The food was excellent, no complaints there. The low rating is due to the fact that food delivery was extremely slow. We arrived at 4:30pm and it took 3.5 hours to complete the meal. We did not dilly, it took nearly two hours for the entrees to arrive. When I asked if they were understaffed, the server said no, the kitchen had just under-estimated reservations and had not done enough prep work. It was Mother's Day! Our server was nice and friendly but did not check in with us for a whole hour while we were waiting for our entrees and apologized only at delivery. Additionally, they kept a lot of people waiting in the lobby while there were many empty tables. I do not understand why they did not seat those people - it's more comfortable to wait at a table than in the lobby. The restaurant should have informed customers (both those waiting in the lobby and waiting at tables) that food delivery is unusually slow and apologize for it. Many customers can be quite understanding when the situation is explained. Next time, just let us know what's going on...and also, plan ahead for Mother's Day. All the best to the crew. I'll still be back but hope not have to be there 3.5 hours.
This feedback is specific to my visit on Mother's day. I made a reservation at 3:30pm, thinking that this would be a quieter time to enjoy a meal with my mom. We showed up to our reservation about 15 minutes early and checked in. The person at the desk asked me to come back in 5 or 10 minutes as our table was being prepared. We returned and we were seated. Our waiter then came by and let us know that the kitchen was running behind and that it would take between an hour to an hour and a half to get food. We decided to leave as a result. This was very disappointing! I would have really appreciated being told this before we were seated.
Janetp
I booked a table for 6 people for Mother's Day brunch . But we need up 3 . We had reservations for 1:30pm . We got are table 15 mins after waited 20 mins for drinks . And hour and half for food which we never got so we left ! Worst experience ever! We should have got a gift card ! Pus the place was over booked and not organized at all ! Will never go back .
NickB
Food is fine but service could not be slower. Seated shortly after our reservation time of 1:15pm (within five mins which is fine) and our food (which was selected from a limited 8-item brunch menu) arrived at 2:40pm. They did bring bread but the wait times and efficiency of this place are a real deterrent, which is a shame because the food and location are good. Not the first time I've had this issue at the Boathouse.
We went yesterday for Mother's Day brunch, and this was hands down the worst dining experience of my life. We didn't get seated until 30 minutes past our reservation. It took 1.5 hours to get our food, and almost 3.5 hours from the time we showed up until the time we left. This basically ruined our Mother's Day plans. Theres no reason it should take 3.5 hours to go for Brunch and they even had a small set menu. There was no apology or explanation from any staff. They at least got my 2 year old daughter's food out, but it was another 30 minutes until ours came. By that time she was finished eating, and getting antsy and we still hadn't eaten. It felt very unorganized from the very moment we walked in. I worked in hospitality as a caterer for over 10 years, and the lack of communication to us was very concerning to me. If the kitchen is behind it's important that the front of house staff steps up its game and also apologize, offer explanation, do something. But our server was barely ever around. There were very long stretches of time, where we had not seen our server, to ask if we wanted anything else to drink. We had to ask 3 other servers about our orders and also just to get drinks. We only received 1 round of water, 1 coffee and a Bellini in a 3.5 hour span. Was completely unacceptable. Ultimately, in the end the food wasn't even worth the wait, and definitely not the price. It's too bad, because we love the Boathouse. We have been there many times, and have had very good experiences, even on days when it seemed busier. But yesterday was simply an unacceptable experience. We will not be returning for some time.
Unfortunately, we had a horrible experience here today. I had booked in advance for Mother's Day brunch, we sat down waited half hour for water and for our orders to be taken (which was from a very limited Menu of different variations of overpriced eggs only). The food never arrived, no Manager on site to deal with all the issues, staff was very disorganized and didn't know what was going on. My mom had finally had enough and we ended up leaving after 1hr 45min without ever receiving our food and no apologies for all the chaos. It ruined the whole day and had to find some place else to eat last minute, Needless to say our annual tradition of coming to the New Westminster Boathouse for Mother's Day for the past 10 consecutive years is now over. We will never be coming back. Update: also there is a fake bill showing in the one table app for this event. To be clear we received nothing but water and only ordered three egg Benedicts. We don't drink - is this yet another example of the incompetence of their staff?
Diner111
It was moderately busy, but there were still empty tables in the restaurant. It took over half an hour to get our drinks, they forgot a coffee, one coffee was served in a dirty mug, never had our waters refilled and our food took over an hour to get to our table. It was their mother's day brunch and I know that is a busy holiday, but it seemed disorganized and a lack of communication between the server and customers. If our server would have updated us on our orders I would hae been more understanding. I had to ask multiple times for our drinks, enquire about the status of our food because our server was scarce and never checked in the 2.5 hours we were there. Aside from the service, the food was ok. The portions were small for the price and the food wasn't anything exceptional. We won't be going back as it wasn't a nice experience.
Our Mother's Day Brunch experience was disappointing. We have had great experiences at the Boathouse but today our reservation wasn't ready when we arrived and the restaurant seemed understaffed/unprepared for the brunch they were putting on. Our food arrived almost an hour after we were seated and it was lukewarm/cold. The Eggs Benny bread was hard and difficult to cut with a knife and the potatoes weren't even hot. It seemed like the food had been sitting out for a while before it arrived at our table. Unfortunately this was not an ideal way to celebrate Mother's Day.
MarisaS
Service staff was excellent, as was the food. The only issue is that it took a long time to be served our meals. Perhaps short staffed in the kitchen?? Other than that, fantastic and will go back!
Great food and location. Lousy service blame game. I did make a reservation and called to move it. Unorganized management. We will still visit it's our go to from the US. We usually sit at the bar and have no probs.
I've never had such poor service at a boathouse restaurant before. Party of 8 and we had two servers. Wine glasses left on half the table, other half taken away when no one had wine. Empty bread baskets left for the entirety of the meal. When our drink order came, the server stood at one end of the table and told us to pass our drinks down instead of moving around the table. Our food order came out and we still had stacks of menus on the table. We also had to ask for the desert menu. When the server came at the end of the meal with the bills, they were sat down at one end of the table for us to hand out to each other. Won't be returning to this location for sure, very disappointing and they weren't even busy!
DinersRUs
Great evening celebrating a birthday. Food was great, service superb and everyone had a great time. Crab dip and Brussle sprouts were delicious. The pasta, cod and mixed seafood grill were all tasty.
ChristineW
We had a party of 12 it was my daughter's 50th Birthday so I was a touch dissatisfied with waiting so long for our orders to be taken then long wait for the food. Waitress was polite and did her best. I suggest having 2 servers for a large party. Poor girl was run off her feet. Food was mediocre. But loved the view. My daughter had a nice time so in the end that's what mattered to me most!!
Sam Hauck
BoathouseWe were visiting a friend in New Westminster and we decided to take him out to dinner at the Boathouse which was just a short walk away along the boardwalk. The restaurant is open, spacious, and takes full advantage of its riverside location. We were seated at a window seat and enjoyed watching the tugs and barges sail by. Everyone ordered a drink and then perused the extensive menu. And while they focus on seafood there are many other selections offered.Our friend ordered the salmon and my wife opted for the Coconut Pacific Cod – (Thai green curry coconut sauce, and vegetables), while I found it hard to pass on the Mixed Seafood Grill (fresh grilled salmon, scallop + prawns skewer, crab stuffed prawns, with Pernod beurre blanc). Their wine-by-the-glass selection is adequate but small, so I ordered a bottle of Sancerre (a French sauvignon blanc from the Loire Valley).So, if you’re looking for something fun to do, head to New West on a sunny day, walk the board walk and soak up some sun, shop at the Quay and then drop into the Boathouse for some drinks and delicious seafood.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
tamara reck
Celebrating partner’s birthday and staying next door at the Inn at the Quay. Made reservations and was super excited about our meal. The atmosphere was nice and our servers pleasant. Our food, however, was extremely disappointing. The lobster bisque had no lobster or seafood of any kind in it and tasted like tomato soup. There was only one kind of oyster available, which were very small and just okay. I had ordered an Old Fashioned—which was loaded with ice and served with a lemon?My partner ordered the lobster tails, which were very small and were served raw. I ordered the Dungenous crab, which was only a few legs that were so dried out the meat just flaked off, served on a bed of very dry rice.The crab dinner was 100$. We do not mind paying the cost of any of our meal choices, but i am appalled that they would even serve something like that, let alone charge for it!The manager came over and was very sorry and comped the dishes that were not edible. It was all handled well. But we didn’t want to be comped for a poor experience. We were there to celebrate and pay for a delicious meal.I highly recommend finding another place to eat. The quality control of their dishes is extremely lacking. The whole experience very disappointing.We did have a delicious meal at the Sandbar on Granville Island the next day!
The food was excellent, no complaints there. The low rating is due to the fact that food delivery was extremely slow. We arrived at 4:30pm and it took 3.5 hours to complete the meal. We did not dilly, it took nearly two hours for the entrees to arrive. When I asked if they were understaffed, the server said no, the kitchen had just under-estimated reservations and had not done enough prep work. It was Mother's Day! Our server was nice and friendly but did not check in with us for a whole hour while we were waiting for our entrees and apologized only at delivery. Additionally, they kept a lot of people waiting in the lobby while there were many empty tables. I do not understand why they did not seat those people - it's more comfortable to wait at a table than in the lobby. The restaurant should have informed customers (both those waiting in the lobby and waiting at tables) that food delivery is unusually slow and apologize for it. Many customers can be quite understanding when the situation is explained. Next time, just let us know what's going on...and also, plan ahead for Mother's Day. All the best to the crew. I'll still be back but hope not have to be there 3.5 hours.
This feedback is specific to my visit on Mother's day. I made a reservation at 3:30pm, thinking that this would be a quieter time to enjoy a meal with my mom. We showed up to our reservation about 15 minutes early and checked in. The person at the desk asked me to come back in 5 or 10 minutes as our table was being prepared. We returned and we were seated. Our waiter then came by and let us know that the kitchen was running behind and that it would take between an hour to an hour and a half to get food. We decided to leave as a result. This was very disappointing! I would have really appreciated being told this before we were seated.
I booked a table for 6 people for Mother's Day brunch . But we need up 3 . We had reservations for 1:30pm . We got are table 15 mins after waited 20 mins for drinks . And hour and half for food which we never got so we left ! Worst experience ever! We should have got a gift card ! Pus the place was over booked and not organized at all ! Will never go back .
Food is fine but service could not be slower. Seated shortly after our reservation time of 1:15pm (within five mins which is fine) and our food (which was selected from a limited 8-item brunch menu) arrived at 2:40pm. They did bring bread but the wait times and efficiency of this place are a real deterrent, which is a shame because the food and location are good. Not the first time I've had this issue at the Boathouse.
We went yesterday for Mother's Day brunch, and this was hands down the worst dining experience of my life. We didn't get seated until 30 minutes past our reservation. It took 1.5 hours to get our food, and almost 3.5 hours from the time we showed up until the time we left. This basically ruined our Mother's Day plans. Theres no reason it should take 3.5 hours to go for Brunch and they even had a small set menu. There was no apology or explanation from any staff. They at least got my 2 year old daughter's food out, but it was another 30 minutes until ours came. By that time she was finished eating, and getting antsy and we still hadn't eaten. It felt very unorganized from the very moment we walked in. I worked in hospitality as a caterer for over 10 years, and the lack of communication to us was very concerning to me. If the kitchen is behind it's important that the front of house staff steps up its game and also apologize, offer explanation, do something. But our server was barely ever around. There were very long stretches of time, where we had not seen our server, to ask if we wanted anything else to drink. We had to ask 3 other servers about our orders and also just to get drinks. We only received 1 round of water, 1 coffee and a Bellini in a 3.5 hour span. Was completely unacceptable. Ultimately, in the end the food wasn't even worth the wait, and definitely not the price. It's too bad, because we love the Boathouse. We have been there many times, and have had very good experiences, even on days when it seemed busier. But yesterday was simply an unacceptable experience. We will not be returning for some time.
Unfortunately, we had a horrible experience here today. I had booked in advance for Mother's Day brunch, we sat down waited half hour for water and for our orders to be taken (which was from a very limited Menu of different variations of overpriced eggs only). The food never arrived, no Manager on site to deal with all the issues, staff was very disorganized and didn't know what was going on. My mom had finally had enough and we ended up leaving after 1hr 45min without ever receiving our food and no apologies for all the chaos. It ruined the whole day and had to find some place else to eat last minute, Needless to say our annual tradition of coming to the New Westminster Boathouse for Mother's Day for the past 10 consecutive years is now over. We will never be coming back. Update: also there is a fake bill showing in the one table app for this event. To be clear we received nothing but water and only ordered three egg Benedicts. We don't drink - is this yet another example of the incompetence of their staff?
It was moderately busy, but there were still empty tables in the restaurant. It took over half an hour to get our drinks, they forgot a coffee, one coffee was served in a dirty mug, never had our waters refilled and our food took over an hour to get to our table. It was their mother's day brunch and I know that is a busy holiday, but it seemed disorganized and a lack of communication between the server and customers. If our server would have updated us on our orders I would hae been more understanding. I had to ask multiple times for our drinks, enquire about the status of our food because our server was scarce and never checked in the 2.5 hours we were there. Aside from the service, the food was ok. The portions were small for the price and the food wasn't anything exceptional. We won't be going back as it wasn't a nice experience.
Our Mother's Day Brunch experience was disappointing. We have had great experiences at the Boathouse but today our reservation wasn't ready when we arrived and the restaurant seemed understaffed/unprepared for the brunch they were putting on. Our food arrived almost an hour after we were seated and it was lukewarm/cold. The Eggs Benny bread was hard and difficult to cut with a knife and the potatoes weren't even hot. It seemed like the food had been sitting out for a while before it arrived at our table. Unfortunately this was not an ideal way to celebrate Mother's Day.
Service staff was excellent, as was the food. The only issue is that it took a long time to be served our meals. Perhaps short staffed in the kitchen?? Other than that, fantastic and will go back!
Great food and location. Lousy service blame game. I did make a reservation and called to move it. Unorganized management. We will still visit it's our go to from the US. We usually sit at the bar and have no probs.
Restaurantji Recommends
I've never had such poor service at a boathouse restaurant before. Party of 8 and we had two servers. Wine glasses left on half the table, other half taken away when no one had wine. Empty bread baskets left for the entirety of the meal. When our drink order came, the server stood at one end of the table and told us to pass our drinks down instead of moving around the table. Our food order came out and we still had stacks of menus on the table. We also had to ask for the desert menu. When the server came at the end of the meal with the bills, they were sat down at one end of the table for us to hand out to each other. Won't be returning to this location for sure, very disappointing and they weren't even busy!
Great evening celebrating a birthday. Food was great, service superb and everyone had a great time. Crab dip and Brussle sprouts were delicious. The pasta, cod and mixed seafood grill were all tasty.
We had a party of 12 it was my daughter's 50th Birthday so I was a touch dissatisfied with waiting so long for our orders to be taken then long wait for the food. Waitress was polite and did her best. I suggest having 2 servers for a large party. Poor girl was run off her feet. Food was mediocre. But loved the view. My daughter had a nice time so in the end that's what mattered to me most!!
BoathouseWe were visiting a friend in New Westminster and we decided to take him out to dinner at the Boathouse which was just a short walk away along the boardwalk. The restaurant is open, spacious, and takes full advantage of its riverside location. We were seated at a window seat and enjoyed watching the tugs and barges sail by. Everyone ordered a drink and then perused the extensive menu. And while they focus on seafood there are many other selections offered.Our friend ordered the salmon and my wife opted for the Coconut Pacific Cod – (Thai green curry coconut sauce, and vegetables), while I found it hard to pass on the Mixed Seafood Grill (fresh grilled salmon, scallop + prawns skewer, crab stuffed prawns, with Pernod beurre blanc). Their wine-by-the-glass selection is adequate but small, so I ordered a bottle of Sancerre (a French sauvignon blanc from the Loire Valley).So, if you’re looking for something fun to do, head to New West on a sunny day, walk the board walk and soak up some sun, shop at the Quay and then drop into the Boathouse for some drinks and delicious seafood.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Celebrating partner’s birthday and staying next door at the Inn at the Quay. Made reservations and was super excited about our meal. The atmosphere was nice and our servers pleasant. Our food, however, was extremely disappointing. The lobster bisque had no lobster or seafood of any kind in it and tasted like tomato soup. There was only one kind of oyster available, which were very small and just okay. I had ordered an Old Fashioned—which was loaded with ice and served with a lemon?My partner ordered the lobster tails, which were very small and were served raw. I ordered the Dungenous crab, which was only a few legs that were so dried out the meat just flaked off, served on a bed of very dry rice.The crab dinner was 100$. We do not mind paying the cost of any of our meal choices, but i am appalled that they would even serve something like that, let alone charge for it!The manager came over and was very sorry and comped the dishes that were not edible. It was all handled well. But we didn’t want to be comped for a poor experience. We were there to celebrate and pay for a delicious meal.I highly recommend finding another place to eat. The quality control of their dishes is extremely lacking. The whole experience very disappointing.We did have a delicious meal at the Sandbar on Granville Island the next day!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3