I had planned a visit to Winona this evening specifically seeking a serene waterfront dinner, and discovering The Boat House proved to be an absolute triumph. Positioned perfectly along the water, the restaurant offers an unparalleled vantage point to admire the serene river views as the sun sets. Despite the lively Friday evening bustle, the establishment maintains a spotlessly clean, pristine, and wonderfully sophisticated atmosphere that sets a picturesque tone the moment you arrive. The hospitality was top-tier from start to finish. I settled in and was attended to by the bartender, Sam, whose service was exceptionally gracious, attentive, and welcoming. With Sam's expert recommendation, I ordered the "Artisan Margarita," which arrived beautifully crafted, crisp, and delightfully refreshing the perfect companion to a sunset by the water. For my main course, I selected the cod tacos accompanied by freshly prepared chips. When served, the dish was an absolute culinary triumph the cod was exquisitely tender, golden, and bursting with clean, fresh flavor. Between the immaculate surroundings, enchanting evening scenery, divine cuisine, and Sam's stellar service, The Boat House earns full marks from me. A thoroughly marvelous venue I shall most certainly be returning read more

The Boat House - Evening meal Artisan margarita & Cod tacos with chips - New American Near Me - Winona, Minnesota

I thought this restaurant was amazing. Of course an amazing view on the Mississippi river. Our food was outstanding. Our service was excellent and the menu was very innovative. I would definitely come here again. read more

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Had dinner on a busy Sunday evening. The walleye and chips was excellent!! Served hot from the kitchen with the perfect amount of breading. Nice selection of wines by the glass. Insider tip: Sam the bartender is good for local knowledge as well as creative drinks and a great sense of humor. Five stars for a friendly Winona treat. read more

Way overpriced for greasy pollack, barely warm fries for all and our fourth guest received her entree 5+ minutes after our entrees. The outside restaurant bathrooms were also nasty. The only positive experience was the great river views. Do much better! read more

$$$ pricing for mediocre service that is rather chaotic. We were a party of 6 and I ordered a steak that was the most expensive meal offered. After bringing our food, we seriously never had anyone come back to check on us until they were back to collect plates of those who were done. Meantime I had what should have been a fabulous meal but as soon as I moved the onions and mushrooms around the steak, it was obvious they were perfectly placed to cover a large portion (I'm talking a 2-3") area of fat and gristle. There is no possible way the chef or kitchen staff who plated it, didn't see it! So because no one essentially came back to check on us, I had eaten the small amount that was edible and was waiting for anyone to check with us. So, when she did come she actually asked if I wanted a to-go container! I responded and she looked at it and get this, asked if she could get me a dessert, on the house. An $8 dessert on place of a $45 steak... Haven't been back since. read more

Stopped in for lunch and would do so again. Fish and chips were very good, and the Lucy burger was excellent (and gigantic). You order at the counter in front and they bring it to your table. Nice views of the Mississippi River from the dining room. Very friendly staff. read more

Fun casual spot right on the river. The views are impressive and the service was great. The food was lovely. I had the seared cod tacos and greatly enjoyed. read more

The Boat House - Cod tacos with chips and salsa - New American Near Me - Winona, Minnesota

My daughter and I stumbled onto this place as we were looking for Downtown Winona! Don't let the outside, non-descript exterior fool you--this is a full-fledged restaurant and bar with creativity and delight set to fully entertain & fulfill you! I had the "Surf & Turf" with a steak & Walleye! The beef was spectacular, the fish was even better, and the skillet-fried potatoes were the ultimate! Service was quick and efficient and the bar selections were impressive! Maybe some Suavecito tequila on the bar????!! read more

The food was good. My opinion was it was an average place. My burger was called a Juicy Lucy yet had no cheese in the burger. The wait staff did not come back after we ate. We needed soda refills and never go any. read more

This place is different. As others noted, you pay for your food ahead of time including the tip. We wanted to eat outside but we only saw one table and the area did not look inviting at all. The inside was pretty plain as well but you do have a nice view of the river. The bathrooms located outside and were clean but no hand towels in the Men's room. On the plus side the food was served quickly by friendly servers. We really enjoyed the meal. I had walleye tacos and my wife had fish and chips. Her French fries were exceptional. My tacos were tasty but a little messy which is fine for me. Not to forget, the beer was served cold! read more

Looked for a place between St Paul and LaCrosse to meet my brother for lunch and decided to try the Boat House. Service was great, the staff was very thoughtful and accommodating. We tried the mushroom burger, coconut chicken sandwich with Thai sauce, and the salmon/asparagus entree, all delicious! And the view... right ON the river. There's also an outdoor patio. This place is a hidden gem. read more

The food here was absolutely amazing!! I had fish tacos, husband has a lucy and Aunt had cheesecake. . All good choices. Bursting with flavor and a great view of the river. The fish tacos had wonderful flavors. the guacamole was homemade and wonderful. a little heat, but not overkill!. Husband devoured the lucy and it looked amazing too. Aunt chose caramel cheesecake , it had a bit of a maple flavor that was tasty and unique. You choose the food and order at the front and they bring it to you.. good service for the little done, the service is just food delivery. Relaxing with the views! read more

The Boat House - views from parking lot - New American Near Me - Winona, Minnesota

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We were visiting the area and wanted a meal overlooking the river. Order upfront from a chalkboard menu. Pay in advance, and they prefer their tip in advance. We now understand why. We ordered fish & chips and a Ribeye steak. The food was bland and the steak was overcooked (think Waffle House quality, but $60). We had to wait on ourselves for water refill. We told them the steak was not good, was overcooked. "Sorry" was the response. Our tip is eat somewhere else. read more

The worst key lime martini I've ever had. It was like doing a shot of plain alcohol. The food was nothing special-very salty pork, flavorless Greek salad, vinegary coleslaw, salty and soggy fries, ice cold Kim chi on a burger and to top it off, they did not honor their happy hour special. They actually used a Sharpie to black it out on their menu after we requested our 2nd drink as it was a 2-for-one. read more

Juicy Lucy was gross. Counter ordering, menu is difficult to read, and it's 10 ft from the door. I strongly suggest avoiding this place. read more

The Boat House - Juicy Lucy, 2 patties with a thick slab of mozzarella tossed between. Drive to Minneapolis to get a real Juicy Lucy at Matt's. - New American Near Me - Winona, Minnesota

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What an absolutely fabulous surprise!! My husband and I had been doing a little road trip up the Wisconsin side and then headed back down the Minnesota side not necessarily looking for anything in particular. We decided to grab dinner and had heard about "The Boathouse" from someone at work. We pulled up and I actually thought it was a little "fast food" burger/sandwich shop. When I walked in, I was somewhat puzzled as it had a full bar and very quaint seating overlooking the Mississippi River. The waitress was fabulous and immediately seated us and took our drink order whiling showing us their menu for the day. Unbelievably delicious is all I can say. Everything was homemade and perfectly cooked. If you love Walleye, this is the place to stop. I really can't say it enough - Best Walleye I've EVER had!! The Grandpa Buster herbed potatoes were an excellent side dish for this entree. Super nice people, great food and a beautiful view. WE WILL BE BACK!! Pam and Dennis Benson read more

Saw some promising reviews online so decided to stop by and was completely blown away by our food. As someone who eats out quite a bit, the fish was cooked to perfection and the service was phenomenal. Thanks for a great dinner!! read more

This was always our favorite place, but after tonight; we'll find a new favorite place. There is a chalkboard for the menu instead of one brought to you at the table. I miss having a wait person. Now the food--used to be the best in town. The fries tasted like they were cooked twice and over cooked. Everything was disappointing since this was always a great place to go to. We miss the boathouse that it was. read more

Very sad to see how far the Boat House has fallen. Margarita was disgusting. Tastes like it was made with soda by a child. Moscow mule was served in a tumbler with no garnish. Tasted like swamp water. Very off. Coleslaw tasted old with no flavor but sour. Yes, the coleslaw was Mayo based. We received our food before our drinks. The fish and chips were good but I believe the batter recipe has changed as it is not the golden yellow as many times before. The sauce trio was good. Thumbs up for that. Food served on cold plates. read more

Beautiful scenery and well made food. We went when it was snowing and it was so magical to sit and watch the snow hit the water. Food was delicious and the workers were very kind! read more

The cafeteria style ordering has got to go. Solid menu and preparation but it doesn't make the list if I feel like I'm back in college at the dorm. read more

Had dinner here tonight while in town for work. Nice hip vibe with an eclectic menu. Our table had the ribeye, the juicy burger and their tuna tartare special. Each of us was pretty satisfied with our meal. The tuna tartare came with a side of avocado gelato which gave it a really surprising but good flavor. My coworkers said the burger had cheese stuffed in the middle which made all the difference in the taste and the steak was cooked perfectly. The restaurant gives you a really great view of the river and you can catch a beautiful sunset at the right time of day. Plenty of free parking as well. The staff was friendly and service was good but we never got the ice tea we ordered - i think it was taking to long to make ?? I would come back if I'm ever in town again read more

The Boat House - Tuna Tartare with Avocado Gelato - New American Near Me - Winona, Minnesota

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The drinks are amazing. The cheese curds are spectacular and the walleye was good, all of which ordered by my friends. I, however, got this wasabi soy-glazed salmon that had no wasabi or soy sauce, a salad with no dressing, and cucumber slices that were cut by a knife that must have been used to cut fish! Imagine the taste of that cucumber. Then the crispy salmon skin was flipped upside down on the salad and got soggy. I would assume whoever plated it just doesn't know how to cook maybe. Fingers crossed for my tummy after that fish knife sliced cucumber. Please do not cut vegetables with knives that cut meats. read more

We stopped here on vacation. The ordering/paying process was a huge pain. We stood in line for 15 minutes with 6 people in front of us to order and pay for our food. Not to mention we are then asked to place a tip on that prepaid meal. Wasn't impressed. It seemed the entire checking in space was not utilized well. The ladies in front weren't impressed either. We then got our table number pole and seated ourselves. Our table wasn't clean. Kitchen guy whom brought out our cheese curds was informed to send someone out and he came himself to wash it. That impressed me. Ordered cod fish fry. It was very greasy and fries were ok. We didn't have anyone stop by us at all to see if we needed anything. You had to go get your own drinks.(Hence why tip ahead???) my tip went to the guy whom cleaned my table when it wasn't his job. The place is very very loud. Couldn't hardly hear my boyfriend who sat across from me. Didn't seem like the air conditioning worked well. I enjoyed seeing the river and how beautiful it was from where we sat. Checked the outdoor seating after we ate. It had potential but the tables were not washable and kinda gross. But the area would be nice with little change. We won't be back to this place. But we will come to the river walk that is outside of it. read more

The Boat House - The view outside on the path way. - New American Near Me - Winona, Minnesota

Was afraid that this would be another restaurant that makes its bank solely on location, versus having high quality food. Unfortunately, my hunch was proven correct. Unless, that is, you only prefer fried food, if that's the case, dine without worry. My french onion soup was way too salty, as was the smoked tuna in the Niçoise salad my wife ordered. That being said, I overheard an elderly lady saying how she loved it, so, what do we know? I did enjoy the fill in my panika fried walleye tacos, but the floor tortillas weren't the least bit cooked, or heated up...weird. Anyway, the river view is nice, but I'd say you're better off packing a lunch, with your own bottle of wine, and sit at the nearby Park that's also right on the river read more

The Boat House - Fried walleye tacos. The filling of which was the only highlight - New American Near Me - Winona, Minnesota

We walked out. We ordered drinks at the front desk and after over 10 minutes at our table and the drinks hadn't arrived we left. They choose not to have waitresses take orders from the tables. Customers must order at the front door. We ordered drinks first with every intention of having dinner. We were hungry. We're out of towners. Drinks never arrived so we left and went to another Yelp suggestion instead. 929 beer house. Boat house has a great decent inside ambiance but this system of the wait staff only delivering food and drinks doesn't work. It must kill the wait staff's chance to get food tips even if they would have moved along faster. Sorry to take them to task but if I was part of the wait staff I'd look for another job. read more

We were here for a wedding weekend and out and about on a Friday when we checked Yelp for someplace to eat on a Friday night in Winona. This place looked promising, so we gave it a shot. It did not disappoint at all. We got there around 7:30pm and by chance missed the dinner rush. It was crowded, but our family of four was seated immediately. Nice atmosphere right on the river. We got to see the sunset as we were leaving there after dinner. Pretty spacious for the most part in the main dining area. Menu isn't huge, but they have some really good selections for food and drinks. For dinner, I had the Polish Gyro and it was awesome!!! My wife had the catfish tacos and my son had the fish and chips. They made a special kids meal hamburger for my daughter of 10 yrs old. Fresh cut fries come with most meals and they are delicious!!! Food all around for all of us was fantastic. Great service. Rachel was our server and she did an awesome job!!! I'm very appreciative that she let me sample some of the beers before picking one. Great pick for us from Yelp. I would highly recommend. You will not be disappointed. read more

Poor quality food (directly from freezer), prices did not align with food quality, 3 or 4 orders were brought to our table with lukewarm food, and dessert (key lime pie) was still frozen and had crystallized from being kept too long in the deep freezer or not properly packed and sealed prior to re-freezing it. Won't be back. read more

I really enjoyed the ambiance at the boat house; I loved being able to look out at the water while we ate! The wood decor, tables, and chairs were beautiful and cozy. I would come back for that alone. The food I thought was good, but not great. The chips and guac were pretty standard, but took a long time to be brought to our table, and for $7 I hoped for more. The boat house lucy was good because I love anything stuffed with cheese. The garbanzada was pretty good, but not exceptional, although it was nice to have a healthier option because it came with a salad. I think it's worth a stop for a low key meal because it's very cute, but not necessarily a must. read more

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Will not be back. We were looking forward to eating here and were very dissatisfied with quality of food. Both had the walleye and it greasy, over cooked and tasted way to salty. The only good part about the place is watching the activity on the Mississippi, but there's many other areas to watch the river then having a overpriced poor meal. read more

We went here after a hike nearby because my dining companions read a write up in Big River magazine. The location is beautiful- as promised, right on the river- but the food was pretty lackluster. I usually try to eat vegan or vegetarian, but that really wasn't much of an option here. The vegetarian options are the house salad (consisting of lettuce, onion, tomato for $10), cheese curds, and French fries. I settled for the walleye tacos and got lots of bones and very little flavor overall. Salsa tasted odd - almost fishy. Service was ok; you order at a counter and they bring the food to you. It was also pretty expensive- $50 for a beer, fish tacos, and a fish fry. I feel like this place could be pretty charming with better food, but I won't be back. read more

Very nice spot for a date night type of occasion. Little pricey but our food was great. I had the fish n chips and my portion was huge! The sauces that come with it were delicious read more

Appreciated finding this little place ion the river. Even though it was a dreary day, it was nice to watch the water flowing by. Lunch was simple and tasty. We had the cod and walleye fish and chips and a cup of onion soup and potato soup. Sadly my taste buds are temporarily gone due to medical treatment. I can tell everything tasted yummy and my husband confirmed. Our service was friendly and prompt. read more

Our waitress, Angie, was great. Personable, attentive and quick-witted. Such a pleasure. We had the salmon with garlic mashed and spinach, the Lucy burger stuffed with cheese curds, the 14 oz. ribeye and the 28 oz. bone in ribeye. Also the French onion soup was excellent and the southwest chicken dumpling soup had a great base and the dumplings were great. The salmon was great but the potatoes and spinach were a little salty. The burger was real flavorful with the garlic aioli and bourbon onions made it over the top and messy. The two steaks were done to liking with the caramelized onions on top. We would definitely come back. read more

The Boat House - 28 oz. bone in ribeye - New American Near Me - Winona, Minnesota

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The food was okay. Orders were messed up a couple times. I really want to like this place because it's right on the water. Good drinks.

Greatly disappointed. In town for a horse show and wanted to check this place out. Group of 5 adults 2 kids. Waited almost an hour for our sandwiches in that time the waitress had to come to our table to tell one of our people they were out some main dish and they did that to a few other tables for a few things it was a Saturday afternoon. The bread was so dry and stale it just crumbled when you took a bite. Our waitress hardly came back. For the price and lack of much of anything I'd never go back read more

All I can say about this restaurant is that there operating hours are Ridiculous! I have gone to this place on seven different occasions, some during the week, some on the week end, some in daytime, some in the evening, and I never once was able to catch them when they were open. They were closed every time I went there, However, that seems to be a common theme with restaurants in the area, they open whenever they feel like it, and close whenever they feel like it. read more

I love the boat house and think it's the best restaurant in Winona. The atmosphere is great, the service has always been good. And the food is delicious. I really like the fish and chips - the coleslaw is amazing!! Their fries are great too. Definitely recommend. read more

I wish there were more places like the Boathouse. Excellent Food. Extremely Fresh. Amazing Service. Everything is purchased Locally. Constantly updating the menu. I can't wait to go back!! read more

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Well my family and my friends family came here to eat. This was a little while ago but we walked in and waited in the outdoor area in the back for 1 hour. As my friend's dad was going back up to ask how long it would be a family of the same size that walked in and didn't have a reservation got the table we have been waiting for over an hour for. My parents were so angry and hangry that we left and haven't been back since! Very displeased with the service at that place. read more