I've been here before and made the mistake of coming back. The service is horrible and the food is over priced. There is no one here and 4 waitresses sitting around chatting. What topped it off, is witnessing a waiter pick up someone's food with his hands and place it in a to go box, then delivering it to patrons. It's not worth the view to come here. We weren't offered water, drink refills, and the list goes on.
(1)
Shawn S.
Of Fletcher's, Maynards, and Bayside, this is the weaker sister. Despite having the best location of the three, it is shoddy. They do serve strong drinks (yay!) but the barstools are falling apart and the bar does get a little cramped due to the layout. Shawn's tip: They have a decent happy hour that closes the gap. At least it doesn't have tons of bees like Fletcher's does.
(3)
Gracie H.
Go for the location. Staff is friendly and the wait was not bad. Food is so-so. Very typical bar food. Clientele is mostly people who are drinking, 20-30 year olds (during the summer). Drink list is good (mixed, beer,wine,etc). Can't comment on the accessibility of the front entrance as we came from the dock. Gendered bathrooms. Somewhat dingy.
(3)
Kali M.
Great location! Had pretty good prices and Happy Hour drink and food selection. The live music on the weekends is a nice addition to the mood of the joint, just wish it was outside.
(4)
Ehren M.
Never have I felt so mistreated by event staff than at Bayside Grille. I would never recommend going to any of Bayside Grille's events. They are greedy cash cows that are more concerned about making money than doing what is right. They verbally advertised the chance to be on a boat with a celebrity and charged $20 to get on said boat, but when the celebrity arrived, it was clear she would not even step one foot on the boat. Instead of refunding for falsely advertising the event, the event staff refused to refund any of its customers the ticket price. Bayside successfully made over $1000 yesterday by lying and deceiving 50+ people. NEVER GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY, THEY WILL RIP YOU OFF.
(1)
Andrew C.
Walleye sandwich was quite good ( crispy, moist and not greasy). Service was friendly and attentive, love that they almost always have live music here. Also, usually much easier to get a table and service here than at Maynard's ( granted, it's much more of a townies bar, which is part of its charm) Portabello Mushroom Swiss burger leaves something to be desired ( burger was an overly compressed frozen pattie, and the whole thing was dry). It seemed to beg for the moistness of fried onions. I managed to choke it down with some ketchup as Lubrication.
(3)
Sheng T.
came here once when the workplace treated us to a nice relaxing boat cruise.. we happened to stop here for some quick drinks and appetizers.. they had these really nice cups that you can keep as a souvenir if you ordered a drink and so i ordered one just because of that.. the drink was pretty good from what i remembered.. it was a little busy at that time given it was a saturday afternoon so it took awhile for us to flag down someone to help us.. but overall, it was nice.. the sun was shining, the music was playing, lots of people were just hanging out and the view was great especially seeing all those boats.. wish i could've had more time to enjoy the whole outdoor bar scene but it's okay..
(3)
Megan S.
while my food was good and arrived at a reasonable time, unfortunately the rest of my table's food was delayed. We ate and the rest of the table got their food as our bill was coming. bad service and bad timing.
(2)
Brendan C.
Great atmosphere, good service.. Lots of options to sit inside and outside. I got a burger and ordered it med rare but it was well done.. Great experience just a tad iffy on the food .
(3)
Tony S.
Ugh. Bayside could be so much more. The 2 stars are given solely for the lakeside deck and outdoor bars (the saving grace), the attentiveness of one (1) bartender on a consistent basis, and the fact they have allowed the hosting of an annual memorial benefit. That's it. The service is robotic at best. And we're not talking Johnny 5 from Short Circuit robotic. That would be a damn delight. No, we're talking Twiki from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century annoying robot, minus the personality. No, there is very little to write home about. Either the wait staff is lacking in knowledge or just apathetic, it's a detriment to the establishment. Now we come to the point where the train carrying nuclear waste through a small town jumps the tracks and spills it's contents in a fiery and gruesome manner, killing all inhabitants of said town. It's the "food". Notice the quotation marks. I've tried multiple times to find a dish that doesn't make my palate curse me and my tongue suffocate me in the night. I've first had the BLT. It was extremely memorable because the whole thing tasted like fish. Damnit! Serving bacon that tastes like fish is a sin punishable by eternity in the 6th circle of hell. I know we're sitting on a dock, but if the BLT fell into a bucket of chum, one could at least prepare a new one. I've had a burger, too. And you know what that tasted like? You guessed it. A goddamn herring. Everything I've had seems to be marinated in briny fish. I digress. The fact that they have been able to host a memorial benefit for almost 15 years is wonderful. That shows that the owners are serious about their ties to the community. Kudos. Now if they can carry that over to the food, then there's a winner. If you're going to give this place a whirl, I recommend coming on a busy summer night solely for the people watching. The sh*tshow that you'll experience is downright comical.
(2)
Kristy T.
First of all, great location and the patio was great but the service was probably the worst I've ever experienced. The waitress was so rude and didn't even ask for change back she just assume and took the tip herself. The food was Not bad but I wouldn't recommend it to any of my friends
(1)
Marilee A.
"Not Great, But Not Bad Either" Nachos are good, Pizza so so, Szechuan Green Beans Excellent.Food here is better than Fletcher's, but not as good as Maynard's.When you go here, you walk back & forth between Maynard's & here.You come to be on the lake, you come by boat, you come for the patio, the drinks, the people, & the bands.To see & be Seen, it is about Boating.It is part of the living the Good Life on Lk.Mtka experience.The Event center has great Wedding Food.
(3)
Brooks W.
Don't bother with it. I live very close to this restaurant and really wanted to like it because it's conveniently located and in a fantastic area of excelsior. The reality is that this place is poorly managed, has sub par food, and deplorable service. Their are a few decent employees but Kitty the constantly frowning manager makes sure to squash their impact. Bayside is like a dive-bar that doesn't have the requisite charm and also charges full price. Go to Maynards if you want to be near the lake, and 318 cafe if you want good food in the area.
(2)
Todd K.
Terrible service, got off the boat and grabbed a table, waited 10 minutes until the sever told me to see the hostess! There were no signs on the dock stating it was not open seating. Hostess was rude and would not seat us right away. There were 10 open tables at the time! Poorly managed restaurant! Walked over to Maynards, sat at an open table and was treated extremely well!
(1)
Lyn S.
When we arrived on Wednesday night, the host said the wait would be "20 minutes, tops". We were seated nearly an hour later. Fortunately, they have about 12 beers on tap, so we enjoyed a couple beers and a great view of Lake Minnetonka on a beautiful summer evening, which made the wait tolerable. The menu is limited, but the sandwiches are pretty good, The "muffaletta" is particularly good, while the burgers need better buns/rolls. The BBQ chicken finger appetizer was dry.
(3)
Tina C.
Had a nice quiet lunch under one of the unbrella tables on the dock. They have a 1/2 sandwich and salad selection for $8.95. The Ice tea and pop is only $2 and there are free refills so you can stay awhile and sip a drink while watching activity on the dock. There are large carp in the water so be sure and save a few french fries to give the fish a nibble on the way out.
(4)
Mark J.
Overpriced food but really great location/view. Went there a few weeks ago to the little shack bar they have on the deck, lot of fun - live music and easy going crowd
(4)
Harin G.
It's hit or miss with this place. The servers haven't ever been really that great every time I have been here but they aren't necessarily bad either. You can just definitely tell that there are a million other places they would rather be than at work. The food is also hit or miss. My wedding reception was in Bayview and the food was wonderful (we did custom build the menu though). I know that it is the same lead chef but I don't understand why some items are absolutely disgusting (broiled walleye) and some are delicious (tacos). If it were any place else, it would probably get two stars. Fortunately due to the beautiful scenery and the place this property holds in my heart, I can bump it up a notch.
(3)
Jake J.
Suggest the Steak bites! Amazing view!
(4)
Kris J.
Best view of lake Minnetonka anywhere! Huge deck seating and outdoor bars, the service can be slow at times but way worth the view! Love the breakfast burrito on a Saturday or Sunday morning and steak bites and fries for happy hour! Did I mention the best view of a lake in MN! Go here on summer days and frozen winter mornings... love it!
(4)
Sidelaker M.
Food is very average, but you are not going there for the food. On a beautiful summer night, it's a great place to go for a drink.
(3)
Nic B.
Mikey the bartender is amazing! He should get a raise! The fondue is delicious and the patio is great, multiple bars to suit your drinking needs.
(5)
Jordan W.
I have been to Bayside a handful of times and almost always their Walleye fish tacos are amazing. Unfortunately our last time was a poor experience for our entire party. 3 of us had the walleye fish tacos and all of them were very fishy. Walleye has a very mild taste and i have never once had a fishy walleye until my last visit at Bayside. We made a comment to our waiter who began to tell us that Walleye is actually fishy tasting and that is "normal". He said that from his experience their walleye is always fairly fishy. Sorry I have had walleye over 100 times and I've never had a fishier tasting fillet. The waiter was not educated about the quality of their fish. Either the fish had gone bad or the oil they were cooking it in should have been changed. The waiters level of education on beers was poor also. He talked me into a pale ale that he said was actually happier than their IPA. Mmmm sorry it wasn't. I asked for a stronger hoppy IPA and he recommended the Pale Ale when in fact they had a double IPA which was much more hoppy. My second choice was their double IPA and it was phenomenal! The sweet potato fries were still good and the dipping sauce that comes with the fish tacos is great. Another thing I do like about Bayside is their beer selection. They have a couple of local IPA's on tap. I'm a huge IPA fan and its nice to have a couple options. Many restaurants similar to Bayside don't have many micro brew options. 4 star atmosphere, 3 star service and 1 star walleye fish tacos
(3)
Jim W.
Great Lake minnetonka bar. IMHO one of the few with a true lake feel. Breakfast this morning was very good. Dana and Kitty are wonderful!!
(5)
Darcy W.
Two words...Happy Hour!! Very nice deck with an incredible view of Lake Minnetonka. (Also dog friendly.) They serve breakfast until 11, get the burrito it is delish. I have heard since they cannot change the original structure, and they may be building another bar on east side? Great place to rent out for an event, I have been to several. Bottom line: The positive to Bayview is they have all the parking! They also pour a darn good drink... the people watching is pure entertainment!
(3)
K E.
This place is fun in the summer. Pull your boat up and have a blast on the outdoor patio. The live music is all ok. Wish they had more variety. The bartenders are friendly and the food is nothing to brag about. The big problem is the management doesn't seem to care if the place sits empty. They don't do much to entice the crowd from next door. They do well at night because of the live music but they don't even have a decent happy hour or specials during the games. The place is empty while Maynard's is a full house/ strange... You have to wonder if they even care to make money. If you don't live here you might not even know its open in the winter or spring. Anyway... yes the people can get a little rowdy, it's a unique, eclectic crowd. I think that's what makes for a fun night and an interesting life.
(3)
Ron P.
Nice deck to sit and enjoy your the lake view, if Maynard's is too crowded. However, mediocre food and the weakest drinks around, may send you elsewhere. It did me ! Beware the Nachos with the blue chips ! You will know what I mean by the next day ! Overall, no thanks.
(2)
Barclay W.
As we were deciding on which place to go for lunch the rather cute dock attendant decided for us. He lured us in with promises of good food, drinks, and a nice patio. The patio was nice, but beyond that it felt more like a sirens call luring us into the rocks after we left. The menu was a bit on the pricey side, but given the location I guess they can charge that. Drinks and food were quickly ordered. They had a decent, but not great, beer selection. My only issue there was none of their drafts were written down. Having to remember what the waitress was listing off was hard. The food and subsequent service is where everything went wrong.... My food was decent. I got the apple gouda club (something like that). Nice flavors but nothing super memorable. My boyfriend's mother got the fish tacos. Normally I would say a dicey move, but this is Minnesota so fresh fish shouldn't be hard to get. Her fish was inedible (my boyfriend and his father all had a bite. Why is beyond me. I opted out after his mom said it was awful, and it was confirmed by my boyfriend. At that point why would I want to try some. This didn't stop his dad). We informed out waitress and she just said oh and that she would let someone know. Nothing happens. Our siren dock helper comes over to check on us. We tell him our situation. He informs our waitress and again nothing. Finally the bill comes. Now normally a restaurant would waive the charge for an inedible meal. Instead they took $3 off the tacos. That brought the total for a side salad to $10. A $10 side salad.... Really? Is the quality of your fish so low that it costs less then $3? At this point we are too pissed to say anything and we just want to leave this experience behind us. The poor dock guy was so upset that our experience was bad. He agreed with us that they shafted us on the $3. When your own staff agrees that you are shafting people what does that say about your place?
(1)
Sarah Z.
I had a really great experience here today. After biking around 23 miles on the Lake Minnetonka LRT regional trail, it was nice to sit by the water and soak up the ambiance of the crowd. I will say, if you're feeling social this is definitely the place to go. The patio was crowded with everyone from families to young people. There was a live band playing nearby, so it was a little loud, but tolerable. Note that Bayside does have hostesses to seat guests outside, so if you go, look for the large hostess stand to one side of the restaurant. We were greeted by a cheery young waitress, who seemed to be enjoying the day despite the huge rush she was dealing with. She wasn't overly hospitable, but did make sure to take care of all our needs. I wouldn't expect much more from a grill like this anyway, so it was nice that she did take good enough care of us. My food was amazing! I got the bibb lettuce wraps, which came with seasoned pulled chicken, the most amazing grilled veggie assortment ever, sticky rice, and two crazy good dipping sauces. I'd never had bibb lettuce cups/wraps before, so it was fun to make my own. They were SO GOOD!! And healthy :) All of the grill menu items that passed by looked really good, like the burgers and other sandwiches. I can't speak much about the salads, but they are huge. My boyfriend ordered walleye fingers, which were on the app menu, and they were not very good. They were breaded, but not crispy, and the walleye didn't taste fresh at all. But I had a good enough time, and good enough food to myself, that it deserves 4 stars for today. Yay!
(4)
Sarah B.
Only went for a few drinks but it was great. We had like 8 with us. Not only our waitress rocked but the rest of the staff was great to!
(5)
Steven H.
So it had been awhile since I was here, stopped with family over weekend. Love the atmosphere and location. Kids like looking for fish. Ordered nachos w/ chicken and steak bites and hamburgers. Server stopped back about 45 minutes later and said "you should really have your food by now" She checked on food and said they were out of Steak bites and apologized. I said we were on tight timeline and she said that the other food was ready.. Finally got food about 20 minutes later. obviously not ready. Then there was no chicken on nachos. Didn't offer to take care of us at all, Didn't comp or offer coupon for next visit. Not sure if it was server or kitchen. Gave them another shoot Wednesday same deal different day. Very slow and food below par. No wonder everyone goes to Maynard's. I'm guessing if only getting drinks you will be happy. Skip the food. Pick up your game Bayside. Location will only take you so far. We will give them another try in a couple years or so, if they are still around. Tip: Bayside Grill Read these reviews. All recent reviews are bad, in fact not many positive reviews for a couple years. It's a pattern if no one is happy, Time to make a change. You have the best spot on the lake. Better service, better food and you will be the best place on Tonka. Until then you won't earn my money, Sorry.
(2)
Joel R.
This is the worst Panda Express I've ever been too. It's truly the Indiana of lakeside restaurants.
(1)
Andrew P.
Just a quick update from a recent trip. Service/Kitchen is still really slow. My tip is to get to the bar and stay there. Don't wait for a table eat at the bar. The Bar is the only place that you can actually get served quickly and checked on.
(3)
Andrew K.
Terrible service, the staff had no idea what was going on for a Sunday afternoon with only moderate traffic. Took 30mins plus to get our first round of drinks and place our order. What a mess...
(1)
Jan R.
First time here with colleagues. We arrived and due to the chill in the air, most customers were waiting for inside seating. We were told by the host it would be 35 minute wait for our party of 7. I asked the host if we could move a heater to an outside table. He said he didn't want to take it away from other customers. Hmmmm....within 3 minutes it was moved to another place? So it has now been over an hour and still no seating available. Thankfully, Otto behind the bar asked if we wanted anything. He took our order to go and he could run circles around the host when it comes to great customer service. The host needs to learn from this guy. There is a way to demonstrate great customer service even during long wait times. A table for 6 was opened for a long time until the host asked if it would do. So we managed to squeeze in and had our dinner inside. Out waitress Sarah was very pleasant and made a bad experience even better. Additionally, Andy behind the bar was also very attentive. These 3 could run the place. Kudos to Otto, Sarah and Andy. The host needs to find a career that suits him better.
(3)
Brent B.
Went over to Bayside with the precise purpose of having a [nice] breakfast. I went to their website and explored ahead of time and the menu looked good for breakfast by the water. They said they served until 11:30am. OK...we arrived. Because the parking sometimes takes a while to accomplish, we finally were seated ahead of 11:30am and the meals being consumed by adjoining tables did give us something to look forward to. Then...the cold water on our expectations began to fall. The other posts citing slow service hold true yet. By the time we got someone to our table it was--wait--hold on--PAST 11:30am!!!!!!!!!!!!! The breakfast train had left the station.... Apparently there is NO room for negotiation for hungry foodies who arrive later than 11:20am--despite what they say. They wouldn't even let us order toast, since it isn't on the menu as an item. [[[And what would hold your BLT sandwich together with?]]] TAKE NOTE--arrive early or you will find NO sympathy after 11:20am no matter how much you really, really want breakfast. The Mimosa we bought [wanting something for our travel] wasn't worth the moolah. Pre-made OJ from concentrate and questionable bubbly. That too...took way too long to find our table!
(1)
Camille L.
This is a fabulous outdoor bar on a summer evening. Good crowd, lots of outdoor seating, and huge outdoor area on the lake. We didn't have to stand in line either! It's also nice here for after work happy hours in the summertime. This is a nice change of scenery from Uptown and Downtown where you have to stand in line for 15+ minutes to get to an outdoor area.
(4)
MR Z.
How can Walleye fingers and Walleye fish tacos are BAD??!! Easy, just go to the Bayside Grille on Lake Minnetonka. Bad Walleye PLUS an unprofessional staff, this place is good for BEER only if the other places are too crowed. WILL NOT RETURN!!!
(1)
Kim R.
If you are not drunk and just coming off a boat on Lake Minnetonka, do not come here. The crazy drunk patrons ruined this restaurant for me, even though the patio is huge and the food was actually decent. If you are planning to come here on a weekend, make sure you call ahead because if you don't the wait will probably be an hour and a half. Luckily, we called ahead and our wait was only 30 minutes. We took a seat at the bar, and I actually wished we would have stayed there. The bar tender was friendly and attentive and our appetizer came out lightening quick. Once we moved to our table, things quickly went downhill. For starters, when we were seated the sun was glaring in my mom's eyes, so she politely asked our server if he could adjust the umbrella. His response, "Why don't you ask them," meaning the table next to us. How rude! I couldn't believe he would say that, and it definitely left a sour taste in my mouth. After that I couldn't stop staring at all the drunks surrounding us. I felt like I was at a carnival freak show. There were ladies fondling each other and making out, plus tons of fake boobs and too short shorts. Not to mention the sleazy 50-year-old men hitting on the 20-something ladies. Yuk. I wanted to get out of there quick. Our food was actually decent, but could never make up for the poor service and questionable ambiance. I ordered the chicken tinga tacos and while the portion was a little small for the $14 price tag and they served them with nasty fake guac, the flavor of the chicken was excellent, with just a slight kick. My mom ordered the Hawaiian chicken wrap and it was also great. It was packed with tons of fruit and chunks of chicken and coconut.
(1)
Paul W.
Needed a quick place for a casual family night out. Definitely a bar atmosphere but the food was good and the prices are reasonable. We have been there several times in the summer but this was the first time in the cold. Really kind of a "Cheers" place where if they don't know your name they will. Always worth the trip.
(4)
Dan R.
Bayside's food is good with a nice deck/patio overlooking Lake Minnetonka (both support a rating better than 3). The only downfall is the clientele...the crowd is 25+ year old partiers. This is great if you spent a day on the lake drinking with friends. Lunch might be a better time to eat here if you are looking for a low key spot and want to bring the kids, but I haven't been for lunch. If you don't mind the rowdy, drunk showy types...this is a great place anytime.
(3)
John M.
Fun summertime hangout spot. I'm not a big fan of the crowd there. It's nice to have a Long Island Iced Tea and chill on the deck. It's just a little too douchey.
(3)
Laura R.
The food is kinda blah. As a bar or lake-side patio hangout it's a winner. The crowd was a pecuilar mix of desperate house wives and high school kids. I'd give it another shot though, might have just been an off night.
(3)
Chad C.
First off, the patio is amazing!...However, if you are looking to eat anything other than your typical everything-is-fried bar food, go somewhere else. Good to better than average service.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Breakfast Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Loud Good For Dancing : No Alcohol : Full Bar Happy Hour : Yes Best Nights : Thu, Fri, Sat Coat Check : No Smoking : Outdoor Area/ Patio Only Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Andrea D.
I've been here before and made the mistake of coming back. The service is horrible and the food is over priced. There is no one here and 4 waitresses sitting around chatting. What topped it off, is witnessing a waiter pick up someone's food with his hands and place it in a to go box, then delivering it to patrons. It's not worth the view to come here. We weren't offered water, drink refills, and the list goes on.
(1)Shawn S.
Of Fletcher's, Maynards, and Bayside, this is the weaker sister. Despite having the best location of the three, it is shoddy. They do serve strong drinks (yay!) but the barstools are falling apart and the bar does get a little cramped due to the layout. Shawn's tip: They have a decent happy hour that closes the gap. At least it doesn't have tons of bees like Fletcher's does.
(3)Gracie H.
Go for the location. Staff is friendly and the wait was not bad. Food is so-so. Very typical bar food. Clientele is mostly people who are drinking, 20-30 year olds (during the summer). Drink list is good (mixed, beer,wine,etc). Can't comment on the accessibility of the front entrance as we came from the dock. Gendered bathrooms. Somewhat dingy.
(3)Kali M.
Great location! Had pretty good prices and Happy Hour drink and food selection. The live music on the weekends is a nice addition to the mood of the joint, just wish it was outside.
(4)Ehren M.
Never have I felt so mistreated by event staff than at Bayside Grille. I would never recommend going to any of Bayside Grille's events. They are greedy cash cows that are more concerned about making money than doing what is right. They verbally advertised the chance to be on a boat with a celebrity and charged $20 to get on said boat, but when the celebrity arrived, it was clear she would not even step one foot on the boat. Instead of refunding for falsely advertising the event, the event staff refused to refund any of its customers the ticket price. Bayside successfully made over $1000 yesterday by lying and deceiving 50+ people. NEVER GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY, THEY WILL RIP YOU OFF.
(1)Andrew C.
Walleye sandwich was quite good ( crispy, moist and not greasy). Service was friendly and attentive, love that they almost always have live music here. Also, usually much easier to get a table and service here than at Maynard's ( granted, it's much more of a townies bar, which is part of its charm) Portabello Mushroom Swiss burger leaves something to be desired ( burger was an overly compressed frozen pattie, and the whole thing was dry). It seemed to beg for the moistness of fried onions. I managed to choke it down with some ketchup as Lubrication.
(3)Sheng T.
came here once when the workplace treated us to a nice relaxing boat cruise.. we happened to stop here for some quick drinks and appetizers.. they had these really nice cups that you can keep as a souvenir if you ordered a drink and so i ordered one just because of that.. the drink was pretty good from what i remembered.. it was a little busy at that time given it was a saturday afternoon so it took awhile for us to flag down someone to help us.. but overall, it was nice.. the sun was shining, the music was playing, lots of people were just hanging out and the view was great especially seeing all those boats.. wish i could've had more time to enjoy the whole outdoor bar scene but it's okay..
(3)Megan S.
while my food was good and arrived at a reasonable time, unfortunately the rest of my table's food was delayed. We ate and the rest of the table got their food as our bill was coming. bad service and bad timing.
(2)Brendan C.
Great atmosphere, good service.. Lots of options to sit inside and outside. I got a burger and ordered it med rare but it was well done.. Great experience just a tad iffy on the food .
(3)Tony S.
Ugh. Bayside could be so much more. The 2 stars are given solely for the lakeside deck and outdoor bars (the saving grace), the attentiveness of one (1) bartender on a consistent basis, and the fact they have allowed the hosting of an annual memorial benefit. That's it. The service is robotic at best. And we're not talking Johnny 5 from Short Circuit robotic. That would be a damn delight. No, we're talking Twiki from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century annoying robot, minus the personality. No, there is very little to write home about. Either the wait staff is lacking in knowledge or just apathetic, it's a detriment to the establishment. Now we come to the point where the train carrying nuclear waste through a small town jumps the tracks and spills it's contents in a fiery and gruesome manner, killing all inhabitants of said town. It's the "food". Notice the quotation marks. I've tried multiple times to find a dish that doesn't make my palate curse me and my tongue suffocate me in the night. I've first had the BLT. It was extremely memorable because the whole thing tasted like fish. Damnit! Serving bacon that tastes like fish is a sin punishable by eternity in the 6th circle of hell. I know we're sitting on a dock, but if the BLT fell into a bucket of chum, one could at least prepare a new one. I've had a burger, too. And you know what that tasted like? You guessed it. A goddamn herring. Everything I've had seems to be marinated in briny fish. I digress. The fact that they have been able to host a memorial benefit for almost 15 years is wonderful. That shows that the owners are serious about their ties to the community. Kudos. Now if they can carry that over to the food, then there's a winner. If you're going to give this place a whirl, I recommend coming on a busy summer night solely for the people watching. The sh*tshow that you'll experience is downright comical.
(2)Kristy T.
First of all, great location and the patio was great but the service was probably the worst I've ever experienced. The waitress was so rude and didn't even ask for change back she just assume and took the tip herself. The food was Not bad but I wouldn't recommend it to any of my friends
(1)Marilee A.
"Not Great, But Not Bad Either" Nachos are good, Pizza so so, Szechuan Green Beans Excellent.Food here is better than Fletcher's, but not as good as Maynard's.When you go here, you walk back & forth between Maynard's & here.You come to be on the lake, you come by boat, you come for the patio, the drinks, the people, & the bands.To see & be Seen, it is about Boating.It is part of the living the Good Life on Lk.Mtka experience.The Event center has great Wedding Food.
(3)Brooks W.
Don't bother with it. I live very close to this restaurant and really wanted to like it because it's conveniently located and in a fantastic area of excelsior. The reality is that this place is poorly managed, has sub par food, and deplorable service. Their are a few decent employees but Kitty the constantly frowning manager makes sure to squash their impact. Bayside is like a dive-bar that doesn't have the requisite charm and also charges full price. Go to Maynards if you want to be near the lake, and 318 cafe if you want good food in the area.
(2)Todd K.
Terrible service, got off the boat and grabbed a table, waited 10 minutes until the sever told me to see the hostess! There were no signs on the dock stating it was not open seating. Hostess was rude and would not seat us right away. There were 10 open tables at the time! Poorly managed restaurant! Walked over to Maynards, sat at an open table and was treated extremely well!
(1)Lyn S.
When we arrived on Wednesday night, the host said the wait would be "20 minutes, tops". We were seated nearly an hour later. Fortunately, they have about 12 beers on tap, so we enjoyed a couple beers and a great view of Lake Minnetonka on a beautiful summer evening, which made the wait tolerable. The menu is limited, but the sandwiches are pretty good, The "muffaletta" is particularly good, while the burgers need better buns/rolls. The BBQ chicken finger appetizer was dry.
(3)Tina C.
Had a nice quiet lunch under one of the unbrella tables on the dock. They have a 1/2 sandwich and salad selection for $8.95. The Ice tea and pop is only $2 and there are free refills so you can stay awhile and sip a drink while watching activity on the dock. There are large carp in the water so be sure and save a few french fries to give the fish a nibble on the way out.
(4)Mark J.
Overpriced food but really great location/view. Went there a few weeks ago to the little shack bar they have on the deck, lot of fun - live music and easy going crowd
(4)Harin G.
It's hit or miss with this place. The servers haven't ever been really that great every time I have been here but they aren't necessarily bad either. You can just definitely tell that there are a million other places they would rather be than at work. The food is also hit or miss. My wedding reception was in Bayview and the food was wonderful (we did custom build the menu though). I know that it is the same lead chef but I don't understand why some items are absolutely disgusting (broiled walleye) and some are delicious (tacos). If it were any place else, it would probably get two stars. Fortunately due to the beautiful scenery and the place this property holds in my heart, I can bump it up a notch.
(3)Jake J.
Suggest the Steak bites! Amazing view!
(4)Kris J.
Best view of lake Minnetonka anywhere! Huge deck seating and outdoor bars, the service can be slow at times but way worth the view! Love the breakfast burrito on a Saturday or Sunday morning and steak bites and fries for happy hour! Did I mention the best view of a lake in MN! Go here on summer days and frozen winter mornings... love it!
(4)Sidelaker M.
Food is very average, but you are not going there for the food. On a beautiful summer night, it's a great place to go for a drink.
(3)Nic B.
Mikey the bartender is amazing! He should get a raise! The fondue is delicious and the patio is great, multiple bars to suit your drinking needs.
(5)Jordan W.
I have been to Bayside a handful of times and almost always their Walleye fish tacos are amazing. Unfortunately our last time was a poor experience for our entire party. 3 of us had the walleye fish tacos and all of them were very fishy. Walleye has a very mild taste and i have never once had a fishy walleye until my last visit at Bayside. We made a comment to our waiter who began to tell us that Walleye is actually fishy tasting and that is "normal". He said that from his experience their walleye is always fairly fishy. Sorry I have had walleye over 100 times and I've never had a fishier tasting fillet. The waiter was not educated about the quality of their fish. Either the fish had gone bad or the oil they were cooking it in should have been changed. The waiters level of education on beers was poor also. He talked me into a pale ale that he said was actually happier than their IPA. Mmmm sorry it wasn't. I asked for a stronger hoppy IPA and he recommended the Pale Ale when in fact they had a double IPA which was much more hoppy. My second choice was their double IPA and it was phenomenal! The sweet potato fries were still good and the dipping sauce that comes with the fish tacos is great. Another thing I do like about Bayside is their beer selection. They have a couple of local IPA's on tap. I'm a huge IPA fan and its nice to have a couple options. Many restaurants similar to Bayside don't have many micro brew options. 4 star atmosphere, 3 star service and 1 star walleye fish tacos
(3)Jim W.
Great Lake minnetonka bar. IMHO one of the few with a true lake feel. Breakfast this morning was very good. Dana and Kitty are wonderful!!
(5)Darcy W.
Two words...Happy Hour!! Very nice deck with an incredible view of Lake Minnetonka. (Also dog friendly.) They serve breakfast until 11, get the burrito it is delish. I have heard since they cannot change the original structure, and they may be building another bar on east side? Great place to rent out for an event, I have been to several. Bottom line: The positive to Bayview is they have all the parking! They also pour a darn good drink... the people watching is pure entertainment!
(3)K E.
This place is fun in the summer. Pull your boat up and have a blast on the outdoor patio. The live music is all ok. Wish they had more variety. The bartenders are friendly and the food is nothing to brag about. The big problem is the management doesn't seem to care if the place sits empty. They don't do much to entice the crowd from next door. They do well at night because of the live music but they don't even have a decent happy hour or specials during the games. The place is empty while Maynard's is a full house/ strange... You have to wonder if they even care to make money. If you don't live here you might not even know its open in the winter or spring. Anyway... yes the people can get a little rowdy, it's a unique, eclectic crowd. I think that's what makes for a fun night and an interesting life.
(3)Ron P.
Nice deck to sit and enjoy your the lake view, if Maynard's is too crowded. However, mediocre food and the weakest drinks around, may send you elsewhere. It did me ! Beware the Nachos with the blue chips ! You will know what I mean by the next day ! Overall, no thanks.
(2)Barclay W.
As we were deciding on which place to go for lunch the rather cute dock attendant decided for us. He lured us in with promises of good food, drinks, and a nice patio. The patio was nice, but beyond that it felt more like a sirens call luring us into the rocks after we left. The menu was a bit on the pricey side, but given the location I guess they can charge that. Drinks and food were quickly ordered. They had a decent, but not great, beer selection. My only issue there was none of their drafts were written down. Having to remember what the waitress was listing off was hard. The food and subsequent service is where everything went wrong.... My food was decent. I got the apple gouda club (something like that). Nice flavors but nothing super memorable. My boyfriend's mother got the fish tacos. Normally I would say a dicey move, but this is Minnesota so fresh fish shouldn't be hard to get. Her fish was inedible (my boyfriend and his father all had a bite. Why is beyond me. I opted out after his mom said it was awful, and it was confirmed by my boyfriend. At that point why would I want to try some. This didn't stop his dad). We informed out waitress and she just said oh and that she would let someone know. Nothing happens. Our siren dock helper comes over to check on us. We tell him our situation. He informs our waitress and again nothing. Finally the bill comes. Now normally a restaurant would waive the charge for an inedible meal. Instead they took $3 off the tacos. That brought the total for a side salad to $10. A $10 side salad.... Really? Is the quality of your fish so low that it costs less then $3? At this point we are too pissed to say anything and we just want to leave this experience behind us. The poor dock guy was so upset that our experience was bad. He agreed with us that they shafted us on the $3. When your own staff agrees that you are shafting people what does that say about your place?
(1)Sarah Z.
I had a really great experience here today. After biking around 23 miles on the Lake Minnetonka LRT regional trail, it was nice to sit by the water and soak up the ambiance of the crowd. I will say, if you're feeling social this is definitely the place to go. The patio was crowded with everyone from families to young people. There was a live band playing nearby, so it was a little loud, but tolerable. Note that Bayside does have hostesses to seat guests outside, so if you go, look for the large hostess stand to one side of the restaurant. We were greeted by a cheery young waitress, who seemed to be enjoying the day despite the huge rush she was dealing with. She wasn't overly hospitable, but did make sure to take care of all our needs. I wouldn't expect much more from a grill like this anyway, so it was nice that she did take good enough care of us. My food was amazing! I got the bibb lettuce wraps, which came with seasoned pulled chicken, the most amazing grilled veggie assortment ever, sticky rice, and two crazy good dipping sauces. I'd never had bibb lettuce cups/wraps before, so it was fun to make my own. They were SO GOOD!! And healthy :) All of the grill menu items that passed by looked really good, like the burgers and other sandwiches. I can't speak much about the salads, but they are huge. My boyfriend ordered walleye fingers, which were on the app menu, and they were not very good. They were breaded, but not crispy, and the walleye didn't taste fresh at all. But I had a good enough time, and good enough food to myself, that it deserves 4 stars for today. Yay!
(4)Sarah B.
Only went for a few drinks but it was great. We had like 8 with us. Not only our waitress rocked but the rest of the staff was great to!
(5)Steven H.
So it had been awhile since I was here, stopped with family over weekend. Love the atmosphere and location. Kids like looking for fish. Ordered nachos w/ chicken and steak bites and hamburgers. Server stopped back about 45 minutes later and said "you should really have your food by now" She checked on food and said they were out of Steak bites and apologized. I said we were on tight timeline and she said that the other food was ready.. Finally got food about 20 minutes later. obviously not ready. Then there was no chicken on nachos. Didn't offer to take care of us at all, Didn't comp or offer coupon for next visit. Not sure if it was server or kitchen. Gave them another shoot Wednesday same deal different day. Very slow and food below par. No wonder everyone goes to Maynard's. I'm guessing if only getting drinks you will be happy. Skip the food. Pick up your game Bayside. Location will only take you so far. We will give them another try in a couple years or so, if they are still around. Tip: Bayside Grill Read these reviews. All recent reviews are bad, in fact not many positive reviews for a couple years. It's a pattern if no one is happy, Time to make a change. You have the best spot on the lake. Better service, better food and you will be the best place on Tonka. Until then you won't earn my money, Sorry.
(2)Joel R.
This is the worst Panda Express I've ever been too. It's truly the Indiana of lakeside restaurants.
(1)Andrew P.
Just a quick update from a recent trip. Service/Kitchen is still really slow. My tip is to get to the bar and stay there. Don't wait for a table eat at the bar. The Bar is the only place that you can actually get served quickly and checked on.
(3)Andrew K.
Terrible service, the staff had no idea what was going on for a Sunday afternoon with only moderate traffic. Took 30mins plus to get our first round of drinks and place our order. What a mess...
(1)Jan R.
First time here with colleagues. We arrived and due to the chill in the air, most customers were waiting for inside seating. We were told by the host it would be 35 minute wait for our party of 7. I asked the host if we could move a heater to an outside table. He said he didn't want to take it away from other customers. Hmmmm....within 3 minutes it was moved to another place? So it has now been over an hour and still no seating available. Thankfully, Otto behind the bar asked if we wanted anything. He took our order to go and he could run circles around the host when it comes to great customer service. The host needs to learn from this guy. There is a way to demonstrate great customer service even during long wait times. A table for 6 was opened for a long time until the host asked if it would do. So we managed to squeeze in and had our dinner inside. Out waitress Sarah was very pleasant and made a bad experience even better. Additionally, Andy behind the bar was also very attentive. These 3 could run the place. Kudos to Otto, Sarah and Andy. The host needs to find a career that suits him better.
(3)Brent B.
Went over to Bayside with the precise purpose of having a [nice] breakfast. I went to their website and explored ahead of time and the menu looked good for breakfast by the water. They said they served until 11:30am. OK...we arrived. Because the parking sometimes takes a while to accomplish, we finally were seated ahead of 11:30am and the meals being consumed by adjoining tables did give us something to look forward to. Then...the cold water on our expectations began to fall. The other posts citing slow service hold true yet. By the time we got someone to our table it was--wait--hold on--PAST 11:30am!!!!!!!!!!!!! The breakfast train had left the station.... Apparently there is NO room for negotiation for hungry foodies who arrive later than 11:20am--despite what they say. They wouldn't even let us order toast, since it isn't on the menu as an item. [[[And what would hold your BLT sandwich together with?]]] TAKE NOTE--arrive early or you will find NO sympathy after 11:20am no matter how much you really, really want breakfast. The Mimosa we bought [wanting something for our travel] wasn't worth the moolah. Pre-made OJ from concentrate and questionable bubbly. That too...took way too long to find our table!
(1)Camille L.
This is a fabulous outdoor bar on a summer evening. Good crowd, lots of outdoor seating, and huge outdoor area on the lake. We didn't have to stand in line either! It's also nice here for after work happy hours in the summertime. This is a nice change of scenery from Uptown and Downtown where you have to stand in line for 15+ minutes to get to an outdoor area.
(4)MR Z.
How can Walleye fingers and Walleye fish tacos are BAD??!! Easy, just go to the Bayside Grille on Lake Minnetonka. Bad Walleye PLUS an unprofessional staff, this place is good for BEER only if the other places are too crowed. WILL NOT RETURN!!!
(1)Kim R.
If you are not drunk and just coming off a boat on Lake Minnetonka, do not come here. The crazy drunk patrons ruined this restaurant for me, even though the patio is huge and the food was actually decent. If you are planning to come here on a weekend, make sure you call ahead because if you don't the wait will probably be an hour and a half. Luckily, we called ahead and our wait was only 30 minutes. We took a seat at the bar, and I actually wished we would have stayed there. The bar tender was friendly and attentive and our appetizer came out lightening quick. Once we moved to our table, things quickly went downhill. For starters, when we were seated the sun was glaring in my mom's eyes, so she politely asked our server if he could adjust the umbrella. His response, "Why don't you ask them," meaning the table next to us. How rude! I couldn't believe he would say that, and it definitely left a sour taste in my mouth. After that I couldn't stop staring at all the drunks surrounding us. I felt like I was at a carnival freak show. There were ladies fondling each other and making out, plus tons of fake boobs and too short shorts. Not to mention the sleazy 50-year-old men hitting on the 20-something ladies. Yuk. I wanted to get out of there quick. Our food was actually decent, but could never make up for the poor service and questionable ambiance. I ordered the chicken tinga tacos and while the portion was a little small for the $14 price tag and they served them with nasty fake guac, the flavor of the chicken was excellent, with just a slight kick. My mom ordered the Hawaiian chicken wrap and it was also great. It was packed with tons of fruit and chunks of chicken and coconut.
(1)Paul W.
Needed a quick place for a casual family night out. Definitely a bar atmosphere but the food was good and the prices are reasonable. We have been there several times in the summer but this was the first time in the cold. Really kind of a "Cheers" place where if they don't know your name they will. Always worth the trip.
(4)Dan R.
Bayside's food is good with a nice deck/patio overlooking Lake Minnetonka (both support a rating better than 3). The only downfall is the clientele...the crowd is 25+ year old partiers. This is great if you spent a day on the lake drinking with friends. Lunch might be a better time to eat here if you are looking for a low key spot and want to bring the kids, but I haven't been for lunch. If you don't mind the rowdy, drunk showy types...this is a great place anytime.
(3)John M.
Fun summertime hangout spot. I'm not a big fan of the crowd there. It's nice to have a Long Island Iced Tea and chill on the deck. It's just a little too douchey.
(3)Laura R.
The food is kinda blah. As a bar or lake-side patio hangout it's a winner. The crowd was a pecuilar mix of desperate house wives and high school kids. I'd give it another shot though, might have just been an off night.
(3)Chad C.
First off, the patio is amazing!...However, if you are looking to eat anything other than your typical everything-is-fried bar food, go somewhere else. Good to better than average service.
(3)