Cove Cafe - Crestline

The fries were generously portioned and perfectly seasoned, requiring no additional salt—they were tasty enough to enjoy without ketchup. I also wish the Cove would open without the $8 cover charge. It would be great to see it open longer and beyond the main season, as it would be a shame for Crestline's best hamburger to not be available after the season ends.

The staff member who took our order was very friendly, but the person at the pickup window had a somewhat unfriendly demeanor. One downside is that the food takes quite a while to prepare—about 15 minutes of waiting. Despite this, the food is quite good and very convenient if you're visiting the park. We tried the Pt. Reyes Blue Cheese Burger ($10.95, plus an additional $2 for two slices of bacon). It’s served on a fresh and beautiful ciabatta bun, featuring a 5 oz. ground beef patty made from quality meat, topped with romaine lettuce, sliced tomato, caramelized onions, crumbled blue cheese, and house sauce, which resembles a ketchup-paprika mayo. The burger was tasty but came out medium well instead of the requested rare. However, its smaller size balanced on a relatively large bun helped it stay moist, and it was well-seasoned. My husband enjoyed the bacon on his burger, while I opted out. The burger was accompanied by a dozen crispy onion rings that tasted homemade. Ketchup and mustard are available for free, but they charge 25 cents for ranch dressing, which I wouldn’t recommend—it’s not worth the extra cost. I’d rate the burger as three stars, but the onion rings were definitely four stars—while they weren’t the best I’ve ever had, they were very good and quite generous. For $11, it’s not a bad deal. We also had the Honey Battered Turkey Corn Dog ($5), featuring a delicious, generously sized turkey dog in a honey cornbread batter, fried to golden perfection, and served with what seemed to be house-cut french fries. The corn dog was excellent, although the fries were a bit limp, possibly due to insufficient frying time. Still, they were enjoyed by those who like fries (which I don't). Overall, I would definitely recommend Cove Cafe if you’re at the Lake Gregory Waterpark. The quality of food is really good and reasonably priced. Fortunately, you don’t have to interact much with the staff since it’s mostly a takeout operation. I’m a fan and only wish there were a way to grab a burger without hanging out at the beach—perhaps they should consider a food pass wristband!