A view of the interior at Tri-Lakes Restaurant. Photo by Loren Shaum.

By Loren Shaum
Columnist

COLUMBIA CITY – Tucked remotely in Whitley County’s Tri-Lake’s region just south of the Noble County line is the recently re-named, Tri-Lakes Restaurant.

Adjacent to Shriner, Little Cedar and Round lakes, this business provides a destination for both boats and cars. For years, this obscure location has been a local watering hole, but after visiting, you will find that Chef Brandon Gump’s food is exceptional.

Under new ownership, the renovated interior is very comfortable and a place where folks can choose from an exceptional beer list, order comfort food, settle-in for a variety of delicious sandwiches and baskets or even a dinner entree.    

Menu

A fish sandwich is always a good choice. Photo by Loren Shaum.

There’s a lunch menu and a dinner menu with the same appetizers and salads on both.  

The lunch menu includes fourteen sandwich and burger choices with the “big Brad” burger and the brisket meatloaf sandwich being popular. All sandwiches come with fries and slaw.    

There are also “Tavern Features” with the brisket poutine being something you don’t see on Lake Country menus.  

If none of those suit your fancy, you can always get one of the six basket choices.  The wings are particularly a crowd favorite.  You can get bone or boneless wings and select from mild, medium, hot, barbeque, hot barbeque, teriyaki, sweet chili and/or garlic butter.

The dinner menu has some of the same sandwiches and burgers as the lunch menu but the highlight is the entrees.  Steaks and chops come to the forefront with the ribeye and smoked pork chop leading the way.  Both are 12-ounce monsters!

The applewood smoked baby back riblets are another popular dish, while they last.

Although the grilled or blackened salmon is one of the featured entrees, you have to try the cornmeal-crusted perch.

Chef Brandon offers daily specials each week, with all you can eat fish on Fridays. Recent specials recently included beef and noodles with mashed potatoes and the southern specialty, Alabama white shrimp with grits.  

Recently, the dessert for the week was butter pecan bread pudding, but this week it was a brown butter blondie.

Beer list second to none

There’s a combination of craft and domestic beers on tap, and they rotate seasonally.  Besides the drafts, there are mega bottled and canned beers.  With a full bar, there is always something available for any thirst.  On a previous visit, I enjoyed a bloody Mary done to perfection.  

The restaurant also offers cold beer carry-out – a much-needed service for boaters on a hot summer day.

There’s seating for around forty in the bar area and twice that many in the main dining room.  The outside patio can easily handle forty, and many come to enjoy the gorgeous sunset over the lake.  

There is also a meeting/banquet room in the back for larger groups.

For local, year-round residents, this remote joint is a mainstay.  We have friends on Shriner Lake that are frequent visitors.  It’s well-worth the short drive from Lake Country.

If You Go

Tri-Lakes Restaurant: 2700 East Colony Avenue, Columbia City. Hours: Tuesday, 11-8 p. m.; Wednesday-Thursday, 11-9 p. m.; Friday-Saturday, 11-10 p. m.; Sunday, 12-8 p. m. Closed Monday.  Phone is (260 )691-0015.