The Rooftop at Ocean Lodge

My wife and I stopped here last Sunday on our way back from a friend’s wedding in Fla., and were astounded with our choice! The rooftop boasts an exceptional view of the Atlantic Ocean and it was absolutely perfect for a sunset cocktail and brief respite from the 11 hour drive back to Raleigh.
We rode the elevator to the top of the building and were welcomed by a live saxophonist. He quietly roamed the terrace playing all kinds of wintry tunes. Put live music on a roof that overlooks the Atlantic, and it’s hard to mess it up. Two thumbs up.
We were greeted by our soon-​to-​be waiter, and he too was awesome! Can’t remember his name but he had long blond hair and I believe he was the only one up there that evening. We were impressed by how he busted his tail to serve every table on the roof while keeping and tending to our needs impeccably. He is an A+ employee, and I hope that whomever from the Rooftop lounge reads this, you recognize him for his dedication and commitment to your establishment. He’s a true asset to your community and one of the reasons we will be returning.
We ordered a few apps — the macaroni stuffed crab cakes and ahi tuna, per his recommendation. BLOWN AWAY. On both accounts. The plates we’re basically licked clean (he told us this would happen).
In all, the Rooftop Lounge was a very pleasant experience and provided just what we needed to keep us fueled for the rest of the drive home.
Will recommend to anyone traveling to or through Sea Island. And we’ll definitely be returning!

This place was «rated» with four spoons so our group decided to give it a try. At first we thought it was going to be a nice restaurant; granted, it does have a killer view… but this does not make up for the fact that Our entrees were absolutely horrendous. The bacon-​wrapped scallops & crab mac & cheese were absolutely amazing. However, we were told that even though 3 of us ordered the short ribs, the restaurant only had 1 in stock. I volunteered to change my order to the New York strip. I can honestly say that I’ve never had a tougher, more tendon-​packed New York strip in my life. I didn’t want to send it back because it already took nearly 30 minutes to receive it in the first place. Also, my boss, co-​workers, & I lowered the median age from about 65 to around 35. We felt as though we were walking onto the set of a Cialis commercial.

My husband, our 3 small children, my mom, and I came here for happy hour while we were on vacation last month. It was windy and a little chilly, but we’re from Minnesota,
so we thought it was worth it for a fabulous view of the ocean. The location is perfect– it’s right across the street from the ocean and so you can hear the waves and watch boats come and go as you eat.
We ordered the mussels as an appetizer, the adults all got happy hour cocktails (which were a great deal), and the kids got Shirley Temples per the suggestion of our server. The mussels were cooked perfectly and the cocktails were exactly what we needed, but the service was what really stood out. Our server, Misty, could not have been kinder or more attentive to us. At one point, my oldest daughter put her arms up on a railing that had clearly been marked «wet paint,» but which I didn’t notice and she got black paint on her white sweater. Misty took us up by the bar and worked at the stain with club soda until it was virtually gone! Totally above and beyond!
All in all, great happy hour, amazing views, and top notch service.

Marvelous and unforgettable dining experience. The rooftop fifth floor view of the Golden Isles is unforgettable. The first class Mediterranean motif, architecture and appointments seemed like I had actually returned to the Costa Del Sol in Spain. The complete staff was notably friendly, efficient, attentive and knowledgeably helpful in selecting the perfect meal choices from an intriguing menu. Very well stocked bar. The catch of the day was as fresh tasting as could possibly be expected. My taste buds went orgasmic with the scallops as well as grouper. To appease my addiction and quest to find a key lime pie like my «nana» used to make in Key Largo, my curiosity could not resist. My nana must have inspired desert chef Adam because the pecan/​gram crust was filled with a perfect consistency and heavenly tasting — slightly tart lime flavor.
Food and beverage manager, Michael was genuinely intent in ensuring my complete satisfaction. Bravo, bravo, bravo! Capt Joe McDonough — your establishment is truly classy and a real epicurean delight!

I’m only giving this 2 stars because the view is nice but the food is pretty bad. Overcooked fish and vegetables tasted like they were microwaved. It’s just overpriced hotel food. Do yourself a favor and pack your own picnic on the beach… it would taste better

Great view and looked very promising online. Rooftop view of ocean and a live band welcomed us as we got off the elevator onto the fifth floor. Sat down, ordered drinks and the server didn’t know the drink menu and as a bunch of functional alcoholics, we were off to a bad start. The food took forever and we figured out why — kitchen is on the second floor. No one seemed to care that our food was cold when it arrived — the cheese was hardened by the time it arrived. It was an hour and a half after we ordered it, needless to say we kept drinking because we were right next to the bar. When we spoke up that all of our food was cold, they offered us a «discounted rate» but the bill was still over $ 50/​person. No one came out to explain why the food took so long, to apologize or do anything to try to get us to come give them another chance — really unexpected for a restaurant at this price-​point. Not sure if the restaurant is operated by the same owners of the hotel but can’t imagine much from the hotel if that’s the case. Shame because we come down here often and this town is starving for something like different like this.

This place is pretty horrible. I had the fresh catch which did taste fresh but it was «pecan crusted» which is really just fish fry with smuckers jam spread on top. Pretty bad. The shrimp and grits were acceptable.

This place was no good for a group dinner. It was as though the staff had never had a group bigger than 6 before. Each course came out in drops and drabs.
The main entrée was cold because it took them so long to serve everyone. By the way, we only had a choice of two meals, so I’m sure it wasn’t a cooking/​timing issue
Just not a great experience…

This place does have a beautiful view; however, it’s not on the beach, but it’s high enough where you can see the ocean and hear the waves. Even in January, it was nice enough to sit outside with a heater.
It was a slow night and the hostess was also our server, but you definitely pay for the view not the food. We had mussels as our app, and they were very small, and there were quite a few empty shells in there. We tried to get a bottle of champagne to celebrate my birthday, but the only option was a $ 95 bottle, which seemed a little ludicrous when you’re only paying $ 30 for your entrée. For our meals, we had the grouper and scallops… both were very overcooked, so we didn’t finish it. Maybe it was because it was the off season, but the food wasn’t worth the price, but I’m glad got the experience.

I stayed at Ocean Lodge this weekend. This review is based on the rooftop and not the hotel. I am separately reviewing the hotel.
The rooftop is beautiful with a very nice view of the ocean. However, service is TERRIBLE! I definitely do not recommend having breakfast on the rooftop. $ 18.00 will get you an extremely burned spinach (and I believe pre-​packaged) omelet delivered 1 ½ hours after ordering. Waffle House is a million times better. I couldn’t eat my food. The staff was very friendly, but the hotel did not employ enough people to serve breakfast. I really felt sorry for the wait staff.
The kitchen is on a floor lower than the rooftop. The staff has to run up and down stairs to deliver food and take the dirty dishes to be cleaned. There is no communication. They even ran out of coffee!
After two bites of my nasty omelet, I couldn’t take another. Because of the slow service, we had to check out late. No one cared. Ocean Lodge is a very nice hotel, but I recommend that you eat elsewhere.

Perfect place to dine for your last evening on St Simons Island. The gorgeous tablescape photo accurately captures the romantic exotic feel of this dining experience.
The menu is all about the appetizers and luckily this is a place where the Unilocal free appetizer (w/​2 dinners) offer is met with no resistance or hassle.
Future hubs and I were torn on all the great app options so we narrowed it down to three: Mussels Mcdonaugh, Fried Green Tomato & Crabcake Napoleon and the Shrimp Spectacular. All three were quite divine but my favorite had to be the mussels. The wine broth served with the mussels was so rich, buttery and intoxicating I wanted to drink the bowl but settled for dipping my bread. I suppose refraining from drinking the broth was a good call because the owner made the rounds around the time I was doing my bread dunk lol. The Fried Green Tomato & Crabcake appetizer was easily the prettiest most colorful dish. Getting the right amount of each component on your fork was the most exquisite reward for your palate. The shrimp are also yummy though not as unique in flavor or presentation.
For dinner we each went for the braised short rib though we differed on sides. I selected collard greens (sweet & vinegary, I prefer a more smokey savory flavor) and mashed potatoes (creamy, cheesy goodness) and he went with grits (flavorless) and a potato dauphinoise (bland, we were warned by the waitress). The only side winner for me was the mashed potatoes. The short rib itself was fork tender and very lean. I’m not sure if the weird sauce from my greens changed the flavor of my meat but I wasn’t a fan of the sauce.
We agreed on an apple tort for dessert and we loved what tasted to be a homemade vanilla bean ice cream and whipped cream. The tort itself was good but I’m not sure that it was made from scratch as implied on the menu.
The staff is very friendly & accommodating. We arrived a bit early and they seated us right away at a high top with a good ocean view. I don’t like high tops so I asked to be moved. Later we heard other guests say they dined at Rooftop the night before at a high top on the side balcony and it got very buggy. We also met the friendly hostess, Angie working at Wine, Body & Soul and we were happy to see her the next day at Rooftop.
Overall a wonderful meal in a breathtakingly beautiful and serene spot :) FH, thanks for taking me & I hope we can go back soon!