The Pier & Back Porch Menu

  • Starters
  • Salad
  • Entree
  • Handheld
  • Dessert

Healthy Meal suggestions for The Pier & Back Porch

  • Starters
  • Salad
  • Entree
  • Handheld
  • Dessert
  • Rob H.

    Wonderful location with a great view. Waitress was very nice and attentive. Food was great.....we had the appetizer mussels and they were some of the best I've ever had! I had the soft crab sandwich and my wife had the seared ahi tuna salad.....both really good and we left full and satisfied. We would definitely come back again. I've seen some reviews of their limited menu and it's true..it's not huge but I felt there were plenty of options and I would rather they do some things great instead of a lot just mediocre. Full bar plus a decent craft beer selection

    (4)
  • Susie R.

    We weren't very hungry but still enjoyed our meal, high praise indeed. We walked in without reservations close to noon on a Sunday. We were cordially greeted by the staff and taken to a nice window table with a great view of Wawasee. Drinks were great, mimosa for me, bloody mary for my husband. Lunch for me was an appetizer, mussels in a garlic wine sauce, one of my favorites and these were some of the best I've had. My husband had the crabcakes appetizer, two generous crabcakes that seemed almost all crab and very fresh. Our waitress was wonderful, casual but not overly familiar, nice level of service. We look forward to going back when it's warm enough to be on their patio by the lake.

    (5)
  • Scott B.

    The back porch is a perfect gathering spot in the newly renovated Oakwood Inn at Oakwood Resort! They had 8 beers on tap consisting of their own beer brewed in the old chapel on site called "Wooden Boat". It was very similar to a summer shandy. They also had Three Floyd's; which is hard to find in this part of the state; let alone anywhere! Great job and atmosphere Back Porch Inn! We'll be returning!

    (5)
  • Barbara W.

    Today we went to have a beer and it was really fun! We had been to the frog and couldn't get served so we went to oakwood and was greeted with a bunch of happy people! That was nice. We were gonna have one and go home but stayed for 2 and bought shots for the group playing music. The people were great and so was the bartender(Cory I think)

    (5)
  • Brier S.

    Pros: Great sandwiches, salads and fries, Reasonable prices, Waterfront dining Cons: Small menu, Non-cushioned chairs The Back Porch provides excellent sandwiches at a reasonable price. I ordered a BBQ style burger which was delicious and was paired with great fries as well. I also ordered the Siracha Caesar salad which was also very good. The only problems with the restaurant is it's small menu and mildly uncomfortable patio furniture. Many of the drinks were served in small glass jars. While this idea may have appeared cute on Pintrest, it's more annoying than anything.

    (4)
  • Chris Z.

    This place has pretty good burgers. The fries that come with it are nice and crispy golden brown. I highly recommend getting your burger on a pretzel bun i you get one. The sorbet dessert was a definite palate cleanser. The apple mint was delicious but you can get all three sorbet combos in a single order. Only things I don't like is that it's a little pricy and the one time I ordered a mixed drink (Long Island), I got pretty much straight vodka in a tall glass with ice.

    (3)
  • Margaret B.

    They have employees who are immature and misinformed. They border on rudeness when asked simple questions. I felt bad bothering her when she was at the desk eating food and texting, she made me feel like I was a major inconvenience. Lied to me about the location of the meeting twice before I asked her to call Katie (The event planner), and she refused, said she was "too busy" and went back to texting. Due to misinformed and unfriendly staff I missed my group event and boat ride. I am NEVER going back in that place. Beautiful venues deserve half-way decent employees

    (1)
  • Kylie H.

    We had a great meal at Oakwood tonight. A local spot with great drinks and food. We tried the crab-cakes, beef tacos and beef & scallops. Everything we had tasted great. The service was awesome and our waitress was very tentative with our drinks and meal. Not a very large menu to choose from, but overall a great experience.

    (5)
  • Stephen M.

    I have not been to Syracuse, IN before and probably won't be again. If my GPS had exploded, I would have no idea how to wend my way out of the small side roads let alone get home. My destination was a meeting at the conference center. I needed a quick breakfast with some substance. The hostess gathered all that, responded and I had what i needed for my day. I can see possibilities of a pleasant setting for dinner. From what little I saw with this quick entry and exit, I'd say it's a place of merit.

    (4)
  • Amanda G.

    Beautiful outdoor area! Small-mid size menu. Has 60 boat slips to dock and flip-flop in for lunch/dinner and drinks. Food was decent. I ordered the Artisan Flatbread and it was too thick for my taste. Would order the hamburger next time.

    (3)
  • Olivia S.

    Beautiful location, however, horrible service and even worse attitudes from the staff! We waited over 30 minutes for our drinks, only to find our server in the bar chatting it up with a table of guys! Food was finally delivered without flatware, waited again, and finally walked in the kitched to get it ourselves. The manager offered us free fountain drinks! Very generous for a $100+ bill! But then, charged us anyway for the founain drinks. Calling for a reservation was no joy either--long on hold times, and the attitude was like we were bothering them calling! Not impressed with this year's staff.

    (1)
  • Karen S.

    I live on the lake and this is one of the better places to eat. You can get there by boat, sit outside with a lake view or inside with a Lake view. Nice atmosphere, a little upscale for the lake. We like it.

    (4)
  • Alex K.

    *Long review alert, cliffs at the end* I told myself I was going to give Oakwood time before I judged the 'new' Oakwood Inn. Well, it has been over a year so I feel that the time is right to pass judgment. You won't understand this from the previous reviews on Yelp, but Oakwood occupies a very sentimental place in many Wawasee-ers hearts (myself included). Many of us grew up with the old Oakwood including the penny candy counter, crumbling hotel, and the traditions (good and bad). We all waited with baited breath through the renovations, financial woes, prolonged closure, and the court battle. Long story short, people on Wawasee wanted Oakwood to do well, and that is why I personally waited so long to write a review; I wanted the Back Porch to have time to get their act together so that hopefully the hotel and restaurant would earn the business I want them to deserve. Sadly, I can't write the review I was hoping I could. After multiple visits, I am so disappointed in the service that I just can't go back. Simple orders for 2 burgers and a couple beers turned into 2+ hour ordeals where we would have to hound our waitress multiple times. The food, when it would eventually arrive, was always good but not good enough to justify the wait. Despite the lousy service, I took my parents for dinner (my father having grown up spending summers at Oakwood, was skeptical of the new Oakwood). Here I was hoping that the Back Porch would have improved their service..... Nope, and now my parents are confirmed Oakwood skeptics and justifiably so. But even then, I was willing to try again but this time sealed Oakwood's fate to me. I placed an order for pickup. I was told the food would be ready in 30 minutes so I boated over and docked 29 minutes later. I found the hostess, told her that I was here for pickup and she disappeared apparently to look for my order.... 10 minutes later and the hostess having found something better to do, I grab a busboy and ask him for help. Again, he disappears never to be seen or heard from again. Is there a blackhole in the kitchen somewhere? I eventually walk through the restaurant to the hotel-side where I find another hostess who has had my food sitting on her desk for the past 30 or so minutes. I grab it and head home.... but when I get there, the friggin' order isn't even correct! So, justifiably angry, I phone the restaurant and let them know how disappointed I am. Here is the only silver lining, the manager (apparently new at Oakwood and not lazy like the rest of the crew), drove the correct order to my home across the lake including a free appetizer and dessert.... and a $50 gift card! Even out of a bad situation comes some good. But, alas, it is not enough to get me to go back there or even recommend it to anyone else. It is only because their food is actually pretty good that they get 2 stars. This is really sad, I wanted so badly to love the new Oakwood. I am getting married shortly and it killed me but my soon-to-be-bride and I had to rule out Oakwood from possible wedding venues because there was no way on god's green earth we were going to trust a business who can't get a a simple dinner correct with the most important day of our lives. Oakwood would have been an ideal venue but it was 100% the crappy service level that had us rule it out right off the bat. TL:DR: Food is good but service is so horribly, terribly, miserably, tragically abysmal as to make it not worthwhile. patronize WestMain instead to get great food and fantastic service.

    (2)
  • Jess D.

    We had a very simple order, but it didn't turn out well. A burger; well done. Key word: well. The burger came out oozing with grease (soaked through the bun, so the bun was soggy) and the plate had a puddle of juices under the bun, and it was a very deep pink. I pointed out the mistake, and my server offered to take it back ,"and throw it back on for a few minutes". This was a burger that was already dressed & had a bite taken out of it. I pointed that out as well, and I was told a new burger would be made. Several minutes later, my burger was returned. Same burger. It looked better initially, but then I bit into a pink burger again. I noted this to the server, and was met with, "I'm sorry, I told them well." End of conversation. I did not eat the burger. Free dessert was offered to me, but I had no desire to eat anything else from that kitchen. The fries were good. I paid $10 for fries & an inedible burger. Sweet & sour chicken flat bread was great, but quite pricey for an appetizer ($12). Service was good, but bordering on annoying at times (too many different servers asking questions). But they were friendly. I will not order a meal here again. I have had much better food (made to my specifications) for this price.

    (2)
  • Jeremy O.

    I have been staying here for 2-3 days a week for the last 6 weeks for work. The staff is obviously very new and still learning their roles and responsibilities. The food however is fantastic and the menu is simple but had just enough variety that even after 6 weeks I have yet to go anywhere else! The rooms are very nice and the hotel staff knew me by name by my second week. Definitely a great place with a fantastic water side patio that is as relaxing as any resort I've ever been to!

    (5)
  • Harry L.

    Service was reasonably prompt and courteous. My wife, two daughters and I split two burgers which was plenty for lunch. It is probably a little pricey for what you get but they have a unique location. It was tasty and considering the view and location it is worth a trip back sometime.

    (3)
  • James C.

    I have to say that the recent staff and service level seemed to have improved quite a bit over the last two years, maybe now they are hitting their stride. I read the previous 2 star and below reviews before posting this and I can say that as of 3/27/15 none of those issues exist. The food at the pier is delicious and the service while being young, seem to have the proper direction nearby to help and guide them. We had the mussels and kabob for appetizers and were "wowed" by the tender meat and great sauce on the mushrooms. The mussels too were tasty, a light (white wine based) sauce was a nice compliment, not too heavy. I had the sirloin and shrimp and scallop entree which I can honestly say were the best scallops I have ever had (sorry to all the coastal restaurants I've been to) this place has great chefs who are proud of their craft. Rick, who appeared to be the manager has his staff in good form, keep it up and we'll always come back!! Thanks for the great food and for making our visit incredible! Special thanks to Haley, she took great care of us during breakfast! I wish I could remember the rest of our great servers names but thank you!

    (5)
  • Brent K.

    4th time here since it's re-opened and it's a solid option in the limited dining of Syracuse area. Great ambiance all around, food is above average, good drink selection.

    (4)
  • Deedra B.

    Their burgers are simply amazing!!! Me and my boyfriend had the BBQ burger and it was mind blowing!! Wasn't dry, cooked to perfection, and very fulfilling!!! It's a must have

    (5)
  • Nancy S.

    The food here is slightly upscale. It tastes good but is kinda expensive. We had a meat and cheese tray to share for a meal and it was great! They are doing a great job with this place. Come try it!! Service was awesome!!!

    (4)
  • Ryan S.

    Bartenders were top-notch and funny! Waitress didn't know the specials for the day. The steak was terrific and paired nicely with the Gouda whipped potatoes and broccoli.

    (4)
  • Harrison B.

    Staff at the restaurant: Please be aware that you have a fly problem in your main dinning room. Also we have had some excellent dining experiences at your restaurant, but Sunday the 16th was not one of them. The steak that I had was a really bad cut and didnt have much flavor... I actually considered asking for steak sauce.. :) my wife had the blackened snapper and it was overcooked. I hope you are able to take this input and improve... It wasnt worth the 100 dollars that we spent.. Thank you.

    (2)
  • Kelly W.

    We ate several meals at this terrific place, because we stayed on property at the resort for three nights. Although their menu isn't huge, it's comprised of a good selection of quality items! I'll start with the staff- professionally trained (clearly), friendly, good sense of urgency, and overall just add to the warm atmosphere this place gives off. The patio is a terrific spot for lunch or diner, with live music on the weekends and even a fire pit for those chilly nights. Between the music, the fire, and the view of the lake- you'll take a quick vacay from the every day- just having a dinner here! Here are some of the items we tried amongst my group: Lobster Cakes- small portion, but DELICOUS! Chopped/Waldorf Salad- again, pretty small portions, but good fresh veggies! California Burger- pretzel bun=AMAZING, generous on the avocado! Flatbreads- tried and loved them ALL- Cajun was our fave! Filet- gorgeous presentation, a bit over-cooked Cajun Pasta- outstanding! Generous portion, perfectly creamy sauce Seafood AuGratin- the star of the show, with giant shrimp, scallops and chunks of crab! Garlic Mashed Potatoes- what you would expect Visit Tara in the restaurant or Andy in the bar if you can, they are ROCKSTARS!!!

    (5)
  • Molly H.

    Mediocre food, hot concrete, and plastic dishes that are not reused. Not an environmentally friendly business.

    (2)
  • Anne R.

    The location is wonderful, but the menu doesn't reflect all Oakwood has to offer. As a local resident and frequent patron, I feel like the menu needs to be re-vamped, and the prices evaluated. A small Caesar salad with chicken will set you back $13! There are very limited choices: 3 or 4 burgers/chicken sandwiches, and a few salads. This place could benefit by adding a few new salads (southwestern, greek, something!!) and sandwiches, and perhaps some reasonably priced entrees. Also, if you want to have a conversation with the people in your party, do not go after 9:00. The band that plays there nightly is extremely loud (although talented while sober). As the night goes on, the tend to get "sloppy" and pretty annoying.

    (2)
  • Jacob S.

    The bar had nice view off the water and had drinks. If you are looking for a quality meal go somewhere else. The service was near 2 hours long my order was lost twice. The manager did make it right by compensating my bill, but I wanted a decent meal which this is not the place. Fine for drinks and music with patio off water

    (1)
  • Joe L.

    This review also appears under the Oakwood Resort, as the restaurant is located there.The former Oakwood Inn and Conference Center is now The Oakwood Resort. The new management has made lots of changes, including adding serving alcohol. They have added many docks and encourage boat in dining. When we ate there they had only been open about a week so I expected some shortcomings. I will return in a month or so and see the changes. Both dining areas have their own greeter stations. The Back Porch offers primarily appetizers, sandwiches and salads. We entered the restaurant from the hotel as opposed to from the lakeside dock area. The hotel has been renovated and now has a bar, inside dining at what is called "The Pier", or outside dining lakeside at "The Back Porch". Before I provide my review let me say the restaurant has prices are around half those of the inside dining room. The outside dining is under a covered docks are available for those boating in for dinner}. I was aware of the two menus but the greeter did not inform us of our choices and was going to seat us inside. We examined both menus and selected outside dining where area and has great views of the lake. You are near the docks and have views of all the dock activity and boats in Conklin Bay. There were several parties just enjoying drinks and the excellent view. We were quickly greeted by our server who asked what we wanted to drink. She did not provide a list of their beers which are advertised as including "local and craft beers". Upon requesting a list she quickly returned with an 8x11 sheet of paper with beers and prices. It should be on a heavy paper or laminated as it is often windy on the bay and would blow away. There were no prices but upon inquiring we ordered Sam Adams at very reasonable $3. Water is served in a Mason Jar type container and includes a lemon wedge...a nice little touch. Dinners are served in a metal container which along with the water glasses provides a beach like dining experience. The hamburgers are served on a pretzel bun and are very good but priced at a hefty $11. There are several different types and my wife choose the Italian which came with pesto and avocado. They come with fries which were good and plentiful. You can substitute a salad for the fries at additional cost- I think it was $3. I wanted the oyster poor boy sandwich which is listed on the online menu, but was informed it was a special for the first weekend and now not available. Upon looking at the online menu the next day I noticed it still lists the Poor Boy, but does not show the flatbreads and couple other items. Hopefully they can bet this corrected as they gain experience, as I often review the online menu before making decisions on where to go for dinner. There online info also says they specialize in oysters but none were yet available. As indicated earlier, I am giving them some slack as they just opened but assume this will be corrected upon my return next month. I ordered the Seafood basket appetizer which had fried fish, shrimp, oyster etc. It also came with fries. It was $13, but good sized and tasty. The cocktail sauce was very good. For someone who likes salt and pepper, it was a minor irritation that you had to ask for it. I was brought two small plastic cups with the condiments. I will say the salt appeared to be seasalt-nice touch. Upon reflecting on this minor issue they might not have containers on the outside tables because of the moist lake air. Ketchup for your fries is also in the same type of small plastic container and several at our table requested more as it was small portion. As our server quickly responded with additional ketchup- along with my salt and pepper I would not say this was a problem. Another in our party ordered one of the flatbread selections which he really enjoyed. Like the hamburgers, they offer 3 or 4 varieties. We also shared a pork rind appetizer which was very unique and tasty. Remember, my review is on the outside dining area, not the inside dining room which has a completely different menu. I would rate the food a 3, but overall, I am going to give them a 4 because of the unique, island like outdoor setting, probably the best in a 50 mile area. I expect the only similar competition on the lake, The Frog and Channel Marker are going to lose a lot of business to Oakwood. One final comment, I suggest they immediately correct the online menu to accurately reflect their offerings.

    (4)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :7:00 am - 10:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Accepts Bitcoin : No
    Parking : Private Lot
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Noise Level : Very Loud
    Music : Live
    Good For Dancing : No
    Alcohol : Full Bar
    Happy Hour : Yes
    Coat Check : No
    Smoking : Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
    Outdoor Seating : Yes
    Wi-Fi : Free
    Has TV : Yes
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : Yes

The Pier & Back Porch

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