Lago del Pino

We’ve been to Lago several times so I’m writing my review based on a collective experience. Most of my visits have resulted in good food, great views, and average wait staff.
This last visit was a huge disappointment. There were several flies bugging us the entire time we ate, the temperature was 82 INSIDE and the steak and fish were overlooked and not presented as the menu suggests (no bur blanc).
It’s a nice place to visit for the views but consistency seems to be an issue.

We made reservations for Father’s Day and, as foreigners to Texas, looked forward to our meal.
We arrived, greeted immediately, and asked whether we preferred to eat inside or outside by the lake. We chose inside because of the temperature and could still see the water.
The waitress arrived within three minutes and announced there was no menu but, only a buffet. There was an option to order off the appetizer menu. The mimosas were made to order in different flavor. You are the bartender, however, and need to make your own drinks.
The buffet is sub par with the option of a waffle made in advance of your trip to the buffet or a quasi omelette made with a choice of ingredients. There are other gourmet choices like scrambled eggs, sausage or bacon (read with sarcasm).
Disappointed with my trip to the «buffet» I ordered Chipotle Hummus off the appetizer menu. Thought perhaps this might be better and, you guessed it, boring, blasé and almost tasteless.
No return trip for us unless there are some additions to the kitchen staff that possess some talent. Ambience was mediocre. The A/​C was puny and will require the addition of functional ceiling fans to make it cooler than 80 degrees.
Parking was acceptable and a drop off available. There appeared to be a valet stand but, it was not manned.
Overall, not a top recommendation for Sunday brunch. Based on the experience, a restaurant that will not get a second chance for any meal.

We use to come to this little place on Sunday’s for brunch. The service was usually terrible but we kept coming back for $ 3 mimosas (obviously worth it) but when we went yesterday they had changed their brunch to a gross $ 17.99 buffet with eggs, sausage, and waffles that would have fit perfectly in a free hotel breakfast at motel 6. And the mimosa are now $ 6 so I don’t plan on going back. It’s sad, the scenery and the décor exude class. Too bad nothing else about that place does, overpriced and underwhelming. And the host can’t smile to save her life.

The ribeye was «good» but it was sterling silver beef and I’m not a fan of that. Get CAB and you’ll have the best steaks! Service was adequate but not what you’d expect for a place like this. We sat through our entire dinner with telamundo on the TV with all text in Spanish. Looked around and the only Hispanic people in the building were the staff so this makes me wonder where your priorities are. If you really catered to your guests (paying customers) you might offer a television program that the majority would want to watch. Also, the staff could not answer any questions about future events, told me to go to the website. Should have just told me they did not know, leave me alone. Not a good experience overall so it’s no wonder there was a small crowd on a Friday night.

This was THE weirdest place I think I’ve ever eaten. Disappointing because the property is absolutely stunning. Unlike most reviews, I didn’t find the service to be bad. It wasn’t exceptional by any means, but it was adequate. The food, on the other hand, was super marginal, especially for the prices. The atmosphere was also very odd. We sat indoors, and it was the most uncomfortable dining experience I’ve had in a long time. It was dead silent, and they had no music playing. I live in Austin and was just there visiting for the weekend. Top notch restaurants are on every corner in Austin, so maybe I was just expecting too much for a little town like Tyler. Definitely won’t be running back anytime soon for the food unfortunately.

Well, to start, the food was pretty bland with small proportions. The waiter messed up my grandma’s order, then took twenty minutes to give us her actual order. The rest of us were done eating when she started. Our glasses were constantly empty and the waiter rarely bussed our table. My mom’s BLT was light on the T and the B. AND the waiter just made a bunch of mistakes, like serving me rice and beans instead of the sweet potato fries it was supposed to come with. Which would normally be ok cuz it’s healthier, but there were sooo bland. Ugh. Now that I think about it, I can’t think of anything I liked about it. I’m gonna bump this down to one star. I don’t recommend it. :(

Beautiful venue. Good food. Absolutely terrible service. I blame management for failure to train.

This is my «go to» for ambiance and a night out overlooking the water! Nice place to bring out of town friends. Very fun! The food is pretty good. I have had better, but the environment is incomparable! I hope they continue to do well! Love lago del pinot!!!

Ambiance is nice! Food is decent. Service is lacking. In my opinion, due to lack of mgmt. I’ll go back because ambiance is so good but I’ll get apps & drinks with low expectation of service.

This place is absolutely the best place I’ve ever been to. I love this place so much I would give it 100 stars if I could. I have been here 5 times now, for all kinds of meals. I’ve had brunch, lunch, dinner, and many drinks here. I’ve come for Valentine’s Day, date, casual brunch, lunch after church, and just a casual meal and it was wonderful for each experience.
First off, the food is beautifully served and is delicious in every way. Their salmon was cooked to perfection and their steak was juicy and delicious. Their mashed potatoes were amazing, as was their Mac and cheese, as with their classic fries. I’ve had a BLT here and a classic brunch, both which were amazing. My date thoroughly loved her meals here as well.
The drinks are a whole different story. This place has a full bar for those who enjoy beer, liquor, or wine. I’ve had all three and they were all great and I especially love the wine. The drinks are especially reasonably priced and made well. I love the moscato they serve here as it’s cheap at $ 7 and their moscato is Terra D’oro 2014 which was absolutely delicious.
As for the ambience, it is a little upscale but it is wonderful. I love the calm, peaceful serenity and beauty of sitting outdoors or even indoors and looking on to the lake. I love the calm breeze rushing through your hair as you enjoy a nice glass of wine to a live performance. The people who work here and eat here are all friendly and nice and it is so much fun socializing with more than just your group. It’s a perfect spot especially for a romantic dinner date or even a date for a change of pace for you people in long term relationships as well. Everyone here truly has that southern hospitality and southern kindness.
Prices are more than fair for what you are getting. For the extreme taste and quality of everything here, the prices are even low in some regards.
And just for good measure, I have to reiterate how amazing this place is. The beauty of the place mixed with the quality truly makes it one of a kind and my favorite place ever. We always take pictures, dance, or drink here out looking the lake. It’s wonderful to relax with someone you love at this place. Truly wonderful.
I only wish it wasn’t in Tyler and in more of a urban area so I could visit it more often perhaps even hold a future wedding event of some sort here. Absolutely loved it. I hope this establishment never dies or loses its quality. The memories I made here with the woman I love will be with me forever. So thank you all for making this place wonderful and those memories wonderful for me.

Beautiful atmosphere. Our waiter was kind and talked like he is a character on the Godfather. The guacamole was a REALLY good size portion and made well. Add pepper. The chicken tacos were pretty good too.

Beautiful setting with good food. Well thought out. Service was fine but horribly slow. No Salt and Pepper on any table in the room. Incredibly slow from the kitchen. 1:45 minutes for lunch was unbelievable.

It hurts me to write this. I’m normally a positive guy about restaurants and I don’t like it when I have bad experiences. After reading so many bad reviews on this place, I thought, «people are so hard to please, I’m going anyway. It’s our anniversary, I want a place to talk with my wife, enjoy the views of nature, and have some quality food.»
Man. I couldn’t have been proven more wrong!
The only positive was the food. The kitchen has a good menu and, while pricey for many, is quality food that merits that price paired with the ambience.
The sad negatives were:
— this place is great for a date night but also has families with kids running around out of control and most parents these days could care less. Bad combo.
— the service is horrible. Everyone wants to sit outside and it seemed they had plenty of staff but the service was painfully slow, especially from the bar, who couldn’t figure out how to make a strawberry daiquiri for my wife? It took 40 minutes and they brought it out when we were walking out the door. Uggh
I would never come back here unless it was a family or friends event, I had all day to wait to get 1 drink and I had already eaten before.
There are LOTS of places in and around Tyler to eat. Think HARD before going here to eat.

This is my FAVORITE restaurant. It’s perfect for dates and casual meals. The view of the lake is beautiful and even though at night, you won’t be able to see much of the lake, the restaurant is decorated in lights.
I’ve always had reservations when I come here and there’s never really a wait time, just a few minutes to get the tables ready. The employees are wonderful and helpful when it comes to answering questions about the menu, taking pics, recommendations on food and drinks.
Every time I come here, I always get the «8 Ounce Filet» which is a steak that has been aged for 28 days and hand cut in house from Sterling Silver Tenderloin served with a side of Chipotle Demi Glacé. It is always cooked to perfection and juicy with flavor. For my sides, I get mashed potatoes and mac and cheese, which are great with the steak.
I’ve also tried the «14 Ounce Ribeye» which is a steak that has been aged for 28 days and hand cut in house served with a side of melted Garlic Butter. Also a great choice!
For dessert, I always get the «Vanilla Crème Brûlée» and OH MY GOSH. The best thing ever. If you haven’t tried, TRY IT. You won’t be disappoint!
I’ve been here for Sunday brunch and I recommend the «Chilaquiles» which is shredded chicken, corn tortillas, green chilies, a choice of Queso Blanco, salsa Verde or salsa Roja (I got the Queso Blanco), melted cheese and eggs. This brunch meal is rich in flavor. I’ve had Chilaquiles before at other restaurants, but this place doesn’t compare! I also tried some of the «Eggs Benedict» which has Canadian bacon, poached eggs, smoked tomato hollandaise sauce with an English muffin, breakfast potatoes and herb roasted tomatoes. This brunch meal was also rich in flavor and didn’t disappoint. The mimosas are amazing and I highly recommended them with your brunch meal.
Overall, my experiences have been amazing and I hope (which I’m not worried about) they will remain amazing. Definitely recommend this wonderful place!

Horrible food and drinks. My queso came out hard. My fajitas were disgusting and my tortillas were literally hard. They seemed store bought, like the cheap old La Mission. The sides don’t taste good. The drinks are disgusting as well, I don’t know who makes these things.

DON’T GO HERE for dinner, only for music.
Terrible service. They were short staffed on a Saturday night and couldn’t get anything done right. It took 15min for drinks, an hour for apps and food.
The band was the only good thing about this place.
Not to mention I called for a reservation and they didn’t have it, I had to talk to the manager to make sure got the table that I actually ordered.

Came here for their New Year’s Eve bash… Even bought the «VIP» tickets. Wish that I hadn’t… Upon arrival the check in was slow with only 1 person attending. We were lukewarmly ushered well not really ushered, told to go upstairs. Cue the most unhelpful uninspiring bar tender I’ve ever had the displeasure to meet. Long line at the bar, no real logic as to serving the next in line, completely at a loss. Wasn’t even helpful about drink selections.
Cue the gourmet Mexican buffet of chips, salsa and fajitas. Massive line, ran out of food after the first few people arrived. Pleaded with waiting staff for them to replenish, cue 25 minute wait in line for hot food to arrive. Pretty bad. To top the evening off, trying to check out the tab took 35 minutes as the bar crew were getting lost in between orders and continue to randomly serve people. As far as NYE parties go, this one was a real let down.

We came for a date night and planned on exploring the menu for our first visit. Between the menu and Jose’s (our waiter’s) help, we had the cheesesteak steak rolls, pablano wedge salad and the pork chop. The brownie finished out our meal with us trying the margarita, the sangria and the midnight manhattan throughout our meal. Our favorites were the midnight Manhatten by far!!! The browning was a close 2^nd and then the salad. The while meal was un rushed and amazing! Jose was so nice and helpful with selections. Music on patio was nice! Total meal was just an amazing experience!

This place just can’t seem to get things right. Obviously the management does not listen to Unilocalers.
The service has always been super slow. This is an easy problem to fix.
I just witnessed a 3 generation family sit on the patio for 30 minutes waiting to get greeted by a server.
A much harder issue to fix is the sub-​standard food quality. Guess that’s too much to hope for.
Baby steps Lago, Baby steps.

The food was average but the entertainment on patio was out of sight! We heard an 80s cover band which was like being 17 again. If I had a complaint it would be that you have to go back and forth to get your drinks and fight crowded bar, which is a bummer cause we really liked listening to the band. But overall we loved the décor and atmosphere.