Boathouse, The

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  7      Value  7     

Went to Boathouse last week with my friend who lives in that area. She said she goes there all the time and really likes it. We spent a nice afternoon catching up. Food was yummie. Our waitress was super sweet.

May 02, 2012 

3.8 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  8      Service  2      Value  2     

I was very disappointed after our Saturday night dinner. We were in a large group (20+ people) and initially were treated really well. We were waiting for the whole group to arrive at the bar and being served by a very friendly bartender.

After we sat down (in two separate tables), we were rushed to order and when food arrived, the waitstaff did not know the meals they were bringing. One of the waitresses said he had the "pasta" and when asked if that was the prawn linguine, the reply was: "I don't know, it's the pasta", another waiter had a steak sandwich and came to the table announcing he had the lamb. I would expect the waitstaff to know the meals.

Another problem we had was with drinks. Glasses were being cleared with drinks on and we were left with only two water bottles during the 2-3h we were there in a table of 10 people. I then finally asked for water and they brought us a half full bottle.

We were never told about the chef specials or given dessert or coffee menus which is not surprising since they called last drinks at 10 pm. At the end, we felt like the staff couldn't wait for us to leave when the floors were being mopped right next to our tables.

I believe that a restaurant that carries Gary's name should offer a better experience and live up to the expectations. I wouldn't recommend it to any of my friends. However, apart from its flaws the ambience and location are great and should be explored better.

Jun 06, 2011 

5 Average

Food  3      Ambience  7      Service  5      Value  5     

I can not understand how Gary Mehigan can claim that their pizzas are the best in Melbourne. I ordered a small pizza with potoato and pancetta. I received a small oblong pida bread topped with a couple of sliced cooked potatoes sprinkled with bacon and a bit of rosemary.

The food and service has always been poor, a shame as the location is great, the place is suffering from delusions of grandeur, Gary Mehigan I am disappointed, please listen to your critics they are correct.

Mar 19, 2011 

2.3 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  1     

Went for lunch on a Wed (today) with a friend to enjoy the sunshine by the river. So unfortunate that the entire dining experience cast a huge shadow on what should have been a beautiful day. Ordering drinks within minutes of being seated, it then took 20 min for one drink to arrive and then to be told that they have run out of mineral water.

Waited another 20 minutes for one serve of dip to arrive. 45min later, still no sign of our main order - scallops, prawns and rocket salad. It took nearly 5 min to actually get the attention of a waiter to complain about the delay, to then be told our meal should arrive in about 5 min (it was more like 10min) When the meal arrived we asked for plates (as we were sharing) and ordered a glass of wine.

The scallops were dry and only just warm (obviously sitting under the warmer for way too long) and after waiting another 5 min for plates to arrive so we could actually start eating I had to get up and get them myself. I still have not received my glass of wine, in spite of asking 2 different waiters if they could please bring one to me. Decided to give up and just continued with my meal. After we had finished our meal the allusive wine appeared, but I sent it back as I would liked to have enjoyed it WITH the meal.

When we went to pay - which was an extremely hefty price considering what we had and the service - the wine was on the tab. I explained that I never go the wine and the manager was in the process of deducting it from the tab, when the guy working the bar said "oh yes we've had a few people who ordered that wine and then changed their mind and didn't want it so they sent it back". I was quite angered by this and promptly replied, "NO, I NEVER GOT my wine at all, I did NOT just change my mind". Overall a very bad experience. Needless to say - will never go back and will tell all my friends. Next time I want to enjoy the sun next to the Maribyrnong River, I'll go to the Anglers across the road.

Dec 29, 2010 

3.3 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  4      Service  2      Value  3     

Went there with a group of about 10 people, and more than half of us didn't enjoy our meal. I had the pork belly and it was nearly the worst I have ever had (I have eaten a lot of pork belly) it was dry and tasteless, also it was half the size of the other person who also ordered pork belly at the table.

The service was terrible and after repeatedly asking for drinks they finally arrived half way through our meal. One of my friends ordered a small pizza and was given a large, when they informed the wait staff they said they would only be charged for the small. But when the bill arrived a different staff member argued the point about the price of the pizza. Never again.

Nov 12, 2010 

4.5 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  8      Service  4      Value  3     

Cold gluggy pumpkin risotto floating in electric yellow oil with a starchy skin on top. Bad service still waiting for a second glass of wine. We have tried this restaurant several times due to its great location. Always come away disappointed/frustrated or angry. Not a nice way to spend your day/evening. No more chances for the Boathouse. Most talked about local restaurant and for all the wrong reasons.

Nov 01, 2010 

3.8 Below Average

Food  7      Ambience  4      Service  2      Value  2     

Have been here several times, but after the last effort from the Boathouse we will not be going back.

Food was fine, very pricey for what we got though. Lighting went from bright to dim, over and over which was quite irritating. The drinks service was slow. To top it off the "senior staff" got angry with us when we asked to split the bill. Was pretty much yelling at us, told us its not his problem to "go and complain to George." there was no mention of no splitting bills anywhere. He eventually cracked it and said to the younger staff "you deal with it" and stormed off.

Great managerial skills right there! thanks but we will take our $500 elsewhere in future. Disgusting.

Oct 30, 2010 

2.8 Not Recommended

Food  4      Ambience  4      Service  1      Value  2     

The service at the boathouse is terrible, the senior staff rude and arrogant. As a local I loved the original boathouse. If you are a local forget about being treated well. On the last day of term 3 a group of us went down to have some lunch. All up there would have been 6 adults and 8 kids. We were told there was no room for us unless we sat outside (it happened to be raining).

The senior staff flatly refused to set up a long table with a vase of flowers on it, stating "we don't use that table". This was the final straw in a long list of bad experiences. Will never return. If you're a yuppie from the other side of the city then they will cater for you but us locals can apparently go and get st***ed.

Oct 18, 2010 

4 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  4      Service  5      Value  3     

Have to say that I was completely disappointed by my experience here a few evenings ago. Despite living close by and this place being my "local", I have always been a little reluctant to go here because of the "Masterchef" tag. The cynic in me dared to suggest that this restaurant may have had more spin than substance. It appears as though I should have followed my instincts.

After calling at 7.45 on a Saturday evening, I expected to be told that there would be no tables available. Instead, they told us to come straight in (perhaps, warning number one). When we arrived, I was quite surprised to see the place only about 30% full (warning number two, surely a decent place would be busy at this time on a Saturday!).

My partner and I ordered a few of the smaller dishes to share, as well as a pizza. The smaller dishes were ok. Nothing exceptional, but nothing too bad either. The pizza was described as having "calamari, prawn, pancetta, chilli and salsa verde". When it arrived, it was nothing short of a disappointment. The pizza only had one prawn which had been cut into small pieces, trying to cover the whole pizza. There was a bit more calamari, but hardly anything to write home about. My partner and I looked for any hint of chilli but, try as we might, could not find any. It wasn't a disgusting pizza by any strecth, just incredibly plain and boring.

I'm sure we could have found better food in a non-descript cafe on any street in Melbourne, to be honest. For a much better price, too. Added to this, I have to comment about the staff. Whilst they were friendly, there seemed to be far too much socialising going on between them and not enough emphasis on clearing plates, etc.

On a number of occasions we had staff members walk past our table while screaming, laughing and joking with their colleagues on the other side of the restaurant. Would not recommend this place.

Oct 05, 2010 

3.8 Below Average

Food  6      Ambience  6      Service  1      Value  2     

Disappointed again! My fiance and I have moved back to the area after years of living abroad. I used to love the old cafe that was on the sight so I was so excited to see the new renovations to the restaurant and even more happy to hear the "Master Chef" judge had taken over the place.

A month ago we stopped by and had lovely coffees in the afternoon out on the terrace. We decided for the following Sunday evening we would bring two overseas visitors out for dinner. The pork belly was on the menu and all four of us asked for the same dish! Not surprisingly we were told they were out of the pork belly. I was a little disappointed as we had not been told by the waitress about the missing items on the menu and there was more of this to come.

We did, however, love our meals that night and left quite happy knowing that it was probably a one off and the kitchen staff had likely not ordered enough to cover the busy weekend service. Tonight my fiance and I returned keeping our fingers crossed for pork belly but alas the menu has been changed. We were seated and told nothing about the menus or specials. When the waitress came back to take our order we asked for the entree Buffalo Wings off the specials board, I ordered the Braised Beef and my fiance chose the Duck.

The waitress came back and told us there were no more Buffalo Wings, no problem we will have the Fish Cakes, sorry no Fish Cakes and surprise surprise no Braised Beef either! Not only are there no items available on a very scant menu list but there is definitely absolutely No service! The manager was dancing around (literally) and the over abundant staff must have been having a smoko. We had to ask for dessert menus, waited absolutely ages for our plates to be cleared it was lack lustre to say the least! If there was a colour to describe my experience I would say it was very beige!

If I owned this place and I had the balls to charge these prices I would do a bit of spring cleaning with the staff and kick the kitchen staff up the butt for his ordering skills! I want to believe this place can be my fave local again. I am willing to try it one more time later in the year, please don't let us down Boathouse! On the positive side the steak was lovely, we didn't stay for dessert because the service was so poor we ended up buying a box of chocolates from the servo!

Sep 19, 2010