I've been going to the Bass Lake for years. It's a great place to eat and hang out. The menu is huge and there is something good for everyone's taste. I really like the chicken wraps but the best is the pimento chicken salad sandwich. They have more beers than most places. The bar is big and service has always been good. It gets busy early around 6pm but I have never waited to long for orders to come out of the kitchen. In the 50+ times I have been here I think only one time I sent my food back when my steak was undercooked.
Review Source:Wow, I'm not sure what happened today but our order took well over a half hour to come out. There were people that came in and seated after us and were almost done with their meals and we were still waiting to get our food. My wife threw a fit and our food came out immediately. Only problem was it must have been sitting in the kitchen for a while. Not very good.
Review Source:In a Nutshell:
I really wanted to like this place, especially after reading other reviews and being new to Holly Springs. Lots of room for improvement, and I will give them another try some day. But, um, well, yeah... keep reading.
The Details:
Had a late lunch here on a Thursday, the place was mostly empty which makes sense, but I'd expect someone to greet me at the door when me and my friend entered. The entry desk was littered with little candy wrappers and tooth picks--gross--and there was no one in sight. We walked in a bit further and saw a few people in the bar/lounge area to the right, no one in the main seating area to the left. The place is HUGE! We thought it might be self-seating so we walked toward a table when a waitress finally addressed us and told us we could sit wherever we liked. So far, off to a shaky start.
I ordered a buffalo chicken caesar wrapped with a sun-dried tomato wrap, and my friend ordered the special: cajun shrimp and grits. Luckily she ordered a side salad too because the shrimp and grits were really bland and strange. They came in a hug bowl with a large rim--my friend almost had to stand up to lean far enough over the bowl to eat them! She said the shrimp was cooked ok, but flavorless, and you'd think for "cajun" shrimp they'd be spicy and popping with flavor. The grits were also terribly bland--no salt or pepper, which are the usual seasonings used. Strangely enough, there were bell peppers and onions, along with a sprinkle of shredded cheese on top... hmmm, not sure how that equates to "cajun" either. My friend told the waitress that she couldn't eat it, and it was brought back to the kitchen. The waitress offered to let her order something else, but she munched on the salad and was happy with that. They were kind enough not to charge us for the shrimp and grits.
Meanwhile, my buffalo chicken caesar wrap was overly salty. Probably a combo of the buffalo sauce and caesar dressing combined. Aside from the saltiness, the taste wasn't anything to write home about. The sun-dried tomato wrap really didn't add or take away from the flavor profile. The sweet potato tots were a good side choice versus your traditional french-fries, but they just looked like Ore-Ida frozen tots, so again, nothing special.
Other negatives:
1. The menu is too large. You really don't need 500 choices, do you? I think if they narrowed down to a few good, traditional pub-food items, and had one specialty like wings or ribs, they would be much better off. Come to think of it, I can't recall if their menu even had wings! That's a bar staple!
2. The bathrooms were freezing cold. it was a cold day outside, and it was quite unpleasant to walk into a freezing cold bathroom. They only had cold water to wash your freezing hands with too. You gotta upgrade to heat and warm water or you're gonna scare off your female clientele!
One Positive: They serve local beers.
I really can't see any reason to come back here. you guys blew it with a new local who loves places like this (when they're done right). Like I said, I will give you another chance someday because I really want to like you, so please make some improvements! I'm sure I'm not the only one to have had this kind of experience!
Fine place to go for bar food and beers. Â They have a lot of choices (food and beers). Â Don't expect a fancy joint or haute cuisine. Â It's great for what it is: Â fried apps, burgers, beers, etc. Â
Yes, there is an in-season outdoor patio but seriously, you're facing the Lowes Food parking lot so while it is ALWAYS nice to sit outside, don't go for that reason alone. Â
Went yesterday (Sunday afternoon) to watch a basketball game --- tons of tv's. Â Sat at the bar so there was no issue with the hostess (that other commented on). Â Place was pretty empty from 12:30 - 3 on a Sunday afternoon. Â We had attentive service so............. Â Recommend giving it a try.
I had made reservations at The Aviator Smokehouse ONE FULL week prior to us going his past Friday night (October 12) for a group of 12 for a birthday party and Bon Voyage party. Â Â At the VERY LAST MOMENT...one hour before we are to arrive at The Smokehouse, I get a call from the Aviator Smokehouse saying that the kitchen had to be temporarily closed down and that our reservations would not be honored! Â WHAT! Â I had people coming from all over Wake County for this dinner. Â Â And the Smokehouse would offer me no other explanation other than "the kitchen is closed." I have to wonder why! Â At the last moment I called Bass Lake Ale House and AM SO GLAD I DID!! Â Everyone that came to the party commented we should have come here to begin with! Â The hostesses were as wonderful as they come and they tried to accomodate all 12 of us in the dining room as quickly as they could...but because it was a Friday night and we had last minute call ahead seating with them, it was nearly imposssible as the Ale House was packed! Â Another good sign!:) Â They did accomodate us outdoors on the patio within 20 minutes of arriving for our call ahead seating. Â Â It worked out great as it was a lovely night on the patio. Â Our server....Lauren...is absolutely INCREDIBLE! Â Do ask for her as your server when you go! Â Â She was so kind and so dependable and remembered EVERYTHING that was ordered! Â She kept the cold drinks flowing and no one went unnoticed on her watch at our table! Â Â I called the manager over (Hope) to let her know how awesome Lauren is...and I promise I am not just saying this! Â The food was wonderful! Â Â Most had those huge salads they have and my husband is a freak about the meat loaf. Â He said the best he has ever had!!! Â Â I was disappointed the salmon was not still on the menu as that is one of my all time favorites! Â The Buffalo Shrimp as an appetizer is OUT OF THIS WORLD GOOD!!!!! Â Â So....go if you have not been yet! Â Well worth the wait!!!! Â Not so sure about The Aviator as we never had the opportunity to try it!
Review Source:I've been here 5 times in the past month and I love it more every time. Appetizers are GOOD and they come out super fast, no matter the time of day (try the chipotle chicken quesadilla. thank me later.). They usually have between 30 and 40 beers on tap and they're all good beers too (try the Red Oak Amber. Again, thank me later). I'm a California micro-brew kinda guy and they have lots of beers from CA, as well as from NC and the rest of the country. Sure they have Miller Lite and Coors Lite and Budweiser but that's about it for the lame beer. The food menu is also exquisite. Good burgers. Good chicken (SMOKY MOUNTAIN CHICKEN). That's about all I can attest to.
Both my mom and dad flew into NC from CA on separate trips and I took both of them here for lunch and it was fabulous. I've taken my in-laws here and I've also gone here for Trivia Tuesday (8pm) and we had a blast.
I am not kidding about this place. I lived in Fayetteville for 2 years before moving up Fuquay-Varina in April and I friggin love this place.
Stopped here for a quick bite with the family. Â I ordered the black and blue salad as an entree and it was the size of a side salad with just a few pieces of tough steak and not a lot of blue cheese. Â The vinagrette dressing was ok. Â My wife had the french onion soup which she said was ok. Â The kids meal is supposed to come with a dessert but it never did. Â We were just given the check and our drinks were never refilled. Â In all fairness it is a beer/pub joint. Â I have had the burgers here in the past and they have been good. Â Remind me next time I come here to stick to the burgers and sandwiches.
Review Source:I'll go here when I'm looking for good food without the fuss. Your typical beer food.
The salsa is really good. The burgers are good. The beer selection is pretty good as well.
The decor is typical - nothing special at all.
The service is decent at best...worse at lunch than dinner which is surprising since they aren't normally busy at lunch.
Prices are reasonable - I do enjoy the outdoor seating.
Overall its good...but really nothing special.
This review is based on my most recent visit to Bass Lake Draft House this past Sunday for lunch, but my many visits here over the years might have a slight influence on this review...;) Â
For the first time in 3+ years (I moved out of this area for a while & just recently moved back), I visited Bass Lake for a Sunday lunch with the hubs & 1 year old & we were surprised/pleased to find out that they offered a brunch menu til 1:00! Â Also worth mentioning- we were immediately greeted & seated by a very friendly hostess & although they were busy, there was no wait at noon- sweet!! Â Our server, Chelsea, came over immediately & took our drink orders & she was so nice & accomodating throughout our whole meal. Â After a few minutes of looking over their tasty sounding/reasonably priced brunch menu which threw us both for a loop, the hubs & I both ended up ordering our tried & true standbys- for me- a French Dip, no onions, w/ fries & for the hubs, a Chicago burger w/ cheese fries (fyi- cheese fries ILO plain fries are only $1.50 extra)...Food came out very quickly...but unfortunately, my French Dip had onions, although I specifically requested no onions. Â As soon as I pointed this out to our awesome server, she was super apologetic & sent it back to the kitchen and P.S., I'm pretty sure she put it in in correctly & the kitchen messed up) but my french dip/no onions came out just a few minutes later. Â And it was worth the wait. Â Other than it being a little on the salty side it was awesome, a very good french dip, indeed...and I love their fries- plain or bacon cheese fries, we have no complaints about those!! Â Happy to have this place 5 minutes from home! Â And plan to try their brunch menu soon!
Servers are slow to respond both times I've been to this location. I really like the atmosphere and the tvs that are displayed throughout. The food was good but didn't wow me. Will go back again and revise my review if necessary. Taking 15+ mins to get a waiter to the table for drink orders is a little too much for me when you don't even have 10 tables full.
Review Source:A friend and I went for a couple beers and appetizers. Â Sat at the bar and had a beer in our hands in like 2 mins. Â We continued to sit there for 30 minutes and never got a menu, didn't even get asked if we were dining, not an offer of another beer after our first. Â This was 10pm on saturday night, with nearly half the restaurant empty and 3 bar tenders. Â Not to mention saw several employees including a manger going behind the bar to pour their own beer. Â Its the 3rd chance ive given them. Â Will not return and will not recommend to anyone.
Review Source:The service here is getting worse. Â Today we went to just have a beer and a snack after a nice walk around Bass Lake, and guess what? Â We had the absentee hostess AGAIN and more looks from employees in the bar and the people putting together napkins/silverware..... but no one coming over to seat us. Â Note to the manager - you seriously need to invest in either 1 - a better system for your employees to acknowledge folks up front or 2 - a hostess.
My wife wanted to leave and I said that I just wanted to see how long it would take THIS time. Â So we finally get acknowledged after around 5 minutes and this time we get the 'oh .... you can feel free to sit yourself at the bar or outside.....' - well then put a sign up that says so guys. Â Either way we could have wanted to sit in the dining room so it's a moot point.
Reluctantly we sat down and waited for another few minutes, told the waitress we were ready to order our beers and snack and she says, 'um, can I take your beer order and then come back later for your food order?' Â WHAT? Â They weren't even busy either.
Of course when food came there was no silverware.
Also there was some employee (manager?) who kept coming out to smoke and he was in the process of telling a story about how he went to Aviator brewery and they didn't recognize him so he threw down his business card so they would know who he was. Â He said something like 'look, I've got 34 taps in here and you only have one of them so you'd better know who I am!' during this story. Â If this is the guy running the ship I can see why it isn't going so well. Â Seems like a real charmer. Â Oh and by the way, your customers don't care what a titan of the restaurant industry you are.
Guess we'll be making the extra drive to MacGregor from now on. Â Somebody toss a review up if they get new management, until then we won't be back.
Spinach artichoke dip still super awesome!!!
My friend and I had that and split the Smokey Mountain Chicken. I managed to finish my half of the chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans but I was STUFFED! It was a great entree choice, but it's hard to go wrong with chicken covered in bacon, cheese and bbq sauce :) The mashed potatoes were super cheesy and yummy. The green beans were just canned green beans.
Service was good and prices are very reasonable for the huge amounts of food that you get.
Pretty good! Nice interior, smoking outside on patio, good bar feel. Many kids there though, so if that's your thing, then ok...if not, buyer beware. Good beer selection, friendly staff, no high fructose corn syrup in their ranch...I had the chicken fingers and fries, very standard and not at all bad. I would go back.
Review Source:Decent bar food. Â They have a wide variety on the menu. Â I can't say that everything I've tried has been spectacular. Â As an example I recently got a fried fish sandwich that had nice flavor and was really crispy, but the green beans that came with it were boring. Â My husband liked his burger, but the fries had a slightly strange taste (like old oil). Â I've gotten a salad here before that I liked. Â Their portions are huge so it is a pretty good value. Â Also there are tons of beer selections if you are into that kind of thing. Â Clean place with lots of seating.
Review Source:I've found the food at Bass Lake Draft House to be a hit-or-miss. I've had very good comfort food along with some mediocre sandwiches. It seems like the ingredients are standard food service grade with some of the entrees being pre-packaged rather than prepared in-house. The service is passable in a sports bar-like enviornment. They have a great variety of beers and good sightlines to sports on numerous televisions. It's a one-of-a-kind in Holly Springs at the moment but I prefer to drive to the Carolina Ale House in Cary or another casual dining restaurant in Fuquay-Varina for now.
P.S. I agree that the pickle chips are great - but overpriced.
Of all the locations of the "Draft House" restaurants in the Greater Raleigh area, this one is my favorite.
One of the things I'll miss most since my recent conversion to a form of quasi-vegetarianism is the Kansas City burger here (BBQ Sauce & grilled onions, YUM!). Since then, my cuisine options are limited, but when I'm in the area I still like to come by here for a quiet drink or two.
Another great feature of the Draft House is their porch, which can help keep you insulated from all the noise on the inside of the restaurant, as it can get pretty damn packed especially on game days and Friday and Saturday nights at peak time.
All in all, if you're looking for a place to grab some delicious burgers and a decent choice of beers in the Holly Springs area, the Bass Lake Draft House is the place to be.
The food here is really good, they have a wide variety and the portions are huge.  They even have fried pickle chips if that's what you're into.  I won't have them again, but I'm glad I could say I tried them.  Pretty much anything fried can be tasty.  They have a lot of beer on tap, even  Red Oak, which makes me very happy.  It's very loud inside, that's the only reason I gave it four stars instead of five.  I prefer sitting outside when it's open because you can actually have a conversation out there.  They also have some of the yummiest spinach artichoke dip ever!  There were huge chunks of artichokes and so much spinach it was tinted green.  Delicious!
Review Source:
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