Service was terrible! $17 for a not great walleye sandwich. Food took forever...over an hour for 4 meals. Terrible, don't bother.

"Tyler was very attentive and incredibly friendly. I recommend the friday night walleye fish fry and the chicken wings were delicious. A welcome respite from the wilderness. The beer tasted amazing esp the blueberry porter. read more

This is an update to an earlier review: The Boathouse no longer offers all-you-can-eat fish on Fridays. The new offer is $24.95 for one pound of walleye and if you finish that you are permitted to purchase an 1/2 pound of walleye for $3.95. Based on this change I am lowering my review to 2 stars. ******************************************************************************** The boathouse is a popular place and their Friday night all-you-can-eat walleye is awesome! Ample portions of tasty fish fresh and hot from the kitchen served with French fries and coleslaw. The Boathouse features both a family dining room and a bar/taproom. Their homebrewed beers range from very good to mediocre. Update: I've been to the Boathouse several times naw and and I'm improving my rating to four stars. I'm still not impressed with their microbrews but the the Friday all-you-can-eat walleye is still excellent and service is consistently good. read more

I shared an appetizer with my husband while we drank a few beers on a hot summer day. I wish I could remember the names of the beers we tried. The bartender was awesome and I would go back more often if we lived closer. read more

The food was great, I really wished that they served regular bottled beer also with there growlers.

We stopped at this place on our trip through Ely. I gave it a three because the food was good but the service was not. Our waitress was not friendly. She hurriedly took our drink order,came back, threw our drinks on the table and ran off...we waited a long time for her to take our order. At least 15 minutes or more. During the time we were waiting she was clearing tables, standing around talking and spilled a drink on a teen. Probably because of her throwing the drinks on the table technique! After awhile She came over to us to take our order. We waited and waited and noticed her trying to give our food to the table with the spilled on teen! She figured it out and delivered our food. Otherwise she didn't come back much, which was ok because she was not friendly. She never smiled and seemed irritated by the fact that we were there. Bad night maybe? I had the beef brisket sandwich with the barbecue macaroni salad. It was very good. One son had the patty melt, another had the burger. My husband had the bacon and Swiss something...can't remember, but they all said theirs was really good. All and all it was ok but If we ever get to that area again I think we may try another place. read more

Totally fine beers to please the entire Boundary Waters crowd as well as decent food - nothing extreme but nothing disappointing either. A keeper and a guaranteed return visit. read more

Ambience is really nice. Service fast, friendly and efficient. Friday Night Fish fry was unbelievably good as was the Reuben sandwich. My boys said it was the best Reuben they had ever had. IPA's very good. Highly recommend! read more

Great food choices, even for a veggie like me. Beer is craft brew with a wide variety on tap, plus a full bar. Atmosphere is casual and friendly, very welcoming even for us out-of-towners. Recommend it for an easy evening watching the football and grabbing a bite. read more

My girlfriend, her cousins, and I came here a couple weeks ago to watch the women's world cup (some of us our huge soccer fans), and we could not have chosen a better place to watch the game. Being from the south, I am new to the concept of fried cheese curds, and I must say that after having tried some I found them delicious! My sandwich was also very good; as usual, I ordered the pulled pork, which I have been craving lately for some reason, and was not disappointed. One cool thing about this place is that they serve their own craft beers. The one I picked (I think it was their summer brew, though I can't recall the name) was okay in my opinion, but had a funny aftertaste. But since taste in beer is a pretty subjective thing, I can't critique this place too harshly on account of that. Overall, great place to go with really neat atmosphere. One side is a restaurant; one side is a bar (it's kind of set up like two businesses in one), so that's kind of a neat concept. read more

Had a great lunch with some of their beer brewed in house. The Walleye sandwich was very good on a fresh hoagie with some above average tarter sauce on the side. The broccoli Cole slaw was very good also. I had the Blueberry Blonde, very good. My wife had a burger that was OK. Clean, bright, and appealing. Worth a try! read more

Burgers, sandwiches and beer. Good variety on the menu. Beer selection for everyone. I had the ribeye sandwich which had 1/2" thick steak on it. Poorly trimmed for a sandwich so take the time to trim off all the fat and grizzle before you start. Cooked to perfection and mushrooms and grilled onions were great. Had the Mesabi Marzen and the Full Moon wit. Both were good and the Mesabi was very good (not hoppy but great flavor. read more

Great beer and good food. A gem in Ely!

Friendly place, beer was slightly better than average, food was slightly below average with a way over cooked burger. Try a shot of the locals favorite shooter, Pelinkovac and get instant local cred. read more

Service was kind of slow coming in but food and beer were good. Duck wings were tasty with their sweet sour spicy sauce. Nice filet on the wallet sandwich. Pulled pork was good too! read more

Love the Boathouse! Great food & beer! Fun people, Great prices, I look forward to going to the Boathouse when in Ely!

Food is spectacular! However the service was slow and we were waiting almost an hour for our food. Still it's worth the wait for one of the best restaurants I've eaten at in a long while. read more

Went here for dinner over Memorial Day weekend 2012. They have a typical bar food menu with a few additions, including a whole section of walleye dinners. I had a fresh hand-cut steak which was the special. It was really tasty! We tried four of their beers and all were good, including a blueberry beer which isn't something I would usually enjoy but did here. The bartender/waiter had an excellent knowledge of their beer menu and gave good recommendations for the uninitiated in our group. Overall good experience. read more

Quality brew and food. Get the Steak bits.

Had dinner and drinks here. Started with the Hummus (baked pita chips were great) and an IPA. Fish for dinner was excellent. Filled a growler with the golden ale to take back to the hotel for the night. Good beer, good food! read more

Went early, during happy hour. Service was slow at first. Food was great. Stick to the signature items on the menu and you won't be disappointed! read more

I had motorboat and my husband had the gunsmoke burgers, they were great. Brittany was enthusiastic and great server

Stopped in with my brother and Dad....on a five day fishing trip. Food was great...but the winner was the homemade Goldmember triple white Belgian. One of my favorite beers ever!! So happy we bought two growlers for the next two days of fishing. Great service.. read more

Excellent bar/restaurant. The beer batter chicken, the walleye fish, the broccoli slaw, the beer, the cocktails and the service were all excellent. read more

Walked up to the Boathouse from A Stay Inn Ely where it was recommended. Great atmosphere, friendly people, and good food and drink. I drank a couple kinds of the beer brewed on site. We also had the walleye and it was fantastic. I recommend the pecan crusted walleye. The staff was friendly and also helpful regarding other good places to eat and visit while in Ely. read more

Awful experience! Came for lunch and was told we couldn't be seated in the bar area because of high top tables and we had kids, okay so we went to the restaurant side and we were given a high top. Came in the next day to get out of the rain and use the internet to look up and to ask around about other things to do in Ely since it was raining. We asked if we could sit at the chair rail vs. the bar since we had kids and we're just coming for a pint and pop and was told okay but my daughter couldn't sit on a chair even though other kids were in the bar area. Decided to just deal with it in order to find another activity and then was told by the other bartender we need to wait in the entry and sit on the other side. We explained we'd been given the okay by the server/other bartender at the entryway as long as my daughter didn't sit on a chair, he apologized and left. He then came back a minute later and told us to go back to the entry that we'd misunderstood and couldn't be there. Needless to say we left. Very unfortunate because it could be a good restaurant. read more

Had dinner here a few weeks ago. Pretty average food. Tasted 3 beers and didn't like anything enough to drink a full glass. Had a veggie burger, which was adequate. Ambiance was incredibly underwhelming. I'm not running back to this place. read more

Not going to spend more time than I have to on a review if this place. As other have already said the service is subpar. The orders take too long to be out in and to arrive at the table. The bartenders clearly don't want to be working. The kicker, the beer was too warm. read more

Solid 4.5 stars had Ruben, mushroom Swiss, turkey club and tots...it was awesome great location and plenty of places to sit, we'll be back

Drove up from the cities, starving rolled into town looking for something to eat. Ideally I could find a brew pub ... No I dare not dream to find such thing this far north. The universe provides. A good menu to satisfy carnivores and vegetarian alike. 6 craft brews in tap and chill atmosphere. A permanent stop when I'm in Ely. Peanut butter burger ... With sweet potato fries... Dude. read more

We stopped in to try the beer and we left with a growler of the most amazing blueberry blonde beer. They put fresh blueberries in your glass also, yummy! We also had duck wings with sweet chili dip, really good. My only complaint is, we live 5 hours away. read more

My favorite restaurant in Ely so far. Their famous blueberry beer is a must if you stop by. Their sandwiches are amazing too.

Had an good burger, and the best sweet potato fries I've ever had! The service was quick.

Just discovered this little gem on our current trip to Ely, MN. They have 2 types of growlers available. A glass me and BWCA plastic ones. I enjoyed their porter and blueberry blonde. They had 4 brews on tap today. 2 on tap the other day. They also sell liquor drinks and food, including duck wings, for you adventurous types. Great group of people. Very friendly. Thanks for the porter, Ben! (From the one who showed you the picture of PHIL from Tequesta Brewing Company in FL!) read more

The food was good and I would eat there again. They had a handful of vegetarian options for me which was great! Also they brew their own beer which is the best part! Overall, a good choice compared to all of the Ely restaurants. read more

The water was warm. I don't like warm water but I ordered it warm. So I'm happy if you don't like warm water but you like ordering it you'll love the experience. read more

First time here and unfortunately will not be coming back. The place was not busy but still took 10 minutes to be greeted. Service was slow and food was just okay.. the beer was equally disappointing. Tried two different beers and both tasted like sweet syrup was added. I love microwbrews but none from here. read more

We visited the "Boathouse" after a BWCA canoe trip, and after a week of dehydrated trail food, we were in the mood for some REAL food, accompanied by a couple cold beers. We're craft beer fans, and if there's a convenient brewery, we'll try it. The "Boathouse" was certainly convenient, a short walk from our hotel, so off we went. We got there about 4 PM, and they were not busy. There's two eating areas, one is a "restaurant" area, and the other is the bar. Food is available in both areas, but the "restaurant" area is probably more "family friendly", which is why we chose to sit in the bar! We were greeted by "Rena" who was an awesome server and/or bartender. She explained the available beer selections, and got us tastes of beers we thought we might like. We're IPA fans, and they had one, a rye DIPA, so we got pints, and ordered their 'house specialty" a walleye sandwich. The IPA was different than the "tropical" Florida IPA's that we're used to, but was very good. The food arrived quickly, and the sandwiches were delicious. Each sandwich is available with a side order, and I tried the broccoli slaw, while my wife tried the BBQ mac 'n' cheese. Both were good. Our friendly bartender, Rena Claire Hartman Rothauge (she wrote down her name) , was exceptionally personable. We only had one small complaint. We asked Rena what kind of hop was used brewing the IPA, and she went to find out. She returned and told us that she couldn't get an answer from the brewer. We're not your average beer drinkers, have visited at least 25 breweries in the past couple years, and are familiar with craft brewing. it wasn't busy, and it would have been nice had the brewer walked over to chat, or if he/she WAS busy, simply answered our question, like "we use 15 pounds of Olympic hops". The beer-drinking customer is the reason you're there! read more

Had a great lunch here with my wife after arriving into town ! Very friendly and helpful bartender/waiter! Very attentive ! Place wasn't very busy but that was nice! Walleye grilled cheese was exceptional ! And my wife loved her club sandwich! Actually nice wine list for a local brewpub! read more

The Boathouse has a comfortable small town feel with a surprisingly dynamic menu. The pub fare will not disappoint, and there are a few unexpected items on the menu that are sure to please. I had a quinoa salad that was hearty enough to satisfy after a long hike, but light and refreshing too. One of my sons had chicken tenders and fries from the grown-up menu. The other had something off the kid menu--I think it was mini corn dogs. Both were very happy. I ate a few fries and they were seasoned deliciously and fried to perfection. I hope that if you eat at the Boathouse, you have the pleasure of meeting Rene, our server, who is so kind, capable and pleasant. The service she gave us was amazing. She can knowledgeably answer questions about the area, and she can engage a couple boys in a rousing conversation about Star Wars to boot. We look forward to stopping in for a meal and all around great experience the next time we're in Ely. read more