The Boathouse Cafe in Guildford

I was looking forward to trying out the Boathouse, something a little different for Guildford with oodles of located on the river. On arrival there is an overwhelming smell of deep fat fryers that seemed to strongly waft all around the outside seating area; this aroma remains until inside the restaurant. The interior is very considered, the food is not. Ingredients feel low quality with presentation dated and underwhelmimg. The kitchen staff are required to walk past tables repeatedly for provisions out of the store area which is bizarrely located in the corner of the restaurant so you get to see the catering packs of food being carried through which took the little sheen left, well away. I had a salad containing fridge cold and tasteless tomatoes smothered in a very acidic balsamic glaze with some mini rubbery mozzarella balls described as a Caprese salad, one of the saddest salads I've seen in a long time. In spite of arrving for the start of lunch service, the specials were also already "sold out". Service is schizophrenic from arrival to departure with many diners struggling to get service and attention when needed. Atmosphere is lacking and stiff for a cafe on a Saturday afternoon, feeling uncomfortable to relax. Surrey is only 40 mins outside of London, I am not sure why the quality suffers quite as much as it does in a broad range of offerings in the area but it is a hugely missed opportunity whatever the reason.

So happy to discover this delightful place in Guildford with lots of choice on the menu. We shall definitely return.

Visited for Sunday lunch after looking at the menu. It was not available, so ende up having brunch. Bit disappointing after driving 30 miles to get there.

Unfortunately very disappointing. We booked in advance for the festive menu but when we arrived they said they'd run out of ingredients so half the meals weren't available. We were told we could mix and match off the main menu instead but then they didn't know how to price our bill at the end which was a bit of a mess. Any questions that we asked the waiting staff felt like a real inconvenience. Overpriced and not very friendly. Disappointing experience.

Popped in for lunch. Just had a main course and have to say what a wonderful experience. Moved me to leave my first review. Great venue and chef’s who really know what they are doing.

We had a wonderful evening meal at the boathouse. The food was absolutely delicious and clearly high quality ingredients. The building is beautiful and really love the interior design of the restaurant. A great new addition to Guildford.

Excellent lunch with friends today with very good service. Only negative was that many of the menu items were not available.

I've visited The Boathouse a few times now and each visit has been fantastic. Delicious food and a great atmosphere. The team are lovely and the location is stunning. Highly recommend for food or even just for a drink - Their cocktails are amazing!

This is a bit of a hidden gem. We didn't even realise it was there until we noticed it when parking to go to another eatery. Glad we ventured into it, though. Lovely building and decor. Food and service were first rate. Definitely will go again 👍👍👍

Expected something a bit buzzier and busier for evening meal. Very quiet and quite formal. Not well lit or signposted to restaurant at back but staff welcoming. Menu brief with only one veggie noodle option which was disappointing when arrived as lacked veggies! Considering new restaurant would be so good to see more thought for the ever growing veggie brigade. Other dishes tasty and generous but nothing wildly exciting. Probably try again for brunch.

A lovely place for a quiet and cosy breakfast (which is what I and wife had) Thank you so much

Beautiful setting, sun trap and shade options, we had the steak and roast chicken both delicious. Service friendly, as efficient as it cld be. Will be back!

What an incredible place. Beautiful building, delicious food and delightful service. Thank you.

We went for a coffee one jam croissant and one raisin swirl. Those you can find in any supermarket nowadays. The coffee price was ok but they charged us £4 for each croissant. Furthermore, there were only 4 people in the caffetteria and took very long to serve us. I don't think we are going back.

I went for dinner with a friend and we had a magical time! Our waitress was perfect - just the right balance of attentive and giving us space. The food was DELICIOUS and the atmosphere was spot on. So delighted to be supporting an independent in such a great location too. We will be back!

Very friendly staff and lovely food in a great setting

Loved this place! Great spot by the river, very friendly service and delicious food. Had a great evening dining on tge terrace for our anniversary, and they surprised us with a delicious chocolate anniversary dessert. We’ll be back!

Lovely location by the river for either a coffee or a full meal. The food we had was great quality - highly recommend the local cheese board which was generously sized. Also looks like they have nice breakfast and dinner options too. We will definitely be back!

Made a reservation for our anniversary. 10 minutes before our scheduled arrival time I received a phone call to say there was a problem but the call kept dropping so went to the restaurant to see what was happening. Allegedly a burst pipe so we asked if we could just have a drink. No was the abrupt response. Think we were mugged off. Won’t see me again.

Lovely building and nicely fitted out but that's where it stops. I cannot remember a time when I've had such bad food, in fact it was inedible. I dearly wanted this to be a success as Guildford needs more decent restaurants. The nibbles at £9.50 were atrocious, 4 pieces of chewy (tempura?) squid and 5 small overcooked chorizo sausages with a dipping sauce that didn't go with them. Then there was the artesian bread, which was anything far from artesian. I didn't think it was possible to go downhill from here but they managed to achieve this with the main courses. The Hake came with a greyish mash that questioned whether you should be eating the dish at all. The scallop dish was inedible, served with woody samphire. The side dish of vegetables consisted of woody asparagus. The chicken ballottine was chopped up as though it was being served to a child. I understand that the manager wasn't in that night, which is a shame as I would have loved to tell them my thoughts on the food, and to be honest the service. We were the only people in the restaurant (other people were sitting outside) but despite this we had to summon the waitress to order wine and then again to request water for the table. The staff were apologetic about the food but I would seriously question the credentials of the supposed (two) chefs as I think an GCSE home economics student could present a better plate of food. Needless to say we left with empty stomachs and a feeling of real disappointment. This place could be so good, beautiful restaurant in a great location

Had a wonderful morning lovely find.

We went for lunch and what a wonderful place. Staff lovely, attentive, welcoming and very friendly. The food was fantastic. Very tasty and beautifully presented. Location by the river is a great addition to Guildford and very good wheelchair accessibility. There is a large car park right next door , so parking is not a problem. This is a place I would definitely visit again.

This place was fantastic. We went for a late lunch. The asparagus main was great and the toasted mushroom crostini was excellent. Very fresh food skilfully cooked and presented. A lot of it locally sourced. Location is lovely, literally on the river. Two paddle boarders came up and ordered wine from the river whilst we were there! We will be going back. Would like to try the dinner next. Then the breakfast. 😀

Overall an enjoyable experience, the location was was tranquil, the build is lovely. However we were slightly surprised by the portion size of the squid ‘nibbles’ costing £9 and arriving with 4 small rings of squid. The food is very flavourful and I would highly recommend the ‘hot and spicy baby chorizo’ (they were so yummy). This was our first time visiting, I wouldn’t necessarily add it to my list of fave places though.

This was a pleasant surprise, the portions are sizeable and the presentation is brilliant, the taste was amazing. Lovely decor and atmosphere. The staff were all lovely and attentive. My friends and I had a lovely evening

Excellent food, welcoming and helpful staff.

Peaceful friendly atmosphere. Great staff. Amazing food. Perfect spot to stop and relax. We had our dog with us who was made very welcome too. Highly recommend.

Great drinks and stunning location! Staff were lovely. Definitely will return.

Excellent service and lovely spot by the river for a drink

Guildford has been waiting for a place like this by the river! Lovely food and friendly team.