The Cutwater on Payette Lake

Splendid location. Marvelous dining. Top of the line food and atmosphere. A very popular destination so make sure to make reservations on Opentable if you are planning a special occasion.

Food is good and service is very good. Prices include the view. Recommend making a reservation. Lounge upstairs has same kitchen and also great views.

Stopped by for weekend lunch in late November and got a quiet table with a stunning view of the lake and snowy mountains. The French dip sandwich was delicious, with creamy horseradish with the rich thin slices of beef and a side of crunchy battered fries. The mahi tacos were not quite as impressive (with lackluster tricolor chips) but the pineapple salsa was fresh and bright. The service was quick and friendly, with dishes attentively bussed and water glasses filled.nnOverall it was a winning experience. Beautiful location, tasty food at a good price, and snappy service.

Beautiful setting right on the water. The food was amazing. Had a simple french dip with fries for lunch. I've never had a french dip or fries that good. My wife had an amazing walnut berry salad with chicken. Everything fresh, the chicken was so tender, the dressing was super tasty. Our waiter was from Jamaica, he was fun and great at his job.

We left The Cutwater feeling pretty disappointed. My friend made a reservation for ten to celebrate her dad’s birthday. It was also the first time I had gone to a restaurant since the pandemic began. When we arrived, we were placed at two separate tables, 6+ feet apart, which we were not notified of when the reservation was made. They told us it was a COVID policy, which is fine but because we were going for a special occasion, we surely would have picked another place if we had known we were not going to even be able to sit together. Because we were at two different tables, we were, well, treated as two different tables. We requested that at least our food and drinks could come out at the same time, but no. Different waiters, and food arrived late at one of them. We couldn’t even cheers because drinks arrived so late as well. And the food was nothing special. Though the views were great, and I understand why they had the policy in place, it completely ruined the experience. It would have been helpful to know that policy beforehand. And if the food or service was good I would have let it go but everything else about it was disappointing too. A really terrible experience.