local flavor Escape to the Occoquan
Madigan’s Waterfront By Katherine Gotthardt
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t’s an escape from the usual, a dive into waterfront ambiance, a delicious experience and a whole lot of fun. It’s Madigan’s Waterfront, located at 201 Mill Street Occoquan, Virginia. Since 2005, this family-owned business has served up seafood specialties and more, offering waterfront dining, a large deck, tiki bar, upstairs reception venue, daily happy hour, live music, dueling pianos, karaoke, public boat docking and dock rentals. Cathy Madigan is co-owner, manager and event planner for Madigan’s, handling everything behind the scenes to make the restaurant work. She says she and her husband opened Madigan's Grill in Lake Ridge in 1997 and ran that until 2008. Madigan's Waterfront opened in 2005 and has been open ever since. “We have been residents in Prince William County since 1993,” she says. “It was Chris's dream to own a waterfront restaurant. He loves the water and enjoys being around it daily.” She is proud to say Madigan’s is a family-owned restaurant that she and her husband Chris run together and that their daughter Bailey Brown is the in-house baker. Their son, Patrick, can be found behind the bar. “And we’ve been fortunate to have many other family members work with us throughout the years,” says Madigan.
Madigan’s wings and crab cakes are customer favorites.
Mouth-Watering Menus
More detailed menus can be found on their website, madiganswaterfront.com.
The menu at Madigan’s includes fresh seafood daily. Steaks are choice cut and individually selected for tenderness and flavor. Oysters are available year-round. Madigan says, “We have changed our menu from a more old-fashioned cuisine to a more modern and adventurous theme. We have also condensed our menu to meet the palate of our guests.” When it comes to customer favorites, Madigan says, “Our crab cakes are definitely the most popular. Our guests love the lump crab meat and blend of spices. Our Seafood Boil and OMG
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(Ocean Mixed Grill) are also favorites. However, our 1/2-pound Mad Burger and Wings are among our bar patrons’ favorites.”
Ambiance and Fun Locals and visitors seeking ambiance can find it at Madigan’s. “Our waterfront deck and tiki bar are a nautical oasis,” Madigan says. “We offer a family-friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Our inside dining and upstairs venue offer a more elegant vibe.” It is a great place for patrons to “wind down after a long day before they go home,” says Madigan. “We have happy hour 3 to
