The Boathouse Bar & Restaurant in South Lakeland

We went here twice during our stay and it was great both times. Nice relaxed atmosphere, good views, lovely service and great food!

Fantastic birthday dinner with family. The menu was fab with the great mix of starters,mains and puddings. We were recommended trying the terrific beef strips for starters,cauliflower, prawns and hallumi.3 out of 4 of us had The tandoori cod and it was the best fish dish we have had! Chris,the chef did a fab job and food overall was excellent. Recommend a visit when staying in the lakes. Restuarnt upstairs was quite quiet but surprising for a Friday night. Waitress was very freindly and attentive.

Great venue with helpful staff. We stayed at Storrs Gate House who recommended this restaurant. Great views over the harbour

We had been out walking most of day , wanted to go on ferry but wanted a nice restaurant as the one last night not too good . We were very happy to find this place . The service from staff was fab and very friendly. Good fabulous and the sun came out so we could have desert on patio. Brilliant

Definitely worth the small drive to find this “hidden gem”. Lovely views over the marina but it’s the quality of the food that makes it a 5 star experience. Really fresh, quality ingredients all cooked skilfully. Good choice of reasonably priced wine as well. Will be coming back on next visit. Felt for the service team who seemed under pressure and maybe a bit undermanned but didn’t detract from a great night.

This was a great find We sat outside ,with views over the Marina The menu choice was excellent ,service was friendly and the team was interested in describing the dishes Well worth a visit

The food is very overpriced for what you get. My meal was average at best, lacked flavour and wasn't very warm. I had the sweet potato and lentil curry which cost me £20. My friend had a cocktail she paid £14 for which when it arrived tasted like it had no alcohol in it. She sent it back and was told "ive put a double it now" it still tasted like sofa water... for £14 you'd expect it to be of a high standard. Another member of our party had the crispy chilli beef that was as dry as bone and had no sauce. Another got the burger which came with one onion ring and a tiny portion of chips, that cost £18 so you'd expect a bit more for your money. When it came to paying our bill, a service charge was added which is fine, however because we wanted to pay seperately for what we had the service charge was added on to each seperate person paying which made it a lot more than 10%! The female waitress was rude and sarcastic and told a member of my party that the tip she gave was poor when she tried to challenge the seperate service charge. Two glasses of fizz and a sweet potato curry cost me £42!!

I booked the Boathouse months in advance for my partners birthday. When arriving at the Boathouse it seemed very disorganized and no one to greet and seat us. We got told to ask at the bar and then told to sit wherever. At this stage we were not made aware of the restaurant upstairs which would of been a lot more suitable for a birthday meal. We had to wait over 30mins for a drink and 45mins to order our food. The starters came in reasonable time and were really good! We were really looking forward to our main courses. We waited a good 45mins for our main course with no sign of it. I then went to the main bar inside to check as no one came out and spoke to us. I was told that the main hadn't been put through at all and not been cooked! I was shocked and very disappointed as this was suppose to be a special meal that was booked well in advance and I put on my booking it was for a birthday celebration. We got totally forgotten about and experienced no form of service from the moment we entered. My partner kept having to go to the bar to ask for drinks, to take our order etc. The place seemed to be full of locals and last min drop in's for food who all seemed the get better service then us. The place seemed under staffed and very unorganized and not a relaxing eating environment. We left very unhappy and hungry and overall a very disappointing experience.

Very pleasant surroundings, all the staff friendly, helpful, and attentive. The food was excellent with prompt service.

What A View … looking over Windermere Marina Village whilst you enjoy your meal & drinks … A very comprehensive menu awaits you & a very full bar to accompany your meal. My suggestion would be to book, as this bar, restaurant becomes very busy, especially at weekends etc.

Very happy with Alex who works here very hardworking to make sure everyone is happy and very friendly also Sarah very kind and caring would recommend 😎

We love the boathouse and stop off whenever we visit the Lakes en route to our holiday lodge. My only issue is that the menu hasn't changed in about 2 years and is quite limited for vegetarians. We end up eating the same thing each time. PLEASE can you change the menu once in a while.

Stayed at Windermere Marina in one of the self catering apartments and went here on the last night and wished we hadn't. The waitress (Maddie) didn't show us to a table just waved with her hand to a couple of tables and said take your pick. We sat down and she took our drinks and food order but by the time the starters appeared our drinks didn't. We told the chap who brought the food about the drinks and Maddie brought them saying she had forgotten. This was not a busy Saturday night this was a Thursday night with hardly anyone in, so they weren't run off their feet. Other people came in and waited at the sign which said 'Please wait to be seated' they were ignored for ages, I would have walked out! Starters of popcorn cauliflower were actually really good and tasty, so we had high hopes for the mains. The falafel burgers looked impressive but the burger was way too thick so it was stodgy and claggy so we left a lot of it. The burger would have been better to be thinner and shame there is no vegan cheese or vegan mayo (I brought my own mayo). Service was not great at all, we ordered a second glass of wine and Maddie took my existing glass of wine away which had a good glug or two still left in the glass, I luckily got her attention and got it back to finish. The place itself has no atmosphere at all, there is just something missing, its not welcoming and service was not great at all.. The staff were more engaged chatting to locals sat at the bar rather than serve tables. In fact one couple who came in after us, got a drink and left due to being ignored. We've visited Windermere Marina for over 30 years and this was only our second visit to The Boathouse, now I know why, the first visit wasn't great but this was not good at all.. Definitely wont be coming back.

Beautiful setting, friendly and welcoming atmosphere, lovely food, tasty and well prepared. Loved it Only comment, they were extremely busy and the staff were run off their feet. I felt sorry for them, as they really needed extra help.

I went to the Boathouse with my wife and 2 young children for dinner. We had a fantastic meal and a wonderful evening. The food was fantastic and the service great. The choice of meals for the children was much better than most restaurants and the quality of the food was top class. We will definitely return again when next in the Lake District.

Visited the restaurant for the breakfast with Santa experience. It was brilliant my grandchildren had a great time we were able to relax all the children looked to be having a great time. I can highly recommend the breakfast too..

Do Not book a table here, we booked a table for today 3/12/23 for my dads 70th birthday meal, paid a hefty deposit. However the area has obviously had an a huge amount of snow fall, completely adverse weather conditions. We were staying at the Graythwait estate and were completely stuck in by at least a foot of snow. I called numerous times this morning to try to cancel our table and to explain the situation but there was no answer via telephone so I emailed to cancel. I later called again and asked to speak to a manger to seek a refund to be told “ I’m just a staff member you need to speak to an owner to get a refund. I’ll get someone to call you straight back” I followed this up again by an email to be ignored again. Absolutely disgusting behaviour considering the police advice to not travel and being completely snowed in ourselves. Photos attached of the snow we were expected to drive through to not loose our deposit.

A very wet midweek evening in November so the restaurant was very quiet. Service was very good, staff friendly and polite. Food (steak and chicken) was really good. Well worth paying a little extra compared to the more 'fast food' type pubs in Bowness. Would definitely eat there again

We have eaten at The Boathouse many times and have always found the whole experience to be excellent. The food is of an excellent quality and the staff are extremely helpful, friendly and professional. The atmosphere is great, even when the restaurant is quiet. There are great gluten free options and delicious vegetarian dishes, if a little limited. Highly recommended.

The only award I will be giving this restaurant is the award for being the most unorthodox restaurant I’ve eaten in. Reasons why this is one of the strangest restaurants I’ve eaten in: • The waitress pointed to a table for me and my fiancé to sit at when we entered (instead of being shown to the table like most restaurants do • For a couple, we were pointed to a table for ten to sit at. Yes, you read that correctly. A table for ten. • We both ordered a soup of the day. It was really tasty but it was piping hot and I ended up burning my tongue. That said generally the food was really tasty and the staff were friendly enough

We visited on 8th October 2023 as a group of 9 x friends ordering a mix of Sunday roasts and main menu food. Food on the whole was good. Few things were that the cauliflower cheese was lacking and when asked for more gravy they could have brought one each rather than 2 x teeny tiny jugs. Service was slow in taking the order and were sat at the end for 20 minutes before having to ask for them to clear the table. We would have had desserts if it didn’t take as long to clean it table. Also wasn’t a fan that a compulsory service charge had been added to the bill considering the lack of it. Overall, I wouldn’t come back and think there are better places close by.

My recent visit to The Boathouse Bar & Restaurant in the Lake District left me quite disappointed, especially considering it was a special occasion. The major issue we encountered was the slow service, which significantly detracted from our dining experience. Additionally, the limited availability of items on the food menu was a letdown. I decided to order fish, only to find that it was incredibly salty to the point where you could visibly see the sea salt, and it even burned my lips as well as my friend's. When we raised this concern with the chef or restaurant manager, their response was perplexing - they explained that it was salty because it's from the sea. As regular consumers of fish, we couldn't help but find this explanation inadequate, as we've never encountered such extreme saltiness in fish before. Adding to our disappointment, the food bill turned out to be exorbitantly expensive, and we were left puzzled about the reasons behind the high cost. Overall, The Boathouse Bar & Restaurant did not live up to our expectations for a special occasion, primarily due to the slow service, menu availability issues, excessively salty fish, and unexplained high prices on the bill.

Lovely and friendly service, plus the beer was in good nick and great! Didn't eat there but the food also looked really nice 👌

Lovely food, great service from Paula, very relaxing🌸 Mussels were very tasty, would definitely recommend. Dog friendly.

Put on a table next to the 2 entrances so very cold when these doors opened. Felt we were squeezed in despite an advance booking. Waited over 30 minutes to place our food order. When the food came, it was good. We had the salmon, the burger and the bolognese. Wanted the duck special but was only told when we came to order that it was finished for the night. In fairness to the few staff who did their best and were both polite and apologetic, the restaurant was hopelessly understaffed and it showed. Walked +1 mile to get here and passed some nice restaurants on the way. Not sure we’d walk past them again.

Great place been coming since it opened all those years ago seemingly Always great food from Ben and as ever Tracey was a super star professional friendly attentive and always remembers us and our girls from when some were in push chairs - she’s fabulous...

Absolutely fantastic private event! We decided to hire the upstairs area of the Boathouse to celebrate my Baby Shower, the staff couldn’t have been more helpful from set up/decoration to food and drink service to helping clear the room we had a wonderful time. I...

Had several meals here over the week the staff were friendly and courteous and the food was very good. I would highly recommend a visit, pre-book to avoid disappointment.

Business lunch. Excellent service and food. Thoroughly enjoyable. A credit to the recent new management.

It is a nice setting and a lovely view on a summer evening with the doors open on to marina. We sat in restaurant upstairs, to be honest without the view and a table at the front overlooking marina, it would be a pretty soleless...

Very poor service and food.Booked for 12.30pm .We gave our order which was roast beef.There was two thinly sliced minuet pieces of beef hidden under a Yorkshire pudding.The vegetables were reasonable but the service took 25mins.There was only two staff on duty to cater for...

Attended a baby shower here today. The food was very good. 25 people all meals delivered on time. Staff went above and beyond to assist. Wonderful afternoon. Would definitely visit again.

So disappointed. My sons birthday and he wanted a Sunday lunch. Booked for 12 of us at 6pm only to be told there was no Sunday lunch left. We were so disappointed. Two broccoli soups ordered. Nope 2 tomato and bean soup arrived. No explanation...

Don’t waste your time! Booked a lovley little meal to celebrate with family! I rang ahead to explain we were running late and the lady on the phone said it was fine. Walked into the restaurant and was shouted by an aggressive blonde waitress across...

Been coming here 15 years worst ever. At Fri lunch beautiful service food lovely. Then went all wrong. Came back sat night hubby had same steak fries as Friday steak tuff awful and took four times get right fries my dish was cold took forever...

Was expecting much more from this place as the food looked amazing online and unfortunately left really disappointed. - The restaurant was dated and lacked any sort of atmosphere, it reminded us of a harvester or a holiday campsite restaurant. It’s a lovely open space...

Disappointing. Table was booked and we ran late but called ahead to advise that. When we got there we were 'told' that tables are only held for 15 mins. My daughter explained that she called ahead and as only 3 staff there I'm sure one...

The food was excellent and filled with flavour. The menu had a variety of different meals leaving us with an intention of returning. Was not disappointed.

Visited for my sisters birthday meal - family of 10 including 2 children! 3 course meal for all 10 of us with perfect service, honestly don’t think we’ve had a Sunday dinner like it! Very welcoming for children and a good selection of children’s meals....

A enjoyable evening, didn't start too well as the pate was runny although tasty. However the burger and accompanyments were probably the best I have ever had, delicious with great fries and onion rings. The staff were excellent, it was our waitresses first night and...

Returned to this restaurant after visiting last year hoping to have a nice evening like last time. Me and my partner were genuinely shocked at how run down the place now is. We sat outside overlooking the Marina and noticed the roof was leaking in...

Another faultless family meal at the Boathouse, everyone enjoyed it! The king prawn linguine was amazing and the kids menu is great the spaghetti bolognese goes down well even with my fussy eaters! Lovely setting and atmosphere too

Great place for outdoor seating--great quality fish (cod) and chips, and great burger. The service was very nice too. It's a bit off the beaten path, as it's near the south end of Bowness. Great escape from the crowds.

We are never disappointed with the boat house. The food is lovely cooked fresh. The service friendly but not over the top. Really good atmosphere for a lazy evening meal

It was all about the views! The food was ok, nothing special, but it was fine as we wanted this restaurant solely for its location! I did enjoy my cocktail and the dirty waffle fries were lovely.

Food was fabulous,best mussels ! Service was very good , very friendly and dog friendly too Lovely,modern,clean place with a lovely atmosphere

We are staying at the Windermere Marina Village and visited The Boathouse Bar and Restaurant for our evening meal. The food was absolutely delicious and the service we received was excellent, Tracey was our server and she was extremely friendly, pleasant, polite and professional. Highly...

Just called in for fish and chips they were absolutely fantastic Hot and very tasty it was lovey Christmassy decorations up in the bar. I recommend this place. I will be calling again sometime soon.

When me and my partner were looking for a restaurant to visit during our stay on lake Windermere, we came across this place and saw some good reviews and decided to book. On arrival, it seemed we had arrived at the wrong place as it...

We really enjoyed our meal. Service was very attentive without being interfering. Food was good value and full of flavour. I would definitely go back.

Searches for a dog friendly place for lunch and found this. Reviews we read were spot on! Luckily, the day we visited was warm and sunny so we sat outside looking at the marina, although we were assured our sausage dog was welcome indoors too....

This has recently become our new favourite local spot for a relaxed weekend lunch. The service is efficient and dining outside offers lovely marina views. The food is fresh, simple, delicious and done well - great choice on the menu, but restricted enough to give...

Visited this establishment in Sept and was very impressed The staff were very young but were hard working and friendly The food was great and generous portions Great location in the beautiful English Lakes Will definitely return

We were lucky enough to get a table outside on the upstairs terrace on a warm summers night. Starter of squid was disappointing . The mains of salmon with Thai salad & the burger were excellent . Can recommend the expresso martini cocktail. Staff were...

we had a lovely lunch good service and selection very reasonable priced would recommend if in area near to the lakeside carpark

We booked here based on reviews qnd good menu to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. The food and setting was fantastic but let down by the poor service. There was no communication or welcome from any of the staff. I work in hospitality and service...

I am surprised I went to the same restaurant as these other reviews. The food was really nice and if you get a chance to eat every course it was all good. The issue we had was the service. I understand that wait staff have...

Had a lovely meal here mid week. We were staying in Bowness for two nights. The first night we had just popped in for a drink and saw the food being served and decided to come back the following evening to eat. Staff were really...

Pleasant staff and a nice setting but the food was bland and over-priced. We both had roast chicken. The chicken was tough and tasteless; no effort had gone into even trying to season it. It was served with a bizarre combination of salsa verde and...

We eat here 3 times in the week, amazing food and lovely staff. Can't recommend it enough - 5 stars x

We couldn’t fault our dinner as 5 of us arrived at Windermere without a reservation on our first night. Luckily we were early & hungry and were certainly not disappointed. Delicious quality food cooked fresh and served by lovely welcoming & professional team. Would certainly...

We had met up with friends for a coffee at their home, they suggested a walk down to the Marina for lunch. We were immediately made to feel welcome and shown to a table. We ordered drinks, then lunch and more drinks. A very unhurried,...

A splendid experience. Dogs lying about. Families with children. Oldsters (me) and youngsters. A place for everyone. Good food - and lots of it. Altogether a very pleasant place.

9 of us visited on Saturday night, we had pre-booked via telephone. Its a relaxed and informal setting and I imagine in the summer the view of the marina would be lovely. The menu had plenty of choice and the lad serving us was very...

Booked to come here purely because they offer a dessert burger ( Yes I know you're intrigued but be patient, like the meal, we will get there) but this place offers so much more, basically everything you need for a great meal, good food, wonderful...

Just been in for lunch all are meal were lovey be back again on are next visit look Ford sit on the terrorist in the summer time

Modern restaurant opposite car ferry car park ( need to park here). Good service with more choice than on the online menu. The starters were very good. The chilli and garlic prawns as starter was top quality. Less keen on the leg of duck and...

As we were staying at our favourite place The Windermere Marina apartments for my 50th birthday it would be rude not to have a few meals here. Superb friendly staff, great food, lovely location. What more could you ask for! Thanks again guys. Well recommended!

Great food and great selection of drinks! Had a really good evening one night in here. Friendly staff and quick service and plenty of parking avaliable early evening

We visited on a Sunday, service was very attentive, one of our group is celiac and was very pleased with options available, Food was good and delivered promptly.

We came here early evening, we had a delicious meal!! Staff were very attentive and there was a great selection of food

pre-booked here, a family of 4 adults and 3 children, at first the service was great, very attentive. we ordered our meal, I had fish and chips, the fish inside the batter was lovely, the batter was undercooked and not at all crispy as it...

Absolutely gorgeous location Super friendly service Amazing reasonably priced food of an excellent standard Highly recommended

Overpriced salty food. Not worth the money. Lovely view if you are seated facing it. The pate to start was so salty, I couldn't eat it. The chips on the main were also to salty. The burger did not even have cheese on. Very disappointed.

I'm really disappointed with my experience at this restaurant. Given the location they have so much potential to provide good quality food, sea food, steaks but what they have chosen to do is provide a very limited menu of over priced food at small portions....

This is a dog friendly restaurant so there was dog's barking throughout our meal. The food is very average, French fries clearly out of the freezer which were drenched in salt. This accompanied with a very dry burger at a cost of £15! The pate...

Visited this place twice while we were staying locally. Looks a lovely place, right on the marina, overlooking the boats which was beautiful. Had a lunch here on Sunday which was average, just a pizza, but we were both starving! Came back the following evening...

Positives: overlooking the marina with outdoor seating and catches the afternoon sunshine. Negatives: very average food.

I booked this place for my birthday meal - travelled 45 minutes to be greeted with a sign on the door informing us they were shut due to covid - I understand it is very difficult circumstances for businesses but to be told prior to...

We went for a meal but one of our party was running late. We asked if we could delay ordering whilst we waited and this was readily allowed. Could not fault any of our meal and they kindly brought out extra cutlery so I could...

We popped for dinner one evening. Food was very good and in a lovely location. The service started great but then once we had had our main seemed to be hard to get anyones attention. Waited ages for the desert menu and took a while...

Staff were friendly & attentive. We all enjoyed our meals and thought the price was reasonable especially considering the view from the terrace looking over the marina

Saw a pop up on snap chat and decided to give it a go, so glad we did. Staff were friendly and helpful. Menu was varied, obviously alot of fish dishes. We all opted for fish and chips and really enjoyed them! Lovely ice cold...

Really nice casual dining restaurant good menus and friendly staff. Reasonably priced good food and excellent view if you sit on the terrace.

We were staying at the Marina again and visited here following a good experience during our last visit in August. It is even better now. The food quality is excellent, the service is outstanding and you can now eat outside, which was lovely. Highly recommended.

Worst £18 mussels ever - small, overcooked and inedible. Told by manager that they would not be charged (witnessed by several adults). Went to pay bill - mussels charged! When questioned told ' you had eaten too many for them not to be charged' -...

Restaurant was near our hotel so we wandered in after reading the good reviews. The restaurant is nicely located with a good view over the marina and the food itself is good and reasonably priced with a varied menu selection. Staff were also helpful and...

I booked the Boathouse on line before arriving at Bowness. It is set away from the busy pier area, it overlooks a mariner. The food was delicious the best risotto I have ever had. Reasonably priced and very good service we were seating upstairs looking...

Very good food, very tasty. Only issue which stopped 5 stars for me, is that we requested the bill which took a long time to arrive as the member of staff began a discussion with another customer around the England V Ukraine match the night...

A lovely location with a view over the marina, this restaurant is well worth a visit if you're in the area. We tried the risotto and mussels which were both great and the service was on point.

Booked for an evening dinner after a quick search for restaurants in Bowness. A bit out of town located in the marina. Lovely view across the marina from the outside terrace but we chose to sit indoors. A bit soulless because it was quiet. My...

Oh my goodness, we just love it here. The service is second to none, always happy smiling faces that go above and beyond every single time. As for the food, well where do I start??? I can honestly say we haven't had anything less than...

I would describe the food as bang average at best. Very underwhelming for the price. The real problem was the service. It really was as bad as it gets. It really shouldn't be the case that you walk away from a restaurant genuinely angry, but...

My husband and I always eat here when we are visting Bowness. Really friendly team that make you welcome, especially our dog! The food is fab. Can't fault anything on the menu. The black pudding starter is delicious and the duck as a main is...

We called in ‘on speck’ to have supper. The welcome was friendly enough and the young man who took our order was pleasant and efficient. The drinks took a while to arrive (a beer and a glass of wine) and we ordered a couple of...

Brilliant food and service. Had a really nice evening. Beautiful setting upstairs and really good friendly service. Food was excellent and well priced for the quality. Looking forward to our next visit.

Came here a couple of times during trip to Bowness for drinks. Staff were polite especially the security who took you to your seat. Good views aswell.

We had the best time at the Boat House restaurant and lounge. It was my wife’s 60th birthday and wanted to do something special. We booked a impromptu trip to Montana with friends. The Lodge at Whitefish lake was the spot. Terry the manager made...

We received a warm welcome as soon as we walked through the door. We ordered drinks a Cider for the wife and a larger, we both chose the Lamb burger. When the meals arrived the waiter noticed that the cider looked cloudy and took it...

Very friendly staff. Very clean. Staff replaced my cider with out having to ask. Portion of the meal was plenty c