Sam's Boatshed Restaurant & Bar

2.8 Not Recommended

Drinks  5      Ambience  2      Service  3      Value  1     

What a disgrace with the tables looking like they needed to be properly cleaned. Then there were the flies all over the tables as we walked in. This was followed by the worst food presentation we have ever experienced in a Melbourne Restaurant. Words really fail me.

Apr 08, 2012 

4.5 Below Average

Drinks  6      Ambience  5      Service  3      Value  4     

I used to go to Sams Boatshed frequently, but it has really dropped its game in the last few years. Went there on Friday night for dinner with a group of friends. Entree of woodfired bread was ok, previously this entree used to be divine, very small amount of dips came with the bread and bread did not look great on the plate, it looked overcooked and oily and quite small, compared to how they use to serve and present it, the potato and cheese woodfired pizza on the other hand was good.

For main I had a selection of tapas, you choose six dishes for $25. I guess you get what you pay for and I got some very ordinary food. Moreton Bay bugs which read, marinated in garlic oven baked, came out cold, with not even a hint of garlic and tasted quite old, I had to spit it out into my napkin, as I am pregnant, my friend agreed they were old.

My 6th dish of honey soy drumettes never arrived, even though the waitress told me about 4 times it was on its way, I'm still waiting! The desserts were good and friends agreed that the desserts were nice. But the mains were very disappointing.

Aug 07, 2011 

4.3 Below Average

Drinks  7      Ambience  4      Service  1      Value  5     

My sister G and I decided to go to Sam's Boatshed for my Birthday lunch on the 20th April 2010 at noon when they just opened the doors. It was a lovely warm day so we sat outside. After perusing the very boring and out-dated menu we both decided to order the Chicken Parma with green beans and roasted chat potatoes. Yum! I couldn't wait to eat! I love green beans!

We ordered drinks when we ordered our meal with our dense waiter that was behaving like he was stoned, we did not catch his name as he neglected to wear a name badge, which he bought out very quickly. However, the meals were a completely different story. They took around 40 minutes to come out. We then sat with our meals in front of us for around 5 minutes before cutlery and napkins were brought out to us. No salt, pepper or any other condiment were offered.

In this time I noticed that there were no green beans but instead a rocket salad. I hate rockeet! My hatred for this vile green weed stems back to my childhood, but I don't want to get into this story today, I'll save that one for another day! Rocket is so overdone these days! Listen up Chefs of Melbourne: Melbournians are over rocket as side salads!

I drew the waiters attention to the lack of green beans on my deep plate (The plate was more like a shallow bowl) and pointed out that I did not care to eat rocket. He just blankly stared at my plate, shrugged his shoulders and walked away.

We could now tuck into our now luke warm meals. The chicken was beautifully cooked, lovely and moist. The chat potatoes were not roasted, and in fact were deep fried. Being a keen cook on domestic and professional levels myself, I can tell the difference. It's not hard to tell the difference. Blind Freddy could tell the difference! I got through around a third of my parma and looked at the bottom of my plate. There was what I estimate to be around 40 to 50 ml of oil sitting on the bottom!

My food was so greasy I had to use my napkin to dab the oil from my food before masticating it. We finished our meals and were patiently waiting for the waiter to clear our plates and offer us a dessert menu. We sat for around 10 minutes after which I began to lose my temper. My sister promptly got up and went inside to pay.

We left very disappointed and dissatisfied after giving the place a second chance after the last time I ate there. My starter of grilled Saganaki was forgotten about by the kitchen, and then came out deep fried swimming in oil, served in a bowl with my main meal.

I vow this, I will never return to Sam's Boatshed again. You have taken enough of my time and money!

Apr 29, 2010 

9 Highly Recommended

Drinks  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Love Sam's Boatshed, the staff are friendly the meals are great, the pizza's are fantastic, the sort you have to eat with a knife and fork. Look forward to dining here again.

Jan 25, 2010 

3.3 Below Average

Drinks  5      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  2     

Used to love this place but it's gone so far downhill lately, even as a local, I refuse to give it any more chances. Three times in a row is enough for me to get the hint (it's not going to get any better unless it changes hands). Servingoff seafood by the sea in winter is inexcusable.

But, when you need to prove to the waitress that it is in fact off, and you realise later (cause you could not get out of the place quick enough) that you ended up paying for it anyway, what can I say? I would not call, cold jar style calamari, topped with sachet sweet chilli sauce (left over from the last take away nuggets), ‘Tapas’, and a bad cut of meat cannot be disguised by overcooking it.

Food: bland, overcooked and occasionally past the use-by-date. Service: goes from non-attentive to bad to down right rude. Value: Way overpriced.

Jul 13, 2009 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Drinks  8      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Don't know why this is listed as a bar instead of a restaurant? Anyway here's my review!

Ate here in April 2009 in a group of four adults and two young children. Heart sank when we arrived to find main area taken over by a christening party - expecting poor service but could not have been more wrong.

We were sat outside main area on what would have been the old verandah, bright, well heated and protected from the icy rainy weather outside. Food very tasty, with generous servings of gourmet pizzas, pasta and risottos etc.

Kids' meals especially good value - ordered a Hawaiian pizza for my son at $7.50 - thankfully instead of being a McCain frozen mini pizza as you so often get, he got a big, tasty, freshly made pizza, same size as his mum's tandoori pizza (which was $18, delicious, with loads of chicken).

Generous serves of tapas to share as entree - loved the way one waitress (not even serving our table) overheard my son proclaiming his love of olives, and when the tapas arrived the olive bowl was overflowing! Large side salad at $9, enough for two, no baulking by waitress when asked for dressing on the side, so freshly made.

Lovely wine list, well priced. Heartily recommend for good, casual food, better than than most restaurants in Williamstown.

May 04, 2009 

4.3 Below Average

Drinks  4      Ambience  4      Service  8      Value  1     

Have been here a few times and each time the food gets worse. Poor quality and poor value for money. We have decided that we will not be going back. On a positive note our waiter 'Josh' was very attentive and friendly. Pity about the food as this place has great potential.

Mar 20, 2009 

5.8 Average

Drinks  7      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  6     

The place was nearly empty the evening we visited and it soon became apparent why. Aside from the outdated decor and uncomfortable chairs, the service was terrible and the food less than impressive.

Despite there being plenty of tables in the main part of the restaurant, we were shown to a table behind a wall which couldn't be seen from the main service area. Perhaps, this explains why, despite two waitresses attending to the two groups nearby, we were completely ignored. We weren't even offered drinks. We were just shown to our table and forgotten.

Eventually my partner, usually patient to a fault, got tired of waiting and went to find someone to serve us. The waitress who eventually served us didn't even apologise for this neglect. Our entrées looked promising but were really quite ordinary. We both ordered the rib eye steak with green beans (all four of them), chat potatoes and jus. The jus looked and tasted like nothing more than kecap manis which overpowered the dry, tasteless steak. At $33 it was overpriced.

We weren't offered desserts or coffee, nor would we have bothered even if asked.
We certainly won't be rushing back.

Feb 02, 2009 

6 Average

Drinks  5      Ambience  6      Service  8      Value  5     

A group of five of us decided to try Williamstown for lunch on a Sunday and chose Sam's Boatshed. It has a very themed, family restaurant type feel to it, and is on the touristy-generic side.

The service was very good, but the food took a long time to come out (it was Sunday 2 pm), around 45 minutes. Produce was fresh but execution was extremely ordinary and thrown together. I had a scampi risotto which was very bland and my husband's four little Tapas dishes were all either over done or again ordinary. Do not plan to go back there.

Sep 29, 2008 

7.8 Recommended

Drinks  6      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  9     

Lovely atmosphere and probably some of the best pizzas I've ever had. For something different try the kangaroo ceasar salad.

Jan 12, 2008