Chart House Restaurant

My lovely wife and I were recently guests at the Charthouse in Lakeville for the first time, and i am fully aware it will also be our last. It is an off the beaten track little place, and upon hearing mixed reviews and acquiring a coupon for dinner there, we decided to give it a shot. It was 730 on a saturday night, and the first red flag should have been the sparsity of cars in the parking lot. Upon entering the establishment, we were, after several confussed minutes, greeted by who appeared to be a very intoxicated host. It was rather comical really, but strange, She oddly asked us wether or not we wanted to sit in the lounge area or in the dining room, not elaborating at all what either of the options entailed. Upin sitting down, we were given water and a rundown of the daily specials and wine options. Excited, my wife and I both decided to try something new; the prime rib and the crab legs, Upon recieving our entrees, the crab legs were noticably well over steamed, and the prime rib was well over cooked. The hostess approached our table asking how everything was, we found out later she was actually the manager, and when I started to explain our disappointment in our dinners, she simply offered us a complementary dessert and said :that's all that she could do" and then walked away. Our waitress was very apologetic, caring and nice, but obviously didn't have the last say. We paid our bill and left hungary, disappointed, and offended that a restaurant this day in age wouldn't even try to rectify a situation with a fresh entree, an alternative, or even common courtesy, It was just a horrible experience; bad food, drunk management; I don't see them staying open for much longer. more

This place is great. My wife and I got married here late last summer, and it was the best day of my life. The ceremony was outside. The grounds were in perfect condition, from the flowers to the sunset. The staff met all of our needs for the ceremony, it left us carefree to enjoy our day. The reception was even better. The Chart House was organized and the staff was extremely accommodating and courteous. Our dinner was served timely, and several of my guests commented on how good their meals were. The manager gave us extra attention and fulfilled all of our requests from special seating to taking care of our wedding cake. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for the perfect place to get married. more

Headline says it all. I had my wedding there in September, they did not keep up to their end of the bargain. Nothing they said they were going to take care of got done. Food service took over two hours--unacceptable. I had crying children leaving at 9 pm, unfed. My food was taken from me while away, not to mention I did not get dessert because the dance needed to start. My husband cleared the tables and chairs for the dance floor. They were late with my melting ice sculpture, no one had any direction and the coordinator was not even there that night. The owner, Josh Ruppert was a total jerk and did not once apologize or care to ask how things were going. It was incredibly expensive to have no attention paid to any details. I will never go there again and will tell everyone I know what a horrible experience my wedding day was. They do not deserve 1/2 star. The other wedding they had their that night got food poisoning. I found out, not by them, but by the St. of MN Health Dept. Only good thing that night was the sunset, good thing the Chart House had nothing to do with that or they would've screwed that up to. Worst Experience Ever! more

The Chart House has a lovely facility, but that’s about where my compliments stop. A few weeks ago we had a company dinner for 30 people planned for a Tuesday evening.… The facility: deader than dead. We were about the only people there. The restrooms near where we were seated were out of paper towels before we even showed up and the in-stall garbages in the ladies room obviously had not been emptied for a long time. The food: We narrowed down the menu to a choice of three entrees and gave the facility our final order count for each prior to the event. For those that had the walleye, most were cold and some weren’t even cooked all the way. One person sent their walleye back saying it wasn’t fully cooked and immediately received a new cold one in its place. For those that had the prime rib, it was overdone. And unfortunately I received mine a good five minutes after everyone else in the party had been served only to have it delivered well done. After dinner, they brought around dessert trays, each plate showing two slices of each type of dessert. I asked the waitress whether they came with two slices or one, and she couldn’t answer that question for me. So I told her that if it were two slices, I would share it with the person next to me, and if it’s one slice, we’ll each have one. She brought us each a plate with two slices. A few other people mentioned to me how they waited a long time to get their drinks so they got up and went to the bar to get them themselves, while other servers and the owner sat at the bar and watched them take their drinks off the counter. The staff: After dinner, I asked to speak with the owner. I approached the issues in a nice manner, but he immediately got defensive. When I brought up how my meal came out long after everyone else’s and he tried to give me a story as to how one of our guests switched their meal and that’s why they ran out. (Unfortunately for him I was standing right there when that person did ask to switch, but was told no because they only had exact amounts of each.) It was obvious that the prime rib was not being cut off of a roast but was being reheated from some earlier time. After some negotiation, the owner took some money off the bill, but he certainly did not leave me with a good taste in my mouth. The servers were nice, but seemed helpless to answer our questions or fix any of the complaints as they arose. As I was leaving the restaurant, the cook actually apologized to me in the parking lot for the poor meal. Overall: I would never recommend this place to anyone. In fact, you’d have to pay me to go there again. The place certainly isn’t cheap, but unfortunately I could classify it as one of my worst experiences ever. With the attitude of the owner, I don’t expect the place to be open much longer. more

Clarification---I have never been there- we are planning a wedding. We live in NM. Just wondering if anyone has been married at the Chart House? My son and his finance are planning a wedding this fall. Any suggestions? more

My wife and I have been enjoying the Chart House for the last 2 years now, and we are rarely disappointed when we visit them. We've chose the Chart House for everything from a drink with friends to a full sit down meal to a private party to celebrate a special occasion in their dining room. Our experiences always seem to be nothing short of spectaculiar. I would recommend trying the Prime Rib on the weekends, and definitely make it a point to experience the Sunday brunch, champagne is included! Pros: Location just off I-35, beautiful outdoor patio scenery with seating for dinner more

My wife and I have become big Chart House fans since we moved to Lakeville 3 years ago. When we?re in the mood for casual food, we get their outstanding burgers and appetizers (my wife says that the nachos are clearly prepared by nacho-lovers). However, we also go there for fine dining. When relatives visit, they always rave about the seafood, though my wife and I really enjoy their great array of steaks and the champagne chicken. We like that we can bring our kids there, yet we can avoid imposing on adult couples or groups. When the weather is nice we walk the kids around the lakeside lawns and gardens while waiting for our food. We also love that when the weather is nice we can always find outdoor seating on their patios (which we?ve found is very rare in the Twin Cities?). Even though it?s in Lakeville, we?re still able to get friends to meet us there because the food is great, the lakeside location is excellent, and it isn?t too far out in the suburbs (it?s close to Buck Hill and Burnsville Mall). It is also worth noting that the brunches are as good as it gets ? especially the holiday brunches. My wife loves the breakfast-type food and I?m always very happy eating their plentiful dinner-type options on the buffet. We used to live in the West suburbs and would go to the nice lakeside brunches in that area. We haven?t gone out there since we discovered the Chart House. Pros: Lakeside Location, Outdoor Seating, Excellent for both Fine and Casual Dining, Outstanding Brunch Cons: Service has been inconsistent, but is improving more

Went to Brunch for Easter and was very disappointed. Our reservations were for 10 AM, the time when Chart House opened. Most Sundays they have a champagne brunch but they don't supply ANY beverages on holidays. Even coffee was extra. For $27.95 per person I expect a beverage. No wonder the place was not full. Food was way below par also. Roast beef and ham on the carving table (no au jus for the beef). Servings were luke warm to cold. Omelets were okay but I've had just as good at Perkins for a lot less. The rolls and desserts weren't fresh. They were frozen and thawed causing them to be dry and stale. The desserts were so bad you couldn't identify what they were. Carrot cake with a lime sauce sprinkled across was just bad. I had to ask the waiter what one dessert was because there was no taste. He told us it was banana cake! Apparently someone forgot the bananas or when they thawed it out, the flavor went with the ice. Our waiter forgot my coffee and had to be reminded and again when I wanted a refill. This restaurant has went so far down hill that I don't think they can be saved. A huge waste of money. This is one of those Twin City restaurants you hope goes out of business. I'll do my part to help that happen. I won't be back. Pros: This is a pretty restaurant with great views and good parking Cons: Poor service, bad food, drafty more

We went for my wifes birthday and it was a total disaster! Our waiter could not rember his name let alone all of our orders and did not write any thing down.We ordered prine rib and got a huge tastless piece of meat .The augraten potatoes were uncooked and terriable,the deep fried asparagus was cold and greasy.This place has gone to the dogs and the food is not fit for one.We are counting the days and can not wait for this place to be taken out of its misery! Pros: none Cons: every thing is awful more

Allow me to begin by stating the Charthouse has been a family favorite for an age. My wedding was held on their lovely grounds. For better or worse, the Charthouse came under new management/ownership a few years ago and I believe that has led to its decline. The Patio: For the last year the outdoor patio has been chronically understaffed. Without fail, the service starts out cheerfully promising, then degrades into a slow, chaotic experience. Our most recent visit lasted almost 2 hours... for burgers and wraps. Our waitress took almost 20 minutes to get drinking water on the table. Our orders weren't taken for 40 minutes. After well over an hour when the food finally was ready, our child's mac-n-cheese was left in the kitchen and it took another 10 minutes to retrieve it. (She's very patient for 3-1/2, but was about at the end of her rope and our food was getting cold.) We felt like we were a constant imposition on the waitstaff, but we couldn't seem to get anything with our first request (including drink refills, silverware, etc...). Sadly, this over-stretching of the staff (which results in poor service) seems to be the norm now rather than the exception. The dining room: The decor remains the same as it's been for 20 years -- a classy, upscale dining room. Unfortunately, the menu, which once was rich with a wide palate of offerings, has been reduced to just a few selections under each heading. There is virtually nothing in the way of dish descriptions - ie: one will need to ask what type of pasta/rice/veggies will be served with each dish. (This led to 2 of our 4 party members being disappointed with their meals.) Our wholely unspectacular meal (pastas and steaks) totaled over $120 for four, and that did not include any specialty beverages. Service in the dining room, while (again) slow, was superior to the patio. With service waning and an over-priced, over-simplified menu, I can no longer recommend the Charthouse for enjoyable dining. Pros: Lovely grounds (great for strolling), classy ambiance Cons: Slow (and frequently) poor service, unspectacular food for the price more

I showed up for Sunday brunch on a tip from a friend, what a great experience! Plan on calling ahead, it was plenty busy at about 11:00 AM. I had a custom designed omelet made right in front of me, as well as a couple of glasses of complimentary champagne. The restaurant and bathrooms were clean, as well as a very pretty outdoor patio right on the lake. We enjoyed a casual stroll through the garden and along the coi pond. The staff was attentive and very polite, in short - we'll be trying this place again! more

The chart house is quite possibly the only upscale non-chain eatery south of the river. The food is excellently prepared and fantastically presented. Cuisine styles range from Steak and Chops to Seafood and poultry. All dishes come with sizeable portions, but not so much that you can't finish. The decor of the dining room is a bit average. Just a big restaurant with lots of tables. The bar/lounge however has a nautical theme and even has aquariums in the porthole windows. If you have an opportunity to dine outside take it. The restaurant is right on a lake, and the atmosphere will improve dramatically. Servers are quite professional and friendly and are able to recommend dishes with credibility. The dishes can be a bit expensive compared to other restaurants. Pros: Good Quality food, compentent staff Cons: expensive more