Water Works Restaurant & Lounge

We went to the Water Works for brunch after a charity 5k. We were a party of 12 and they had our table waiting for us which was wonderful because we were tired! The servers greeted us quickly and introduced a few stations. The omelette bar was on point, fluffy choice creations cooked to perfection. Overall a combination of seafood, carving table meats, breakfast meats, pastries, fresh fruits and vegetables. Everything you desire in a brunch. I had a mimosa which was made perfectly. The reason for 5 stars is the service. Coffee and water refilled frequently and napkin folded on chair every time you got up from the table. The Water Works is pricey but they deliver. Its a shame they closed.

This place is not a restaurant anymore… they only do catering

Having our wedding here will truly go down as one of the biggest regrets of my life. The event coordinator Gary was responsible for ruining most of what went wrong in the months leading up to the wedding and on our wedding day. He was difficult to work with, was very arrogant, tried to plan our wedding how he would want it done instead of how we asked, was unfamiliar with the terms of our contract throughout planning, and was just generally unprofessional. He repeatedly rescheduled our tasting (and tried to have us do our tasting a few days before the wedding), never wrote down the desserts that we chose at the tasting so we had to pick them from memory months later and picked different ones as a result, and changed the cake company they were contracted with after we had already sampled the first bakery. Worst of all, he wasn’t available for our rehearsal. Two months before the rehearsal, he claimed that another couple lost their child and therefore they would be flying in for one day for their tasting… coincidentally on the day of our rehearsal. A very sad story (if it’s even true) but still have no idea how that results in their tasting being scheduled the same day as our rehearsal TWO MONTHS LATER. So his assistant (very nice girl) handled our rehearsal but did not seem to know what she was doing… Fast forward to the wedding, and somehow the bridesmaids and bride end up walking down the aisle IN DEAD SILENCE, no music. Afterward, we asked Gary, THE EVENT COORDINATOR, what happened and he said it wasn’t his responsibility. Our DJ told us that water works staff told him not to play music because we had a singer, which is true but we explained during rehearsal that the singer would be singing two songs after everyone was at the altar, not during the procession. And it gets worse… 1. We found out after the wedding that Gary had moved guests around on our seating chart after it was finalized, 2. We told Gary to serve guests dinner while we took photos before dinner started… 45 minutes later, Gary still had not served anyone food. Luckily our parents told him then that he needed to serve dinner as we had instructed him to do, 3. We were supposed to have signature drinks but they didn’t make any, 4. Their «security» didn’t prevent anyone from walking through the area THAT WE HAD RENTED outside of the restaurant. We even saw the security guard taking photos under our altar outside as strangers wandered through the property. This venue is nothing but a money pit and definitely NOT WORTH the minimum ~$ 25k that is required to host a wedding there. Go somewhere, ANYWHERE else, seriously. I’d give this place negative 1 million stars if I could.

My mom and I grabbed lunch at the Water Works last time I was in town. It was surprisingly sparse with guests despite it being a lovely Saturday. We sat outside and thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and our view. The servers were extremely attentive and pleasant. The food was good but not over the top, however, we were only having lunch. We split a water works salad to start, which was very tasty. We both agreed that this was our favorite part of the meal. I ordered the shrimp scampi and my mother had the steak medallions and frites, which were decent. I will definitely come back more for the dinner views than the dinner options.

I went to WW for Sunday brunch because it was a nice day, and I was planning to go to the art museum. I’ve passed it several times on the river trail, and it looked like it would be a nice place.
Unfortunately, what I didn’t realize was that I would be getting sub-​par buffet food for around /​over $ 50/​person (including tax and tip). There was really nothing special about the food or the service (standard pastries, fruit, omelette bar). I was very disappointed even though the view was nice.

Water Works is no longer a restaurant. Only catering and events. That is the news I received when I called to try and make a reservation. Their website is still saying that they take reservations for brunch, lunch and dinner; however that is not the case. Too bad. Loved the view.

The lovely view may help to ease your pain after you’ve shelled out way too much for a sub-​par cocktail.
While the prices are comparable to those at an upscale craft cocktail establishment, the drinks are more like what you’d have during your next layover — mid-​range spirits and grocery store mixers. My manhattan was remarkably bad, while my companion’s drinks were all sugar bomb juice concoctions served in martini glasses.
If you’re in the neighborhood, I’d recommend taking in the view from the veranda before getting your dinner/​drinks someplace else.

The best thing about brunch here is sitting out on the patio on a nice day is just lovely. But I can sit outside at many restaurants on a nice day and enjoy it without the $ 40 price tag!
The food: standard brunch, nothing special and the hot food was not hot-​warm at best.
The drinks: there were 4 of us at the table who all heard complimentary mimosas so we each had two. Well the bill came charging us for 4 and the waitress said only the first is complimentary. Hard to believe 4 of us heard that wrong. Coffee is unlimited but a charge for tea… seriously? It’s hot water and a tea bag!
Wait staff: attentive and friendly.
Host: Downright rude. When we arrived to valet park there was no one at the valet stand. So we parked the car, proceeded to the restaurant host stand and explained and still offered to pay the valet fee. The host very loudly said no we can’t do that there are 3 people out there and our car will be towed. Sorry, but I was always taught the customer is right even when wrong but not this guy his message was the customer is wrong even when right. He went outside to prove we were wrong only to find the valet stand unattended. So I not so nicely said see I think you owe us an apology to which he said and I will quote, «please go inside the restaurant you are causing a problem». None of us could believe this! The proper way to handle this situation would have been when we first approached, to apologize for our inconvenience, seat us at our table and then go find out what is going on.
Don’t waste your time or money!

I was disappointed with my recent experience at Waterworks. Although the scenery was gorgeous and it was a great night to sit outside, we had to wait an hour and a half for dinner to be served. The manager told us the kitchen was «discombobulated» When I received my pork dish, it was cold and hardly edible because most of it was all fatty pieces. Service was fine but the food is certainly nothing to rave about and it definitely wasn’t worth the price that we had to pay. I wouldn’t recommend this place for food at all. Overall, it was a huge disappointment.

Avoid it. Lackluster service food and overall staff personality. Seems the staff knows they aren’t good. Took over an hour to get a medium steak, vegetables and salads. Just bad all aroubd

Yikes, where do I start. My friends and I, a party of 8, had a total swing and miss experience. From our first drinks at the bar, right through the meal, we’re all awful experiences. The bartender was a joke, our server must have been his first day, and the manager seemed overworked (and sweaty). The food was average at best, and took forever. We ordered some nicer bottles of wine, and the server didn’t even know how to present the bottle or give us a chance to taste, as is customary. He simply gave us all full pours. Newbie? He forgot a few orders and was super slow and inattentive. Just a bad experience all around, the best part was the $ 12 valet, and en that took a while. Simply said, I would not recommend this spot to my worst enemy

Great ambience, terrible food. Great view of the water, terrible service. Bring your tasteless/​tongue less friends here.

Amazing location gone to waste. Went here for Valentine’s Day. The food tasted like a microwaved TV dinner and the wine pairing we ordered do not come out with the dishes. Was a waste of a perfectly good evening. I hope they fix the place because the location is beautiful.

I went to WW for a private party, so can’t comment on a normal restaurant experience. The building, decorations, and location were all beautiful. It’s a shame it was an evening party so we didn’t have the view. The cocktail servers and bartenders were great, very personable and chatty. The passed appetizers were very good, especially the beef something or other. We also had a large cheese/​cracker/​meat display. For dinner, we had buffet stations — one side was Asian (think stir fry type stuff) and the other side had pasta/​salad/​steak/​etc. Really liked the selections and all the food was delicious! The bussers were a little too exuberant and were cleaning dishes/​drinks when you turned your head for 2 seconds, so that was kind of annoying especially if you weren’t finished. My coworker said something to one of them and they said they were bored. Great experience for a private party, I definitely want to check this place out for dinner sometime soon — during the day though for the view!

Yet another joint that should offer scenery and drinks ONLY!!!
Nice ambiance, smiling and friendly hosteses… but the food was absolutely completely and totally horrid. Every course was as disappointing as the first.
Beet salad bland
(dressing was ok but the rock hard beets and pears overpowered it)
The tofu would make Gandhi eat cow. It literally tasted like boiled sheet rock.
NO TASTE OR FLAVOR AT ALL. Just meaty crumbly nothingness.
Purée sweet potatoes were anything but sweet… and the duck was chewy and kind of oily. In the enfamous words of Simon Cowell #englishaccent
«A COMPLETE UTTER DISEASTER»
My boyfriend and I will sooner be the guests of honor at a Cannibal convention than dine here again

I was here today for a lunch with 7 adults and 2 children. We were here for about 2 hours. They sat us in a lovely table with a great view and I had high hopes for lunch. I don’t have that much to say except our service was meh. We had to ask when our entrees were coming out twice, and when I got my dessert it was served half melted. Like how long was it sitting out before they brought it?
I was with a family that just by nature doesn’t drink alcohol, maybe they thought we were cheap? Or I don’t know what– but the server kept trying to tell us we needed more appetizers and didn’t order enough. What happened was that we had food left over — and had over ordered. At times I felt the waiter was pressuring for us to bulk up the check.
My entrée was the tofu and they veganized it for me upon request. It tasted great. My boyfriend also ordered the same thing and he liked his as well. Everyone else seemed to think the food was ok but no one raved or complained either way.
The view is second to none and overall we had a lovely lunch– I was just hoping for premium service to match a premium location!

I’ve gone here two times for lunch/​brunch and it’s only for the view. It has a wonderful history about it, but I wish the food was better quality and better prepared.
For lunch I had the burger, which was okay. I thought the meat could be better quality and the fries were lackluster.

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food and the service at Waterworks! We sat outside overlooking the river on a beautiful day, but inside is quite lovely as well. We shared oysters, which were delicious and a beet and baby spinach salad with goat cheese and walnuts, also very good. For entrees we had the grilled Bronzino with white beans and a livornaise sauce (perfectly cooked and the sauce so great I had to find a recipe) and a bone in pork chop with Jim Beam maple apple glaze which was very good. I would return for the atmosphere as well as the food.
I don’t have many reviews since my husband JimRad usually reviews!

When I dined at Waterworks, the experience was wonderful. It was Saturday so thus, making it a tad bit crowded but we were quickly accommodated. We sat on the patio, overlooking the beautiful scene, our sever giving us suggestions and being a total sweetheart.
We ordered the jumbo crab cakes that were delicious, Yukon mashed potatoes, a New York striped steak that was perfectly made; and a yummy beet salad that had goats cheese, walnuts, pears, and a yummy Chardonnay dressing.
Dessert wise, we had an issue with rotten watermelons being used and I felt horrible for complaining; however, they took it off our tab and apologised which was a terribly nice thing to do.
It’s very romantic to bring a special someone on a date.

So my fiancé brought me here to propose to me by the river! Once we got inside and the employees found out, they were congratulating us and being so welcoming! They give us a flute of champagne for each of us and wrote «Congratulations» on our dessert plate. It’s the small things but it was so nice!
The staff we dealt with were very attentive and so kind. They even offered to take pictures for us.
For an Appetizer, we ordered the duck egg rolls. They were okay but nothing special. For dinner, I ordered the bison Riley which was delicious and the Brussel sports that came with the entrée complemented it so well! My fiancé had the NY strip. He enjoyed that as well. We ordered sides of asparagus and the triple Mac n Cheese. The asparagus were so skinny and almost looked burnt but I think it was too skinny. The triple Mac n cheese was delicious! I mean, I didn’t get to eat it until the next day because of my excitement for being engaged. However, heating it up to eat it the next day was just as good! Haha for dessert we ordered the water wheel or something like that. It’s basically chocolate on chocolate on chocolate. It was delicious! Haha we ordered coffee with it but it was cold. We told the server and she brought us new cups asap!
Overall, I enjoyed the experience. Very friendly, food was delicious, and the view is beautiful! It is a fancier restaurant so I would suggest dressing up. Business casual is the attire that’s appropriate. I would definitely come back. Especially when it’s warmer so we can sit on the outside patio!

I’m giving Waterworks five stars for the Grand Sunday Brunch. I made reservations about 3 weeks in advance and requested seating in from of the window (for a view). It was worth every bit of the $ 40. The bottomless mimosas stole my heart. I’ll be visiting the Waterworks at least once a month to enjoy the brunch. I enjoyed an tasty Cajun omelet, salmon, mashed potatoes, bacon, mussels, and much more! Honestly, there wasn’t enough time or space in my stomach to enjoy all they had to offer.
We sat in a booth that was comfortable, with high backs that seemed to separate us well from the others in the area. The service was good. Not great, but good. Our waiter spent lots of time stalking a couple from Chicago, so he was less than attentive when it came to us. Regardless, the food quality and selection was well worth the price. Also, valet parking was free at that time.

As a huge fan of brunch, but the $ 40 per plate sadly keeps me from frequenting Water Works as often as I’d like. When I found out about their 7^th anniversary brunch special, which included the full brunch and a mimosa I was ecstatic! It took a little bit of watching but eventually I found a cancellation on open table and was able to secure a 1pm reservation.
There was a line when we walked in the door so I was nervous the promotion would turn this place into a zoo and the experience would be less than par. Luckily after we made it to the front of the line, we were seated immediately. We had a window side table for two adjacent to the bar. It took at least 10 minutes to get an introduction from the waiter and our water but considering it was a buffet I was wiling to over look this. The lines weren’t too crazy. Although I did realize this place books up almost every weekend so just because today was the anniversary special, it really shouldn’t make a difference in service or quality.
I was able to walk right up to the made to order omelet line. I ordered an egg white omelet with pepper, onion, asparagus, spinach, crab, a little bacon and feta. It was just that– made to order and delicious. I pretty much sampled everything with the exception of the center dessert table. I’m really just not a dessert person and would prefer my sweets in form of pancake or French toast. The pancakes and French toast were definite highlights. The French toast had a hint of cinnamon and both were topped with cinnamon apples and strawberries. One of my favorites of the morning was the made to order crêpe station. It was perfection! I had mine with strawberry, banana, candied pecans and white chocolate chips. It was topped powdered sugar and drizzled with raspberry sauce and a side of whipped cream. I could go on and on about the food. It’s a brunch buffet so I suggest going in with an open mind and getting a little of everything. Although everything was not 100% perfect. For example my carved prime rib was pretty fatty, that’s the luck of the draw with a piece of meat. Sometimes some of the trays were empty or almost empty and needed to be restocked.
Overall, after an hour of eating and 4 plates a piece later, my husband and I left very full but happy campers. It’s probably a good thing for my waistline that $ 7 isn’t the normal price. The $ 40 is worth it and I look forward to the next special occasion that I can return.

Average all around. This is more of a novelty restaurant because it’s pretty and by the River, but the food was nothing special and not worth the money. The best thing I ate here was the grilled octopus appetizer which was very tender and had good flavor.
The beef carpaccio was bland. I had the fillet oscar and it was a bit over-​cooked for medium rare. The oscar bit was good though. Our waiter sold the Delmonico as being «like prime rib» but it was not really anything like that. It was more like a strip.
$ 42 bottle of champagne that I bought the day before for $ 12. It’s a nice place for special occasions just because of the location and ambiance but the menu is standard.