Lake Norman waterside restaurants.....

CliffA

Well-Known Member
Dec 29, 2009
4,712
Lake Norman, NC
Boat Info
2001 Sea Ray 340DA
Name: 'Happy Place'
4.5kW West. Generator
Purchased Nov. 2014
Fresh Water Use
Engines
Twin Merc. 6.2L (MPI)
640 hp (Total)
Raw Water Cooled
V-Drive Transmissions
some of you may know this is the first year we are wet slipping our boat and also our first time on Lake Norman.....one of the things we like about the lake is the waterside restaurants.....for those of you that are familiar with these fine establishments i was hoping you could give me a 'loose' rating of the food at them ranging from just 'a good bar with typical bar food' to a 'fine dinning establisment with excellent food'....:grin:......

all joking aside if someone could give us an indication what to expect before we get there that would be great.....we plan to hit all of them sooner or later and will eventually form our own opinions, but some input from you guys would be good to know ahead of time....any information about the available docks at the restaurants would also be helpfull.....

thanks.....

cliff
 
North Harbor Club - best food on the lake. Great brunch on the weekends.
Rusty Rudder - good bar food. Party atmosphere
Port City - nice place. Good food.
Lake Norman Motel - gone down hill the past few years.
 
thanks Jim.....

cliff
 
Here's the Rusty Rudder from last Sat.

uqezaqu6.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Here's the Rusty Rudder from last Sat.

uqezaqu6.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

thanks....'the Rudder' is definetely on our list.....i have heard a lot about it.....we actually stopped by the North Harbor Club a couple weeks ago while driving home just to check it out.....it was crowded on this Sunday afternoon and looked to be a nice place.....

cliff
 
It is and prices are not that bad. Another choice is when you go under the 150 bridge there are 3 restaurants there. Two of them change ownerships often. They were bad. Docks are not great. And of course Boathouse Grill to the west before going under the 150 bridge. Good dockage.
 
It is and prices are not that bad. Another choice is when you go under the 150 bridge there are 3 restaurants there. Two of them change ownerships often. They were bad. Docks are not great. And of course Boathouse Grill to the west before going under the 150 bridge. Good dockage.

thanks....if i remember correctly the Boathouse Grill is at the Midway Marina....while growing up in Mooresville i had a friend that worked at Midway and i would visit him often at the marina.....someone had mentioned the food at the grill at the 150 bridge that is marked 'grill and blliards' on the roof has pretty good food.....

cliff
 
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That's the one. Owned by the same people as Big Daddy's and Lancaster docks. If you go by boat try to get to the docks behind the covered slips. Like going to the gas dock then hard right. Yes the other one is not too bad. Actually a very good Tuna appetizer. Another one that I haven't been to but was told is good is an Italian Steak house up Davidson's Creek. Just under the Wiliamston rd bridge. Your boat may fit under. Mine wouldn't.
 
If I remember correctly, North Harbor has live music outside in the summer. Maybe on Thursday evenings. I will definately get up there sooner rather than later.
 
Another one that I haven't been to but was told is good is an Italian Steak house up Davidson's Creek. Just under the Wiliamston rd bridge. Your boat may fit under. Mine wouldn't.

i looked on Google Maps and i think it is called 'Prickly Pear'........

cliff
 
No, that's a Mexican restaurant in the same complex. If you have a copy of the "Pilot" it should be listed in there. There used to be a couple of eateries in that complex. They come and go. Hard to make living at it I guess.
 
No, that's a Mexican restaurant in the same complex. If you have a copy of the "Pilot" it should be listed in there. There used to be a couple of eateries in that complex. They come and go. Hard to make living at it I guess.

not familiar with the 'Pilot'......what is it and where can i get it?

cliff
 
Pilot is a free magazine about the LKN area. Alot of good info in there. You can find them in the free magazine racks outside of restraunts, and stores around the lake. I get mine from The Boathouse restraunt at Midway Marina.

The Blue Parrot is a very good food restraunt just above the hwy 150 bridge. They have good docks, but you better get there early, as they fill up quick, and usually a line of boats waiting for a slip to open.
I love the Boathouse restraunt, nice big bar to sit at.
Rudder is fun, once again, the slips fill up quick.
The Landing (Lake Norman Motel) is cool, but like was said the place is getting tired looking. You can anchor out in the cove and they will come get you with the shuttle boat.
Queens Landing is a big place, and they serve food, but only burgers and such. Nice place to sit and watch the dinner boats come and go.
Then there is the really exclusive Frayed Knot Oasis.......it's by invitation only, and food is prepared by request. The Oasis moves around the lake to different coves and such, so you have to go out and find me....I mean them!!!! haha
 
Then there is the really exclusive Frayed Knot Oasis.......it's by invitation only said:
I ate there before. Food was good. Staff just so-so.:grin: Damn I miss my boat.
 
the Admiral and i had a great dinner Saturday evening at the North Harbor Club on our way home from visiting my parents in Mooresville....i had the filet steak and she had the crab cakes....both were excellent.....

Sunday afternoon we took the boat to Grilles Sports Cafe at the 150 bridge for a late lunch on our way to exploring the area around the state park....we both had a BBQ chicken wrap which was pretty decent.....we both liked their homemade chips dipped in ranch dressing......a police boat stayed in the water right outside of this area where there are two or three restaurants together....i guess he was looking for easy targets for boaters that may have indulged a little too much at the bar.......

cliff
 
Yea Cliff they do hang out around there. Also they love to tuck into coves and lie in wait. Never bothered me as I didn't indulge on my boat when I was captain. Once back at the dock was another story. Or on someone else's boat.
 
Yea Cliff they do hang out around there. Also they love to tuck into coves and lie in wait. Never bothered me as I didn't indulge on my boat when I was captain. Once back at the dock was another story. Or on someone else's boat.

what is the 'official' law about this on Lake Norman?....can there be open containers on the boat?.....can the captain have an open container as long as he is not deemed to be 'under the influence'?......just want to know the rules....the boating safety class we took just said the captain cannot be 'under the inflence' but did not offer any other details about what this means and how it is judged.....i see other boaters drinking while underway so i was just wondering what the official rule is....

we only drink in moderation while out on the water and mostly when we are on the hook or docked...........i never drive the boat if i think i am at all impaired....i have been at it long enough to judge if/when i get to that point.....

cliff
 
To be honest Cliff I don't know the actual "rule". I just chose not to have an open container when running my boat. Most of the Sherriff's deputies are going to frown upon an open container being used by the operator of the boat. I found it not worth the hassle. I'd rather let the officers deal with the real morons on the lake. If you don't have it yet, get the CG Aux safety inspection sticker. It helps. They usually have free inspections around the lake. Call up to Skipper's Landing and see when they will have one.
 

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