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The Boathouse serves west coast fare in a relaxed atmosphere.
Wow is all I can say & not in a good way. After having been impressed by the other locations, my partner & I thought spending an afternoon @ The Boathouse White Rock for their Appy Hour specials would be a sure thing for satisfaction. We were wrong. Our first red flag was not being able to find a clean table inside forcing us to find seats outside on the deck. The "specials" were not so special- much smaller portions then usual & really only memorable due to our disappointment. Food: Yam fries a bit soggy, tiny portion. House salad does not live up to it's $10 price tag-wilted bagged spring mix w/ a few craisons. Chicken wings-greasy. Bucket of Shrimp~really should be called bucket of ice w/ shrimp. Service: Hard to find, lazy & uninterested in our comments. Ambiance: The view is fabulous~but marred by the lax in cleanliness of the interior. Value- 4 tiny appy specials + 2 drinks = bill over $50 leaving us hungry for an early dinner.
3:30 on a weekend and we decided to give it a chance based on our wonderful past experiences at the Boathouse restaurants. Make no mistake, this one is "night and day". Suckered into the "Appy Hour" the first thing we noticed were the tables hadn't been wiped down. Service was slow even though the restaurant only had a few patrons. I ended up arguing with a server over grey moldy spots on my girlfriend's asparagus (in her Spicy Ceasar) after being told it was part of the pickling process. The server replaced the drink but it honestly never should have been argued in the first place. After we finally got our food (it had accidentally gone to another table) the fries were only 3/4 full in the cone. When I questioned the server I was told this was "appy size". Apparently their deals during Appy Hour meant smaller portions. I questioned the server on my small salad and was told this was the half-size portion, even though I didn't order that and didn't see it on the menu.
At least the shrimp bucket was fresh and I enjoyed the horse radish cocktail sauce but it was basically a lone candle in a sea of blackness.
Met up with a bunch of friends for some drinks and steaks on a Saturday. We sat at the lower level/pub part of the restaurant. We've been individually a few times over the years, one of my friends used to go weekly and used to really enjoy the Boathouse... well no longer.
First we got a round of wings and I don't know why they changed the flavour since they used to be great, but the new peanut satay sauce is just downright terrible. Flavour was overbearing, didn't even want to eat the ones my friends couldn't.
For the main course each had a steak or prime rib. The cut of the baseball steak was appalling with a lot of connective tissue right through the middle. The prime rib had huge chunks of fat. When I get a prime rib or steak of course I expect a bit of gristle of fat on the side... but not 20-30% of it.
My other friend asked for a bit of crumbled crab on top of his steak, maybe $5 extra, instead they put an entire half crab on top for $20. Would've been nice for the server to perhaps clarify what he would be getting beforehand since that was not what he wanted at all.
Other than that the restaurant was not busy at all for a Saturday night, drinks were not kept full and the service pretty much sucked as much as possible.
Me and my partner were looking forward to a decent dinner to celebrate a special event.
We should have left as soon as we noticed breadcrumbs and food on many of the chairs and tables in the restaurant.
One of the bread plates had a film of some sort and baked on crusties on it. The salmon and halibut on the Seafood Cedar Platter arrived at the table presenting well; however, upon inspection, they were both verging on raw. Both were sent back to the kitchen. When the plate returned, it was cooked slightly more, but still barely medium rare. The glaze on the fish was poorly seasoned and the "fingerling" potatoes were actually quartered fist sized Russet potato chunks.
Our server was great in trying to remedy the situation, unfortunately, poor cleanliness and shocking food resulted in one of our worst dining experiences in several years. We will not go back to this restaurant!
We went to the Boathouse for brunch this morning, being one of the first sunny and warm weekends of the summer we were looking forward to brunch before we headed out to the beach. We were one of only a handful of customers in a large restaurant and waited over one hour for our food to arrive. When our order did finally arrive, it was messed up. The table next to ours had the same problem. They waited even longer then we did and their orders were also all messed up. I ordered the Seafood Hash, which was more like soup and I did not get a spoon either. We also ordered two sides of bacon (only one order of bacon arrived, even though we ended up getting charged for two) and a clubhouse sandwich. Then they brought out an order of toast, which we did not order at all and I had to wait another 10 minutes after receiving my dish before they brought out the hollandaise sauce it was supposed to come with. How in the world could this possibly take over one hour to make with hardly anyone in the restaurant?? I would have saved time (and possibly money too, the prices are a bit steep) driving all the way home (45 minutes away), making the same food myself, then driving back to White Rock. Ridiculous, absolutely no excuses for this. We were terribly disappointed. It looked like such a nice place from the outside, but we will NEVER be back again! Waiting over an hour to get anything at all to eat, with two little hungry children and no apologies from staff either. To add insult to injury, the patio was also freezing cold and the heater "wasn't working". Absolutely terrible. The clubhouse sandwich my husband got was nothing special and came with hardly any fries, the seafood hash I got was basically a bowl of broth with some sauteed peppers, soggy spinach, and two poached eggs on top. Real nice for like $18?! Seriously? Never again.
I went here with my husband and another couple for a Valentine's dinner. This is one of the busiest nights for most restaurants and The Boathouse was no exception. Because I am Celiac I had called in advance to get a reservation (got the last table) and to ensure there would be something wheat and gluten-free on their menu I could have. When I arrived the evening of, I realized that someone had actually made a note for the hostess on our reservation. When the server came to our table she automatically put my mind at ease regarding which dishes were gluten free and letting me know that the kitchen was aware and would ensure there was no cross contamination in the preparation of my meal. It was obvious they were familiar with Celiac Disease and I was in good hands. They made three special concessions to accommodate me regarding menu choices including a gluten free sorbet dessert which was not even on their special Valentines menu that evening. I was over the moon. I had the steak and lobster with rice and salad. The lobster melted in my mouth and the steak was done perfectly - medium rare, just the way I like it. Everything was fresh. Everyone else also enjoyed their meals and we'll definitely be going back again. Way to go Whiterock Boathouse! You guys ROCK.
I suppose when its busy in White Rock you really can't be too picky about where you eat and you would consider yourself lucky to get a view seat in the Boathouse. However, if you really take close look at this location its not all that great. Service here was very slow on a relatively quiet morning. The food was pretty good, and the view is interesting, but not sufficient to make up for the fact that this restaurant ain't all that. Certainly it could be a lot more. I guess when you have a captive audience and a great view you can afford to be lazy in other departments. This location will obviously continue to survive due to the importance of location in the success of any restaurant, but it wouldn't last too long if it had to rely upon the fundamentals of good food and service like most other places. The food is pretty damned expensive for all that too.
Went for lunch a few months ago at this restaurant. The boathouse is pretty well known so i expect to have enjoyable food. Especially for them to charge what they charge, it better be enjoyable food.
Sadly i was wrong. The food was only so so. Not bad as in not ateable but just too average for the price. I mean, i could walk down to the restaurant next door and get the same thing for alot less.
The one good thing that this restaurant has is awesome view of the water. But i pay to have food so we haven't gone back since and probably never will.
We were looking forward to a nice Mother's Day seafood buffet meal and we thought it would be a great idea to go down to Marine Drive and soak up the atmosphere of the beach and have a relaxing time. But we were sorely disappointed and here's why : the buffet was supposed to start at 9:30, our reservations were for 9:45, and at that time the buffet was not ready!
The buffet tables were not set up with serving utensils, half of the hot food item trays weer empty, the cold salads were just set a table, not on ice. Better use of ice would have been to have it for the salads instead of the sculpture! There were no condiments, ie: seafood sauce, butter, seafood cutlery, etc. The roast beef was a whole new experience - we've never been served the way they did and we're not even sure it was roast beef. It was more like a thick flank steak. The carving station guy GRABBED THE MEAT with his FINGERS (no gloves on) , while carving with the other hand. A one inch thick SLAB of meat was placed on my plate - and it was so long that it hung over the edge of the plate ! So the cut was definitely wrong. The meat was very tough and there was no gravy and no horse radish. My sister got the top piece of the meat that had all the spices on it, so her meat was extremely salty, dry and tough as well.
There were no side plates for our breaqd, no fanciness about the place - some tables had table cloths, some didn't. For the price we're paying, we expect a nicer decor and better over-all ambience. For desserts, they had still frozen chessecake, the cookies and squares were from Costco - nothing was home made (or at least better than Costco quality), which is tacky when the patron is paying $35 each plus $3.50 for a coffee!!
The servers were great at filling our coffees and waters, but very slow at removing our dirty plates. The bathrooms were dirty - the sink and the overall appearance of it.
To sum up, for the Boathouse, we were expecting the TITANIC, but we got the S.S. Minnow.
We came here for the Dineout Dinner and enjoyed it. Since it was an early dinner time, the restaurant wasn't overly busy and our food came out pretty quickly and our server was doing the rounds quite often. The firecracker prawns were nice, the seafood chowder a little bland & the steaks were well done. The portions were just right for a light dinner. We weren't rushed to eat our meals and left satisfied.
The place looks good, and the view is fantastic, but he food left me with something to be desired.
Service wise, the staff was bubbly, cheery, and laughed an my crappy jokes. They were a bit slow though, and didn't really offer much clarity when I asked for some extra information on some dishes I was interested in, and instead pushed me towards something totally different. Still, they meant well, so I smiled and nodded.
But the food itself, was "meh". It's not bad, but when you consider what you just payed, you're left feeling a bit torn. In my case, I wished I had just gone down to one of the ground level patio restaurants instead.
We had lunch here on the rooftop. Great view overlooking the beach and ocean. Service was very good. Menu was limited.
I had to request a special order of shrimp salad since it wasn't on the menu. The salad was excellent, but the prices were a little high.
But those cheap plastic chairs were very uncomfortable, which gave me a sore back after sitting there too long with little support.
You would think a classy restaurant like the boathouse could at least afford more comfortable chairs for their dinning customers.
Title describes it all.
We had the calimari starter, salmon grill and fish and chips. The food was pretty good. It was not oily, it was seasoned properly and the fish was cooked properly. We have no complaints about the food itself HOWEVER the service was amazingly poor.
Walked in and seated immediately. Menus arrived within minutes. So far so good. Waited 20 minutes before someone took our drink order, another 10 minutes to get our drinks. Another 30 minutes before we got our food.
Interestingly, the table of 2 behind us left before ordering, (they were waiting 15 minutes before they left) and the table of 8 next to us left after 20 minutes of waiting)
It was also amazingly dirty. The "clean" table we were seated at was covered with sugar / salt. The main walkway is covered with bits of food. Wife's water glass was crusted.
Would we go back? Not for the price we paid. There is better value for money. Service is an integeral part of the dining out experience and it was truly lacking today.
I had made reservations over 2 weeks in advance for my boyfriend's birthday. I had requested a table by the window or a booth, something romantic and somewhat secluded...
When we arrived we were given the smallest possible table, directly outside the kitchen (a table normally given to someone that had walked in off the streets last minute for dinner). It was so small that we could not hold hands, and barely see each other over the appetizers on the table (which there was not enough room for), and the kitchen was so loud that conversation was strained.
The portions were small considering the price (to be expected), but there was no real taste to it (no marinade or peppering, etc), and my steak was overcooked. We did get a small piece of cake for free, but even that wasn't terribly delicious.
We were dressed up (better than half of the people there) because of the occasion, so I cannot understand why we had been treated as if we had no money. It was embarrasing, and I will never ever go back.
P.s. My bill ran over $150 for two people.
The Boathouse is the best seafood place you can go in Vancouver. The only aspect that dictates seafood is its freshness and that's what Boathouse can give. I personally like seafood with as little marinating and cooking as possible.
The service was wonderful, but the food is kind of pricy. Something that you'll enjoy once in a while.
Love their raw oysters.
I've been here in nice weather and sat on the rooftop patio for drinks and thought it was great. The other day went here for lunch on a rainy miserable day. The restaurant was essentially empty except for the tables along the window. First off I'll say the miserable day was actually quite enjoyable sitting inside staring out at the water.
The server was great at first but was quite young. I suspect this is the reason she got worse as the meal progressed. She brought 2 of our meals out but the third persons meal did not come out for about 10 minutes after. When the food did come, it was quite good. I had seafood risotto & salmon and enjoyed it. The gf had fish and chips and also enjoyed it. The food is good, won't knock your socks off, but it's the best I've had in Whiterock that isn't from a fish and chip stand.
The real reason to come is the view.
Reserved for a birthday party and had a good view of the ocean.
Server was very attentive and personable. Quick with cocktails but slow with appetizers and even slower with our meals. Seated at 8pm and served dinner at 10pm. Not the quickest kitchen.
All but 1 meal was excellent. The black cod was not cooked and sent back. I was pleased with the quality and quantity of my dinner; grilled salmon with shrimp and lime butter. All in all it was a nice atmosphere and we were generally all satisfied.
We went for an anniversary dinner on Saturday night and it was crab fest time (yummy) We were a table of 6 adults and we were seated at the resevation time when we arrived. The service was extremely attentive with the drink order done expediciously. We were a bit slow pondering the marvelous menu but never rushed by the staff even though it was a packed house. The steaks were tender and done just right in every case, a sirlion non the less that rivelled a filet. The crab and lobster were fantastic, fresh, flavourful and generous. The lobster was removed from the shell cooked and replaced in the shell saving the usual tug-of-war. The crab soup was awesome as usual. The complimentary desert for the anniversary couple was a nice touch and a pleasanrt surprise. Managements inquiry as to our satisfaction was also appreciated. The desert was wonderful! This place works hard to make happy customers that are sure to return. Yes, there is good food in White Rock!
When you think of seafood, "boathouse" always pop up in most people 's mind. Went in Boathouse white rock for a quick lunch bite, looked at the menu and I thought the price reflects the quality of food, NOT THE CASE! Waited at the door for awhile to get noticed when there was only one table present. Ordered the calamari and it came 20 minutes later, gosh was it crappy. A seafood restaurant couldn't cook a simple calamari really caught me by surprise. Didn't bother to return the dish caz I didn't want to wait for another 20 minutes. Probably not going back to try again
We came here for Dine Out on a Sunday night. The restaurant was packed. Despite having a reservation, we were seated after an hour of waiting.
While waiting, we're brought bellinis. The host was very pleasant, and very apologetic. The manager offered us free appetizers, sweet chili chicken and calamari. The manager came back apologizing for the wait.
I ordered lobster bisque, steak & crab stuffed jumbo prawns and cheesecake. They're all very good. The stuffed jumbo prawns were the best I've had in a long time. My boyfriend the halibut dinner. It was made to perfection.
The server was very attentive. It was just hard to call her attention since it was a very busy Sunday night.
Food was great, but be prepared to wait an hour or so if it's really busy.
| 1. | Quayside (21.2 km) |  |
| 2. | Port Moody (28.9 km) |  |
| 3. | Richmond (30.4 km) | |
| 4. | Kitsilano Beach (37.7 km) | |
| 5. | English Bay (38.2 km) | |
| 6. | Horseshoe Bay (52 km) | |
| 1. | Fresh Slice (19 m) | |
| 2. | White Mountain Homemade Ice Cream (22 m) |  |
| 3. | Wings Tap & Grill (34 m) | |
| 4. | Bistro Elis (54 m) | |
| 5. | Pearl Urban Bistro (56 m) | |
| 6. | Le Vol Au Vent (57 m) | |
| 7. | Gelateria Italia and Coffee Shop (57 m) |  |
| 8. | Cones Creamery (69 m) | |
| 9. | Booster Juice (102 m) | |
| 10. | Jolly Roger, The (112 m) |
