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Rudy’s Lakeside

There’s a family saying at Rudy’s Lakeside, the family that has owned and operated the popular restaurant for 79 years (and counting). That is: they cook fish. But they’re the best fish cooks you know!

And that’s what people love about the lakeside dining experience: they can savor the delightful fish, they can count on meeting friends old and new at the busy hotspot, and they can trust the lake view sunset to provide the best summertime entertainment possible.

But they can also trust Rudy’s to change and adjust.

Over the last year or so, Rudy’s has undertaken some extensive renovations, mostly the kind of back-end work that improves your overall experience – without CHANGING your overall experience. Same great food, same great service, same great view. New floors, better air flow, new online ordering app (Toast), expanded inside dining and seating.

“Our upgrades are Rudy’s commitment to the future,” Jason Livesey, owner and operator of the family business. “We’re here to stay, and we want to always offer our customers the best experience possible, without changing the essence of the Rudy’s they know and enjoy.”

And that’s been the Rudy’s story since 1946, when Rudy Gadziala and wife Marie opened the restaurant. The restaurant has never left family hands since, first going to Gadziala’s daughter and son-in-law, Brad and Carol Livesey, and, with the passing of his mother, Carol, Jason Livesey is the now-and-future Rudy’s.

The take-out, eat-in operation offers a wide variety of summer-time dining favorites, and specializes in, of course, fish. Burgers, salads, Hoffman hots, soups, and all the delicious sides are there, but something about dining by the lake will make many patrons think of fish. Fresh, tender, flaky, cooked-just-right fish!

Rudy’s aims for that “sweet spot” between fast and leisurely; specialty and old favorites; even “hot” and “the way you like it!”

In other words: Rudy’s can bring your food to you FAST. You can order online, be notified when to pick up, and get your food and be on your way quickly. OR, you can sit and experience the gentle waves, the evening air and spectacular sunset as you sit lakeside, indoors or out, greeting friends or sipping a drink and sampling your meal.

Rudy’s can offer you a dining treat you seldom get to experience, like their specialty Red, Blue, Gold or White Plates; or you can stick with your favorite cheeseburger or Hoffman Hot. And it will be as good as only Rudy’s can make it.

And you can, as the website explains, have your meal YOUR way. It can be simple and seasoned as you prefer, or you can opt for their popular RUDY’S Homemade Texas Hot Sauce, “A spicy meat sauce that can be put on anything, and usually is…!” So if you ask for “Hot,” you’ll get this incredible sauce, onions and mustard – but you can add or remove any of those items to any of your menu items. In other words, you get the best food possible, just the way you like it!

Livesey assures us that some of the small treasures like old photos and display cases that were moved for the renovations will soon be restored to their places of honor, again a sign that Rudy’s can honor its heritage at the same time it’s offering you a “new and improved” experience on beautiful Lake Ontario this, and every summer to come.