Although it was 22 months (to the day) since my last visit to The Boathouse, this establishment has been very special to me, my friends, and my family for well over a decade. In life, things change. People come and go. Times are different. Outlooks and perspectives are seen from new and unanticipated angles. But feelings always remain. I took my son to dinner last night prior to his departure back to college. The smiles, the warmth, the connection, the feeling of "home" exceeded my expectations after being nervous about being away so long. Were there new faces? Yes. Did I miss some of my friends who are either no longer there, off that night, or attending to other family business? Deeply. The menu is still the standard in the area for a nicer lunch or night out. You can go as accessible as a burger, enjoy a well constructed special, or enjoy really good sushi in Northwestern CT. Everything you may be looking for to meet even the most persnickety pallet or dietary need. Come in jeans. Come in a suit. All the same once inside. Do recipes change? Yes. Does my mind have a tendency to long for the old? Sure does. But The Boathouse, and the people who make it special will always keep me coming back - It feels like "home". read more

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Unfortunately the service was sub par, i came on 6:00 on a Sunday. I ordered my food at 6:08, received my drinks at 6:23 appetizers at 6:44 and recieved my food at 6:53. The calamari came with ranch, and tasted rubbery and the baby back ribs were ok, a little dry. The lighting was poor and i saw many couples using flashlights to read the menu. Our server seemed nice, but he never refilled our drinks and rarely talked. Just when i thought the reaturaunt couldn't get any worse i walk into the bathroom with my 7 year old brother to find a naked woman hanging on the wall. Overall a 2/10 experience, would not go again. read more

The Boathouse At Lakeville - The naked woman my 7 year old brother saw - New American Near Me - Lakeville, Connecticut

omg, i love this place! Great food and such a classic, cozy atmostphere. Staff is also wonderful. This should have been five stars from the very beginning but was written before I understood the star system. read more

All hubs and I wanted to do is stop somewhere in Western Connecticut to stretch our legs and also get a bite. Boathouse channels a casual boat vibe, nautical pieces with a boat's wheel and a canoe propped up yay high to capture every ripple, reflection and breeze- while also honoring the rich history of the maritime world. Because it's been so humid, hubs started with a local Berkshire IPA and I went for a Lemonade+ Blueberry+Fizz Mocktail right off the bat followed by appetizers. Our dozen 1/2 East+1/2 West Coast oysters were tasty. The mignonette here was too busy for me and wished it was just a classic one done with red wine vinegar+diced shallots. Steamers that followed, were done in a delectable garlic+butter+wine sauce. Normally, I imagine myself using a straw to drink a sauce like this one when it's done right-- but that wouldn't be lady-like. We broke each piece of bread into smaller morsels just to savor the goodness. The steamers themselves, were also delicious. I can almost hear the waves crashing on the beach- even though we were nowhere near the CT coast. The focus is obviously on seafood- but I think I noticed meat dishes. Our salads were done nicely too- except my medium-well Grilled salmon request on my salad turned out to be well-done and of course, dry. Main plates aside, our server Chloe was a doll, delivered great service and jived with us until we left. If your idea of seafood dining is more on the easy-going side, recalibrate here. Don't let the 3 stars fool you. read more

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You will not be disappointed, Road trip destination and well worth it. Clean and friendly. I sat at the bar. The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. A must try on a Saturday drive. read more

Worst experience ever on NYE, after 25 five years of going there. Berated for being a few minutes late to every side dish being wrong, entrees were not even as expected such as ny strip not being a ny strip, being a cheap cur of meat. Servers were sub-par, request to correct our meals were not met, they lied about having sides 30 min before they say they run out? Baked was cold not even cooked. Such a bad experience after years of going there. We won't go back again. Bad communication and the manager didn't even care to fix our situation. They give us 10% off a $1k bill. Not even a good bye when we left. Bad bad experience for all of us. read more

The Boathouse At Lakeville - 86 the whole restaurant - New American Near Me - Lakeville, Connecticut

I think The Boathouse may best be described as chaotic neutral? My experience started, as so few do, on Mother's Day. There were some lovely flowers in front, and otherwise the ambiance was very boat house-like. We arrived for our reservation, were seated at a table, and promptly told half the menu was unavailable because they had run out of eggs. It was a brunch menu, and there are grocery stores and even a gas station in the area. I could have run out for eggs! But our menu review was interrupted by a cell phone search - apparently a previous patron was insisting they left theirs at our table, so everyone up to go through the table again (picture underlined emphasis). When we were resettled, apparently the brunch window had closed and we were brought new menus that had basically everything available. I think we were still waiting for waters at this point. The introductory chaos I can laugh off, and their second menu was actually better than the first, eggless menu. It got a little harder with constant waits for drinks, the buffalo wing appetizer became barbeque, the check coming before the desserts (I wondered if that was a way to announce they were out, happily not), and the drink that spilled and splashed on the mother. On Mother's Day! She wasn't soaked, but it was brushed aside more easily than perhaps it should have been. The restaurant wasn't anywhere near full, and while they certainly may still have been understaffed, it doesn't quite explain the experience. The food saved the day. Most of it was right, except for that one appetizer. The raviolis were cheesy and decadent, although perhaps a slice of bread to savor the sauce may be helpful? The chocolate flourless cake was one of the most delicious cakes I've ever eaten - it was warm, gooey, and the ice cream became a rich sauce by melting. That alone was worth a star. read more

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Had a really poor experience here for dinner. Meals were $50 a plate and we were served cold potatoes and vegetables, and a small piece of meat. I mean ice cold! Maybe they forgot to put them in the microwave? No bread/rolls unless you ask. We were parched because they were really poor at refilling water glasses. The waiter offered to bring the vegetables back to microwave them, which he did, and they were then palatable. We were eventually offered 1 free dessert (for the whole table) for the "inconvenience". $150 (3 people, no drinks, no appetizers, no desserts) for this horrible meal. At the end of the meal, the waiter brought the check, and 2 mints for 3 people ??!! The weirdest part was, the chef chased us out of the restaurant with odd apologies of some sort. Yeah, a birthday dinner mistake. Won't be back. read more

Ok food, nice atmosphere. I wish they had more vegetarian or vegan options. Pretty outdated menu. The vegan option is really bad. UPDATE: my fiancée got sushi takeout last night from here and within 10 minutes started having an allergic reaction which can be from bad fish. He's never had this in his life and eats sushi all of the time. read more

(Last visited on 10/9/2021.) After a long, amazingly fun day at Lime Rock Park it was time for dinner, but we didn't feel like making the 90 minute drive home just yet. So we did out fair share of Yelp'ing then found this place. I'm glad we did, because I had a good time, here's why! Atmosphere/Appearance: The Boathouse, set right on Main Street, looks just like it's namesake with a private parking lot on the side that wraps around the back. The inside delivers a very tavern-feel with low, yellow lighting, lots of wood and an open concept. It was VERY busy since it was a Saturday evening, but that's what you want to see! We didn't have any reservations so we just sent up a prayer and boom... 2 seats at the bar! Sold! So we sat at the bar among the regulars and chatted it up! Service: Chris was our bartender and server. He took excellent care of us. He was swift, friendly, funny, personable and made sure that we had a good time. Food: Never in my life had I ever had wings and sushi in the same meal... until now. Lol. It's such a strange concept. I was actually a bit apprehensive about getting sushi in the same place where they sell, wings, prime rib and steaks. I shouldn't have been! So I started off with the wings with their homemade Buffalo sauce. They were pretty good, but I didn't know they were breaded. So they were super thick, but super flavorful as well. I'd ask if it's possible to get them without the breading next time, but usually that slows the kitchen down a bit. For my sushi entrees I went with The T-N-T Roll which contains spicy tuna, lobster salad and avocado on the inside then covered with spicy mayo as well as some crunchies. It comes wrapped in soy paper. This was a delicious roll that wasn't very spicy, but it was so savory. The flavors worked together so well and the crunchies helped add another texted to the roll. The 2nd roll I got was The Triple Fire Roll which contains tuna, salmon, yellowtail and tobiko. It's then covered in spicy mayo and wrapped in soy paper. Just like The T-N-T roll, the flavors went together so well, but were much simpler. I did prefer the first roll over the 2nd though. Seeing what they can do with wings and sushi really intrigues me. I'd love to try some of the other things on the menu! Value: My sushi rolls were $15.00 and $16.00. That's about on par with any other sushi restaurant and these were BIG "American-sized" rolls as well. Lol. You get like, 8 huge wings for $18.00. Though they were good, I don't think they're worth that. I'd rather stick to the sushi or would be willing to try out one of their other appetizers. In conclusion, the next time I'm out at the track and am ready for dinner, I'd absolutely stop by The Boathouse. This place really did impress me and I'm excited to see what else they can do! read more

Fabulous service by Stephanie. The drinks, food, and wine were delicious, but Stephanie makes it an experience!

Wonderful night out with the family at the Boathouse. It was steaming hot outside so the cool ambiance of the restaurant was nice. They were quite busy, but our waitress (Lizzie) was attentive, quick to respond to our needs, and personable. People skills are a MUST in this industry and cannot be taught- Lizzie knocked it out of the park! As for the food- my two adult children ordered the chicken Parmesan and loved the rich flavor in the sauce as well as the generous portion sizes. My wife and I ordered the walleye and cod special, great again! We were here 6 months or so ago and I found nothing special about the food or service, but tonight was such an improvement I needed to write a review. Great upgrade since- good for you Boathouse. The only reason I did not give 5 stars is because we were seated near the bar area which was quite loud. My kids are grown now so the inappropriate conversations occurring between both bar customers and bar tender were less of a bother- but I would not bring your children near the bar here. Bottom line- A MUST TRY! read more

The food was ok. Got takeout salmon and a baked potato. Salmon was well seasoned but a bit dry and overdone. The baked potato was delicious although it came with a weird syrup that tasted very artificial. The roasted veggies were decent too. The service was good and the food was delivered quickly. Overall, if you want an average meal that is going to be made fairly quickly the Boathouse is a decent option for the area. read more

The Boathouse At Lakeville - Panko Horseradish & Panko Encrusted Atlantic Salmon Baked Sweet Potato Seasonal Vegetables - New American Near Me - Lakeville, Connecticut

We waited 50 minutes for one pasta, one sandwich, and one salad, despite there being only one other table occupied. The pasta had a strong taste of tap water, and we never received a water refill. The waiter was inattentive, frequently looking at his phone, chewing food, and disappearing. The most surprising issue was when he gave us an incorrect bill. When we pointed it out, he took it back without even checking, seemingly aware it was wrong and charged us three times what we owed. Given our long wait, we were eager to leave and didn't scrutinize the bill closely. We paid it and left a tip. We understand that running a restaurant in a remote location can be challenging, but money should be earned fairly. Additionally, the dishes were about 15% more expensive than the prices listed on the menu. We recommend double-checking your bill if you dine here, or consider driving to the next available restaurant. read more

The New York strip steak, shrimp cocktail and grilled chicken salad was perfect. Highly recommend! read more

Birthday dinner here on Sunday June 25, 2023...can't say enough good things about this establishment. Wonderful atmosphere, great server (Josh), excellent food! Party of 5..,had shrimp cocktail, lobster linguine, steak, lobster tail and sushi...oh yes...the sushi! An unexpected surprise from a "surf and turf" place, but it was fresh and excellent! You really need to put this place on your bucket list! read more

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After a day at Lime Rock Park, we needed to grab a bite and heard the wings here were good! I was looking for a drink menu and never got/found one, so I hate ordering drinks and wine then being surprised when you get the bill later. There was a wait to be seated on this Saturday evening if you didn't have a reservation, but luckily we were just in time to snag two of the last seats at the bar. The couple in front of us grabbed two other seats at the bar, so it seemed that the bar suddenly filled up and the bartender, Chris, was busy! He did come try to take our order a couple of times, but we weren't sure what we were doing so then it took a while to get our food ordered, but he tried initially so we will own that delay. On to the food, the wings were pretty good! You can only get one flavor per order, and the wings are breaded which we didn't know since we didn't ask, but they were a good size and the flavor was good! We did go with the classic Buffalo flavor since we were only choosing one, and I'm glad we tried them! The wings were so big in fact, that I knew I wouldn't have had room for the prime rib, even though I was tempted because the couple next to me ordered it and were both enjoying it and said it was delicious. So, I just went with two sushi rolls. The rolls were good, and Chris checked back in on us and got us more wine and sake when we were ready! Overall, it was a pretty good experience and we were glad we stopped in! We don't expect to be in the area often, but there are some other things I could've definitely tried if I were hungrier (duck, salmon, prime rib...so much good looking stuff!). We had regulars on both sides of us during the time we were there, so people like it and keep going back that do live in the area. I didn't see anyone complaining about any food here and definitely think you should check it out if in that corner of CT! Not sure I've ever seen a restaurant that did sushi pretty well, in addition to a full other menu with wings, steak and seafood. Heck I've never had wings as an appetizer to sushi before, so this was a first! But, we saw others at the bar eating sushi rolls too and trusted that they'd be good. I actually wanted a sampler of rolls and sashimi and sushi, but they didn't have such a thing so I just opted for the two rolls (salmon and the Millbrook, which is eel and avocado). The nice woman next to us said she stops by every night, and that if it weren't so busy she's sure they could've put together what I was looking for, but I didn't want to hold anyone up or ask for anything special given how busy it was, and how long my drive was home. I was just ready to eat and head back to a familiar part of the state. read more

The Boathouse At Lakeville - Order of Buffalo Wings - New American Near Me - Lakeville, Connecticut

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Our bill for a shared Caesar salad and a rack of ribs, a bottle of wine and two cocktails was about $170 which was OK BUT the ribs were cold and dry with limp French fries. This shouldn't happen. The first time we ate there there was a large jagged piece of plastic in my salad. Quality control is an issue here despite pleasant wait staff working under stress conditions and warm ambiance. Is even microwaving your food too much to ask? read more

Rainy day lunch. Cozy atmosphere. Friendly waitress/bartender. Great menu. Onion soup warmed us up. We enjoyed the trout almandine & a great sushi roll. read more

The Boathouse At Lakeville - New American Near Me - Lakeville, Connecticut

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Basic spot with a large menu of solid American food and drinks. I got a lobster pasta dish with a side of fries and it was pretty good. The waiter was extremely stressed and frazzled. Both bar and table seating Decent atmosphere 7 read more

Excellent service and they do everything they can to make us comfortable. If your meal is not to your liking they go above and beyond to correct the issue. Wait staff to the owner personally overlooking every order and table . Couldn't be happier. I've been going for 15 years and they had never disappointed. For a small town they have top quality food. must visit read more

Iconic, beautiful. Glistening even . Always kind and attentive service as well as my favorite ever tuna carpaccio. Thé menu does change so check. Go for any meal but daytime / brunch is my preferred. Something magical about the sun twinkling off the lake with all the people enjoying rowing around. Dishes clinking, people laughing, talking, smiling and generally enjoying the sweetness of life . I've never properly reviewed because frankly I didn't think it needed the press. It might be enough to say my husband and I had our wedding lunch here. It was my dream place and still is to this day. Nearly every anniversary and at least once a summer.Not especially pricey by NYC standards. Get the Champagne your worth it. PS: come early if you want to row around or patiently wait the line in true NY fashion. Either way - bring a bailing bucket or soup container, all the boats leak read more

Had dinner here on 10/12/23. The restaurant itself is cozy and inviting. Our server, Ethan, was great! Knowledgeable about the menu and was quick with waters and meals! The food was great. I had the Deviled Lobster Linguini and it had a lot of heat! The French onion soup appetizer was delicious too. My partner had the strip steak and said it was amazing. Highly recommend this gem if you are in Lakeville or the surrounding area. read more

Don't waste your time. Save your money. We got the sesame tuna nachos which were severely over priced. For $20 there was barely any tuna on the nachos - we basically paid $20 for wonton chips. The spicy blood orange margarita tasted like syrup and tequila that comes in a plastic bottle. The chicken wings were crispy and the house ranch was flavorful. However, the house buffalo sauce on the wings tasted more like ketchup. The goat cheese salad was literally just arugula and goat cheese, not a single other vegetable. Weird. Overall, quality did not match the price. Don't waste your time. read more

I'm not sure why all the low ratings. I was in an Airbnb for the week and went twice. Second time because I left my card behind by mistake. I was skeptical because they serve sushi and typical comfort foods like burgers, fish and chips, salads steaks etc. Didn't think you could be good at both, but I was pleasantly surprised. I had the sushi on my first try with a kani salad. Next trip had the fish and chips, French onion soup and the raspberry cheesecake for dessert. Everything was delicious. The staff is so friendly and attentive! Especially the hostess. I was eating alone both times and she was very sweet and accommodating. Waiters were attentive and kept checking in. I'd definitely go back. Relaxed and friendly vibe was a nice add on to my mini vacation. read more

We had a absolutely wonderful meal here!! Added plus ...we brought our pup and sat outside on patio. Just loved the atmosphere and our waiter was just great!!! read more

The Boathouse At Lakeville - Panko salmon and the other dish was seafood fra diablo - New American Near Me - Lakeville, Connecticut

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Very bad food and very expensive- Mediocre service we ordered for the party 2 dozen West Coast oysters at $35 a dozen and they were very mushy followed by a crispy duck that was so dry it was sent back and replaced with very teeny mussles. The fish and chips was very soft and tasteless and the fries ugh! with a drink and a beer and tip $170 my advice- under no circumstances have dinner at this place. our complaints received no response during the dinner read more

Bright and clean, with prompt and gracious service. Too bad about the food. I paid $32 for a lobster plate swimming in mayonnaise with a side of thick, nearly burnt potato chips. But my companion declared the fish in his fish-and-chips quite good (the overdone dark fries not so much). Not a fresh salad green in sight. Both of us got the same limp, bland coleslaw in little paper cups. For 1/3 the price I would not complain. read more

Stumbled upon this place after hiking. Menu has something 4 everyone and beer selection was good. I had the Mediterranean walleye. Always wanted to try walleye and It was very good. Friend pushed dessert so I took a chance on the raspberry doughnut cheesecake! read more

This place is a upscale Cheers... very pleasant and warming place. Low lighting with cozy feel. Drink menu is unique with delicious revolving signature drinks. Wing Tour is traveling... Wing Tour: Crispy: 4 Stars Flavor: 3 Stars Overall: 3 Stars With an order you will receive 8 unique crunchy wings that have an plain BBQ flavor. Wings have a crunch that is very good that is not crispy but has a crunch that is really good. A must try if your in the area!!! One draw back is there is only style they offer. read more

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Expensive for only average food and service. Expected better. Will not be back. Hate TVs over the bar. Disturbing when you are trying to converse. read more

Stopped in with my husband on the last warm day of the fall season. Grabbed two Sloop Juice Bombs at the bar along with whole belly clams and tuna nachos. The vibe was good, the nautical themed decor made me feel we were on the coast and the food was delicious. Everything we saw come out looked amazing. Can't wait to come back for dinner. read more

Stopped in for dinner and the soup was cold and mashed potatoes were cold. Service was great, food has gone down hill. They could have taken the soup off he bill but they did nothing. Will not be going back. read more

First off, they take Covid-19 precautions seriously, with waitstaff in masks and each table sanitized before you sit down. I cannot understand the mean reviews here. The staff are attentive and nice. The atmosphere is like a new england prep school boathouse - old school Americana--but not snooty. The outdoor dining in August was very pleasant with tables distanced far apart...a nice way to enjoy the magic hour with cocktails, few cars passing by, evening crickets, and the sun setting on a quaint new england town. Jeannie the server was both super professional and super relaxed/chill. A terrific server The oysters (blue point) very fresh and delicious with a quite decent sauv blanc. The beet salad great. I was here for a light meal. Then I realized I was hungry so i ordered the calamari because of that stupid guy from rhode island touting calamari last night while nominating joe biden (2020 "virtual" convention). Ok so i'm helping increase R.I.'s squid demand... And the verdict: delicious. Often calamari is chewy and rubbery. Or too overbreaded and overfried so you feel sick after. This calamari---inland... far from the sea... was done right. Thank you Boathouse for a great dining and wining experience outdoors with my dog on the patio. The perfect evening! read more

This place has potential to be awesome, it's right on Main St with private parking lot, decor is warm and inviting. I find it interesting that in addition to the American menu, they also have a sushi bar. I was here for a girls night out dinner as party of 4. We had reservation so was seated promptly. The server was polite and gave us time to talk before coming to take our orders. He warned us that there was a 20-30 minutes backlog for sushi orders, so we should put the order in asap if we want any. My friend quickly ordered a roll so he can put that in. After about 20 min of chatting, we finally got around to read the menu to put our dinner orders in. My friend then asked if the server had put the sushi order in, he had totally forgot! So of course we said to cancel it... We were slightly annoyed. Our orders came out at the same time. I ordered the prime rib king cut ($34, only available Friday and Saturday), friends ordered Ribeye, Mediterranean cod, and horseradish crusted salmon. They all seem to liked the food, but for me, my prime rib seem to be slightly cold for me, maybe it was sitting out while the other dishes were being prepared, but I like my meal hot, not Luke warm. It was tender and tasty, but I wished they put the au ju on the side instead of on the prime rib directly... It made the dish too salty, and it soaked the rice pilaf. We didn't have enough room in our stomach for dessert, but did sit there for a while chatting amongst ourselves. I do appreciate restaurants that doesn't rush their patrons. So overall, I wasn't impressed, but think I will give this place another chance later on. read more

First Ladies night out since covid- started... we stopped here as a last minute change of plans on a Friday night but I'm so glad we did. We had drinks on the lawn, so peaceful and such a good service that we felt like we were in a resort with a personal Buttler. Well I told the hubby about it and we had to go back for lunch on Sunday, this time we got a table on the lawn, amazing food and service once again! read more

We stopped in on a Sunday afternoon for a late lunch. Everything we had was excellent. Our two complaints: we were never offered a wine list or drink menu and the bathrooms (both mens and ladies) were out of hand soap, toilets not clean and overall nasty. Would not go back for that last reason. Yuck. read more

We love the Boathouse. Great food, lots of fun interesting choices on the varied menu. Nice service, a buzzy bar. This restaurant is the heart of Lakeville. read more

OK, been here dozens of times and I am really trying to be fair. First, the bartender is weak, weak, weak. In my 60 years I have ant only 2 drinks back. This bartender could not make more than a shot or a bottled beer. Wow, drinks were bad. Dinner with the cold combination, it consisted of shrimp, little neck clam and oysters, sounds great but the execution was poor. Lots of grit and shell in the oysters. For main course ordered duck. Clearly cooked long ago and reheated. Not heated enough. This place could be a gold mine but incomplete service and no attention to detail makes it third rate. read more

Awesome, we had raw oysters and clams to start. Whole bellies and Prime rib for dinner. OMG, it was the best. Stephanie was our server, she was great. Sorry ni pics, food was devoured. read more