Used to be 5 stars, no questions asked. FOH service is always awesome. Bartenders are great, and the manager (Morgan) is amazing. Now why the change in rating? The food has been changed, and it is awful. We used to wait for a bacon cheeseburger all week, now it's like eating a salt lick. Last night, we grabbed some chicken tenders, knowing we didn't want a burger, and we got the picture below. They looked like they were covered in fish batter, and they tasted cheap. Go back to the old recipes. I understand the business aspect of food margins, but my goodness. read more

BoatYard LKN - Chicken tenders that look like (and taste) like fish sticks - Bars Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

What's up with this Coldplay tribute band, they think it's cool to come out an hour late? They are not Coldplay. Super lame and Boatyard is better than this. Last time I ever pay for these losers read more

Fantastic music venue in Cornelius! They have a great selection of craft beer on tap and a full bar with some liquors you don't typically see in most bars. I'm a big gin drinker and I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had Hendricks, Tanqueray and Bombay Sapphire. I have been here many times but my last visit was for Rick the Dock 2025. They were busy but I never had to wait too long to get a drink. By the way, they pour nice, stiff drinks and the prices are reasonable as well so you get your money's worth! The bartenders and staff are top notch! It's a safe environment too with enough security for a venue this size. They definitely bring in some of the top bands in the Charlotte area and beyond plus the sound system is unbelievable! If you're looking for a great place to listen to some great live music with great drinks then this is it! Cheers! read more

BoatYard LKN - Outdoor Stage - Bars Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

Nice live music venue. Watched the Troubadours play here. A tribute band that played a gamut of music by Pink Floyd and others. Nice venue. Spacious and enough sit down space to choose from. Limited parking space but we lucked out that night. read more

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Horrible experience. We've been four times and the first time was fun with a good band and sound system. The beer and wine are low quality and obscenely overpriced, but the food is OK. But the quality of bands just keeps dropping. Then the sound system failed and they didn't repair it. We spent $300 tonight, reserved table, drinks, dinner. We left by nine because the sound system was so bad that it took us half a song to figure out what it was supposed to be. We were there the night the sound system blew up and we left early. But we thought (wrong!) that any venue that cared about music would fix it. The owners do not care about music or your experience. They think that the customers want 70's music, possibly 80's. So sad, so bad, I'm just done. read more

We went with some friends to Music Bingo. We've been a couple of times before and it's really fun! To be a bar, I think their food is good! I had the $10 Bingo burger w fries and couldn't eat it all! It tasted great, though. I'm not a drinker, but I love a good mocktail. The bartender made me the yummiest blueberry mojito mocktail - she said it's a favorite with the pregnant women that come there. Music Bingo nights typically consist of four fun games of bingo, with prizes for the winner of each one (typically some brewery merch), and a grand prize given away to the person with the most points at the end of the month. This month's big prize is a paddle board! We've also been to a couple of concerts here. They have great bands, but as a non-drinking middle aged married woman, I feel a little out of place. :) Still a fun place, though! read more

BoatYard LKN - Yummy blueberry mojito mocktail! - Bars Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

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Went here last nite to check out three tribute bands. The music was mixed well in my opinion. The two bands I watched were outside. The bar had a good amount of craft beers on tap and the bartender was wonderful. I heard the food there is good but we had eaten prior so we didn't try any. Maybe next visit . read more

BoatYard LKN - The tribute band that did Alice In Chain cover songs. Very talented band. - Bars Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

Both friend and I enjoyed the vibe but not the food Friday night. Wings were meh, pretzel was only half salted and fries barely had flavor. We both got sick with food poisoning from there. I'm curious if anyone else got sick last night at the Swift Nation concert? read more

"Where are all the people?" I asked the bartender as soon as I walked in. He said lunchtime was hit and miss. I was here once at night with a friend from the gym for drinks and it was cool. Beer, music, and conversation: How could you go wrong? But lunchtime was a different experience. I was literally the only person eating lunch. This is often a bad sign. I ordered 8 wings for $8 (important point) and fries. I received 10 boneless wings. I didn't know why there were 10 wings but I didn't complain. I figured it was a generous gesture since I was the only one there. When I received the bill, the bartender said, "They changed the menu. Sorry about that." I was charged $10 instead of $8. I don't care about $2 from a financial perspective, but you can't charge people for something they didn't order that wasn't even on the menu. And it didn't say anything about boneless wings on the menu, which made me feel like I was eating lunch at an elementary school cafeteria. I learned they changed the menu two weeks earlier (without telling customers). It seems like they're attempting to cut costs while sacrificing quality because the wings were bland and the fries were average. I could also tell the culture here was poor. It was awkward and I couldn't wait to leave. I didn't finish my meal or my beer. On top of that, someone in a serving role sneezes into their hand. Sneeze into your shoulder, people! A freaking mess. A very generous rating and only for two reasons. One, an employee held the door for me on the way out. Two, most people go here for drinks, music, and atmosphere at night (not food). They can deliver on that. For food, go to Cowboy one block away. You will be much happier. read more

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I'm in Charlotte several times a year and always stop at Boatyard. I can always count on good live music and a fun vibe!

Fun place to listen to live music and catch a drink with friends or enjoy a date night. Fairly close to the interstate and ample parking. Came here to listen to live music. Was able to order bar like food ( think burger, chicken tenders, fries etc). Plenty of drink options, both alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks. Plenty of community tables and pub tables. read more

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St Patrick's Day was a blast. Best DJ ever DJ Jay Wheelz. We will definitely be back as long as he is there. read more

BoatYard LKN - DJ Jay Wheelz - Bars Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

Food was nice quality and portions. The reservation helped me get seated right away. Service was very good and the scenery was great.

Too LOUD!!!!! Service and food are "meh." But it's TOOOOOO LOUD!!!!!! Tone it down a bit and the food might taste better. read more

Booked tickets to see a cover band on a Wednesday way in advance. When bought there was nothing posted on the website for tickets under 21- was denied entry upon arrival just to be told that they updated the rules on the website after we had purchased our tickets. Owner gave us a refund but not the best service. Extremely unfortunate that we had 10 people ready for fun and were unable to join because of the company error. read more

Don't purchase tickets online for this venue unless you want your money stolen and no good customer service skills to help fix it. My family purchased tickets to this venue 2 months in advance. When they got to the door they were met rudely by a staff member saying that BoatYard LKN oversold their own event.... My parents asked for a refund and they said they don't do refunds. Even if the venue is at fault? Crazy. No respect for paying customers. read more

I'm not a fan. I've only been once, and the service is massively slow, and I think it's a bit overpriced. Also, the way they are treating families who bring in children is pretty abysmal. Do NOT have a playground for kiddos if you aren't going to welcome them. Hard pass on this place. read more

I wanted to LOVE this place. I really did. The good..... It's just around the corner from one of our tournament fields, it has a play ground for the kids, and they don't seem to mind a gang of rambunctious, dirty, nine year old ball players and their parents. The food, for what it was (and what we got), was above average. My grilled chicken and goat cheese sandwich was well prepared and tasty. My sweet potato fries were crispy and seasoned perfectly. The kids pizza was very inviting and they seemed to love it. The bad..... We told them when we arrived that we had a game in one hour and 30 minutes. with the field being less than three minutes away and the menu housing mostly simple sandwiches and pizza, we didn't think it would be a problem and they assured us it would not be. It took nearly 15 minutes to get drinks and our orders weren't taken until after. My husband's order was never put in so after waiting 45 minutes he ate the kids left over pizza as we didn't have time to wait. Our waiter was in training, or at least I think/hope so and received little to no help for a larger table. Refills were sporadic, if at all. By the time we got our food we had to rush through. Then, even knowing we were rushed when we asked for the tickets it seems that no one was in any hurry to get them back to us. I hear it's a great place for entertainment at nights but I'm not sure I will trust it to return if I do not have the time to wait. Looking at the reviews service has been, and continues to be, an issue. Again, pretty good food and relaxed atmosphere if you're willing to over look the service. Hopefully I can update la read more

BoatYard LKN - Grilled chicken with goat cheese and sweet potato fries! - Bars Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

Best live music in the area. Always have good talent lined up. Great place to get out with a group of friends.

Boatyard is amazing!! How lucky we are to have a venue like this in our area. Beautifully designed and the big pretzels are so yummy. Only negative is that they need more women bathroom stalls. read more

Attended the "Bad" show tonight and the sound system was TERRIBLE!!!! The band was amazing, at least what one could hear, and the show was awesome! How frustrating it must have been for the band!!! read more

Alex our waiter was great this Monday evening (10/14). He is very friendly, professional, and attentive. Came here to visit friends that live here with their daughter. This place has a playground and boats kid can play on. There is an outdoor bar and stage outside. Nice outdoor eating and covered patio. Indoor bar. This place hasn't been open on Mondays, but as of a month ago it's been open on Mondays. So those who want to watch Monday night football, this is the place to be with indoor TVs. Drinks are pretty good as well! Cocktails and beer. Tuesday's kids eat free at 3pm. Monday night 0.75 cent wings. read more

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First time eating at BoatYard and would totally do it again. Food was quick, hot and tasty. Loved how they had an outdoor playground for the kids and that they had live music. read more

BoatYard LKN - Sandwich (cheeseburger) w/two sides (fries, side salad), kids chicken tender meal and signature (brisket) w/two sides (fries, onion rings). - Bars Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

I had very high hopes for this place. Lake Norman could use a good Food Hall style restaurant. The atmosphere was very nice, but also very loud. It's tough to have a conversation or even hear the waitstaff. The seats are nice to look at but are not very comfortable. Some of the tables are recycled from the prior business and are hard to sit it. The waitstaff was friendly and doing their best to accommodate, but many beers were out including OMB Copper. Not good on opening weekend. The draft beers they had were expensive and not as cold as I would have liked. You can either order food from the waitstaff or walk over to one of the food trucks that were there. We ordered from the restaurant and the food was average. The Greek salad was fresh but the Margarita flatbread was made using subpar pizza dough and shredded mozzarella. There was no entertainment at 5:30 on a Sunday night as they told us that they were closing early. read more

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Drinks and service was great. We didn't eat food, but loved the vibe and music was great.

Fun place and cool outdoor space. Not nearly enough bathrooms for the size. During a concert night you spend half the time waiting in line. Only 3 stalls in the women's bathroom is insanity and an unpleasant experience. The food was disappointing. They just slap it together to get it out the door and it was not worth the price. I really wanted to like the place but they certainly have areas to improve on. read more

Live music in LKN! Love the changes with the new ownership in 2020 and can't wait until things are back to "normal". Until then, this is a great place to spread out outside with live music. During COVID-19, they are taking great precautions. Love the new setup! read more

We came for a colleagues birthday event. Extremely disappointed with the food. Although there is an online menu, they only had lame pizza and wilted salad. I found the cover charge to be steep. Extremely disappointed, would not recommend. read more

Drove from Raleigh to find a place to eat while in town for a lax tournament . Rolled up at 6:22 and was told they stop letting kids in at 6..... we could see literally 50 kids as we walked up playing and eating. My kids are 12/10/6. Not like we have a bunch of infants or hoodlums. Wtf kind of place has kids in, a kids menu and then stops. Must some elite adult shit going down. Hate we missed it. Save your time and go 1.2 miles down the street for the he port city club. Musics better, water views & a ton of beers on tap. read more

I had been wanting to try BYE for the past year and finally had a chance to last month. The place is very spacious with seating inside and out. When we went in, I noticed that all service is in person with no waitstaff. Basically standing in line to get beer or another line if you want to order food. Definitely not my preference as we ended up ordering a beer and going back to the line for a second. Beer is not cheap and probably priced a bit high based on being self service. Would not go back as this place may be great for some but is not my cup of tea. read more

I was there tonight for music bingo with my mom and friends. We weren't impressed. We sat outside. We couldn't hear the music very well. It was just so noisy with people talking. The songs also ran together and hard to tell one song from another. But in a brighter note! The brisket sandwich was delicious! Nachos not so much. read more

We came here a few years ago and it was great. Fast forward to last weekend and it was not so great. Food was overpriced and really bad. My wife's margarita was undrinkable. We went on a Sunday and they had a kid band from Rock N Roll Camp playing death metal. I'm ok with the genre, but at noon on a Sunday it was not really the vibe most are going for. read more

I read some reviews before coming to BYE and honestly, I get it. Cool atmosphere, great vibe, but just so-so. They serve up a lot of bar food and it's good, but it's nothing really original. The drink prices are fair, but it'd be great if they had a few more specials. Some of the high top seating is a little awkward given the kind of tables they re-purposed. (Your legs hit the bars and it's not the most comfortable.) They offer a ton live music and live events and have a ton of parking. It's a great concept, but needs a few tweaks. read more

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Finally got around to trying boat yard eats since I was Christmas shopping down in the Huntersville area, not on an entertainment night*. Clean, new, but from a design perspective they mixed too many styles in the interior which added to my confusion about what it is. I've heard 10 different things about this place: they only serve from food trucks, it's just a beer house, they don't serve local tap beer, limited (tapas) menu, concert venue... seems to me every night's a little bit different, focused mainly on concert events but mid-quality bar food and frankly expensive beer and moderately priced liquor. *planning on going back when they have an event night to update this post. Looking forward to giving this place more stars. read more

It was my first and last visit. The food was ok but the service was not too par for the price. 60+ dollars for 2 drafts, a mixed drink, 7 wings, and a salad. On top of that, you pay when you order and they want the tip added had I known the service was that bad I wouldn't have left 20%. Plus, then you have to order the drinks separately at the bar, and they ask for another tip. Overpriced and under served par for today's world, I guess. read more

Pros: Clean and welcoming ambiance. Lots of open space. Indoor and outdoor space equally ample. Parking was readily available. Cons: Beer selection is mediocre for the size of establishment. Their prices for a pint are insanely high. They were out of the beer I wanted and I ended up with a safe alternative for almost double what I'd normally pay. Waitress told us normally they have 2 to 3 food trucks. Tonight there was 1, and it ran out of propane causing a huge back log of orders. Food from the restaurant kitchen is ok. Service.... the waitresses could not have been nicer, but time to get a drink was terrible. Waitress also told us they try to have live music on the weekends, but tonight they did not. I'm not sure I'd go see a band due to the price of drinks. With some tweaks, they can do well. As is, they'll profit on new business and then fail after repeats don't show up. read more

Was there a night that a band was playing & a friend bout tickets. Three of us went early to eat. Couldn't get in without a $10 cover charge each. Finally got that sorted. They haven't updated their online menu & was troublesome for my vegan friend. All in all it wasn't a great first experience but the night did get better! I will return knowing how it work now. read more

I go not recommend ordering food off of the BYE menu but from a food truck. It took forever to get someone to take my order and when the food came, it was subpar. The food we got from the food trucks was good tho. Good environment for kids. Tons of the running around playing. Great space for large groups too. I thought the vibe was good. They have live music as well. Fun time if you like a family atmosphere. read more

Good service, good concept, decent food. We were really digging this place until we saw on the menu that the seafood is always fresh caught and then they had Atlantic salmon on the menu. Beware of the inconsistencies on your menu BYE. read more

BoatYard LKN - Bars Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

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My work associates and I came here for drinks and dinner on a weeknight. Overall we had a very good experience. Drinks and food all came out correctly and was pretty good. Nothing over the top, but definitely enjoyable. Kitchen timing was not the best, food came out kind of sporadic considering the place was rather empty. Bathrooms were very clean, amazing indoor and outdoor area. Will definitely come back to check it out when a band is playing. read more