The Boat House Cafe - Chichester Marina in Chichester

Staff were pretty good. Food was lovely. We were told it would take a while (20 mins) but no issue with that. My advice is pay via the App. 12.5% discretionary surcharge came to £22.00. Paid by App I got a 18.5% discount on the food & drinks, reducing my bill somewhat….I did leave a tip, but not £22,00. We were only a table of 4 as well. If you take my advice, then a pricey meal turns out not do pricey. Great location as well👍

Had to wait one hour twenty minutes for lunch on Sunday. Staff knew there was a long wait but didn't tell us; if we'd known we would not have waited. Food very mediocre.

The coffee shop is excellent. The staff seem friendly, and my wife said that the hot chocolate and the sausage roll with the best she’s ever had! Mine was also excellent. It’s lovely to go somewhere and not feel disappointed. This is about the coffee shop next door and not the restaurant.

Great tasting coffee and loved having the games to play as we had our grandchildren with us and we used the chess board and snakes and ladders. Highly recommend The Boathouse Cafe which has friendly professional service.

We had dinner in the restaurant and thought it was great. A good menu with lots of gluten free options, the service was friendly and efficient, and the food was delicious!

A college re-union with several friends for an informal lunch. Lovely location - ample car parking. Easy booking procedures both online & verbally by phone. Warm welcome with everybody & everything pre-organized by the team on arrival - nothing too much trouble. Bistro style menu with more than adequate choice on size / cost & variety for all diets. Service levels friendly , efficient & not overbearing throughout. Food quality above average Drink range - overall good , with their presentation a little lack lustre for the prices charged. Value ? - as expected , reasonable. This restaurant style venue ( with a separate Cafe style operation next door ) has been refurbished & certainly presents itself well , not only through modern / welcoming decor but also well looked after facilities throughout. Re-visit ? - yes.

Much much improved! An honestly lovely experience - the staff are delightful and the coffee was divine! Thank you for all the changes you’ve made. What a treat.

Scone butter jam £3. great no jam but still get charged for it first and last visit scone was dry and tasteless waste of money

Went to the cafe part of the boathouse. The coffee was great but the tables were really dirty (not only ours, a lot of them were grubby) I asked for it to be wiped after which I dried it with a tissue and it was black! Not the young girl's fault, she was running the show on her own, washing up, serving etc. Just need more staff. I will only go back because of the location and with some wipes.

After reading the reviews on this site I felt I had to address this issue. We dropped in on our way to our static van at the witterings for breakfast Food was freshly cooked and delicious and well presented. The waitress that served us was really friendly and very attentive. Place was clean and tidy and prices I thought were very reasonable. Will definitely be back. Thankyou

Great breakfast with good options. Friendly helpful staff and a lovely location. I always judge a full English by the sausage and this was top notch. Absolutely the right size and good quality products

Have called in here a number of times on bike ride wanting a quick drink and something light to eat. Food has always been of poor quality and the portions are tiny considering the prices are what you would expect to pay in London's West End. Recently came in and did not fancy anything on the new and quite pretentious menu they no longer even have bar snacks so I couldn't even get a packet of crisps with my drink. Apparently there is now another cafe next door which sell these but is currently closed !! (How about you put a few packets of snacks behind the bar ??? It's not rocket science) In short unless you want to stump up £50 for a drink and good I really wouldn't bother with this place. It's the only place in the marina area so probably survives because of this alone.

Overpriced and Poor Quality food. Tiny portions. Pretentiously written menu which dresses up a fish finger in a wrap as a Bajo Taco. Bar doesn't even have bar snacks like crisps if you don't want some to pay £20 for a tiny portion of food. Apparently these are available in their new cafe next door which always seems to be closed when I call in. I think this only survives as it's the only eatery in the area.

We’re local, and visited your new cafe adjoining the Boat House when it first opened. The coffee and mocha we had were delicious. Came back many times since. Want to be full of praise, as we come here a lot - but I can honestly say that the mocha I had today had no flavour at all. Weakest coffee with no chocolate flavour. My husband’s Americano was very weak too. No idea what you’ve changed, but for regulars, it’s not a positive one. Sorry guys.

Serious outstanding food, hot plates, hot and very tasty food, staff so helpful and friendly. Nothing is an issue . Loved it

Popped in on a sunny afternoon, after a walk. Just wanted a couple of teas plus cake or cookies, but were amazed to be told we could only have tea ! !They did not do cake… Looking around we were not the only ones, other people sat with just hot drinks. Think you are missing out on an opportunity here.

Great food ..... seafood platter.... nice drinks ..... good live music

The food and coffees were delicious. The service is a little slow causing a queue in a small area and the lack of soft furnishings inside means that any noises made by children or dogs make it hard to hold a conversation.

We had a great meal after a busy day laying up the boat. Lovely food, attentive service, great atmosphere, loved it. They've lost one star as it is a little pricey.

Popped in for drinks between the rain showers on a crazy weather November day. Nice selection of cakes and pastries on display but we just went for drinks on this occasion. Tea and an oatmilk hot chocolate which were both a warming welcome. If you are visiting the marina for a walk you Noe’s only get two hours free parking so factor in a bit of time if you are stopping off for a drink.

Indifferent service - lots of items unavailable. Food was pre prepared and deep fried and the starters served in ridiculously small pots! Lovely spot but they need to improve if they want to survive.

Popped into the cafè for a cup of tea and a bacon roll. Excellent service, really friendly and helpful. My friend and I had been out cycling and got caught in a downpour. No matter, we were able to bring our bikes in and dry off. Thank you!

Dropped in with three friends after a trailrun at approx. 09.30 Tuesday 31.10.23. We normally use the cafe next door but this was closed. We entered and asked if we could have coffee. With an air of reluctance,a young woman ushered us to a table. No smile, no greeting - just total indifference. We ordered four coffees and a croissant. A few minutes later, the young woman returned to say they had no croissants. No apology. I asked what else they had and was told pain au chocolat, so that was fine. But no, she returned to say they had none of those either. Coffees arrived and all was well....then out of the blue, a cheerful man arrived bearing a croissant on a plate, then disappeared. My friends left and I stayed to pay the bill. The young woman who served us did the transaction and simply turned away to do other things leaving my receipt on the desk. I could not leave when I saw they'd added a "discretionary" service charge, so I quietly made my views known. Arrogance + ignorance + poor staff training = aweful customer experience.

Afternoon tea Not great. Such a shame as it was childs birthday party and there were quite a lot of us there. The sandwiches in total allowance 3 fingers each. Very dried up bread and the filling wasn’t easily recognised. One scone each and an inch square of cakes a variety of three. All in all. Overpriced for a tiny amount of food a glass of Prosecco and a tea or coffee. The view however is lovely but I’m afraid the quality of an afternoon tea 3/10

A lovely new manager was so authentically welcoming and kind to me and my dog in the cafe today. As I’m local, I’ve popped in a couple of times in the last week and he seemed to genuinely care about making me feel at ease...

Rude man behind the till negatively commenting with surprise on my lunch choices. Coffee was awful - garages do better and there was mud in my spinach wrap. AVOID

Thank you for an excellent breakfast this morning. All of your staff are really great, friendly, polite & helpful. You have created a beautiful space to catch up with friends & eat excellent food.

A hidden treasure. My wife and I regularly go to the Boathouse for lunches and suppers and always enjoy the experience. The view is wonderful, the food is delicious and the wine is reasonably priced. The Boathouse is like your favourite jumper, you always feel...

Staff lovely but the cafe was not very clean and felt embarrassed taking friends there tables dirty ,floor not clean and looked quite dingy

6.75 quid for a pint of Poretti! It's all way too complicated, orders put in an iPad, loads of faff, hanging around while nothing happens, bar man eventually gets the order on his iPad, finally your 6.75 quids worth of beer arrives Better go to...

Restaurant full, so we were directed to the cafe next door where a queue waited to be served, it was a slow process before we ordered our food which was two croque mesuiers, tea and coffee. We went to get a table but found most...

So disappointed by our visit today. We live locally and this used to be one of our favourite places to visit. Today we were so let down I doubt we will return We went to the boathouse and were advised that the kitchen had closed...

I NEVER review... So this will be my first and final. This experience definitely warrants a review. I hope this is helpful for any potential customers (and the management... if there is any?!?!) Having had a HANDFUL of bad visits to the restaurant next door with regards to their service, we thought we'd try their new "coffee shop" that is next door, in the hope that things might of improved. It is situated in an idyllic location after all!! We ordered 4 coffees and then had to settle with a filthy, uncleared table because none of the 4 seater tables had been cleared. There was only 1 clean table which was a two seater. After quickly asking for our table to be cleared and cleaned, we were quickly shutdown and told that there wasn't enough staff on shift to do this. They must be happy with their guests sitting amongst the flies and filth? After waiting more than 20 minutes for the 4 coffees and actually witnessing numerous customers (that were behind us in the cue) receive there's, we decided to raise attention to the fact that we had been waiting a long long time for the 4 drinks. We didn't get an apology or a complimentary gesture, however shortly after this we did receive the 4 coffees which were lukewarm at best. Then a "manager" approached our table and started waving a card machine in my face and was trying his hardest to convince me that the drinks were paid for just 5 minutes ago. He must have been hoping that I had the memory of a gold fish. He was acting as though we were lying about the 20 odd minute wait and putting the blame on us.. the customer! This "manager" had ZERO accountability. What an atrocious way to treat the paying public! If you want to enjoy a coffee at the marina... Here's what i'd suggest... Bring a flask from home!!!

Took the kids for tea and cake in the cafe. Really friendly staff and a nice environment. Went for a walk afterwards in the marina area, overall a lovely day out.

Went for a meal with my son lovely food and very good service. Food was lovely and my son loved having a burger and had a lovely sunset.

The boat house is absolutely lovely! In a gorgeous setting and amazing food, we have been for lunch and dinner several times and enjoyed it every time.

The food served here is gorgeous. I have been here before the refurb and loved it then too. I was a bit skeptical about the changes but it’s worked for the best . Absolutely loved the lobster roll, the freshness of the seafood served here...

Amazing seafood and deserts. Was so delicious. Great service and such an amazing view. Will definitely be returning.

Friendly , helpful staff showed us to a spacious table - lovely decor - and checked everything was good before taking our order. Relaxed, friendly, but not obtrusive service - great advice on food orders and could answer every question (we had a lot, but...

We would thoroughly recommend a visit to the Boathouse. The food was delicious and the staff friendly, knowledgable and efficient. Lovely location too.

Amazing views and the best mussels I've ever had. The service was amazing and I was looked after from start to finish. I will be back again

My wife brought me here for a Birthday treat. It was all very nice.. lovely food, listening to the live music from the Conservatory...until a group of 12 rather loud girls came in that had obviously booked.... This completely spoiled the evening. They obviously couldn't...

We went for Sunday lunch and booked a table in the conservatory - hoping for a lovely sunny view of the marina and boats coming and going. It is certainly not the restaurant's fault there was seriously heavy rain. But there were a few things...

We ate out for lunch with our 2 children. It was one of the best meals out I’ve had in a long time! The atmosphere was relaxed, accommodating to dogs, and the food was excellent. We love sea food, and the platter certainly didn’t disappoint. Sophia’s service was perfectly timed. Not rushed, but not neglectful either. Would highly recommend, and we will certainly be back!

Expensive menu for not good food. The baja taco is a battered fish finger in a wrap.

As we were not eating we were directed to the indoor cafe, whereas we really wanted to sit outside - it seems you can only sit outside if you are eating a meal. But the main issue was the number of flies in the indoor...

Great sea food available, wines etc. Pleasent folk, good service.

Loved everything about the place- great location, easy parking, great staff and great food. Staff were relaxed, friendly and accommodating. Service was informative, helpful and fairly prompt - wouldn't expect good quality food for party of 10 to arrive too fast - worth the short...

Was a super pleasant birthday meal with my family :)

It took 30 minutes to order and recieve 3 hot drinks.

Lovely staff were super kind and accommodating to me and my family. The food was great quality and a great portion!

What a great place! Wonderful food, amazing staff and a stunning location. We will definitely be returning soon.

Have visited a couple of time now, staff are always superb, great quality food all in a lovely setting. What more could you ask for!

A very disappointing meal at lunchtime today . As a special treat I ordered the lobster . It was nearly an hour's wait - I had to ask what had happened to it ..?! It was quite tough, little meat ,and also came with a...

This review is for the coffee cafe not the restaurant part. All tables had not been wiped down and were filthy. Such a shame as a nice location. The coffee was fine

So it’s a great spot. Nice place to walk or sit and watch the world go bye, with some loverly views. However, food disappointing, very small portions, not well cooked and the sweets at £8 laughable in quality and size. This said it would not...

Absolute joke of a place. After walking up to the bar, we were told. “You cannot order at the bar” “ but I can take your order on my iPad” ! Ok Whilst fumbling on his iPad for several minutes, I have given my order...

It was friendly. Food was very nice . Only slight criticism was when the drinks were made which included coffee they were left on the side for 10 minutes while staff walked past! So Coffee was cold when we got it and the drinks were to be for us while we waited for our meal..? The food hatch had a bell maybe the drinks counter could have something similar.

Lovely spot by the water but sooo overpriced!!went to the restaurant first but nothing really on the menu we fancied,too posh,too expensive so went next door as just wanted a sandwich or toastie but yet again not much choice and so expensive...£7 for a wrap!!no...

First and foremost the food is at best average for top prices. The waiting staff are all very young, trying their best, but have no idea about great restaurant experience. Food took a long time to arrive, had to flag someone down as no cutlery,...

So this is my third grilling for this shameless establishment that has so much going for it. My last critism was 6 weeks ago when at 5.30 on a glorious summers afternoon I was turned away with my dog, all I wanted was a pint...

Too many wasps to enjoy a relaxing drink and snack outside ☹🙄 Update August 2023 - had a really nice set menu meal at lunchtime, very tasty Had breakfast there this week, irritating "music" coming out the sonos - peace and quiet please. Plus some chap using the place as his office and talking loudly on his phone to a business colleague - we go out to get away from the work environment, we don't want it when we are relaxing, or trying to relax ! Asked for extra mushrooms with our scrambled egg and trout - we got one each all of varying shrivelledness - for a pound each ! Come on folks, be reasonable ! To recap - set menu great, breakfast very disappointing in every way 😕

After reading negative reviews on this place we was a little dubious on eating here, having just arrived in the marina and nowhere else nearby we had little choice. Service was very quick, our food arrived within 15 minutes of ordering it. Staff friendly enough...

My family and I visited the Boat House, attracted by its superb waterside setting. Unfortunately, our actual dining experience fell far short of the promise the location offered. Despite the restaurant being near-empty, service was slow. We faced an extended wait for our drinks, which...

Warm welcome with great sevice and food

It was ok, service not too bad even though we had to ask for menus! Food is very over priced.

Mouth watering, Amazing flavours…..

A nasty experience. The restaurant itself is pleasant and clean, and the menu sufficiently varied and interesting. However, our order (and a number of other tables) was lost. The table next to us left without eating after waiting 45 minutes. The manager attempted to convince...

So went for dinner this evening I had the boathouse burger and my son had the kids fish and chips. Very nice and very friendly service from josh and Maisie

Such a shame. Last time I visited, all the people who were behind me in the queue received their orders first. It seems they had lost my ticket and, after waiting for an age, I had to ask for my drink again. Today, I thought...

Lovely terrace in the sunshine, friendly staff and great selection of food with good vegan options (including desserts).

Very disappointing experience- made to feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. From taking the order to getting our food( mussels / Steak sandwich) was nearly 1 hour. Offered 2 packets of crisps as compensation for lack of food. Managers did not have a handle on the service so waiting staff all over the place and had to say apologies to guests. Bad management 101!!! Staff moaning and talking unprofessionally in front of customers- managers only comping ‘those type of money spending customers we want back’ Food was good but not worth the £55 we spent on lunch for 2 with the shambolic attitude to hospitality that we were given.

Very disappointing experience- made to feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. From taking the order to getting our food( mussels / Steak sandwich) was nearly 1 hour. Offered 2 packets of crisps as compensation for lack of food. Managers did not have a handle on the service...

WOW the vegan fish and chips is fantastic. Must visit.

After a 6 and half mile walk a drink was well deserved.. We had wraps which were very good

On the face of it this a really nicely appointed restaurant in a prime location. I chose the simple lunch menu, as advertised, for £24. It took 53 minutes for the main course to arrive. It was a minute piece of chicken, and so I complained. I was told that this was because I had ordered the lunch menu. They could take it back to the kitchen if I wanted a larger (single) piece to be cooked. I couldn't wait any longer so I asked them to bring me another small piece of chicken. Which eventually they did. And charged me £5.50 extra. I kid you not Less than 1 mile away is another restaurant which serves a chicken dish that would be enough for about 4 or 5 "meals" at the Boat House. Cost = £12.50 If the Boat House can't afford the ingredients, then they should stop advertising such menus. I won't be returning.

Service as soon as we arrive was excellent. The menu was very good. Food when it arrived didn't disappoint. Will definitely be going back.

This former relaxed and reasonably priced restaurant, where you could just go in for coffee and cake has morphed into an over priced, sterile "up market" restaurant and I will never go again.

Dreadful - we have visited a fews times and the service has been hit and miss when busy. However, we thought we would try on a Monday lunchtime but alas not to be. We tried to dine outside (turquoise shed) and use the QR code to order to our table but the signal was poor and the wifi was useless. Luckily for us my partner approached the staff again in the restaurant before placing an order, only to be told that they were too busy with table of 10 or so the wait would be 30/40 mins. My partner questioned why they never said at the point of requesting a menu 10 mins earlier and the fact that there were barely any other customers in the restaurant, yet plenty of staff available? We were advised to use the Boathouse Cafe instead not what we had planned! Sadly this is the last time we will try and visit the Boathouse. Such a shame as it's in a nice location yet the management and staff let it down. A common theme highlighted in other reviews.... 1/5

The boat house cafe - we stopped for late breakfast and I was really impressed with options for yoghurt/raspberries/granola or mango/chi seeds really delicious. My husband had a toasted cheese and ham panini again very good. Coffee was lovely too. Staff very helpful. Will definitely be back

Totally turned this around and the food, service and wine were fantastic. Sunny evening sat out last night was fantastic, will be back.

Jobsworth gardener! Ok but! Great young staff and seafood not bad but throughout the meal there was a jobsworth gardener mowing the same old patch of grass again and again in front of our table! He just wouldn’t stop. And also two cars alarms kept...

We’ve visited a few times and was looking forward to celebrating my disabled son finishing his first year at college. Service was diabolical. I don’t know if to even go into being ignored by the waiting staff. Had nearly an hour wait to get someone’s attention ( the lunch rush had passed and they spent their time chatting about their Saturday plans, or folding napkins. ) to ask for a desert menu. They never returned to ask what we would like , so after 20 mins waiting we got up to pay at the bar as it looked like no-one was bothering. There must have been less than 10 tables being used by that time but the staff were elsewhere with their eyes closed. A couple came in just after us, never got given a menu and had to ask to be served.This happened after we had finished eating our main course. In their shoes I would have walked out! I spent my youth as a waitress and I would have been pulled up on lack of attention to the customers. I would be checking every table had what they needed, not avoided eye contact at every opportunity. Am not happy leaving this review , as we have enjoyed coming here in the past, but it really has put a dampener on the experience. I feel my son was right, and we should have tried the pizza place across the road in Donnington

We booked last minute without expectation. We last visited 4yrs ago for a pizza & music night and kept meaning to come back. It wasn’t busy, as the weather had been inclement, but we were treated so well & the food was really special. I...

Fab location with lots of outside seating. Interesting menu with changing specials. Good emphasis on seafood.

Early dining table booked for 1800 for 10 guests to celebrate a big birthday. We were staying in the marina but with family driving to the restaurant to join us. Served by Oscar who was both efficient and charming. We had a table in the...

Indoor dining and a large outside dining area. Good reception, good choice of drinks, reasonable pricing.

We have been here twice now once for breakfast and once for lunch. Both times have been lovely with a lovely setting and friendly staff. Food a little on the pricey side however has always been enjoyable.

Great place. Refurbished. New menu.Great New Manager. lovely staff. We found it to be very good after several recent visits. Food was excellent.

Beautiful spot especially when the weather is kind. Great place to ear and enjoy the stunning views. Very busy at weekends I understand. So a weekday is recommended.

We arrived at The Boathouse without a booking but we’re immediately accommodated in the area of our choice…. After being seated Menus arrived and water for the table ….. A ‘new’ waitress came to take our order (her first day)….. she sat at an adjoining...

My experience at the boat house was disappointing. The manager made us feel very unwelcome and his tone was disrespectful. I could see how this attitude was impacting the junior staff members, they were visibly stressed even though there was just 4 tables in the restaurant at the time. I understand that staffing issues are a common challenge faced by many establishments in the industry. However, it is crucial for the restaurant owner to recognise the importance of providing adequate support and guidance to their teams. Despite the potentially fantastic location, the lack of proper management overshadowed the positive aspects. On a positive note, the food was decent. However, the overall experience left me feeling unwelcome.

Fish and chips. Fish tasted off (sharp tang to it) and ended up with food poisoning for the rest of the weekend.

Lunch time menu had one option for dessert which we requested. We were informed there was no caramel sauce but went ahead and are as charged £1 more for it! Service was friendly and polite but staff seemed overworked- pity its gone downhill

We have been looking forward to visiting the boat house restaurant for a while, we saved it for Father’s Day to celebrate a special occasion. We arrived 10 mins late for our booking (our fault entirely) and we’re told oh sorry the previous guests at...

Pleasantly surprised. Having been here several years ago and been disappointed we came again today for lunch with our friends. Brilliant lunch served quickly and with a smile. Fantastic!! Thank you.

Food was ok but they were seriously understaffed which meant service was terrible. Not the fault of the waiting staff, they were great.

We thought they were understaffed so a bit rushed.

Good food at a reasonable price for the location. Management seemed a little disgruntled

RATS was sat outside and saw multiple large brown rats (have photographic evidence).I politely made a member of staff aware of the rats and was confronted with absolute rudeness the member of staff (badge read Sophie although may be mistaken) replyed telling me “if I don’t like the cafe then just leave” I was discussed and had to leave. WONT BE GOING AGAIN!!