The Landing Restaurant

Save yourself! Been here 5 times and each time was a horrible experience. I’m a person that doesn’t like to complain unless I’ve really had a rough time and rough time just begins to explain this dining experience. I’ve lived in the area for 5 years and this is the worst restaurant around. Wait staff never seems to be happy, menu is over complicated, pasta served uncooked, $ 30 meat served ice cold, and just plain and simple– it is not an enjoyable experience. My party waited 2 hours and we thought that was painful enough then we heard a complaint happening just behind us where they had waited 3 hours before getting their entrees after asking for their server several times. You’re paying a big bill for a horrible meal. Just don’t do it. I never plan on returning.
Other options around Smith Mountain Lake I would recommend: Jake’s Place, Heath’s Restaurant, Portside, Mitchell’s Point Restaurant, and pretty much anything else besides Bernard’s Landing.

If you’re coming from out of town I would suggest skipping this establishment. We came through the area for a weekend getaway and some wine tasting. We made sure to put this restuarant on our agenda for the day as it came highly recommended. We were overall disappointed. Wait staff were overwhelmed with a less than full dining room. The food was underseasoned across the board. Simply put, we wish we had gone somewhere else. Given the number of good things we had heard about the restaurant, it simply didn’t live up.

Wow! Absolutely the BEST dining experience! The moment we parked I was in love! You enjoy a beautiful view of the lake as you walk down to the door. As you enter you immediately feel at home and the view gets better! We felt welcomed and special. Tiffany (the mama bear. lol)came to our table and made sure we were accommodated and comfortable. Now the food!!! WOW! The sea bass was perfection on a bed of mushroom risotto and a wonderful sauce. I was so delighted with my dish, I had to taste what everyone else had. lol…the meatballs are delicate and bold and so flavorful I could not just take one bite. The pasta is homemade melts in your mouth. Now imagine sitting at the table with loved ones, enjoying a perfect meal and the VIEW!!!

It has been 2 years since eating here and after all that time this place is still delicious. We started out with a Duckhorn Wine Tastimg dinner and oh my, what an experience. We had a very nice variety of dishes paired with such wonderful wines. Oysters, lamb, duck confit, seared beef, French style potatoes, handmade pastas. It was all so incredible, we came back twice more while here!
Prices are very reasonable, especially for all the effort put into each dish. It is all fresh ingredients, different styles of cooking for each dish. A French style duck confit and then Peruvian chicken. I wanted to try it all!
Each dining experience was different and wonderful. Barbara was knowledgable, pleasant and just a joy.
Tiffany and Bruno love food and it sure does show in each dish we choose. Thanks guys!

Ok so I tried this place out and I must say the outside of the place looks pretty nice the inside is also nice. When we sat down it took 5 minutes for anyone to acknowledge us, they were busy so I chalked it up to being busy. We ordered drinks and they were very weak, tastes like they didn’t add any alcohol I asked the server about it and she said that they pour them a little light in case people are driving home. I didn’t understand that really we were only having one drink. Strange. So we ordered our food and it finally came my fish actually tasted like it had bleach on it. It was some of the most nasty fish I have ever had. My veggies had some plastic melted in it, showed the server and they said «sorry it’s where we opened the bag after microwaving it» gross people save your $ and don’t go here. Nasty

Waited an hour for our 7PM reservation!!! Why even offer reservations if you don’t RESERVE the table? The food was over priced and just so-​so. My steak was way overcooked and service has never been very good. When we complained about our meal (something I rarely ever do), nothing. No manager, no attempts to make it right. Nothing!!! If you can’t grill a steak medium rare (not well done) you shouldn’t be serving steak!
Nice views of the lake, but I think I’ll eat somewhere else!

We had dinner at Bruno’s Pub tonight. It was the best meal we have had at the lake, after coming here for 9yrs. Oysters, Ahi Tuna, and Rock Shrimp. Each one was fantastic and unique, along with a great IPA beer selection. Great service and very friendly bar patrons. This boat accessible restaurant will have a return visit from us soon. Thanks for a lovely, outside, waterfront dinner.

Food was good. Service was good. As long as you got lucky enough to get an item on menu they actually have available.
Chicken was out. Vegetables were out. 4 other items out and the one dessert everyone wanted was out. Fried apple pie
Good luck

I had a very nice dinner here last Wednesday night. It was DEAD — I think there were 2 – 3 people in the bar when we dined here but we sat in the dining room alone and had dinner after a long drive to Bernard’s for my birthday weekend.
We were promptly greeted by our waitress who was a friendly older lady dressed smartly. She was proficient and prompt with everything we asked her for and she was affable throughout the course of our meal.
After ordering drinks (water) — we were brought fresh bread with some seriously frozen butter, and a small little appetizer bite of a potato with some avocado and pickled red onion. I had the seared ahi tuna appetizer which was very good and it came with a ton of tuna. I ordered the field green salad also as my meal and added bleu cheese. I can’t remember exactly what came on it but it was something like field greens, pears, dates, nuts, and something else. It came with a TON of bleu cheese.
I asked for a non-​alcoholic drink and they mixed up something fruity for me which was pretty yummy.
My fiancée ordered the penne pasta that came with chicken, sausage and shrimp but my fiancée wanted only the chicken. I asked for the sausage and shrimp on the side which they happily accommodated (since they weren’t busy they offered to cook it in different pans since my fiancée is so picky about tastes). When it came out it was a large portion of sausage and shrimp with huge shrimp — easily enough to be a full meal portion. The cream sauce was very yummy. We both enjoyed it.
I was offered a warm brownie for my birthday as we had mentioned that was why we were in town but I’m not much of a sweet eater so we declined the offer and my fiancée ordered the apple tart. It was warm and fresh and soft — the crust was soft and the apples were soft too. I had a few bites and really enjoyed it but my fiancée LOVED it and he’s picky about baked apple desserts.
Great food and a nice quiet dining experience is what we had here — it was very pleasant.

Best bar atmosphere at the lake! Friendly service and high quality food.

I live 3 hours away and would drive back just to have dinner. Service was out of this world so was the delivery and taste of the food. This was an experience I did not mind paying for. If you want a treat this is the place to go.

My entire family makes the Landing Restaurant a regular visit when we are at Smith Mountain Lake. As one of the few actual waterfront restaurants that are accessible by boat, and clearly the best quality food, wine, and beer of any of them — you should definitely plan to visit. Great casual eating in the bar. Outdoor seating on the deck in summer is great. And the restaurant is very nice as well. Ahi tuna, calamari, burgers, steaks, pasta — it’s all good. Also its historical. The bar was originally a tiki hut built by the cast of the movie «What about Bob» with Richard Dryfus and Bill Murray as the crew stayed on property during filming nearby on the lake and needed a bar. Check it out!

This was our first time to The Landing. The food was the only thing that excelled during our visit. Our waiter was horrible. He had his e cigarette holstered to his hip and it was clear he was in a pissy mood. He continually advised us the chef won’t differ from the menu when asked about prior dishes on the menu and got snippy with our 7 year old when he politely asked for a bottle of ketchup for his burger.
The bill had to be tweaked twice just to get it right and he wasn’t happy either time. He insinuated we should just work it out amongst ourselves unless we wanted to wait a long time. Our bill for our table was $ 400 and this clown got an automatic 20% because we had a party of 9 (5 were kids under 13). He may be the rudest waiter I have seen at an upscale restaurant and definitely didn’t deserve the $ 80 tip that was automatically added in.
Again, food was great but this guy made our first experience here a terrible one. This guy needs to learn a little customer service.

Self proclaimed foodie here who has eaten in Michelin-​star restaurants, I can say the food was incredible. We had the Thai mussels app, and I could have sipped the broth up with a straw; however, it arrived 55 minutes after we had been seated. The kitchen did send out a complementary amuse bouche, but my server referred to it as «something to entice my appetite.» Seriously? Perhaps some front of the house education is in order, I waited 55 minutes for an app, my appetite was BEYOND enticed. I had the Chilean sea bass with mushroom risotto. Again flawless. The flavor that is coaxed out of the sauces in the kitchen is nothing short of magical. My husband had a surf and turf special — a filet with a cherry sauce and a crab cake with veggies and mashed potatoes delish! While waiting for the crème brûlée napoleons we ordered for dessert we were privileged to overhear a sever discuss the sputum from his recent illness, and watch another server pick her underwear out of her buttock, again — FRONT OF THE HOUSE EDUCATION? I generously give four stars because the food here is absolutely exquisite for moment I could forget the barbaric front of the house; however the front of the house staff may as well work at your local diner.

Lost our reservation for group of 10. Waited two hours after seated. Food was good and waitress brought lots of bread. Don’t go hungry

What an amazing dining experience at The Landing restaurant. We shared a Caesar salad that was perfect. Then I had the Chilean Sea Bass with mushroom risotto and it was incredible — with just the faintest touch of heat. So incredibly flavorful. My girlfriend had a fantastic filet mignon that was cooked perfectly to a medium temperature with great flavor. The mashed potatoes and collard greens were great. Our stunning server Diane was icing on the cake. She was knowledgable about the menu and steered us in the absolute right direction… and she was FUN. The owner, Bruno, spoke with us for a while — and was a gracious host. What an unexpectedly awesome experience! If you’re ever in the area be sure to treat yourself to The Landing restaurant experience!

We live on the property and have been to The Landing on many occasions. The service has never been good for a «5 Star» restaurant but we go for the food, ESP. The Monday night steak. My husband ate at the bar once and it was so bad he wrote on the bill that this was the worst service ever. No relief whatsoever from the management.
On our last visit, a Monday steak night, we waited over an hour and forty minutes for our food. I wanted to leave several times but could not get my husband to go. During this time we had no apologies, nor were we given any concessions while we waited like maybe more bread or something as we sat starving. Another couple with a different waitress at least got more bread. They finally cancelled their order as they lost their appetite.
It was busy when we arrived, but by the time our order went in it was emptying out. At times I saw both owners in the kitchen, but they could not handle it either. They should have been out apologizing to the cusomers and let the kitchen do their job. If you claim to be a 5 Star restaurant, you can handle a packed house… Not here. Considering the history of substandard service, we will not be going back.

LOVE this truck!
I dont know about the restaurant. I am only talking about the truck!
Duck fat Yummy!

The Landing is the «best» place on Smith Mountain Lake according to the many locals… maybe for carnivores. but as a vegetarian, be prepare for a second class experience. The sign in the bar says it all «I didn’t work my way up the food chain to become a vegetarian». Well, I can see that this chef doesn’t really care and it shows.
There aren’t really any veg options on the menu. We asked the server what the chef could do. She said they can make a vegetable plate with sides. For $ 21 we got a scoop of mashed potatoes, some sauteed zucchini and some steamed asparagus. The asparagus has nothing on it… they didn’t even prepare/​season it! Lesson learned not to trust the chef at this restaurant (I saw the anti vegetarian sign after the meal, and it started to all make sense.)
The beet salad had some mixed greens and 4 slices of beets, hardly a beet salad in my book. The bread was ok, but the butter is hard! What high end restaurant serves hard butter? My wife and I found our meal disappointing and hope our family doesn’t ask us to go back to pay the exorbitant prices. It’s really not anything I’d write home about. In the end I picked up the tab for my half of the table and with drinks and a meal for three people it was almost $ 200. Ok, I’ll confess I don’t get to high end restaurants all that often, but to pay that kind of money for a less then mediocre meal was not the highlight of our visit.

Just about always five stars for this restaurant! Bruno and Tiffany do a wonderful job. Bruno is the chef and his food is the best at the lake. This restaurant also could easily receive the same rating if it were located in an area with a bigger population.
Bruno makes great use of fresh vegetables and has several signature dishes. Many people like the tempura green beans. I also recommend the tuna duet and the rack of lamb. If you go in the summer, watch for fresh-​grown tomato dishes that are just wonderful.
You have a lovely view of the lake from just about every seat in the house.