This is an undated contributed photo of the exterior of The Bucket at Eagle View in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä.
Courtesy photo
I haven’t had the best dining experiences during my two visits to check out The Bucket at Eagle View, a new restaurant that took over where The Lookout Bar & Grill used to be at that condo community high atop the mountain overlooking Kanawha City.
I want to love the place — just as I’ve heard that others love it — but they’re batting about .500 for me so far.
However, that doesn’t stop me from admiring the hard work, time and money owners Chris and Jane Adkins have put into bringing a restaurant and bar back to Eagle View, which my friends who live there say is desperately needed and appreciated. They’ve also added Happy Hour and recurring daily/weekly events and specials, which shows me they’re trying to make a go of it up there.
And that’s something I can get behind.
This second iteration of The Bucket’s original location in Dunbar opened in November, serving a selection of bar apps, wings, salads, burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, flatbreads and a couple of entrees.
Known for their ridiculously decadent deep-fried pepperoni rolls and a variety of tangy, saucy, meaty wings, I can vouch that both are still outstanding at the new location. If you’re not sure what to order here, you can’t go wrong with either choice. We’ve also loved other options at the Dunbar location, including a fantastic chicken quesadilla.
The rest of what we’ve tried at Eagle View, however, has been a mixed bag — and service has been spotty at times, too.
The West By God Tots sounded amazing, smothered with bacon, jalapenos, pepper Jack, cheddar and cream cheese, but those ingredients were ground up inside the tots instead. Not bad, just not what I was expecting.
The recommended (and somewhat spicy) Bucket Balls were similar looking and tasting, with fire-roasted corn, pepper Jack and cotija cheese fried inside a jalapeno, cilantro and lime-flavored batter, served with wing sauce on the side.
The Philly Cheesesteak tasted fine, but the amount of meat, cheese, peppers, onions and mushrooms stuffed inside wasn’t nearly as “piled high†as promised on the menu and shown on social media. Just a heads-up that nearly everything we ordered looked much less exciting than the drool-worthy images they’re sharing on Facebook. The onion rings I ordered with it were solid, though.
The WV Burger from The Bucket at Eagle View in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä is shown on Feb. 16, 2026.
STEVEN KEITH | For the Gazette-Mail
The WV Burger with bacon, sauteed mushrooms, onions and Cheese Whiz also wasn’t bad and boasted plenty of bacon. But the patty itself was much smaller than its bun, and the scant amount of Cheese Whiz drizzled on the bun was a bit of a letdown. C’mon, this is a sports bar burger. Load that baby up.
During both visits, two different servers praised the restaurant’s Skinny Chicken, which was disappointing. What was billed as a grilled chicken breast topped with peppers, onions and mushrooms smothered in cheese was tough, dry and bland. I could only manage a few bites before I gave up and ordered wings instead.
And I know what you may be thinking: What kind of weirdo orders a “skinny†meal at a sports bar? That wasn’t my plan either, but when they kept pushing it as amazing, I felt obligated to give it a try.
Despite that disappointment, I will go back to crush some more traditional bar food while sipping a frosty beer or three. That’s what The Bucket at Eagle View does better, and that’s enough.
Steven Keith is a food writer and restaurant critic known as “The Food Guy.†Reach him at 304-380-6096 or at wvfoodguy@aol.com.
