Charlie's on the Lake

Went on a Saturday night it wasn't really busy. I ordered a margarita. It was okay pretty strong on the alcohol. Im more of a sweet drink fan. So yes it was good but i like mine differently. Family ordered the onion rings and calamari. SO BLAND. It needs seasonings or salt. The batter itself was nice and crispy but flavorless. Also ours didnt come with any sauce. I saw others came with sauce. Unsure if it was an accident or not or extra to get sauce but it needed something. I ordered the steak with a topper. The topper itself was flavorful. I could of just ate that. However the steakwas chewy and so bland it was cooked well. Seems like no seasoning went on the steak.the gravy on the side was tasty, uhm but im not a gravy on steak person. The side of mash potatos..bland. Ceasars salad was good. Bread was soft . Ordered the Alfredo for my kids. WoAH portion size is huge. Kids menu seems to be worth the price. My dad ordered the pasta with beef and Bleu cheese ( I don't remember the name). I tried a bite as I can't eat pasta really. It was delicious well seasoned. However after a few bites it became overpowering in the flavor ( per dad's review). Overall.. Just bland for the amount they charge it should he some of the best steak ever. Service was okay, i liked the view but I dont think this is a place I would return back to.

We went to Charlie’s on a Saturday afternoon. It was quiet and we sat in the bar. We shared appetizers and enjoyed martinis. It was one of my favorite lemon drop martinis, and the bull wings will always be my favorite item. We will be back the next time my friend is in town, this place is ALWAYS a go to!

This was a three top lunchtime visit to Charlie's on the Lake. There were only two or three other occupied tables in the entire restaurant, so it was not busy at all. We ordered the edamame as an appetizer, and for our mains, fish and chips, seafood enchiladas, and the filet, cooked medium. The edamame was steamed to perfection and delicious. One of our party, however, did notice that our entrées sat for about five minutes before our server was seen running to get them to us, so for that reason, we dropped a star. The filet was done to a beautiful medium rare and served with steak fries. The fish and chips were golden and not dry, but the tartar sauce was lacking a flavor profile. We suggest adding some roasted red pepper and basil and lemon juice with a little onion and cornichons for texture. The seafood enchiladas were very rich and topped with a copious amount of cheese. They were good, but the oregano inside overwhelmed what seafood flavor there was and was the dominant flavor aside from the cheese. Overall, a good experience. We'll come back again.

Charlie's on the lake is amazing! The Mother's Day brunch buffet was wonderful. The buffet had a nice variety of food. It was fresh and hot. The customer service was out of this world. Our waitress was so attentive and friendly. You really enjoyed Charlie's on the lake and we will definitely be returning.

Ordered the Grouper Creole and it is fantastic. Took picture after I started to dig in as the presentation was nice as well! Highly recommend it!

We had a great time there celebrating my birthday.

My girlfriend had to send her steak back for being way overcooked, and she didn't even want to give them a second chance after seeing what they brought out. My blackened grouper was way overcooked, and looked and tasted like cheap Alaskan Pollock. I should have returned it as well, but didn't want to ruin the experience for the others at our table. Overall this place was trash, and should be ashamed for the prices they charge.

The outside dining area is beautiful, but those are just about the only praises I can have for this place! We waited over an hour for our food, with little to no service from our waitress. When our food finally came out, the shrimp was good but everything else was disappointing. The asparagus in the California pasta was barely cooked, and was crunchy and grassy and the scallops tasted microwaved. Very chewy, tough, and fishy. I really just can't recommend them for the price.

What a great place! I attended a lunchtime Rotary club meeting in the back and things couldn't have been better. The space was set nicely, the food was great, and all of the servers were amazing. I knew regular meals were great, and I'm happy to know they do an awesome job for group events. Thanks!

Met some friends for a holiday lunch and was surprised that just about everything on the menu was $16.95 (salads/sandwiches/entrees). Sides vary and price includes a beverage. I had the blackened grouper (bit spicy) and broccoli - very good! Friends had salmon or shrimp dishes. The cheesy shrimp dish looks delish! Service was fantastic.

Our first time here. Lunch now of specialty menu. Pasta and sandwich. All is really good. We are the only customers today at 3pm.

I had lunch with my bosses. The parking lot was full, so we expected the restaurant to be packed. It wasn't. The party room was full, but the main restaurant was not. We were seated right away, greeted by our server, and she took our order. She provided good service throughout our time there. While the conversation was great the food was disappointing. I say that because it's been years, like mid 2000's. At the time the food was good. We would get together as a family and have dinner. As I digressed, the steak had no flavor. Not even the sauce. The fries were a mix of fresh and stale. The dessert was good. That was a plus.

Went here for an early New Years Eve drink and apps. I had the espresso martini and it was amazing! Food was pretty good with the havarti steak bites and edemame. The problem was with the server. She seemed in a hurry to take our order, but once the drinks and food were delivered she forgot all about us. We had to flag her down after having empty drink glasses for 10 minutes to ask for more water and another martini. She didn't clear off any of our dishes until we asked even though we had them stacked nicely do her to take. I know there were busy and we were in the bar area but a little attention would have gone a long way.

Great venue. The food was good and the service was excellent. I had a steak sandwich and fries. The steak was tender and very flavorful.

Won't be back. Mediocre service. Bland food. Salad brought to table and in five minutes main course was delivered. Had four different meals, all were bland. Way.... Overpriced.

Wow! Pros: Gorgeous patio seating. It's so pretty, and they even have duck food you can purchase for a quarter to feed nearby ducks (there's a gate you can open to walk around the water) and the small pond featured tons of tiny turtles. My kids were in heaven. A huge menu. It's always a fantastic problem when everything sounds so good you can't decide what to order. Even the kids menu had plenty of options - and my pickiest eater found multiple things he liked on it. The service was wonderful. I'm so disappointed in myself that I've forgotten our servers name, because I would absolutely give her a shout out. My drink glass was never empty before she replaced it with a fresh refill, our order was correct, and she was super friendly. The portions were huge. I ordered the shrimp po boy, and my husband ordered the lobster roll. When it came out there was so much we decided to split each order so we could try a little of both. Next time we go we could easily order one meal to share - and then we would have room for dessert (which looked SO delicious in the case, but we were too full to try this time) Cons: We live an hour away, and cannot possibly eat here as much as we would like Our kids won't let us try any other restaurants in Omaha, because they are now Charlie's fans for life.

Well the millionaire martini and tickle tackelberry drinks are amazing. In fact you can not go wrong with many of their drinks. The best part is they leave the martini shaker at your table so you get extra to drink. The fish is great and cooked to order. Can sit outside on the patio and their happy hour is super good. The staff is always friendly. The prices are a little on the high side but the quality is amazing.

I had always heard of this Omaha classic but never got to adventure out to lunch/dinner with a view until today! First off the location is beautiful and the interior is welcoming just as much as the staff is. They are ON it making sure you're being attended and served. The menu offers so many delicious options it seems you can't really go wrong with your decision. Great flavors and great experience, will be back to enjoy that patio

Owner is rude and unprofessional. Told me a well done steak was a "perfect" mid rare, because he found a tiny bit of something resembling pink in the very center. Further stated he had no idea how to satisfy me if that was not satisfactory!!! Total narcissistic and NO customer skills!!!

I took My family (5 of us) to celebrate my recent move to Elkhorn. We had a 3 Pm reservation on Saturday. We all wanted to order lobster. Unfortunately for us, the server failed to mention they "were Out of lobster" at 3 pm on a Saturday (?) WTH? When the 1st person started to order our waitress advised us they had no lobster. We all had to review the menu to pick something else. Waitress didn't give a RIP whether we were happy or not. We should have left then. My son had grouper which was very thin, flat as a pancake, over Cooked & dry. Daughter had scallops which were tiny (appeared to be microwaved) and over cooked. I had fried shrimp which were "ok". 2 Friends had ribeyes which were less than average. The bill was hefty while the food was less than good. BTW, the Martini's were great. Will I ever return? Nope. I wish I had read these reviews prior to going. Poor food , mediocre service & no atmosphere at all. Waitress never returned to see if we were happy with our food; she just handed me the bill. I wish I hadn't wasted my time and $$$$ there. PS. A wedding party/reception arrived around 5. We're pretty sure they got the lobster.

Bar not even busy & it took over 10 minutes for us to get our drinks!! No sense of urgency!! Wonder why they're so slow???

Great food and great service! We went there for pasta and wine and it's always a treat!

Happy hour on a Monday. We had nice service helpful answering our questions. Plentiful portions. Lots to choose from. Atmosphere was lovely.

Went there for my birthday I ordered fish and it was undercooked My husband had their T-bone special and it was overcooked. So the waitress had them remake the steak and it was so tough. Very disappointed in our meals. I had a wonderful chocolate martini. But left hungry.

Don't order the seafood enchiladas. All I could fi d inside was 1 tiny shrimp in each. Very disappointing.

Stella beer was stale. Grilled Grouper was super thin not much meat and really oily. Twice bake were dry like they sat out over nite. However the bread was excellent. Service was ok.

Restaurant have nice patio with lake view, Charlie on the lake is #1 on the list. Meat, seafood and vegetarian all have in menu. Highly recommended must try!!

Great food and great atmosphere. I've been here for lunch and for dinner and the food has been great. Had the grouper sandwich for lunch with clam Chowder and it was amazing. Dinner I had the tuna and havarti steak app was wonderful. Highly recommend.

First and last time coming here. I ordered the Cajun Creole Catfish with a twice baked potato. The dish was bland, had no detectable spice, the fish tasted a little off and was possibly overcooked, and to top it all off it the entire dish was buried under a 1/4th inch thick layer of cheese. The twice baked potato tasted old and had absolutely no flavor, even after dumping salt and pepper on it. The bread was almost chewy enough to be classified as bubble gum. The service was somewhat lackluster too; took a while to get plates removed, drink refills and the food out. The inside atmosphere was dark and dreary and the restaurant itself seemed cluttered in certain areas. The tables also had these weird glass tops over black cloth that kept shifting and moving around. I don't see how this place is an Omaha staple, it was nearly empty when we arrived, the food is lackluster, and the prices are too high for the quality you get. Even if I had eaten outside by the lake I don't think it would have made up for everything else.

We visited this restaurant on 5/31/24. Our server was amazing and kind. The food was terrible. I ordered a filet and it tasted so old and mushy I couldn't even eat it my son ordered a burger and the meat smelled so bad and tasted worse (we had to spit it out). We told our server and the manager didn't even bother to come to table to talk to us! The table next to us was also complaining of their food. No refund was given or offered.

I wish I could give 3.5 stars. The food was good, but not great. and the service was good. The issue is more ambience/environment. It was deserted and cluttered at the same time. And the floor was sticky.

Charlie's has changed over the years. It's not quite as polished, and it could use a renovation, but a lot of stuff is still solid. Outdoor seating is fantastic, and the staff is friendly and accommodating. Chicken Marsala and the Catfish are my go to. I guess the biggest issue is that it's gotten more casual, but a lot of the price points haven't. But lunch is fairly priced, and overall you won't be disappointed if you don't expect it to be the same place as it was 20 years ago.

Service was okay. To be honest, I was largely disappointed with the food, especially for the price. The buffalo wings were very good. Actually they were the best part of our meal. My husband ordered the almond encrusted chicken. It was a bit salty. The side salad was good - specifically because of the homemade thousand island dressing. I ordered the crab Louie salad. It was a large bowl of lettuce half an avocado and some diced tomato. There was some crab on top but that was very watery and tasteless.

Great for eating at the bar. Seating for dinner is good. Must try outdoors when the weather allows. It's meals at the bar with my delightful wife that make this place ideal. She digs such, and the food is very tasty. Been there a few times now, and can see why she likes it so much. It's also close to the AMC theaters, which makes for a great spot before or after. Parking has, thus far, been easy. Entry and exit is before the location, and if you miss it, you'll need to turn around and go back. Not an easy place for stealth entry or exit. :)

My wife, my son and I visited Charlie's for lunch today. My wife and son both ordered the white trash hash and I ordered the shrimp po boy. The waitress was very good. She was attentive and brought us our drinks and food right away. She also made certain our drinks and drinks were always filled. Charlie's improved the white trash hash by using breakfast potatoes. My son and wife loved it. Very large portions. I have mixed review on the shrimp po boy. It came out on two long rolls. The shrimp were perfectly cooked. It needed more sauce on the bun. The sandwiches didn't have any lettuce. The sandwich was covered in crumbled blu cheese. I like blu cheese. It was too much. I would rather have lettuce and tomato on top with a sprinkling of blue cheese. That would be an excellent combination. The sandwich was very filling. If there was less blue cheese and added lettuce on the po boy it would be a 5 star rating.

I've been to Charlie's a few times over the past 10 years. I've dined on the patio and inside. I do appreciate the classy yet comfortable ambiance. I really enjoy a well made cocktail and our 'perfect margaritas' were just that, perfect! I don't always compliment the bartender separately but I did complement her on the way out. Our waiter, Nathan was very attentive and gave us great service! We had catfish, mine was blackened and my husband had the Cajun catfish. Very tasty and cooked just right! Bravo to the chef! We will return and I highly recommend this restaurant! Marcie

Their seafood enchiladas are some of the best I've ever had in town, hands down excellent! Will definitely be back for more great food from here!!

One of the worst experiences dining I've ever had in my entire life. 1. Sat at a table with bird poop all over it. 2. Didn't like my food, asked for something else. 3. I took one bite of my food, they told me no I couldn't have something else. 4. Manager was so rude to my elderly father who said, "Are you serious? He can't get a different plate?" She responded, "That's our best dish, everyone likes it. You're not getting free food." We never asked for free food. 5. Owner brushed us off and told us "Leave a bad Yelp review, I don't care". We tipped the waiter correctly, not her fault. Management is disgusting and rude. Go to any other restaurant by a lake. This place is not worth it.

my husband and I came here for our wedding anniversary. we had the best server Blake. we were so happy to have a great dinner and service. everything was very good and the drinks were amazing. I'm ready to go back again just to get the vibe and the drinks and of course we really appreciate having good service. It made the experience even better. We will be returning!

Disappointing. I made reservations for Charlie's On the Lake for Mother's Day. I check the website and we were looking forward to trying thier brunch items. No where did they say that they had a Buffett. We we got there the staff was still trying to figure things out. We were seat at a booth that had crud on the wall. The waitress was nice and clean it right away. Afterwards she said that they did not have their menu that day and that they were only serving the buffett for $26 per person. During the time of Covid we question how safe a Buffett would be. Especially when their was crud on the wall. We left. I am very disappointed with them, as if we would have known it was buffet only we would have not waisted our time. This put a huge damper on Mother's Day and we won't be going there for a long time.

I rented the Lakeview room for my wedding reception and it was phenomenal. Our server was great and even took some pictures of the group for us. The server and manager were both super helpful throughout the planning and the execution of the evening. The view at the lake is wonderful as well. I would absolutely have another event here in the future.

This was my first time at Charlie's on the Lake. We were seated quickly and the waiter took quick orders on our drinks. I went with his recommendation with the Blue Martini. I was told this would make me feel like I won the lottery. Unfortunately, I have never won a lottery so I couldn't compare my mood after consuming this strong beverage. Tilipia and Blackened Chicken were ordered. Both dishes were well prepared and tasty. Overall, it was a good experience. The only downside was the front desk staff who didn't handle the centurion couple, who didn't know if they should sit inside or outside and kept changing their minds even though they knew people were waiting behind them.

Front door stuck and wouldn't open; thought it was closed. Fix your door and make it look inviting. Someone finally unstuck the door to let us in. Dark and dreary inside, but a lotof big TVs with bad quality images. A wanna-be sports bar now? The lunch menu did not match the online menu. It's actually very limited with the only side dish being hash browns for lunch. Out of lobster, so no lobster roll. Settled for a BLT with salmon which was sloppy with mayo and shredded iceburg lettuce on a roll that fell apart. Tasteless. Hubby's bloody mary didn't come with the fixins'. They never brought his hash browns at all. The margarita had cheap liquor. A complete waste of time and money!!! Server said there were food shortages--that doesn't makeany damn sense. This place went down the tubes. Oh, it's not a lake; it's a pond that faces an apartment complex. They need to resurface the parking lot and pick up the beer bottles off the grass. Definitely looking trashy.

I'm a fan of the blackened tuna sampler & shrimp cocktail for starters. It's always been fresh & prepared perfectly! Add an Award Winning Martini & you're off to a great start! My husband ordered the lobster roll that looked yummy. It comes on 2 hoagie style-looks house made bread. He combined everything into 1 sandwich. You can see chunks of lobster that impressed me. I had the Boston Cod over rice with parmesan crust. That was light & fluffy-not too fishy tasting! WE would definitely order all the above again! It's especially nice dining outside on the patio by the water! WE love it here!

I ordered the crab Alfredo with extra crab. As I was eating it I was getting little pieces of shell in my mouth from the crab. I called the store and spoke to the manager just to give them a heads up, and she told me that there was no way there would be shells because it's lump crab. I literally pulled out several shells out and I didn't even get 1/3 through the meal before I just stopped trying. Poor customer service in her part and I will not be going back.

Delicious food! My husband got the fish n chips and I got the chicken fettuccini Alfredo. Both meals came with a side of salad or soup. I got the house salad and my husband got the clam chowder. We also shared the fried ravioli as a a appetizer. So so delicious! The service was a little slow and the prices were a bit high but overall a good experience and we will be back.

Absolutely worst management and staff in all of Omaha. I do not recommend this place. I tried to have a meet up group show up for 26 people plus with everyone arriving separately. The manager stated we would have to pay on one tab. Ridiculous service and they would rather lose our revenue than to allow a group to eat who aren't necessarily together. I remember when this place was a decent place to come. Those days are over!

Back in the day (1997-2000), this was a really good restaurant. We've been here to eat twice since we moved back and the food has just been okay. First time I had the seafood pasta, the second, the lobster roll. Both weren't to my liking. However, I thought their clam chowder was decent and my husband liked the oysters on the half shell. The service was good. Another positive is the mixed drinks. I had the Charlie's Cosmo and it's still as good and boozy as I remembered. I would go back for just drinks (and maybe an appetizer) on the patio...

The calamari was rubbery. The steak was chewy. The salad was bag o salad grade. For the price, definitely not worth it. Took forever for the food to be served. Definitely will not recommend

Nice atmosphere, dark, classy, and kinda divey. Martinis are great!!!! I think that is what they won Best of Omaha 2012 for. The food was ok, standard steakhouse/seafood fare but pretty pricey. Everything we ordered was dunked in cream or cheese, so it was not very healthy..and very rich. My taste buds were begging me for a break. I'd give the martinis a 5 and the food a solid 3. Service was good, but something was lacking about my experience here. Maybe I'd give it another try sometime in the future.

Came here for a work group for a Friday lunch. I'd reserved a table the day prior to allow for quick set-up. It took a good 15-20mins to get sat. Our server took awhile to stop over, collected our drink order and dropped them off. I'd asked for a food recommendation and didn't really receive one. Food took awhile to come, with one party never receiving her side. Most of the food looked fresh and the $12.99 lunch special that includes drink is a good deal. My dish wasn't cooked all the way but the bread was great. The table was given the 20% group gratuity, which I understand as a past server; however, I'd say it wasn't above and beyond service. I'd like to try the cheesecakes in the future and the patio looked nice but nothing 'out of this world' this time.

Met with a few friends for dinner and a drink. The server was super attentive initially and then we kind of got forgotten about. I personally have a shellfish allergy and order the Omaha Bull Wings. I made sure to mention my allergy and they assured me there would be minimal risk of cross contamination. It was happy hour but apparently that only applies if you sit at the bar which wasn't conducive for our group. The Bull Wings are basically steak pieces, they were really good but the sauce was a bit odd. My friend has a gluten allergy and ordered a salad with grilled chicken on it. She specifically asked if the chicken was breaded and was told no but when it came out it sure appeared breaded. Service from there was lacking as they got pretty full and the place got really loud so we left. Food was okay

Best seafood in Omaha. The grouper is excellent, as are the seafood enchiladas. We never have to wait long for seating or service, and the food is always hot and fresh. Friendly, helpful staff.

Unfortunately the pork on the pork nachos was bad, the twice baked potatoes was dry, the gumbo had 2 or 3 shrimp and tasted like canned pasta sauce was poured over it. The waitress was very nice though.

Why didn't I read the Yelp reviews before going?! Last night got weird. My husband and I went to dinner expecting a nice, upscale(ish) dinner. They were literally out of everything. Only steak, scallops and shrimp menu items were available. The scallop appetizer was super good. My two cocktails were super good (old fashioned and millionaire martini). My husband got the shrimp pasta which was very tasty but my NY strip steak was terrible. It had no flavor whatsoever. When our entrees arrived, the server placed hot soup In front of my baby, who of course stuck his hand in the soup and began bawling. She offered a cold towel and told us it was our responsibility as parents to keep our child safe. I told her she could take my steak and the Gorgonzola side because it was gross and she didn't offer an alternative. When we asked to speak with the manager, the server was heard saying "I can't deal with this" or something along those lines. The manager went above and beyond to listen and take care of the situation but man.. what an experience

This place is a has been!!! Bad service, mediocre at best food and watered down drinks and just filthy!!!!! This place use to be where we celebrated things like birthdays and anniversary's. Well we just left there disappointed and grossed out. Steak was bland at best my wife's shrimp pilaf rice was swimming in a gallon of butter. The table clothes haven't been cleaned in days or the decor stay away and spend your $80-$100 elsewhere and FYI we got there at 4:45 pm on a Friday this wasn't at 8 at night after a busy night. Shame on you eve (the owner) and his staff. Should of posted this years ago as this place has been going down hill since then but this place was a sentimental place for us. Our first date and where we got engaged 18 years ago so with a sad heart this was our last time ever at Charlie's on the lake good day!!!!

This is our favorite restaurant in town and has been for years, I have never had a bad meal or service and we've had at least one meal a month here for the last 20 years. The prices of their lunches can't be beat. I love the grouper for lunch and usually stuffed prime rib for dinner. They have the most beautiful patio, the pond and lake are so serene and the ducks are super cute. I happened to see that there was a 2 1/2 star rating for Charlie's and I was FLOORED. I go out at least 3 meals a week and we go to only the best restaurants and Charlie's wins on every front. I just can't believe the bad reviews, it honestly does not make sense to me. Please keep doing what you do, Charlie's, we will keep supporting you as long as you are open.