Drinkwaters Lounge in Port Alberni

10695 Lakeshore Rd, Port Alberni, BC V9Y 8Z8, Canada

★★★★☆
(80 reviews)
Categories: Canadian restaurant Gastropub Lounge

About

The perfect place to enjoy hand-crafted cocktails, craft beer, share plates and a world class view. Come with family and friends and experience everything this beautiful place has to offer, all are welcome.

Website
sproatlakelanding.com
Address
10695 Lakeshore Rd, Port Alberni, BC V9Y 8Z8, Canada
Plus Code
72PF+4J Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada
Time Zone
America/Vancouver

Business Hours

Sunday
3–8 PM
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
Closed
Thursday
Closed
Friday
Closed
Saturday
5–8 PM

Services

Service options
Outdoor seating Takeaway Dine-in Delivery
Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible car park Wheelchair-accessible entrance Wheelchair-accessible seating Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Offerings
Alcohol Beer Cocktails Coffee Healthy options Small plates Spirits Wine
Dining options
Brunch Dinner Catering Dessert Seating
Amenities
Bar on site Toilets
Atmosphere
Casual Cosy Romantic Upmarket
Crowd
Groups
Planning
Accepts reservations
Payments
Credit cards Debit cards NFC mobile payments Credit cards
Children
High chairs
Parking
Free of charge street parking Free parking lot Parking

Photos

Reviews

4.0
★★★★☆
80 reviews

Most Mentioned

lake (9) drinks (9) prices (7) patio (5) atmosphere (4) steak (4) fish and chips (3) pulled pork mac and cheese (2) brunch (2) prime rib (2)
5 stars
39
4 stars
22
3 stars
8
2 stars
5
1 stars
6
★★★★★
November 24, 2024

Fabulous Sunday Brunch♥️. Eggs Benny with homemade hollandaise, best we had had in 5 years! I had Eggs and Bacon Drinkwater Style- thick bacon, eggs, homemade scone and the hash browns alone are worth going back for! Great service and so reasonably priced! Highly recommended, we will definitely be back Sam!

★★★★★
October 5, 2024

Delicious fresh food, great drinks and a beautiful view. Can not recommend that enough

★★★★
August 18, 2024

Amazing views which highlighted the experience. Food was good with generous portions.

★★★★
July 24, 2024

Well I thought the food would be great for the price.. got what I thought was a steak meal with baked potatoes and vegetables.. oh I was wrong. Ya steak with triple cooked fries. That where not good. My steak was not cooked medium. It was well done. And fries greasy and crumbs . For $38 .. wife had fish and chips. That was same triple cooked and bottom of fish soggy. For $24. Survice was slow. We were not impressed. Best part was my appetizer squid for $14.

★★★★★
May 10, 2024

Second time we ate here and for the second time it was just really good. Pasta was great. Perfectly cooked and the sauce was better then I ever had in Italy. View is amazing and the waitresses are genuine. Go there!

★★★★★
May 10, 2024

The view on lake Sproat is beautiful and the food is really good thanks to chef Nathan. I would definately recommend this restaurant with new chef and owner. If you are Lucky you can see the beavers swim in the lake.

★★★
July 22, 2023

Heard a lot about the Drinkwaters Lounge and finally tried it out. Pretty disappointing. View is nice. Fish and chips was average. Pulled pork Mac and cheese was below average. Old fashioned was average. Saw that they are charging $30 for..... Nachos. And an extra $10, if you want meat on them. Pretty wild pricing. Also saw so many dead little flies on the window sill beside us. Counted over 20. When we notice stuff like that you wonder how dirty other places in the restaurant are.

★★★★★
August 5, 2018

Yes, stop in for the Lounge. Just a hop off the hwy with a liquor store. Nice covered patio over looking lake. A step above a pub, but prices still reasonable. Nice long bar to sit up at Some local drafts on tap and cold. I didn't try the food but it looked good going by. Was a nice motorcycle ride down from Courtenay.

★★★★★
September 22, 2024

Small menu and a little expensive but the food was excellent and the service was great

★★
February 22, 2024

I cant honestly say Ive ever had a decent meal here. $26 for a deep fried pork schnitzel with a dollop of A1 sauce and some raw cabbage. Oh and a lump of pickles with a token lemon wedge. Really bad. Drinks only for now on. Food

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Food was delicious and views of the lake were beautiful.

December 22, 2023

Went in after a long hot ride on the bikes and the 4 of us were declined service being told we needed a reservation . No one was there and it was open. Then they said they only have enough food for the locals. Then trying to use the washroom which were locked they informed us so nothing would get stolen ? What if we had a diabetic and need food or drink? I believe this is discrimination at its finest.

★★★★
December 22, 2023

Best brussel sprouts, I have ever had in a restaurant! They were part of our wonderful prime rib dinner!

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Great view, and the warm mushroom salad was delicious. Hubby liked the Mac and cheese

★★★★★
December 22, 2023

If you are on your way to or from Sproat Lake, Tofino/Ucluelet or out for a drive....stop here for lunch, dinner, snack...by far the best meal in a long time. Steak sandwich cooked to perfection, tender with lots of Cesar salad and onion rings.... Service from our lovely waitress was awesome Thank you for a great afternoon

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2022

Gorgeous views! Nice selection of food most of the week (more on that later) with delicious salads and heartier choices. Definitely recommend the charcuterie board! Very accommodating to our dog! Outdoor seating was only a few steps removed from the building and the light lake breeze and warm sun coming through (even at 8:30) meant that it s a wonderful spot to grab a bite in the summer. Pet or no. Limited menu Tuesday s and Wednesday but still had some attractive options for the hungry lake goer.

★★★★
December 22, 2022

We had a nice time, food was good, and service great. They have about four picnic tables down on the grass and it is very nice outdoor space except please go to the dollar store and buy a dozen plastic table cloths. The harsh wood doesnt look good or feel good on your arms

★★★★★
December 22, 2022

Came to try the Legendary Mac and Cheese, sampled several appies and a few cocktails! All drinks and food were as spectacular as the view of Mount Arrowsmith. Everyone must visit and sample this amazing place.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2022

Food and drinks were amazing! Only gave 4 stars as tables that were sat after us, were getting served before us. We sat for about 15 mins before anyone came to our table.

★★★★★
December 22, 2022

Hands down best restaurant in Port Alberni! Upscale but relaxed atmosphere and stunning lakeside views will instantly make you feel like your on holiday! A refreshing summer cocktail list along with a selection of Island-brewed beers will further enhance the experience, and the food itself definitely doesn t disappoint! Fish and chips, burger, mac and cheese and arugula mushroom salad were all huge hits with our group! Service was also topnotch! We will most definitely be back sooner than later!

★★★★
December 22, 2022

Great location on sprout lake with a view of sprout arm! Pulled pork Mac and cheese was

★★★★★
December 22, 2022

Sunday Prime Rib and Yorkshire Dinner: Top marks and highly recommended from the delicious meat, sumptuous vegetable dishes (yes plural) perfect large Yorkshire, and more! Great service as usual. Wonderful night!

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2019

Quinoa Kale salad hit the spot (large serving)

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2019

Excellent - Great wine list (which is hard to find in Port Alberni), tasty food and great service with a beautiful setting, definitely a must do just outside of town on route to Tofino. Well worth the visit, a real stand out.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2019

Loved the food and drinks made with fresh ingredients. Beautiful view of the lake and performers celebrating National Indigenous Persons Day.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2019

The food was A1 the fish tacos great the seafood chowder absolutely great great people great atmosphere very very good

★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2019

Nice place ,food is good waitress very nice

★★★★★
December 22, 2019

The bartender makes the best drinks!

★★★★★
December 22, 2019

Just WOW! My husband and I were visiting from Texas. The food was absolutely fantastic! Thanks to Angus, Nicole and Shauna for a memorable time. The views from outside were the icing on the cake!

★★★
December 22, 2019

Food was good, ambiance very nice. Staff appeared to be new and disorganized. Service lacking a little.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2019

Nice location, good drinks and food.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2018

Perfect Steak!!

★★★★★
December 22, 2018

Awesome service and great accommodation of our vegan guests!! Well see you again this summer!

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2018

Great location. There for pre wedding meeting and post wedding brunch. Staff nice but under pressure. Food was ok service was very poor for brunch due to numbers. People served food before us who came after !! Value 3 food 3 location 5 venue 5 staff 4

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2018

Good food and service

Local Guide
December 22, 2018

Sadly our latest experience at the Drink Water was very poor. We chose to have a family dinner here a few nights ago and the service was deplorable. The server seemed very agitated and all over the place except for our table and the restaurant wasn t even busy. I had to ask for our appie plates to be cleared and chased the server down for a second round of drinks which never came but no apologies or offers of getting more drinks were made. The steak and scallops were way overdone and overall we were not happy. We will not be returning - It s too bad since I think it s a great view and used to be a good restaurant.

★★★★★
December 22, 2018

Very pleasant experience, great food and service. Will be back!

★★★★★
December 22, 2018

A beautiful experience for two supremely over-heated, thirsty travellers on August 7/18 where we sat on the patio overlooking the lake and! a water lily covered beaver dam. Exceptional service. Views everywhere. Thank you to the staff who squeezed us in. Wonderful. p.s. Sorry for the repeated pics. Id edit the copies out if I knew how. Sigh ;)

★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2018

Service was bad food was ok patio had a lot of bees

★★★★★
December 22, 2018

Wonderful people, relaxing view, great food for good value.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2018

Drinkwater was such a pleasent find! Great food and staff!

★★★★★
December 22, 2017

Great (awnings for shade) patio with view of lake & beaver hut. Friendly staff, good food at reasonable prices. Inside seating is also very bright with lake view.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2017

Always excellent food, ambiance, and service, and a stellar view!

★★
December 22, 2017

Beautiful place but the food was terrible and way too much salt.

December 22, 2017

Perennial problems with staff retention unfortunately resulted in very poor service and horrible attitudes.

December 22, 2017

I have been a regular customer at Drinkwaters since it opened! We have supported this restaurant through good and not so good times. Service quality has always been an issue, especially through the summer, but we continued going there because of its amazing location. We live on Sproat Lake and want to support our local businesses. Today I realized I have to accept the fact that I might never go back! Last minute changes in opening hours, lack of servers, bad attitude by staff, dirty floors and chairs, no access to usual play areas for the children...... The worst was probably when I asked to talk to the manager! We desperately wanted this place to be successful. I approached her in the hope to raise concerns by local supporters. I had no chance to explain my concerns, instead I was attacked verbally. Apparently I told the server to get on her knees and clean the floors! We simply asked them to clean the fries and garbage under our chairs and table left over from the night before. I am extremely disappointed in the direction this restaurant is heading!!!

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2017

Beautiful view over the lake with some good food

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2017

Really relaxing outside on the patio. Good quality ingredients but a little on the pricey side for the size of meal.

★★★★★
December 22, 2017

All the negative reviews about this place are false and written by liars. This was my first experience here and I gotta say the food was exceptional and for a great price. The owner is very hospitable and the atmosphere was very laid back and fantastic with a world class view! What could be better

Local Guide
December 22, 2017

Worst service you could imagine. They need a new staff all the way around. Food was Subpar and very dissappointing. Will make sure to warn friends and family not to go there. Went for birthday dinner and will never go back. The evening was ruined.

★★★★★
December 22, 2016

BEST place Ive ever been to great servese and awesome food

★★
December 22, 2016

Food and drinks were decent, though I felt prices were a little high for the portion sizes. Though we had given weeks notice and paid a significant deposit for a party of 16, we waited 2 hours for our food due to the kitchen being really backed up. Our bill was moderately adjusted, but this experience gauranteed I will not return and do not recommend this establishment.

★★★★★
December 22, 2016

Found this place on Google while in town for the weekend. Hands down one of the BEST meals weve ever had. All three of us had something different and everything was amazing. Gorgeous view too!

★★★★★
December 22, 2016

great food

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2016

Food was good, expensive, but good.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2016

Good food and a beautiful business.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2016

Great food and views. Nice atmosphere. Very friendly staff.