Buckeye Lake Winery - Thornville

This review is specifically based off our experiences having a wedding there.The wedding planner, Barb, was really great and so sweet and responsive. She got back to us really quickly and was so nice and helpful for all the questions and requests that we asked for. If I was just rating her services, I would give her 5 stars. However, we apparently had our wedding right in the middle of a management change and there were some major issues with the food on the actual wedding day. We paid for a taste testing and everything and ordered specific food items, and nobody communicated or informed us of a chef change. We were served food that was COMPLETELY different than what we tasted at the food testing. The chicken didn’t taste the same, the mashed potato’s were SO nasty, and there weren’t even the same food items, dressing/sauce, or anything. The chicken served at the tasting was so delicious and then what was served at the wedding was super dry and gross and was served with sides that we had never even seen before. Even the kids chicken tasted gross and stale.When we brought this to the managers attention, she didn’t offer any compensation just apologized and said that there was a chef change. I wasn’t asking for it to be free or anything but at the very least they could have refunded the taste testing or offered us a free meal or SOMETHING. It was honestly kind of upsetting that on my wedding day the dinner that was supposed to be served was completely wrong and gross and nothing was done—especially when spending thousands of dollars on this food.Other than the food issue, however, it was a really beautiful wedding and we had a great time and a great experience with all the workers. The red wine slushies were also really good!!

I struggled on 3 or 4 stars. The food really is what put it at 4 as it was quite good. What was frustrating overall was the service (and I do understand it’s a Thursday lunch and maybe short staffed? . When we first walked in the sign said wait on hostess, a solid five minutes went by without anyone noticing us until someone finally did. Once seated it was just very very slow. They had a large group so again, I’ll attribute it to that large group maybe but there was no real apology or reasoning from the staff for being so slow and what felt like pretty disorganized. If you’re swamped, then let us know, maybe ask a manager if on staff to step in and assist. We live around the corner and it’s the second time in 8 years we have come and both times it was the service that was really lacking. Even looking through your reviews there are many the complain about the service. We will attempt a third time later this summer in hopes it will have improved but if it doesn’t, I can’t say we will come back, even if it is so close. Additionally, if I’m paying cash, it’s awkward having the waitress hover over me watching as a count out my cash I plan to leave. Maybe leave me a paper check and come back after please? That was SUPER awkward.

The main reason I gave it 4 stars is because of our 5 star waitress -Skylee (sp? . SHE was absolutely fantastic.My chicken? Couldn't cut it with a knife. 1 star chicken.The wedge salads looked and smelled great (I should have ordered it . Drinks were good too. Very nice venue also.

Amazing wines, food and staff with the best sunsets on the lake!

So disappointing. My husband and I ate there this evening for our anniversary. He had requested INSIDE dining, unbeknownst to me. We were seated OUTDOORs on the lake, which was fine by me on a nice cool evening. So that worked out. Our server was quick to find us and get drink orders. She brought water and we asked for lemons (she forgot to bring them later, but again, no big deal). I asked about their wine list-telling her that I prefer Moscato and other very sweet wines. She suggested their Lake Water wine, assuring me that it is the sweetest on their list. I was able to stand a few sips before setting it to the side, where it stayed untouched through dinner. My husband asked about the soup of the day, and were happy to hear they were serving crab bisque. For apps, we ordered the bisque and some brussels sprouts. We waited. Our server returned several minutes later to tell us that they were out of bisque. We ordered a garden salad instead. Several minutes after that, another server brought our salad and brussels. The salad was good and fresh. The brussels shouldn’t have left the kitchen. They were dry and obviously burned all the way through. I asked for another order. The portion was enough for 3-4 people to share. Flavor was on point 2nd time around. My husband was in the process of ordering the filet when we were informed that they were out of filets, as well. Today is Tuesday. Why are they out of food??? When my husband asked what ELSE they were out of, she listed several other items. Glad he asked, bc the information sure wasn’t passed on freely. He ordered the French dip with fries as second choice. It was flavorless, even with the sauce. The fries were good. I ordered fig and Gorgonzola flatbread with chicken. It would have been better without the dry chicken on top. Maybe if they’d put the cheese over the chicken it would help. Flavor was excellent, though. The flatbread was plenty for two people to share. Finished with our apps and dinners, our server asked about boxes and dessert. We had seen crème brulee on the menu when we were deciding on dinner, and we love that. We excitedly ordered one to share. A few mins later, she returned with our boxes and informed us that they were out of crème brûlée, as well! Wow. My glass of wine continued to set away from us, clearly I had not been drinking it. Dishes were removed from all around it. I finally told her she could take it away, as I could not drink it bc it was not sweet at all (as she said it was). She brought our bill, and the wine had not been removed. My husband was so over the whole experience that we didn’t argue with getting it removed. A good server should have removed it, as I took her word and opinion since there was no sample offered. Even Olive Garden will allow you to taste a sip of their wine before ordering a whole glass. A good server would have communicated to the manager that THREE items-app, entree, and dessert- were out and we were unable to receive what we had ordered during our special occasion. A good manager would have spoken to us and tried to win back our business. We will not return for many reasons. It was a very disappointing experience for us, and it was pretty pricy, too. The two stars given are for the cleanliness and atmosphere only. Don’t go for the food.