Where to Eat at Deep Creek Lake
For a special dinner at Deep Creek Lake, Loch & Laurel recommends Dutch's at Silver Tree and Firewater Kitchen and Bar, both on the water, with Mountain State Brewing for an easy night and Black Hawk for coffee. Hours change with the season, so check before you go.
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What’s open, and when
Deep Creek is busiest in summer, and many restaurants keep shorter hours the rest of the year. Firewater’s dock and outdoor fireplace close for the winter. Online listings can lag behind a restaurant’s own site.
Cooking for yourself
Some of the best meals of a Deep Creek trip are the ones you cook, because the local food is so good.
Wildom Farm sells the meat it raises, and its eggs, from a small farm store. Deep Creek Shop ’n Save, at the north end of the lake, has a real butcher counter and a bakery, and Wild Ember in Friendsville bakes sourdough from heritage grains. FireFly Farms in Accident makes goat cheese that has won national awards, and Yoder’s in Grantsville is the kind of custom butcher that’s hard to find anymore.
If you only do one
Have dinner on the water at Dutch’s, or out on Firewater’s dock while it’s open. Start a morning with coffee at Black Hawk before a walk, and spend a late afternoon on the Mountain State patio with the dog.
Where to eat
Dinner that feels like an occasion
On the water, with an upscale menu of crab cakes, lobster and hand-cut steak. Reservations are by phone, and there are outdoor tables for dogs if you mention it when you call. Plan on a splurge.
- For couples
- Dog friendly
Dinner out on the dock, right on the water, with stone fireplaces inside and a big one outside. The dining room is open all year, and the dock and the outdoor fire run from spring through fall. It doesn't take reservations.
- For couples
Steaks and seafood in a log-lodge dining room at the north end of the lake. Book on OpenTable, and ask for the patio if the dog is coming.
- For couples
- Dog friendly
An 1868 house on the edge of Oakland, at the south end of the lake, run by local owners, with grand old rooms and an upscale-casual menu. Prices run from modest to special occasion, and you can walk in without a reservation.
- For couples
Casual nights
Wood-fired flatbread and beer brewed on site, at the north end of the lake. The patio faces the sunset and dogs are welcome. When nobody can decide where to eat, this is where you end up.
- For couples
- Dog friendly
- Works midweek
Everything here is made from scratch, with plenty of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes on the menu. There's live music some nights.
- For couples
- Dog friendly
The widest view of the lake you'll get with dinner, at the Will O' The Wisp resort. Come on a clear evening.
- For couples
A brewpub in Accident, just north of the lake. The kitchen has a bit of everything, from salads, burgers and sandwiches to full entrées, and dogs are welcome on the covered patio.
- For couples
- Dog friendly
New York-style pizza on the water at Trader's Landing, run by the same family for more than 20 years.
- For couples
Breakfast and coffee
Canoe On the Run
A café on Deep Creek Drive at the north end of the lake, for breakfast and lunch: breakfast burritos and wraps, sandwiches, fresh pastries and good lattes. There's a fireplace inside and a deck in the warmer months.
- For couples
- Works midweek
Black Hawk Coffee and Kitchen
Good coffee and breakfast at the north end of the lake. Stop here on the way to Swallow Falls and you'll still beat the crowd.
- For couples
- Works midweek
Pastries baked in-house, breakfast sandwiches and bagels, and good coffee to go with them.
- For couples
- Works midweek
Drinks
A small taproom at the north end of the lake. There's no kitchen, but you're welcome to bring your own food. Dogs are welcome.
- For couples
- Dog friendly
A winery outside Oakland, at the south end of the lake, with fire pits outside, a big fireplace inside, and cheese and charcuterie boards. Leashed dogs are welcome on the patio, where the fire pits are.
- For couples
- Dog friendly
A cidery in a barn in Accident, with a patio outside. Dogs are welcome, and you can book a private tasting. Their hours change with the season.
- For couples
- Dog friendly
The best-known bar on the lake, with a beer garden where dogs can sit with you at the ground-level tables. The big deck is at its liveliest in summer.
- For couples
- Dog friendly
Stocking the kitchen
Pasture-raised meat and eggs from the farm itself, and likely the best thing you'll cook all week. The store keeps short hours, and they're happy to set up a time with you. They also host the farm dinners.
- For couples
- Works midweek
The closest full supermarket, with a real butcher counter, fresh seafood and the Mountain Flour bakery inside. If you're cooking for the week, do the big shop here.
- Works midweek
- For couples
A small bakery in Friendsville, northwest of the lake, making hand-mixed sourdough from heritage grains, plus baguettes, bagels and pastries. Look for the Deep Creek Sourdough. It's open part of the week.
- For couples
- Works midweek
Award-winning goat cheese made here in Garrett County, plus specialty foods and wine by the glass, in Accident. It's open part of the week.
- For couples
An old-school custom butcher out in Grantsville, for a meal you want to get right.
- For couples
- Works midweek
Oakland's farmers' market, from early summer to the end of October, with produce, baked goods and crafts. It adds extra days during Autumn Glory week.
- For couples
Common questions
- Do you need reservations at Deep Creek Lake restaurants?
- For the nicer places, yes, especially on weekends and during Autumn Glory week in October. Dutch's takes reservations by phone and Pine Lodge takes them on OpenTable. Firewater doesn't take reservations, so arrive early on a busy night. The casual spots are mostly walk-in, though tables fill up on a Saturday night.
- What is open at Deep Creek Lake in the off-season?
- Most restaurants stay open all year, and many keep a shorter week outside summer. Firewater's dock and outdoor fireplace run from spring to late fall, and Honi Honi's deck is at its busiest in summer.
- Where can you eat with a dog at Deep Creek Lake?
- Quite a few places, almost always outside. Mountain State Brewing, Pine Lodge, MoonShadow, Short Story Brewing, Branch Bender, Blackthorne and the Honi Honi beer garden all have tables where dogs are welcome. Some patios close for the season, and at a few you order at the bar.
- Where is the nearest grocery to Deep Creek Lake?
- Deep Creek Shop 'n Save Fresh, on Garrett Highway at the north end of the lake, is the closest full supermarket, with a butcher counter and a bakery inside. Arrowhead Market, near Honi Honi, is smaller but sells beer, wine and liquor. For a big stock-up, there's a Walmart in Oakland.
- Is there a brewery or winery at Deep Creek Lake?
- Yes, several. Mountain State Brewing and Short Story Brewing are at the north end of the lake, Blackthorne Cellars is a winery outside Oakland with fire pits, and Branch Bender makes cider in Accident.
- Where can I buy local food to cook at the cabin?
- Wildom Farm sells its own pasture-raised meat and eggs from a small farm store. Wild Ember Bread in Friendsville bakes sourdough from heritage grains, FireFly Farms in Accident makes award-winning goat cheese, Yoder's Butcher Barn in Grantsville is a custom butcher, and Oakland's Mountain Fresh farmers' market runs from early summer to the end of October.
Where to stay
Dinner out, then the hot tub for two.
Nightwood is a luxury cabin, thoughtfully designed for couples, on two wooded acres at the north end of the lake. Come home from dinner to the hot tub beneath the deck, and let the night carry on from there. Your dog stays free.
See Nightwood