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The Boathouse serves west coast fare in a relaxed atmosphere.
It’s my three strikes and you are out rule I am afraid.
We at there for my daughters 12th birthday, she took along a couple of her friends too.
The staff was great with the kids and the service my wife and I received was also pretty good.
The food was absolutely awful. I am not sure who they have as a chef there but I have received better food at a roadside diner.
My daughter’s friend ordered a burger - and quite frankly, McDonalds do better food
No more for me. I don't even have it in me to complain. They will never get another dime out of me
Great location too - very sad that there must be so many qualified chefs out there, and they pick someone who would struggle to make some cereal!
Group of nine, all have travelled internationally., Good service, good food, everyone enjoyed their evening. Chef served a sample to show difference between char and steel head. This is west coast, not New York or Paris, relax and enjoy. Dine Here should be reconstructed, I will comment but I don't need passwords etc. etc. etc.
Waiters look sleepy, doesn't want to work, and/or drunk. Even though all of them are available, they don't want to greet or bring you to the tables. They should learn what manners are, and stop being so rude to the customers. The food wasn't outstanding, and it took way too long.
Since when is a couple arriving at a restaurant such a agonizing proposition for a hostess?
Honestly, I knew our fate was sealed when I saw the tortured, vacant stare of our server at the threshold of "The Boathouse". No matter...perhaps the food might redeem our ungracious welcome?!
Sadly, no. The food was cold, tasteless and uninspired. Adequate for a mobile coffee truck perhaps, but not a place that charges as it does. Unless you want to pay through the nose for servers who wished they were elsewhere and food that underwhelms, chart a course far, far away from this place.
Aye, aye and goodbye.
Have been here many times and always enjoy good food, great service and ambiance. I hesitate to give 5*'s because that has an 'incredible' descriptor which is a bar almost impossible for any restaurant to reach. However the 4* descriptor is outstanding and I would say that Horsehoe Bay Boathouse certainly measures up in every respect
Incedible:
1. So implausible as to ellicit dibelief
2. Astonishing
So 4*'s it is - outstanding!
Came to the Horshoe bay location for a nice dinner and good view not too long ago.
As many here have stated, and as I have personally experienced, we were told by our curt hostess that we could not have a window table and that they were never guarunteed. Problem is, we saw two open window tables, one seated with a small group 10 minutes later, and another that sat vacant and then was seated with another small group a full hour later.
Such service, such attention to the customer experience!
One of our dishes was so badly undercooked it had to be sent back MULTIPLE times. Later, one member of our party was then sent an incorrect desert, then, to add insult to injury, we were charged for the correct desert, as well as the incorrect one.
This will be my last visit, I can get a nice view for free from the beach....
I have been in this restaurant twice. It haven't appered to me the first time that the service is so poor. The food was solid, nothing special. However,the second time we dined here, our server was borderline incompetent. Our bottle of wine was splashed on the table along with water which was never cleaned for the entire dinner. Thankfully, the server didn't consider pouring wine or beer into glasses as his obligation, so we were able to avoid any more spills the remainder of the evening. When a member of the table waived to the server, he finally came to give us the bill. That was all service we got.We loved the view it is beautiful. I might not come back there ever.
Waiter was aloof and unfriendly. Food took a long time. When it finally arrived it was nothing great and had been sitting at the pass too long and was not hot. Lobster thermadore had only a couple small pieces of lobster throughout. Will not go back. We were very disappointed because we brought my parents there from out of town hoping for a great night out, but were met with unpleasant service and disappointing food, all for a $230 bill!! The service can really make or break an experience at a restaurant. Sometimes the food can make up for that, but this time it wasn't up to par either.
The Boathouse has been around for a very long time; there's good reason for it. Nestled in Horseshoe Bay, out in the water, it is both far enough removed from the hustle and bustle of downtown and sufficiently scenic to attract many visitors every night of the week.
The food is, unsurprisingly, geared towards seafood; from shark fin soup to rare fish-specials of the given week, everything is fresh and well prepared. Considering that I myself generally do not like seafood (it all has that "fishy" taste) I was surprised on my many past visits here to note that none of my dishes had such taste! I guess that's fresh seafood for you. Those who absolutely will not touch anything from the ocean are not out of luck, however. Steaks and poultry are indeed available, and are done remarkably well by a restaurant which specializes in everything *but* land-based food!
Service is average, and can slow down a bit on a busy night in what is a very large (two storey) restaurant; if you're not willing to accept this as simply a result of logistics, I'd recommend a smaller dining establishment. That said, servers are friendly and helpful, and were very good at suggesting something that even a non-seafood lover would enjoy.
All in all - well worth a trip. It's not a cheap place to eat by any means, but for a fairly "upscale" dinner with a view, this place is among the best.
And to the people that said they thought they were ignored (perhaps) because they were asian... I surely hope you don't mean that; many tourists (because of horseshoe bay and the nearby Island) come through the establishment all the time, and all that I've ever seen are having a good time!
Crab fest is on. Was really looking forward to the dungeness crab and was not disappointed with that. However, the extremely bland rice pilaf (no spices) and undercooked old, fibrous green beans really detracted from the plate (and yes, I would have eaten it if it had tasted good!)
They're also having "Appy Hour" in both the bar and restaurant. We tried the fish sliders which were small but tasty. The yam fries were good. The appies could definitely make a meal if you order enough of them (and there is some variety).
We ordered fish and chips as well and the fish was dark, greasy and we didn't finish it. Chips were okay.
Oddly enough, the chef came out and introduced himself. It is very awkward to say to someone who cooks your meal that the food is less than you expected while you are eating.
The service was decent; however, at one point the waiter buggered off, and we were looking for him to put water in our glasses, which is something he should have done when we sat down. Finally another server (who seemed more on the ball) came by and rescued us.
There are definitely better restaurants for the money. Although the crab was good, I can pick one up at T&T really cheap and make it at home. The view of the ferries coming and going was beautiful, but you can easily watch them from the park beside the terminal while you eat your fish and chips from one of the takeout joints.
Having been regular attenders at this restaurant in Horseshoe Bay, we now go only rarely. Prices are now beyond the level of quality or value. Have recently eaten at fine dining restaurants in Whistler and Vancouver where the main courses cost less than here. Their flight of wines is good and Sunday brunch is OK, but quality is very variable (can't cook eggs!)
There are so few waterfront restaurants in Vancouver that it is such a shame that the quality of the food does not match the prices they are charging. Lower prices and up the quality and we will come back.
My husband and I came to eat at the Horseshoe Bay location, nice ambiance but the food was terrible. The hostess asked where we would like to sit and we requested the window seat. She said she couldnt sit us there as it was for 6 people only. We sat down and made our orders and the very same hostess who said we couldnt sit at the window seat, seated 2 people and cleared the other 4 seats!!My husband ordered the fish and chips. His fish was soggy instead of crispy and his fries tasted like they had been sitting out for a while. Overall the food was not that great, it would have been nice to sit where we had requested and I'd like to get my moneys worth!
Started out bad and just got worse from there. The only saving grace this restaurant has is its great view, which unfortunately after dark isnt as nice as it is just before. To begin with this place was no busier than any Keg restaurant I have ever been to. Hostess walked us to our table and simply plopped our menus on the table and walked off, leaving us to find out the table was pushed compeltely against the chair, which in turn was pressed against the wall. I had to pull out my chair, then the table, 5 feet, just so my girlfriend could get into her chair, then I had to push the table back in and trap her in her spot. Was forced to order from a 55 dollar set "Valentines Dinner Menu" which wasnt too bad except that there is no way in hell what I got was worth 55 dollars per person. We witnessed a table to the left of us be served 2 entrees minutes after sitting down, only to have the entrees snatched up 2 minutes later and given to the table beside them because the servers messed up. Theres no way in HELL I would eat a plate of food that has been sitting in front of some other customer for a few minutes, with them pking it and prodding it wondering why its there. Were repeatedly told "Oh your 7up is on the way" meanwhile watched "our" werver serve drinks to other customers. Also noticed nearly every other table around us had a look of disgust on their face for one reason or another. Was really hoping the food would make up for all this and again unfortunately it didnt....the only real tasty dish was the lobster, and seriously how hard is it to cook a lobster, so no points to them for that. Im sure this restaurant was good at one point, and it certainly has the potential, but they most certainly effed the dog on valentines day thats for sure. I think it was more of a management error which trickled down to the servers and just about everything else because it just looked like they scheduled TOO many staff, there were tons of servers bussers standing around with confused looks not sure what was going on. In conclusion I would have been much happier spending 15 per person on a couple of TBones from Dennys next valentines day,,,
Tried the dine out vancouver 2007 menu tonight. The food was awesome. The ambiance was quite nice as well, along with the view of the ferry and boats. One of the downside was the service. I don't know if it was that my boyfriend and i were Asian, or our age but we were treated differently. We were somewhat ignored and when the dishes came, it was just put infront of our face, like they can't wait to get it off their hands or sth. The steak we ordered rare came perfectly and the seafood paella was good! By the time dessert came, we were full but we ended up finishing it anyways! I wonder if the other Boathouse restaurants has the same type of service or not.
As always, I was happy after I left the Boathouse. I had the halibut/salmon duo (special) and though I wouldn't order this again b/c of the flavour of the sweet chili thai sauce, I'd go back and have the scallops that my friend had.
Shrimp skillet appy (8 pieces of shrimp) had a good flavour and was a good size. Bread was soft and hot.
Service was good as always. Waiter was friendly and patient (there were 12 of us).
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this restaurant was a disappointment!
Our server forgot to bring our appetizer, my miso-crusted halibut was generous in size but was very mushy (they probably use frozen fish), and others in my party had meals that were only lukewarm. The only saving grace about this place is the nice view of Horseshoe Bay.
I would definitely not recommend this restaurant to others.
We went to a dinner for a friends birthday. We ordered dinner as a group, and my wife and I ordered seafood pasta. Finally after 45 minutes, our meal came and the pasta and mussels were there and that was it. The manager came by and my wife told him that the seafood was missing - his curt retort was that she must have eaten it. This was upsetting to me, that he disrespected my wife and I approached him to say that his response was not in keeping with customer service - he almost hit me. Needless to say, I sent an email to the Manger and President of the Boathouse. Got a letter of apology from the Manger, a $50 gift certificate (which was $30 less than the cost of our meal) and excuses as to the problems the restaurant was having in the kitchen that night. The problem was not the kitchen..anyone can make a mistake - the problem was in the surley and confrontational attitude of the Manager. We went back with the gift certificate, and the bad taste for this restaurant completed it's journey (another story). I will not patronize this, or any other Boathouse, ever again.
Was a good evening. My friends came from Seattle and we had good time at Boathouse. We took 30 min for a good table at the patio. Meanwhile we hang out at the bar. The bartender super profissional, gave us some cocktails suggestions and we had some befor got the table. Wine list very common, nothing special and we had a cab. The food was OK, nothing special too but decent. Not the most delicious food of our lives but exactly what they offer. Service very good, despite the house was full. I'll come back.
A wonderful meal sitting at the bar. Our server/bartender was great: experienced, well-informed, willing to ask for changes, chatty ... our meals (seafood sampler and salmon and chips) were beautiful: cleanly prepared allowing us to taste the delicious fresh fish. Very good selection of wines and beers and the view is incredible. Memorable to say the least.
I was pleasantly surprised by my special dinner at the Boathouse. From the moment we entered to the moment we left, the staff were friendly, professional, attentive and obviously happy to have our custom. The fish was fresh and the portions were generous and well presented. The sourdough pudding for dessert was mouth watering. The view was an added bonus-there really are few places in the lower mainland with such stunning views of the mountains and water. A perfect place for a special occasion. The prices were more than reasonable.
| 1. | English Bay (13.8 km) |  |
| 2. | Kitsilano Beach (14.3 km) | |
| 3. | Richmond (22.8 km) |  |
| 4. | Port Moody (32.6 km) | |
| 5. | Quayside (32.7 km) | |
| 6. | White Rock (51.8 km) | |
| 1. | Troller Pub (119 m) | |
| 2. | Olive & Anchor (127 m) | |
| 3. | Troll's at Horseshoe Bay (142 m) |  |
| 4. | Berry's Frozen Yogurt & Ice Cream (167 m) | |
| 5. | Ivy Restaurant & Deli (170 m) | |
| 6. | Seaside Village Bulk Food (179 m) | |
| 7. | Fresh Slice (181 m) | |
| 8. | C-Lovers Fish & Chips (206 m) | |
| 9. | Pudgie's Chicken & Pizza (211 m) | |
| 10. | Mo's Bay Cafe (216 m) |
