I'm not sure why this restaurant has received so many bad reviews. I took my boat up to Kingston and docked at the Kingston waterfront on the Rondout Creek so I could grab a bite to eat. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. Most of the outdoor seating was full, but the hostess was still able to seat my group as soon as we arrived. The waitress immediately came to the table and took our drink orders, followed by our dinner orders. The food came out very quickly. The menu was extremely overpriced, but the food was good and it was a decent sized portion. The waitress followed up, but it began taking forever toward the end of our meal. It was like pulling teeth to get the bill, followed by a very lengthy wait to pay the bill. After we were done eating, we sat there for almost 30 minutes waiting for the bill to come and for the waitress to come back and take the credit card. Otherwise, the service was phenomenal and the staff were attentive and friendly. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars and not 5 is because everything is so overpriced here. read more

I'm surprised by the number of negative reviews. Just had lunch there and the service was prompt and friendly. Granted we were there in the off season which might be a major reason for the slow service in the other reviews. I had a grilled chicken bruschetta sandwich with fries and it was fresh and delicious. Over all I'd say they are making improvements to the place. I will try it again in the summer months to see if this impression holds up. read more

This place has the potential to be nice if they just aspired to be above average. Because that's exactly what it is---an average seafood restaurant with decent food and decent drinks. Nothing particularly tasty or mind blowing here. And for the outrageous prices, it is SO NOT WORTH IT!! For 2 drinks and 2 dishes (no appetizers), the bill was close to $100!!! That is insane especially since the food was just okay. The one positive I can say is service is decent and food came out very quickly. The supposed "view" of the Hudson River is lackluster and disappointing overall. If you are visiting like us from NYC/NJ area, I'd skip this joint---the taste is simply not up to par. read more

New owners, better food and service. Not cheap but worth it. Had the Sesame crusted Ahi Tuna and was to die for. Service was great. We will definitely be back. read more

I thought this place was a bit over rated but the hubby couldn't stop raving about the scallops so 4 stars it is! I got the "seared" ahí tuna which was not so much seared but rather fully cooked. The service was great and we loved the outside seating with a live band to boot. Handled our large group of 11 without a single hiccup. We would go back again. read more

Great restaurant and atmosphere. We spent a couple of nights in Kingston on a weekend boat trip up the Hudson and stopped in here for a meal. The food was fantastic, drinks were great, and the staff was super friendly. We love coming to Kingston by boat for a few nights, and eating at this place is a must when we're here. read more

Great location, decent food. We just shared the enormous prime rib and lobster and a bottle of wine and were very satisfied with our meal. I wanted the prime rib rare and we got just that! Very succulent and tasty...mmmm....still bloody. The lobster tail was very good too. Whole plate is HUGE for $32 and definitely enough for two people. Came with some deliciously buttery rice pilaf and vegetables. For this one dish and atmosphere, i'm a fan. read more

Stopped in for an early dinner. We ate on the patio. We liked it but if road noise bothers you, you may want to eat inside. I ordered the California Chicken Wrap. It was very good. Service was great. Staff was very attentive. Overall great experience. We will be back. read more

Had a perfectly lovely dinner with friends here two months ago - the crab cake sandwich was very good. Great ambiance and location. but what I'd particularly like to mention is the quality of customer service when I realized my credit card was accidentally charged twice (two months after the fact). I called last night and the woman who answered the phone (a hostess, I assume) immediately came back to me with the manager (I assume) who said his colleague would follow up the next day. He did, mid-morning, and automatically reversed the extra charge. He left me a message, explaining what happened, and said "no need to call back, it's taken care of". Everyone was really pleasant and helpful. Mistakes happen and this is exactly how a scenario like this should go. read more

Don't care for his food in any of his restaurant. Hopefully uptown new location will be better

Returned with the hubby and a friend for a meal on 5/16/2014. We shared the scallops wrapped in bacon. One person had the sword fish special, one had the King Prime Rib and I had the Prime Rib/Shrimp Scampi dinner. We ordered a bottle of wine. Gotta tell ya -- raves all around. I know that previous reviews have talked about inconsistent quality of food. I'm hoping that as the season begins, Mariner's has stepped it up and focused on food. We're now locals and I hoped this can be our go-to place for company (the view is beautiful) and day-to-day. Also, raves for our server Michelle. Above and beyond. read more

Normally I love this location. I would like to mention at the time me and my companion came in so did a few additional couples who were not apart of the private party that was happening to my knowledge. From the chatter I heard outside the building I would assume they were not. I would like to suggest during a private party that a simple sign or the bartender inform others of said fact. Me and my companion were approached by a man who aggressively informed only us of that fact(Mid Cocktail) , we left immediately but I saw nobody beyond myself (Only individual of my pigmentation in the building) and my companion being approached, and I did look. Great place for drinks but very disappointed by the reception this evening. read more

I like this place a lot. Great burgers too. Friendly staff. Very nice outdoors and inside.... right on the water for a great walk after your meal. read more

What a shame! This place is a Kingston "landmark" with a one-of-a-kind location... But, that's about all it has going for it. We had a party of 3 during a holiday festival on the Rondout. First disappointment was when we were seated, we requested a different table, host said they weren't seating the one we wanted, then proceeded to seat a party of 3 just 10 minutes after we sat. Okay. Second disappointment: our $9 and $11 drinks were served in tiny plastic cups, like the super cheap disposable ones. Third disappointment: The seafood was "okay" but definitely not $160 okay. No value here whatsoever. Drink came out wrong. My salad came out wrong, and my friends were finished eating before my corrected one came out. Waitress was very friendly, but... I felt like she could probably do better somewhere else! Not. Going. Back. read more

Poor service and mediocre food at obscene prices. Unfortunately, these words do not in any way summarize the powerfully bad experience I had at Mariner's Harbor today. My friend and I went there for lunch and were told there were no tables, even though there were plenty of tables open. We settled down at the bar to look at menus and were assured that we would soon be seated outside -- although, like I said, there was no reason for a delay since there appeared to be plenty of tables. We didn't receive any attention for more than 15 minutes -- not from the hostess, the waitstaff, or the bartender. There is absolutely no excuse for a mid to high tier restaurant to ignore its customers. At that point, I wanted to leave, but my friend felt like sticking around. We ordered some appetizers and they were each $3-5 more than they should have been, being as bland and flavorless as they were. It's interesting that there are zero good reviews for this place. It looks like the hostesses just don't seat people, the waitstaff doesn't wait on people, the bartenders don't serve drinks, and the chefs can't cook. Take that into consideration. Very poor experience -- I will never return. read more

Okay...food okay nothing special. Help -okay not out of their way. Burger with Swiss and mushrooms and grilled onions 4 stars...lobster okay and lobster bisque yummy but not 4 stars. Environment by the habit which is why total 4 stars. read more

Overpriced. Dinner was skimpy and vey expensive. Not worth a 2nd try. My meal was over cooked and cold. My wife ordered zuppa di peci. So very little for this very over priced meal. Will not return. read more

Terrible. Almost all of it is from Sysco food distrib. If you like food from a pouch this may be the place for you.

We were very disappointed. We shouldn't have ignored the bad reviews. No vegetable is given with your meal.. No salad or soup was offered by our waitress, yet moments later at the table next to us, she offered them. We felt some kind of way about that especially after seeing there was no greenery on the plate. The food was underwhelming for the price. Never again. read more

We just didnt enjoy the experience here. The view is very pretty but we felt uncomfortable from the beginning. Wanted to just grab a few drinks and appetizers but the hostess told us we would have to sit at the bar to do that. The bar was full and almost every table was empty. We slyly sat at an outside table anyway and ordered a few drinks, wings and mussels. The drinks came out and were 6 oz at best served in a plastic cup. The wings were okay, but nothing to come back for. There were about a dozen or so mussels in a way too sweet coconut sauce, which I'm assuming was made with coco loco by the taste of it and for over $10 it was a huge disappointment. read more

What a disappointment! Yes the location is great, nice and beautiful along the river. But too bad for the food. It is boring and just looks like diner food in a nicer plate. Service was fine, polite and helpful. This is why I give the two stars: location and service. I may come back just for a draft beer at dusk. read more

Rude hostess and staff wouldn't allow us to eat out on the empty giant back deck with our extremely well behaved dog. They were not slightly apologetic. Such a shame. Will never return or recommend. read more

Always have great food and amazing service! Love sitting outside by the water! Make sure to stop by on Fridays in the summer time for the live music! read more

For those of you who have not visited the culinary scene on THE STRAND on the Kingston waterfront in Ulster County you are doing your taste buds a great deprivation. Despite all the excellent choices available to us we have fallen into a bit of a rut as of late as we found ourselves dining for the third time in a month at Mariners Harbor. This gem overlooking the Rondout Creek is the creation of noted restaurateur Frank Guido , a familiar name synonymous with delicious fare and exceptional service. Upon arriving we were warned that there was up to a 40 minute wait for a table. Knowing what awaited us we were not deterred so we left our names and proceeded to the porch bar(as usual the outside bar was standing room only) where Sue enjoyed a class of Cabernet Sauvignon and I quaffed one of the several craft beers on hand. Our 40 minute was over in only 20 minutes and we were escorted to seats on the upper deck with an uninterrupted view of the Rondout. Our server,Roberto, introduced himself and presented the specials for the evenings. Sue ordered the Zuppa Di Pesce which she said was perfect mixture of tasty sause and a generous serving of clams, mussels, shrimp, and scallops. (Sue requested the calamari be removed.) I had the Mariner's Delight; shrimp,scallops,baked stuffed clam,crabmeat stuffed sole,oven broiled with Prosecco Burrell blanc, served with rice. How was it? Go to your thesaurus and look up the synonym for delicious. All apply. What a beautiful setting to enjoy a wonderful dinner. read more

Stopped in on a beautiful afternoon. Told thr hostesswe were going to sit at he bar. Bartender ignored us. Hostess went behind the bar, she ignores us too. Then both the hostess and bartender left the car altogether. We gave up and decided to try somewhere rlse. read more

ok but not worth the wait on a saturday evening. service was good, food was OK by NYC standards read more

The ceaser salad was sooo good. The special for the night was lobster risotto and that was delish big lobster chunks they should definitely add that to there every day menu. Only down side was the new England clam it was a little fishy and not thick enough but not bad. Would love to go back for that lobster risotto again. awesome job mariners. read more

Never again. I made a reservation for 2 pm. We didn't get seated for over 25 minutes. The hostess was so rude we almost left. Our waitress was very good but the food was below average. The lava cake didn't have any "Lava". 2 people in our party ordered it and neither was happy. read more

Wanted to make a reservation for my Mothers 80 th Birthday for 25 of her children, grandchildren and great-grand children. We have had Birthday parties for her at Mariners in the past. Today we were told by the manager/owner that the weekends are very busy and he hates to " hold up tables". read more

Well worth the drive, especially relative to its shoddy former sister restaurant in Highland. The fried seafood platter was phenomenal, the lobster was decent. I had it stuffed with crabmeat and found the flavor to be a little lacking, but still acceptable. Similar story for the clam chowder. Service was good, drinks were well-made. Prices were reasonable, especially for the waterfront district. read more

Staff is friendly enough & always have fresh lobster. The only problem is that you need to get there on the early side because they always run out of their amazing prime rib! read more

Thought I'd die before the food came. When it did, it wasn't great at all. Fail.

Cute place in a great location and the staff was friendly and trying hard but, with the exception of the shrimp risotto, the food was not good or worth the expensive price. The lobster bisque was more like tomato soup and the soft shell crabs were not- the shell had definitely hardened. read more

The last time I was at Mariners Harbor was more than 20 years ago, and my experience from that visit certainly was much better than last night's visit. Made reservations for dinner Thursday for Saturday evening and the hostess at the door seemed unable to find it, and then there was some confusion about where and when we would sit. The service that we received from our waitress was at best luck warm, but that may have something to do with the fact that the restaurant was slammed. There were very long wait times between receiving our appetizers, and our entrees. The food itself was average at best. The baked clams that I ordered could have been the product of a box of frozen "Matlaw's Clams" from a local shoprite supermarket. All in all this dinner experience was not a perfect 31st anniversary celebration, and wasn't worth the almost hour drive to get to the restaurant. I and my family will not be returning. read more

The service was awful all the money spent and the only edible thing was the crab cakes

My boyfriend and I have been to Mariner's a few times, but this last experience was not a good one. The only reason I gave two stars was because the food was okay. We went for New Years Eve dinner before going out, called to make a reservation earlier in the day and when we got there it took her ten minutes to find our name. It was not busy at all and after waiting with another couple, the hostess seats us right next to the door, near no one. Now I have been here before, so I know the back dining room was not full and was very disappointed I had to keep my coat on because of where she seated us and even with a RESERVATION. The waitress was mediocre, they had a prefixed menu, so she was doing a lot of reading off a piece of paper. It shouldn't be hard to know three deserts and a drink special without reading word for word from a paper. The food came out and was actually okay. I ordered linguine and white clams, and liked it, nothing special. My boyfriend ordered Prime Rib and said it was amazing. I will give it another try I guess, maybe this was just an off-day? Almost a $100 later and I wasn't happy. read more

Not only was the lobster bisque creamy and essentially perfect, the mariners delight (a seafood platter) was cooked superbly despite it being scallops, lobster, salmon, and shrimp on one plate. The service was very friendly and even though it did not feel like they took particularly long they insisted on apologizing with free sambuca. This place is a classy act, and the aesthetics were charming too. read more

I'm surprised at the depth of the negative reviews. I live steps away, have been here three times and always had a good experience. While they're certainly not re-inventing the wheel or anything, we've always had a satisfying meal. Perhaps it's because we haven't ventured too far out of the box. On all three occasions one of us had a lobster tail and were pleased. My companion and I are both seafood lovers. We recognize that it's not the best in the world, but it's not too bad. Yes, it's a bit overpriced, but that's not surprising. The ambiance is very special, we've never had to wait, nor have we ever had a problem with our server. We're usually in and out of there pretty quickly. We like it and I'm sure we'll be back. read more

Better than other reviews. Service isn't the greatest, not the most attentive, but very friendly. Sat outside as it was a beautiful afternoon. I had the lobster & shrimp flatbread which was delicious and generous with the amount of shrimp & lobster. Chicken bruschetta sandwich got great reviews as well....if you are a margarita fan def check out the pomegranate margarita.....tasty!!! Would def go again... Especially in warm months! read more

Really bad service. Avoid salads. Frozen French fries. Just come if you want a beer, cocktails are bad also.