than it was about lobster with the roll itself being more akin for use with hot dogs than lobster. I’ve also had their prime rib special here on several occasions, nothing special and rather mediocre.
The best bet I found on the menu was their Great Lakes Yellow Perch.
In all, the place is more about enjoyment of location and setting rather than food.

For such a beautiful spot right on the bay I’d hope for a little better food. Everything on the menu looked promising. i was especially excited to see a brunch menu when I came in on Sunday afternoon. I had the Mediterranean omelet. What I had hoped would be an omelet packed full of veggies was really a meager helping of veggies with a ton of egg and cheese. Bummer, as it could have been tastier that way. I had an inkling the hashbrowns were straight outta the freezer section at Walmart. They had that «cut too perfect» look about them.
To be honest, I’d still come here to maybe enjoy some apps and drinks, but I don’t know if I’d come for a full meal. It’s a shame too… such a prime spot! Especially the beautiful vine laden deck. Who am I kidding? I’ll be back just to sit on that deck. They can’t mess up beers, right?