Jakes at the Lake in Lake Cowichan

Delicious, varied menu. Very friendly and personable staff.

decent place, could be better. Wish there were more similar options in lake cowichan

Shout out to our server, Angela! What a beautiful energy she brought to our evening. Fabulous food, lovely atmosphere, best service!

The Power Bowl with Tuna, a meal I have been anticipating for a year! And it was better than memory, Thanks Guy s! Food : 5/5

this place has an amazing view and that is about it .. the Mcdonalds has better food though .. salad limp and dressing that taste like kraft made it the burgers are just horrible could not finish it for it was made with one of those preformed patties from a fsctory with made 10% real meat in them and they charge also $20 for this trash ... one can buy the best burger in the land for that price in duncan at kahuna burger ....

Had a great time yesterday. Our server, Angela, was the best. She really made us have a good time. Shes very sweet.

Never heard of a place not doin take out cause to busy just useless

Awsome lake burger with goat cheese ..soooo goooood

Terrible service take out is not available when they do t feel like it apparently. Saw people taking take out 1 hour before I tried to place my order. They girl on the phone simply said we arent doing take out tonight. Brutal, pick and choose who they want to serve takeout too???

Our waitress was fabulous and the food just yummy. But it was EXTREMELY loud. We met friends we hadnt seen in months and we couldnt hear each other up the stairs there. We shouldve seen if we could have moved. But great all round!

the food was amazing and i got service really quickly.

I had a disappointing experience with my wife. We ordered a Greek salad as her main dish, expecting a generous portion. However, what we received was the size of most side salads. We initially thought there had been a mistake, but when the bill arrived, we were shocked to see that this small salad was priced at $18. We asked the server about the price, and they informed us that due to the rising cost of vegetables, the restaurant had reduced the salads size. This explanation felt absurd and left us feeling unsatisfied. If prices need to be adjusted due to ingredient costs, its understandable, but reducing portion sizes without adjusting the pricing or informing customers beforehand is not acceptable. Overall, this experience left a bad taste in our mouths, and we wont be returning.

Great food, amazing service by our server Angela.

Great beef dip.

Good bowls. Recommended.

Amazing service and food was provided to 30 mature ladies from the Girl Guides of Canada Trefoil Guilds who had an outing in Lake Cowichan. For many of the ladies it was their first time to Jakes and it wont be their last I was told. Another benefit attending on Monday it was seniors day AND the weekly special was: Winey Monday. The experience was enjoyed by all and I highly recommend Jakes at the Lake.

A fun place with the best view of the lake, friendly service, local beer, and great food.

A weekly visit for our family and crew @drydockmarinegroup definitely go here to eat

This place has consistently provided good food. It s busy, but the beer and food are great. This year, although not garnished as much, the Riverside was better.

Ive had a lot of taco salads in my travels and the one I had here was pathetic. The flavour was good but it was so small for a dinner salad! Lettuce is relatively cheap in the scheme of things and surely more than one tablespoon of dressing could be added.

Unexpectedly delicious)) They prepared a dish for us that was not on the menu and it was amazingly delicious!! The chef brought it personally and was very professional!

Really excellent food, completely exceeded all expectations. As good as anything in Vancouver at half the price!

Had the spicey chicken wrap. The chicken chunks were substantial not tiny little pieces you can barely see like some places do now. The spice was present I would have preferred more but I like SPICEY so many would likely be happy with it. The caeser had a good taste as well with a hint of garlic. Overall the food was very good.

We had the special, a delicious tomato soup with prawn and scallops. So yummy! No picture, sorry. Parking: It is easy to find a spot until the tubers start up.

Great Focaccia sandwich and great service from staff. Cheers:)

The food was good and service was great!

Im unfortunately allergic to anything made with or from corn, coconut and palm, so having to start the conversation with that is sometimes a challenge... Anna, our server, checked with the chef to make me a wonderful dinner without any of the stuff Im allergic to! Yahoooooo for very attentive kitchen and staff!! We went back to have the Harissa prawns and scallops as they were SO DELICIOUS!! Thank you so much everyone!!

This is a nice place to eat, either inside or on the deck.

What a gem! The staff and food was so great, I was so pleasantly surprised! The servers were so dialed and fast and attentive to our needs from across a very busy bar. The food was wonderful and incredibly fast. Food came out exactly as ordered and everything about this road stop exceeded out expectations! This is exactly what you hope for when you dine out but rarely does it happen so smoothly! Well done Jakes, your staff are obviously happy and committed to doing great work! I only wish I lived closer than 15 hours away!

First-time, went on Mothers Day, lovely atmosphere, super friendly staff and amazingly delicious, fresh food! Thanks so much for making my Mothers Day memorable, will definitely return! Vegetarian options: Took my vegan friends at a later date and the vegetarian and vegan options they had were the best ever had in a restaurant, they said!

Serving portions are reduced in size. Still tasty . Snack purine.

Angela made our day. We came in as a larger group for my sisters bachelorette party and she matched our energy and made it such a fun night!

Had an awesome meal. Very much enjoyed it. And I have been on an extended. Roadtrip. And. Jakes. Was probably the best food I have eaten

Need homemade burgers

Fabulous staff - very friendly and communicative. We weren t sure which wine to have so our server offered us a taste before we made our decision. Food was generous and a good selection available. Food

Great food, lovely view and wheelchair accessible.

Amazing lunch!! Butter chicken flat bread and roasted vegetable soup. Delicious and balanced seasoned perfectly. Crispy flat bread pizza style with butter chicken on top yogurt drizzle and a supper tasty chutney:)

Wasnt busy. Food came fast and was incredibly good. A nice little town pub. Service was great.

I m sorry, but this place was just unpleasant. Their signature dish consisted of overcooked frozen shrimp and rockfish, sausage that tastes like precooked packaged rubber, mashed potatoes that tasted like powdered mash, and the rice variation consisted of rice that was swimming in water. On the other hand, the risotto was lumpy and far from authentic. They used jasmine rice and heavy cream, which are two things that do not belong on risotto. After eating, I gagged and had to use the washroom. I did not feel so well. Service was alright but because of the poor food quality, I would not come back.

The service was fantastic. Our waitress, Angela, was friendly, quick and lots of fun. Food was delicious and good portions. It has a nice view of the lake. Will definitely come back.

Very relaxing atmosphere

Good Menu Selection, Nice Atmosphere, Real Music being played, Tasty Food & Friendly Service!

Good was delicious! We had a lovely server, beautiful view. It was truly a great afternoon!

Ginger rice bowl with Tofu was very good and a great vegan option. We had a large group and the staff did a great job making sure we all had a great experience. Other vegan options available but not many, a beyond or impossible burger option would have been nice. Overall a great experience.

Its super loud in this room.If you are looking for a quiet place for dinner, you might want to rethink.But food is good .

Great food and variety on menu. Friendly and swift service. Perfect pricing. Large portions ( we had a Caesar)

My husband and I ate here a few weeks ago. The food and service was honestly great. Zero complaints. I wasn t expecting much for lake cowichan in the off season, but we were pleasantly surprised. Wontons were delicious.

Reliable burgers and bevies, great service. The Power Bowl is amazing and healthy!!!

Generous sizes, delicious food. I had a curry chicken soup as a soup of the day, it was very European ( for good!) - very rich, lots of potatoes and tons of chicken, not just water like in many places. Cherry on the top was a big home-made cookie with kids menu. Definitely coming back! The waitresses are very pleasant too!

Came for lunch, excellent food, had the seafood saute, good beers and great service!

Great food and great service.

Always enjoyable, never had poor food. Great beer selection and they ve now extended the outdoor patios so more can enjoy the views.

I didn t want to rate this restaurant this low however, I was extremely disappointed with my food. I ordered Jakes Saute served with rice. On my plate was brown rice that was undercooked and chewy, and fish that was overcooked and dry. I didn t want to be The Complainer so I didn t say anything, but it ruined my food and my appetite. I hope this is an isolated case. The servers were amazing though.

Mum and I had our last meal out before the end of my trip. Lots of room, nice and clean, friendly staff, fast service, great serving sizes, and loved the view too! Would be amazing in summer! Parking: plenty of parking, easy in, easy out.

The dish Jake s Sauté was made extremely poorly and the stench was abhorrent and unappetizing. The Risotto was also poorly made and was not what I had expected.

Never disappointed with Jakes. Had burger with goat cheese, craft beer and excellent salad. Not overpriced and excellent service!

Really good food and service nice view of the lake as well

Food could be better in a few aspects, very friendly and professional staff, beautiful view of the lake and awesome atmosphere. Menu almost feels too big in my opinion. Stick to the traditional restaurant dishes and you won t be disappointed. Food

Friendly, busy local bar. Great burger and local beers on tap.

We are solid customers of jakes and Craigs st brewery and also the oak and sometimes jakes at the lake ,went on Wednesday and eight of us were there,my wife and myself and two others order the burger and brew special every single burger was burnt ,my grandaughter had a kids meal and the waitress charged an extra dollar for a liege of lettuce and one slice of tomato ,disgusting,my daughter in law had the southwest chicken burger and it was delicious, my daughter ordered a kids meal of chicken bites ,they brought an adult version instead and refused to correct charged full price, altogether one good meal out of eight ,accordingly the bill was 200 ,we left a 6.50 tip and more than likely wont be back ,we know the ownership of these four restaurants ,hopefully she gets a grip on this situation soon before it starts to affect her business, I just want to add the sweet potato fries and chicken bites were excellent best weve had

Everything/everyone there was perfect! If you think it s busy honestly don t bat an eye. They have a server there that can literally handle 20+ tables while the other servers handle their own tables with ease all while she absolutely dominates those 20+ tables and is still somehow able to check on each one without me noticing a single issue/wait at ANY! Desert was also presented in a perfect way as well as bill wait (which there was none). The debit machine was professionally passed to me after my friend and before my Brother in-law as requested who s more than graciously hosting my family and I during our wonderful stay in beautiful Cowichan Bay!

Beautiful location and amazing food!

Walked in at 7pm for dinner. We were told due to staffing and the kitchen being slammed we d have to wait an hour for food. We said no problem we ll have a drink and wait . We were then told we couldn t sit at the available tables on the patio to have our drink, just at the bar. We left.

Staff and owner are super nice and great pizza

The yam and candied salmon wrap was really good. The on tap beer selection is not the largest but good none the less. Great location and atmosphere.

I had the beef dip with fries and loved it. My wife had the candied salmon wrap and rated it an 8/10. We both thought the fried squid appy was really good, and the service was great overall.

A group of 8 of us stopped in here for lunch while cycling to CVT. Cant say anything bad about our experience. They had our table waiting for us, our drinks order was taken and they came very quickly. Lunch orders were taken, and after a short wait (8 of us), the food started coming out to our table.

Really good food, friendly staff.

Great day at Jakes at the Lake. Patio was not busy so got to sit outside and over look the beautiful Cowichan River. Great service cold drinks (beer and Caesar). I had chicken power bowl and wife had ginger prawn bowl both were fantastic. Thanks even got to say hi to Andre and Wade

Pretty good, portion size is a bit small and the deluxe burger was flooded with mustard. A good atmosphere and great service.

Good local pub with some unique menu items. Worth a visit if youre in the area.

Amazing food, friendly staff and always clean! Our family enjoys coming here for lunch and dinner!

We shared a couple of appies, deep fried wontons and the curried chicken flatbread, and we couldnt eat it all. The presentation was great, and our server was very personable and attentive. Thought the price was very reasonable. Would definitely recommend Jakes at the Lake.

Decent service average food atmosphere was a bit on the dull side beer was cold ! Parking: Tons of parking

Great place to grab a bite and a pint in Lake Cowichan. Good food, good service and a great view.

Great deals on monday

Absolutely no complaints. Food was amazing! Beautiful presentation, flavour and taste. Wonderful portion sizes for the price. Highly reccomend.

Good was good! No complaints

Great food, great pricing

Nice place, good food.

Appies and dinner choices are great

Great food and good beer prices. Our server, Daniella, was fantastic. Will be back when were in town.

I got the Jakes sautee and it was some of the best food Ive ever eaten. The garlic butter sauce was so delicious and the seafood was cooked to tender perfection! I even drank the broth!! Also have eaten burgers and fries, equally delicious. Friendly staff, good service, generous portions. I recommend the sautee to all seafood lovers!!

Drove down from Nanaimo and explored the town... Lunch was fantastic! Tried the new carmalized onion dip which was so tastey! I had the power bowl with crispy tofu and it was amazing... Had to take some home it was so filling. My boyfriend had the new pulled chicken sandwich and couldnt stop saying how delicious it was. We will be back for sure

AMAZING! Wow! Staff were very friendly and helpful. I had a pulled chicken burger BEST CHICKEN BURGER I HAVE EVER HAND!!

Best chicken nuggets with honey mustard sauce I have ever had! I had them for supper and was so impressed, I went back and had them again for lunch! Plus a beautiful location and friendly service.

The food is pretty good. I really enjoyed the view of the lake and the staff were super friendly.

Pete your insane hot wings were what I needed. Good job buddy not for the faint of heart, those are HOT wings loved them

Great location on the Lake. Food was superb. Staff are friendly and attentive. Nice atmosphere inside. We will be back.

Lunch was delicious! Good portions! We had the pulled chicken and taco salad! Highly recommend!

Nice place

A delicious meal in rural BC one of the best curries I ve had out. My wife and I weren t sure if we d be able to find vegan options in the Lake Cowichan area but were pleasantly surprised to see that Jakes had many veg options. I got the curry with tofu, and it was awesome well-spiced, veggies not over cooked, tasty tofu. The view of the water was a pleasant bonus.

Nice view of the lake, excellent beer, but i would have preferred the main course Power Bowl to be with the aioli on the side- too much on top for my liking!

Had the Wednesday night burger and beer special on the patio. The food was amazing and the view stunning.

Came here for my birthday dinner and it did not disappoint, was pretty darn good we had the humbolt squid and it melted in my mouth and I seriously wanted to lick the plate after for the sauce that was drizzled over it, not sure what kind of sauce but it was delish! For entrees we had the penne Alfredo and the jacks sauté and both were AMAZING! I was kinda disappointed my fiancé didn t pick something more creative off their menu and went with the penne Alfredo as I see that as boring but boring it was not , I have never had such delish penne before that was cooked to perfection , often times the noodles are too hard or too mushy and this was spot on! The noodles were tender melt in your mouth and not chewy at all, sooooooo good and the jacks sauté there really is no words except go and order it , it was different and kind of an odd mix but it works and it s creative and unique, hands down the best meal we have had so far on our vacay thanks for the excellent birthday meal tonight it was delish

Fantastic menu, outstanding food and a wonderful atmosphere. Service was ok.

General pub fare, well prepared and fresh. This is a busy spot but service was still good. The atmosphere is relaxed and the large patio helps expand seating. Dine in was a little slow but only because every table was full. There was a steady stream of take out customers and lots of smiling faces.

Friendly and fast service. Located right on Lake Cowichan. The Butter Chicken Penne and Classic Burger were delicious. Beer on tap was top notch. All around great experience.

Excellent service and food

Love this place! Friendly and attentive staff, and the food is absolutely delicious! Ive been here many times and never been disappointed yet. I highly recommend their penne alfredo with cajun chicken. The scenery here is gorgeous too, and they even have a little dock behind the restaurant so you can enjoy a scenic view of the lake and surrounding mountains.

Cool restaurant/bar. Food and drinks good and affordable in nice surroundings. Parking: Ample parking nearby

Nice place, cozy, great service and food. A bit higher price than expected but overall great place to stop by for a dinner! Thank you.

Awesome food, had the butter chicken Mac and cheese and it was delicious. Definitely recommend

Good food but very pricy. Servers were pleasant. Nice atmosphere and outdoor patio that overlooks the lake/river.

Great service and personality from the bartender Andrei. Great place to grab a beer and a bite. The view from the patio during summer is also quite amazing. I wish I took more photos.

We were here last weekend for lunch after camping and was totally impressed! I got the southwest fried chicken sandwich with side Ceasar salad and both were fantastic. Sandwich was unique and the ceasar was best Ive had at a restaurant! Hubby had the burger and was very impressed as well. We will return again when we are up that way again, hopefully soon as Im still thinking about that meal

Loving the menu at Jakes. My plant based family can always find satisfaction with their meals and I love the Lake Burger!

I have been coming here multiple times every summer for years and years. I went yesterday on August 1st at 5:30pm. I got pasta with Cajun chicken and my friend got a tuna burger. My chicken tasted borderline undercooked. The pasta was good, but the pasta sauce was so watery that it was like pasta soup. My friend s tuna tasted off so she picked it out of her burger and ate the bread and toppings. When the waitress came by she asked me if I wanted a box, I said no and explained that my chicken tasted weird, and so did my friend s tuna. I had clearly only taken a few bites from my dish, and my friend had clearly picked out all of the tuna out of her burger. The server replied with aww, I m sorry guys. One bill or separate? At that point, I wasn t even upset about the food, we had already made plans to go through a drive through after and I was happy with that. BUT, I was appalled at the servers response. I have never complained about my food at a restaurant before but this was so bad that I barely touched it. If a costumer complains, and clearly didn t eat it, why not comp the meal or offer a replacement!? Was the $30 worth losing a costumer?

Best hot wings!!!

Enjoy a visit to the funky little town of Cowichan Lake. Go tubing tuning down the river and eat at this friendly restaurant. Good pub food.

Good food and service!Definitely my go to place in my new town!

Food was great the first time we went there, second time not so great. Maybe different cooks? We will try one more time to see which way they break the 50/50 Staff was great. Beautiful view from the deck.

Great service, bartender amazing & helpful. Good multi-tasker. Pleasant atmosphere & nice view. Good beer & appies.

After a long tube ride its the perfect place for a bite to eat and a drink. No issues here good service and food.

Was really looking forward to trying the food but was told there is no takeout

Friendly staff, reasonably priced excellent food with the bonus of the lovely view of Cowichan Lake. My husband highly recommends the Coconut Mango curry best he s ever tasted compliments to the chef. Desserts were exceptional too!

We were waiting for 25 minutes for sitting in patio, then they said we don t have enough chair and we will bring as soon as there is one available. So ridiculous!!! They already knew how many people we are!! Staff were rude!

Terrible experience with this restaurant!!! We were 5 on sunday evening and asked for seating outside and one of the impolite girls in the restaurant let us you may need 20-15 min or I dont know 1 hour or 15 min:((( She was so rude ! what a service they have!!!!!! After 20 min I was going to follow up with them, they said we made your table ready! When we arrived we saw they put 4 chairs, I asked for ine more chair . after 10 min rude girl came and we don t have extra chair!!!!! our new chairs have licenses for our new pario !!!! what?????? Please first hire nice hosts for the restaurant and then purchase more chairs

We were 5 and waiting for 25 min and then they let us go in and they had just 4 seats!! Do we have to seat on the floor???? Ridiculous case !!! Terrible experience! Rude staff!!!!

We were poorly treated by the staff and we ended up leaving without eating. First we were told to wait for 30 minutes to get a table at the patio; once seated we were told there were not enough chairs for a party of 5. We had given option of waiting until there will be a chair available or wait to be seated inside the waitress was disrespectful and rude from the beginning.. I am still in disbelief of their poor treatment.

Awesome staff. Food was pretty good.

Great location, food and the service was great!

My sister and I enjoyed a lovely dinner dinner of Jakes stir fry and the tuna Burger. We were hoping for something a little fancier but the taste of these dishes did not disappoint us. Parking: It was a big parking lot and my oversized Van fit easily onto it.

Good food good service

Friendly service and good beer. Didnt try food - next time!

Nice view of lake and good food. First time but had good experience.

Great food, friendly service! Portions are filling and prices are good for what you get. A couple of different vegan options available. I highly recommend the mango coconut curry bowl with fried tofu!

Food delicious! Service was great! View was amazing!

Always delicious food, friendly service and good prices! Highly recommend any of the Jakes restaurants.

The prime rib and local lager is a perfect combo great service, friendly staff, amazing view of Cowichan lake, tasty lava cake, 5/5

Get the ginger rice bowl. Fresh and delicious.

Danielle our server was amazing the 2 times we came to eat here on our short stay in Lake Cowichan. The food was good and the service matched it! Will be back for sure!

Bustling small town spot. Went twice during our visit. Great service, delicious food. The squid was unreal

The restaurant was fine, service was good. The food was okay, however it seems like it was all frozen foods, adding a large amount of garnish does not dress it up. I understand the pandemic has affected this but maybe scale back the menu and focus on quality.

So impressed by this dining experience. The service was great and the beef dip was the best I have had in a long time. June 27. Another great experience at Jakes...the butter chicken mac and cheese was delicious.

If you are not from the lake this place is more than worth the drive!!! If you line in Lake Cowichan you should eat here every night. We had the most amazing service, appy and lunch in a very long time!! Chef Peter has nailed the menu and Andrei is perfection. Thanks Jakes at the lake team for a wonderful experience.

Great tasting and affordable meals.

Watered down drinks and mediocre food.

45 minutes to be seated. 40 for our appetizer to arrive 40 more for the main

Decent food, good location and service.

Had a great sunday meal with the family. We sat outside on the deck facing the river. The service was quick and very friendly. Food very tastey and lots of it. I have been to this place before but this time really enjoyed it. The female server seemed to enjoy chatting and was not shy about offering her opinion on the food. This was helpfull when we were making our selection. Definitely will be going back

Great service and food.

We stopped here after tubing. Amazing food! Had the ginger rice dish with the tofu. Really well done. Friendly staff.

Good to pub food

this is my first time posting a review ever. in july 2021, we reserved a table for 12 people at jakes at the lake. We were so impressed with Rob, his crew, the food and the location, that I wanted to let others know... they should definitely try Jakes when they are looking for good eats and great service in Lake Cowichan. it is a must stop for our family next time were in the area. Paul

Yum alert!! The blackberry pie was delicious!

Mediocre quality. Sell a meal as indian curry but delivers Chinese stir fry. Ribs were dry, burn and stick to the bone.

Friendly .. covid safe .. loved our food ;)_

This is a great spot on the lake with plenty of parking, a nice view (soon to improve by the looks of the renovations), great food, decent variety, friendly staff, and fair pricing. We try to stop in every time we are in town.

Food and service were awesome

Quite average. Pleasant waitress

Good to see them enforcing the vaccine passport mandate. Thank you for keeping us safe

Excellent location but the food and cocktails were pretty average. We ordered garlic wings and got lemon while the martini tasted watery. Still it filled our craving for a snack in the middle of the afternoon. The bartender was a really nice guy who seemed to like his job. Jakes also does a great job adhering to the current COVID-19 health protocols.

What a beautiful place. The host greeted us and helped a member of our party with her vaccine passport, our food was so delicious. Jakes Saute. Did I mention it was delicious?? So worth the trip. Will be back soon!

good food, great service and appropriate COVID protocols in place. even got the Monday seniors discount!

Great service, amazing fresh food, great views of the lake

Food served right, delicious and in timely manner. Good background music without being too invasive. Pleasant atmosphere and good view of lake from our table.

Delicious!

Good food. Fresh, and well-cooked. I like the limited menu. Theres plenty of choice without it being all over the map. The serving staff are top notch. I think they were understaffed last Sunday, which made the service a bit patchy. No fault to the staff though. They worked hard. Well done guys. Enjoyed another good lunch Sunday 14 Nov 2021. I really like the specials menu and usually find something interesting to try. Chicken and Haloumi on Grilled Flatbread was a hit. Still appear to be shortstaffed. The two servers were working it. Good job.

Excellent food. Good size serving. Great service.

Had the best nachos the other day definitely recommend the extra toppings there was no need for the dips because the nachos were loaded

Great food, friendly staff and very comfortable decor. Will be back again next time in town

They were only offering Take Out on the day we stopped. Since there were a bunch of picnic tables right there in the park beside the restaurant we decided to give it a try. And we were very glad we did! The young lady working the Take Out window was friendly, polite and accommodating. We were under a bit of a time crunch and she had our order expedited in no time. Thank you. We both had an excellent lunch. Mine was the Mexi Beef Quesidilla and my Mom had the Salmon Sweet Potatoe Wrap with a side of Yam Fries. Those Yam Fries are the best Yam Fries I have ever had!! The Salmon Wrap was so different and very, very tasty. My Mexi Quesidilla was also excellent just needed a bit more cheese to help the beef stay together. I am already trying to come up with a good excuse to return in the very near future Great place to eat, thank you.

Cold food grrrr. I have been before and it was