This place reminded me why I should trust Yelp reviews more than Google ones. The positive - food was quick and the view is absolutely amazing, great outdoor patio right on the water. Portion sizes were large. The bad - service seemed disinterested, wasn't greeted by anyone upon entering, despite a bartender at the bar, a gentleman (manager maybe?) setting a table, and a waitress bringing food past me. Once finally seated Service again seemed disinterested, taking a rather long time to greet me and bring a menu/take my order though the establishment was not busy at all. But worst of all was the tasteless meal. I got the walleye (aka pickerel) and though the presentation looked nice the fish had no taste. I don't usually need Tartar sauce but this one would have benefited from some, had it been included. I don't ever add salt to my food but this needed seasoning, of almost any type. Similarly the rice was bland and mushy and the asparagus was oily, also with no taste. Very disappointed. Also disappointing was the lack of any local beer options. read more

Emma was the best fucking server we've ever had. Food was amazing and atmosphere so beautiful and relaxing. We will be back!

A must eat delicious food. Love the lake views and the food was excellent. I'd eat there again and again. The service was quick and friendly. A great restaurant read more

Stopped by for a Canada Day lunch and unfortunately the patio was full. For 10 people, we sat comfortably inside by the window. Our server was very attentive and patient with our orders. They over a variety of ciders, cocktails and beers from Lake of the Woods brewing. Note: Main entrees aren't available until after 4pm, but you can order from a plethora of appetizers, sandwiches and bowls for lunch. You can also dock your boat in the back if you're out on the lake and want to stop by for a quick lunch. Pickerel Cheeks: Think of dipping butter crostini's in Alfredo sauce. The pickerel cheeks were super creamy, chewy and rich. One bite was enough to satisfy me. Three Cheese Baked Artichoke Lobster Dip: This was a fantastic dip with naan and tortilla chips. The cheese, artichoke, and lobster worked well with each other. PLUS the naan was super soft. Portabella Mushroom Burger: The flavors in this burger are amazing! There is enough guac and mushroom to fill you up! I highly recommend this burger Lobster Club House: There was alot of bread and a little lobster in this sandwich, so it was difficult to taste any flavor. Probably my least favorite dish here. Poutine: For $2 more, you can get a side of poutine. This side is massive and took up half of my plate! They use shredded cheese and tons of gravy. Overall, Boathouse has some great dishes and a good place for lunch right on the lake! read more

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A great place for lunch and meeting friends!! I saw many people meeting for a drink and appetizers. We opted for lunch and we're not disappointed! Generous servings and friendly waitstaff. The seafood chowder reminded me of my moms fish soup--slow baked with potatoes and carrots to make us all feel healthier!! Great views of the Lake, laid back atmosphere, and amazing food items!! Loved it!! read more

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The pleasant service was wiped out by the extremely slow speed of service, none of which appeared to be our server's fault. The live music was extremely loud during dinner, too loud to be able to have pleasant conversation on the patio. After the live music finished canned music started. Unfortunately the bass was so high it was unlistenable and disruptive to conversation inside. It sounded like the speakers were blown. Wish I had picked the patio! Broken chairs and a sticky table top were off-putting and a messy bathroom with no paper towels added to the sense of a lack of discipline and care for the client. The saving grace was the food which was quite enjoyable, and our waitress who was rushed but attentive. Would I return? Unlikely. I would check out other places in the area first. Would I recommend? Probably not. read more

So glad this place is serving indoor sit down meals as while the patio looked good it was a bit cool. Felt safe with distant tables and windows open. My dinner mate and I shared the lobster dip app which was tasty. Main was the sirloin and shrimp which was great while my mate had the fish and chips. Fries were really good and both couldn't eat desert as we were too full. Table was over looking the water and service was excellent. This was our first trip to Kenora and the Boathouse was a big treat in these COVID-19 times. Would definitely return. read more

Had heard good things about this place but wasn't impressed. Goat cheese quesadilla had no cheese in it. Kept expecting the next bite to have some but never did. My partner's curry chicken dish was pretty good but came with way more rice than curry chicken. Service was just okay. Asked for more salsa but the waitress never came back with it. Place wasn't even half full so she wasn't that busy. read more

The Boathouse has been our go-to patio restaurant in Kenora, with another couple pretty much every Friday, every summer. Under the past management, it was on ok experience, reasonably good food and very good staff. The four of us likely spend in the range of $5-6K every year. Two attempts this year, under new management have left me unimpressed, and our visit on June 14 may be my last, until the new management fails. The new menu is a weird one..lobster in the absolute centre of Canada? 'Catch of the Day' is halibut, on the shores of one of Canada's premier freshwater lakes? no local or non-corporate beer on tap, or even in cans? There is a great local brewery less than 100 meters away, ffs. Pricing is a bit on the high side, but it would normally be acceptable, given the great patio, and the usually mellow vibe, but only if there is consistency of product. This became an issue with our table: two of us arrived early, and ordered two white sangrias while we waited for the other couple. The drinks arrived, and were somewhat disappointing, especially for 15 bucks each, with only a few berries floating in our drinks, and the taste was heavy on the club soda. When the other couple arrived, one of them ordered a white sangria as well; it was in no way similar to the drinks we had, a totally different colour, and much more fruit (as it should be in a sangria, especially at $15), and we pointed it out to our wonderful, but overworked server. She took the drinks back to correct them, but within seconds, they were re-deilvered to us, untouched, by a visibly perturbed manager (actually a managing partner) who tried to gaslight us about why they looked different (ours had several ice cubes, but hers had only one), uttering totally BS to us as if we were just local rubes. He got all huffy and suggested that there were other restaurants in town, and maybe we could choose one of them. I was gobsmacked by this extremely poor example of customer service, but tried to tone down the rhetoric of my table mates, suggested that we would find another drink; we settled on a bottle of wine and cocktails for me. I will admit that the lobster bisque (still weird for a menu item on the shores of Lake of the Woods) was very tasty, and the salads were very good. The mains were ok, but the mushroom risotto arrived cool and, a result a bit gloopy. Same for the fries with the fish and chips. We alerted the very helpful server, who took the two plates of risotto back to the kitchen. The plates returned in just a minute or two; the risotto had been stuck in the microwave to reheat. I am a pretty good home chef, and know that reheating risotto is not ideal, let alone a good idea to serve to an already agitated table. After all of this disappointment and let-down, we paid our $300 bill and left. On the way out of the restaurant, I spoke to the managing partner, suggested that it was poor customer service to suggest that a table of four should look at other options for dining; his answer was merely a grunt, with no other communication. As a business owner in this town, I really don't like to slag another business, but am more than willing to do so in this case. This Winnipeg based owner group should take a long hard look at this operation from top to bottom. In the meantime, i will strongly urge all my friend to ignore this restaurant until things change. read more

I went here for my birthday dinner with my friends. The bar drinks were good. But the food on the other hand were awful. I got fish that was supposed to be 'fresh' but I tasted like it was sitting in the hot sun for weeks. I did not eat it. The food was COLD. Since I didn't wanna be rude and order something else I had a few bites of my friends and it was still terrible. My friend got a burger it was cold in the middle. We left as soon as we all took a few bites of our food. We didn't complain and just paid. The drinks were pretty good but we didn't stay long. On the other hand the bill for 4 people drinks included was 939$. And we were there for 1 hour we each got 1 drink. Please find somewhere else to eat. read more

We arrived Tusday night with 12 people A little wait but they were very accomadating . Everything was excellent We had burgers, lobster mac and cheese, Steak sandwich, Pickerel, and roasted chicken. All were outstanding. Very friendly staff especially the bartender. read more

We had a lovely lunch at the boathouse today. The mussels were great to start and share. The lobster clubhouse was delicious and the jerk chicken wrap was also nice. The clam chowder and green salad were nice sides. The service was great. The view was excellent. The patio was comfortable. The prices, especially for cocktails and drinks, were really good. We'd recommend it. read more

Would give ZERO stars if I could. Visited The Boathouse restaurant during Harbourfest 2019. My husband and our baby stood waiting for about 5 minutes at the front, there were 2 groups of people standing in line to pay in front of us (normally they take payment at the tables but they said the servers never visited their tables again after getting their food). The hostess then literally said to us "have I talked to you guys yet?" .... I said "umm nope, not yet". She then said it would be a 5 minute wait to clear a table for us. After a couple minutes she came up to us and pointed across the restaurant to an open table for us. We then went and sat down, and waited twenty minutes without a server even visiting our table once. We then left and went to the Cornerstone and enjoyed a wonderful evening :) read more

Really nice, clean and modern decor. Service was terrific, the wait staff are really friendly and not stiff. Good cocktail selection, and THE PATIO! Patio seats about 40 and is directly on the water by the docks (but not smelly or gross docks). Watch the tour boats and float planes come in and out while having a drink (drink specials are just so so). They have this neat idea of a super well-priced sandwich board, which we loved! Prices seem ok, given this is Kenora and everything is overpriced. read more

The Boathouse - Big dock-side patio - American Near Me - Kenora, Ontario

Service is below average, food is average. I ordered a steak sandwich which came with a choice of fries, or soup or slaw and I ordered greens instead and was charged $2.50, no notice given. The location right on the lake is a winner. However next trip to Kenora, I will have lunch elsewhere, most likely at the LOW brewery. read more

I can honestly say I had the worst dining experience of my life at The Boathouse last weekend. They forgot about our reservation, drinks were extremely slow, the appetizers came out with entrees, entrees and appetizers were missed entirely and the rude manager was the cherry on top. Definitely would not recommend. read more

I was at The Boathouse with friends on a smoking hot Friday afternoon. It's the only place in Kenora which is right on the water. The breeze on the deck was perfect as was the view. Our waitress was attentive with ice, water, menus, drinks and our meal. The food was excellent! I had a steak sandwich with Caesar salad. Others at my table had a chicken wrap, a house salad and the soup special which was a broccoli cheese soup. This was my first time at the restaurant since it changed hands and I was impressed. I will be back! read more

Very open dining area so noise level can be a factor if you are looking for a quiet place to dine. That being said the food service, waiting staff and decor were fantastic. I ordered the chicken cordon blue and my girlfriend had the pasta pasta. Portions on both dishes were quite generous and flavourful. My only disappointment was two of the items I had originally ordered were not available. Good dining experience all around. Would like to try the patio next time. read more

We had dinner here this week and the meal was excellent. We had the burgers which I highly recommend. The white sangria could use some help though. We ate here last year and the meal was meh. Happy to see things have improved and we will definitely be back. Nice view and atmosphere. read more

Extremely rude daytime Manager. We have eaten here several times and have had decent service and decent food. She was speaking to her staff as if they were children. The staff were clearly embarrassed by her scolding rant. In addition, she also made it clear to us (paying customers) that we were inconveniencing her when we asked if she would let our server know we were ready to order. We left before ordering because the thought of supporting a business which employees such a hostile person in a position of power did not sit well with us. I hope the staff can find a better establishment to work for. We will definitely never return. read more