This is by far my favorite restaurant in the FLX. I would go here every week if I could, but sadly it's an hour away. There is a nice outdoor dining area with a view of the lake. People can tie up on the dock to get dinner or enjoy waterside Adirondack chairs. Everything I've had here is excellent- salads, coconut shrimp, shrimp and grits as well as the Eggs Benedict on the Sunday brunch menu. There is a good draft beer selection. It has a kids menu and I feel welcome here with my 4 year old which is nice. It's not exactly fine dining, there are certainly all kind of kinds and I like that feel. Parking can be a little difficult but there is sometimes employees in golf carts offering rides. I'll be back again and again. My *700th* review. read more

This place has a beautiful location and view. However, everything else is mid. The food quality did not match up with their prices and we found a piece of sharp plastic hiding in our mashed potatoes. I'm grateful that I happened to see it before putting it in my body. read more

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We enjoyed a delightful dinner here tonight. The surf and turf was devoured. The garlic steak was amazing. The chicken with peaches was awesome. Everyone loved their food and the service was attentive but not overbearing. We had desert too and the molten lava cake was my favorite, but nothing was left. It was all good. read more

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Big thank you to the staff at The Boat Yard Grill. Courtney was an amazing sever and help make Tegan's 13th birthday dinner amazing. Lobster Fest was so good, the oyster were so phenomenal. The food is always amazing but the service is top notch. Thank you Courtney !!! read more

The BoatYard Grill - Seafood Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Outstanding! Absolutely wonderful experience. The Buffalo chicken egg rolls were the best I ever had. Halibut and mahi mahi entrees were off-the-chart delicious. The sides were equally amazing. Service was fantastic. Ambiance was pleasant. Definitely revisiting soon. Tip: We went mid-afternoon. I suspect this place gets really busy during peak times. Consider dining around that. read more

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We tried it only once, yet it was a great experience. Good Atmosphere on Lake Ithaca! We will return one day!

Was told the wait would be 40 minutes. We waited for over 2 hours and then had to wait another hour for our food. Once we got the food, my food was cold and mediocre. The only positive thing I can say is that the waiter was accommodating and friendly and staff was clearly working hard. Disappointed that the management would overwork this small team on the most busy week of the year rather than hiring more staff proactively or turning customers away when they clearly didn't have the capacity. If I could describe the experience in 3 words -- slow, dishonest, and mediocre. Especially considering the pricey menu, this place has left me dissatisfied and disappointed. read more

We went to on the Saturday of Cornell's graduation weekend to celebrate my son's graduation. We called ahead that morning at 11. They were able to seat us the time we called ahead for. We had outdoor seating and it was a beautiful day. They were busy but very attentive to the nine in my group. The food was excellent, I forgot to get a picture of everyone's meal but the bread was freshly baked and delicious, everyone enjoyed their meal my mom from out of town is still talking about the experience and food. We will definitely be back! read more

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i got the orange glazed halibut. it was absolutelty wayy too salty and didnt taste much like an orange sauce. this food is a lot more pricey than what its worth. the ambiance is nice though. read more

Service was excellent and our drinks were delicious. Food was average. Two of us had the steak and stuffed shrimp special, it was ok. Steak overcooked. Stuffed shrimp just ok. read more

Stopped here after a hike for a few drinks and an appetizer. Their beers are great and definitely recommend the seafood nachos! read more

The BoatYard Grill - Seafood Nauti Nachos - Seafood Near Me - Ithaca, New York

We accidentally and very conveniently found this restaurant and found it to be very nice. The restaurant is located on the water, with outdoor seating on the deck and in a tent. All social distancing guidelines are followed. The food was delicious, service efficient and the staff friendly. We ordered Fresh fish of the day fried served with seasoned fries and coleslaw, pan asian salmon, sweet potato fries, artichoke and spinach stuffed baked potato and mac and cheese. Everything was delicious and prices affordable. The sweet potato fries were the best I had. read more

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I rarely leave bad reviews, but due to the issue that occurred, we need to need to say something so it doesn't occur to others. The food and presentation was good. The server was Michelle M. The service was fine, but nothing exceptional. She cleaned off our plates before bringing out dessert for some of our party. It seemed a little odd that she cleaned up the table with a napkin to the point that seemed to make people in our party a little uncomfortable feeling they were messy, but no one said anything and were polite. I left a 15% tip. We got up and left and were outside talking before heading our ways. Michelle M came out and said she wanted to make sure that our service was ok. We said it was fine and she said ok, she was just checking. I talked to my wife briefly and decided to go back in to check to make sure I totalled the bill correctly. I found her near the register and asked if I had totalled it correctly and looked at the bill. It was all in order. She said, it didn't match the tipping amount listed below that started at 18% and went to a range above 20%. I did not make a fuss and just left. Her standard service deserved a standard tip. I am certainly glad I didn't give her a larger tip after she came out and tried to make us feel uncomfortable around our family and their spouses. We will not be returning to the Boat Yard Grill in Ithaca NY. read more

The food, atmosphere, and staff are top-notch. We had a great anniversary dinner outside by the water with delicious drinks and a plethora of entree options. Our waitress was sweet and very knowledgeable. She was able to help us steer clear of dairy in all the dishes we ordered. The reason this is 4/5 stars is that we called to make a dinner reservation for 7:30pm and when we arrived, were told we had to wait a half an hour to be seated. We were finally seated at 8:10pm. If we had to wait, we weren't sure why the reservation was made in the first place. read more

The BoatYard Grill - Chicken Georgia Peach Chicken (half eaten!) - Seafood Near Me - Ithaca, New York

First time up in Ithaca, first place I ate here and it was absolutely amazing! The wait was a little long but so worth it. They don't take reservations, they do have parking in the front. They have a beautiful water view in the back to take pictures while you wait. For appetizers I got the shrimp and lobster sliders. It comes with fries and then the calamari which I loved! They add banana peppers which is a great mix of flavor. The scallops were beautifully cooked. The wood fire chicken was great as well. I got the frozen boatyard drink, and it was delicious! The portions were so huge and satisfying that my boyfriend and I had to take home the rest. Highly recommend and would come back again if I'm ever back up in Ithaca! read more

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We ended up visiting twice in our 3 day trip to Ithaca. The food was great and we received excellent service. I would definitely go back if I went to Ithaca again. read more

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This place is on the must when you visit Ithaca, they have really nice outdoor seating under the big white tent that you can enjoy the water view while eating the delicious meal. Our waitress Hailey is so friendly and really attentive , we brought our dog with us and she gave him a bowl with some cool ice water that is such a nice gesture. After dinner we just sit outside and enjoy the nice view, I highly recommend this place! read more

The BoatYard Grill - Nice view! - Seafood Near Me - Ithaca, New York

First time here. Called ahead 30mins before arrival. Upon arrival, the staff leas us to an inside table. When I ask to be seated on the outside table, we were brought back to the entrance and place on another wait list . Waited there for another half and hour for our table. This is stupid. We didn't know the outside table are on a different waiting list and were never ask when we call. They lowered all the plastic curtains of the patio area, so ww cannot really enjoy the patio seating anyway. No idea what they were thinking. We ordered the daily special and didn't like any of the food. The deep fried lobster ball (don't remember the fancy name they call it on their menu) are slimy inside and doesn't taste like lobster . The seafood pasta (again, don't remember the fancy name) are awful ...way too much sauce ....all we can taste are watery cheese sauce with more spinach than anything else. The table service are also below average in my opinion. Certainly not going to be back. read more

Had a really wonderful meal at BoatYard! The view really can't be beat. We were seated inside but even through the window it was really beautiful on the water. This was my second time coming to BoatYard and as soon as the bread was brought to the table my mouth started watering because I remembered how good it was last time-- the bread is warm and fluffy, crunchy on the outside, and served with a garlicky herbed butter. For my main I went for the Seared Mystic Tuna and it was really impressive for a good price ($18)! The salad itself was really tasty, with lots of different flavors and textures, and the sesame crusted tuna was pretty good too. Food came out in a good amount of time and service was great. Looking forward to coming back! read more

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We had a mixed experience here. Service gets an A, both at the bar and at dinner service. Our meals were a mixed bag. Great feedback to offer on the beet salad. NY Strip was unfortunately bland and won't be reordered when we give this location a second try in the future. Looks like mainly handhelds are going to tables. Mixed drinks were all great with a special nod to the orange flavored one, but the chocolatini, well it didn't taste like chocolate but rather the vanilla flavored vodka. read more

The Boatyard is a lovely large restaurant on the water, they have inside and outside seating. The wait was quite long, supposedly they don't take reservations, but we saw many guests who arrived after us, and they were seated before us. We did ask for an accessible table, but really no different from the other tables. The oysters were really bad, the rest of our appetizers and entrees were good. Not sure we would return, at least for dinner on a Sunday eve. read more

Our visit to the Finger Lakes area was enhanced with our dinner at the Boatyard. Dined on the patio which was closed due to the rain. But it was as outside as we could get. Had a wonderful bourbon smash, crispy calamari with fantastic sauces, grilled salmon, and a Maker's Mark sirloin. All choices were outstanding and delicious. Bethany was our very helpful server. Perfect setting if we only had nice weather. We'll be back. read more

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Make sure to call ahead! They don't take reservations and this place gets kinda busy but the wait is much shorter if you call ahead. Drinks: I really liked that they specified which wines on their list were from local wineries since I, like I'm sure a lot of people there were, was in the area to visit some finger lake wineries and if not then look some up and go! Local white wines were great. Tried out a couple glasses. Food: Started with the coconut shrimp and tuna roll. The shrimp was great! Not overly sweet like coconut shrimp often is and I really liked the Chile sauce it came with. The tuna roll is my only negative and I mean this isn't a sushi place so what was I thinking. The tuna in the roll just didn't taste very fresh and overall wasn't really good. I mean it's the only sushi roll on the menu so just beware of that. For mains I got the seafood fra diavolo and my friend got the lobster and shrimp sliders. Both really good. I just wish the seafood fra diavolo was a little spicier. But the cooked seafood all tasted very fresh and perfectly cooked. The fra diavolo had a very generous portion of seafood. The shrimp in it were huge. read more

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Fabulous as usual Good quality food Service was friendly - but table not cleared of appetizers before our dinner arrived A very pleasant evening in a lovely setting read more

We waited for our sever to come over after we were seated for over 20 minutes (this was at 3:30 in the afternoon so they weren't too busy. I had to explain to her what celiac disease was and that I'm highly sensitive and would get sick with any cross contamination. Lunch came out 45 minutes later and my burger was covered with French fries that came out of a shared fryer so I couldn't eat any of it. Apparently the lobster tail was decent and the peach chicken was "alright but very dry". read more

Love this place all the servers know who I am and remember me it makes me feel so welcomed every time. The cookies are fantastic and the clam chowder made by Bobi of the kitchen is always perfect. I can't have clam chowder anywhere else because no where can compare to The Boatyard Grill. read more

Food is consistently good and ambience is great, esp if you can score an outside table. Which brings us to the biggest detraction if boatyard: no reservations and a completely confusing call ahead process. We called at 5:15 for call ahead, hoping for a 6:30 table. They said we don't have 6:30 available but have one table left outside at 7 we can give you. F doesn't that sound like a reservation tho? We get there and are told it will be an hour wait and no outside guaranteed. Wha???This is the absolute reason we hardly ever go to boatyard - the seating policy just makes no sense and is extremely frustrating. read more

Food was excellent. We ordered calamari, Nashville chicken sandwich, lobster seafood pasta(can't remember the exact name) and prime rib(it was a special menu for Cornell graduation). The calamari was very tender inside but crunch outside. The prime was huge for the price. We ordered medium rare but it came out medium. But it was still very good. It was perfect for the graduation celebration. read more

Decent restaurant in Ithaca right by the water. We stopped by for an afternoon snack after being out on Cayuga lake for half a day. The 6 of us shared a handful of items. I remember enjoying the buffalo chicken egg rolls and the Caesar salad very much. The flatbread and fish fry were pretty average in my opinion. They have a decent selection of beers and wines to choose from. Of course they had Flower Power on tap Service was friendly but slow on that day. I think our waitress had another big party to take care. Overall a decent place that I would return to. read more

We had a large party and called ahead for Saturday dinner. It was very busy and I guess officially they don't take reservations, but if you call ahead you'll have a "shorter" wait time - we still waited about 15-20 minutes. The extensive menu was great for our large party. I got the queen size prime rib (around $22?) and it was absolutely huge - maybe 3/4 inch thick! Plus a baked potato and some asparagus. I was happy with it and even got to take some home for a next day snack. Overall, great atmosphere for large groups and reasonably priced for a nice dinner. read more

The BoatYard Grill - Queen size prime rib - $22. Huge portion that I could barely finish! - Seafood Near Me - Ithaca, New York

After an impromptu trip out to Ithaca to South Hill Cider, this place was recommended to us. The food was fantastic! We got the impossible burger, crab cakes and the prime sizzling garlic sirloin. The service was excellent, I unfortunately can not remember our servers name but she was extremely attentive and never let the glasses run out! We will definitely be back to this place, can't wait to try it in the summer the place sits right in a boat yard, literally. We read something about outdoor entertainment in the warmer months. Give this place a try! read more

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Good solid food and a nice atmosphere. Services was good besides a "waitlist seating " mishap which caused me to miss out on the prime rib special but oh well. Wont be disappointed with the chocolate cake for two. At $12.00 it was a deal and could feed three easily. Check it out if you're in Ithaca. read more

It's hard to trust seafood places in Upstate NY unfortunately, but I decided to give this place a try for my birthday. My friend ordered the filet mignon (safe choice) and I ordered the 1.5lb stuffed lobster. The only really good thing about the lobster was..the lobster! The stuffing was cooked crab and shrimp, it was alright. I have a feeling the crab and shrimp mixture was not fresh. The lobster was served with what was listed as a "corn salsa"--which turned out to be some type of potato hash with corn and veggies??? Why would this be served with seafood?? Is this an UPNY thing (lord I hope not)? Because yeah this ain't it.. I ordered extra sides of cooked broccoli and potatoes and didn't touch the "corn salsa" after my first bite. The broccoli was super salty and the potatoes were OK (lemon herb potatoes). Idk why but everything in Ithaca is cooked with SO much salt!!! My meal was not worth the $40+ I paid, it was very generic and strange at the same time. Better off buying fresh lobster somewhere else and cooking it at home. I will say though that the clam chowder was fire--but that's the only thing that was :/ PROS: server was very busy but friendly and responsive (the restaurant was packed), the chocolate cake dessert, my friend's filet mignon plate, clam chowder CONS: their menu is very basic/generic but not done well (in my opinion) so it's not really worth the money you'll be paying, their website is currently misleading and says that they take calls to put your name on a waiting list and that they are "never booked" but I came to find out that neither of those things are true (they stopped taking names until the coming Wednesday, which was not mentioned on their website, and when I got to the restaurant, the wait time was 50 minutes with people still waiting to be seated @9pm when the restaurant closes at 10pm, which is fine but why not update your website to be current/accurate?) read more

The BoatYard Grill - Lobster stuffed with shrimp and crab, with "corn salsa" (it's a hash with veggies...) - Seafood Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Call ahead seating very poorly run. We called ahead for seats at 6pm. At 6:30 we still were not seated even though there were 5 open tables that could have been serving guests. I asked how much longer and they were confused even having 4 hostesses. We went to Mix and had a great meal. Take reservations and you won't have to juggle the calls and stress. BTW the view isn't that great of the canal that you can treat customers this way. read more

Great spot on the water for dinner in Ithaca! Highly recommend the buffalo chicken egg rolls - they were always a favorite at my sorority formal which we used to have here. I also really like their spinach & artichoke dip, but the real main perk here is the view, so I would recommend going when the weather is nice (by Ithaca standards) and dining al fresco! read more

The BoatYard Grill - Spinach & Artichoke Fondue - Seafood Near Me - Ithaca, New York

The food and service are consistently good here. Great ambiance with nice views. I usually get the specials when you come here and have always enjoyed them. Kid friendly and good is for dates and family as well. read more

It's possible that kitchen staff were just having a hard night, but so did we: The wait for food was the longest I've ever experienced, anywhere. We called ahead for a 6:30 reservation, and when we arrived, were told that meant a 40 minute wait. We were seated after 55 minutes. After ordering, our food took 75 minutes to come (at 8:50). That's really rough for anyone, never mind with kids. When the food did come, my fresh fish fry was good quality, but the coleslaw portion was the size of a side of ketchup. Everyone else's food was "B" quality. All this was especially disappointing given the super long wait, and the cost (expensive for us). I'm all for giving people the benefit of the doubt, but even so, we won't be going back. read more

Very good dining experience. We dined outside by the water under a tent-thing. Positives: Our puppy was also welcomed and treated like a little prince. I had the sizzling garlic steak and my mom and fiancee had the scallop/shrimp entree. We enjoyed our food. The server was also terrific. A++ Negs: The veggies were on the same plate as my delicious steak and were saturated in grease and garlic and I couldn't eat them. They were mushy and gross. Most of the staff seemed about 16-19 years old. They were very nice kids... but didn't seem experienced - they just seemed lost... standing around. Our server was young, but we lucked out as she was good at her job. We liked our server a lot. My verdict: I would highly recommend this place for drinks, appetizers and even sandwiches... I wish I got The Gutenburger - named after a great Ithacan!!! I might not recommend this place to drop $20//$30+ on entrees and entertain family or dates. The food was a solid B- and the whole experience didn't have any real wow factor. The sides were all quite underwhelming. Final Thoughts: Ithaca has so many great places to eat. This is by no mean a bad choice, but there is a chance that it could suck the night you choose to go - if you get a bad seat, the wrong waitress, order the wrong thing... So, if you go, order carefully. Personally, I regret not going to the Glenwood Pines / The Pines on this occasion. The Pines has always been good and it's only gotten better throughout the years. I was back in town for 3 days - and I feel that I kind of wasted a dinner here. I grew up in Ithaca and wanted to take my lady to a place on the lake. While this wasn't a restaurant I grew up with, I understood that the owners were well known to Ithaca and it was a safe choice. read more

Based on the Yelp reviews, we came here for dinner on the our last day in Ithaca. I had the special, petite surf and turf, which was a 5-oz filet, 2 seared scallops, asparagus and potatoes. Everything on that plate was Delicious. I liked my steak rare, and it was done perfectly. My bf had Creole tuna medium. He was very happy with it, not too spicy, and said it was done just right. The dinner here was the perfect ending of our vacation ^_^ read more

We had dinner there on a recent Saturday. It was fine, but the menu could use some refreshing. The Nashville Chicken sandwich had a really odd spice in the coating and was not similar to my other experiences with Nashville hot chicken. The salads are good. I would love it if they brought back the sizzling potato chips. read more