Welcome To Dog Days Large.jpeg — Michelle Kitchen

Dog Days Bar & Grill is on every Lake of the Ozarks person's short-list. And for a must-go hotspot that sits in one of the busiest corridors of the Lake, you might be tempted to assume the popularity is more about "vibes" and accessibility than actually top-notch food.

Not so.

Chef Kevin McGowan reinvents the Dog Days menu every single offseason. That's not to say popular dishes don't stick around; but McGowan says nothing is off the table, as his obsession with awesome food drives what visitors to Dog Days will find on this year's menu.

He gave one example: Dog Days swapped out their grills for griddles. It's the Blackstone era, and suddenly everyone wants a smashburger.

"It's trending," he laughed. "So we give the people what they want!"

McGowan also tips his hat to his team, which keeps his chef vision intact and serves excellence even on the busiest summer nights.

Here's a look at what's new — and a few "there'd be a mutiny if we took this off" — menu items to order when you hit Dog Days for summer 2026.

By Water: Cruise into Dog Days at the convergence of the Glaize Arm and Main Channel, near the Grand Glaize Bridge.

By Land: 1232 Jeffries Rd., Osage Beach

See the Menu Online: https://dogdays.ws/menu

All The Food Large.jpeg — Thomas Kitchen

To Eat: Menu Items at Dog Days

Blackened Mahi Tacos

On The Plate: Two blackened mahi tacos in flour tortillas, with cabbage, pico de gallo, and jalapeño cream sauce. Served with fries.

Turns out, fish can kick! These are delightful, with good seafood flavor and a nice spice.

Old Fashioned Burger

Old Fashioned Large.jpeg — Thomas Kitchen

On The Plate: Two 4 oz. smash burgers with American cheese and grilled onions on a butter bun. Served with pickles on the side. Served with French fries (or a signature side for extra)

For those moments when you're just craving "a really good burger," this is the one.

Pub Pretzel Burger

On The Plate: A double smash patty with sautéed onion, fried jalapeños, and crisp bacon on a pretzel bun. And it comes with a side of beer cheese that can be poured on top or used for dipping.

Hearty, a little spicy and a lot of savory, this new burger is sure to be a fast favorite. The beer cheese is the coup de grâce.

Southwest Chicken Egg Rolls

On The Plate: Fried egg roll stuffed with chicken, black beans, corn, red pepper, spinach, and onion. Served with roasted jalapeño corn salsa, pickled red onion and Baja sauce on the side.

Big Southwest flavors from this item on the Starter menu! The seasonings (hello cumin) and the black beans make these eggrolls downright delicious, and the pickled red onion adds just that sweetness to balance the savory.

Kevin McGowan said these egg rolls are intentionally different from the “typical fried in a basket dipping in sauce,” types. Instead, these are topped with corn relish, pickled onions, Baja sauce and micro greens.

Our sampling crew kept reaching for more of these.

Poke Bowl

On The Plate: Ahi yellowfin tuna cubed and tossed in a sweet ginger chili sauce. Served with cucumber, ginger miso slaw, pickled ginger, wakame, mango and crisp wontons.

The Poke Bowl is served "deconstructed." The mango, wakame seaweed salad, miso ginger slaw, cucumber, pickled ginger and wontons are all separate so guests can "pick and choose" what they eat with the tuna. Pro tip: eat it all.

Sonoran Chicken Bowl

On The Plate: 13 pepper chipotle chicken served with roasted jalapeño corn medley, avocado, pickled red onion, feta cheese, creamy chipotle Baja sauce, micro cilantro and rice pilaf.

Dog Days' bowls have long been a hit, and this one carries on that tradition. The chicken's got a respectable kick, and the whole dish is built perfectly, from the jalapeño corn doing more of that spice work to the feta cheese and red onion bringing the fuerza. Honestly, next time I go, this is probably what I'm ordering.

Wicked Cheesecake

Trouble. This is literally a miniature version of an entire cheesecake. And it's built to share. Although after everyone takes a bite, it'll be a race to the finish, because it's downright delectable.

All The Drinks Large.jpeg — Thomas Kitchen

Drinks at Dog Days

Watermelon Fresca Mocktail

Watermelon Fresca Cocktail Large.jpeg — Michelle Kitchen

Watermelon juice, mint syrup, lime juice, with Tajin or salt on the rim.

Don't dog the mocktail. Just as flavorful and fun as its loaded cousins, the Watermelon Fresca is downright delicious. The Tajin on the rim and the fruity flavors make it easy to keep drinking. And no problem if you want to have "just one more."