The Boathouse Newmillerdam in Wakefield

Visited with a group of friends on a sunny midweek day in March. We were seated upstairs and I thought the decor was lovely. Menu looked great but service was extremely slow and chaotic. My food arrived 1 hour after we arrived and whilst it was delicious, it was pretty cold and my drink had been consumed a good 20 minutes earlier. Another customer walked out after waiting around 30 mins and never having had her order taken. I would visit again but only on a quiet day. I think the staff were caught out with the large amount of customers on an unusually sunny day.

We had been here before and loved it so decided to return but our second experience was terrible! 3 staff running round trying to do everything which led to me having a terrible warm iced coffee with 2 ice cubes and sat surrounded by dirty tables

Having visited the Boathouse today, I thought it was time for another amazing review from when we wrote our first one back in February last year. We travel from Doncaster quite often to shop in Wakefield and have enjoyed many different walks at Newmillerdam throughout last year always stopping for coffee and cakes or a toastie with yourselves. We have sat outside, enjoying talking to the dog owners, inside and, on the top outside balcony, albeit, under the heater during the colder months'. Today, we had beautiful sun, although chilly after all the snow we had just encountered. On the way back we stopped off to have lunch at the Boathouse. One of the waitresses quickly noticed we were waiting to be seated and showed us to a table on the inside after asking us where we preferred to sit. If was quite busy, but the same waitress came and took our order of coffees and wraps all with a smile and politeness. She even came back after she had served us to ask if everything was OK. You never feel rushed at all. We have recommended this little cafe to a lot of friends and family who have also visited and are of the same opinion. On our next visit, I will definitely try and speak to the owner as I think they have made a lovely little cafe/tearooms out of this boathouse building. A big well done. I know some people think there are limited food opinions, but for the size of the kitchen and equipment, I think the food they offer is amazing. One last mention is the toilet facilities. On the occasional times we have used them, the toilet has always been clean. I totally agree with you having to enter a key code to let you in else the queue would be horrendous with all the visitors to the resovire wanting to use the toilet. I came across a young man in the summer months trying to pull the door of the toilet when someone was inside. He obviously thought it was locked. I did politely advise him that we were all waiting and did have to use a code to enter and he needed to see the waitresses. When I came out, he had gone!! Therefore, I do agree with this system and think it works very well. Keep up the good work. You have fabulous staff who work for you. Looking forward to seeing you again soon x

The Boathouse at Newmillerdam is very well run with efficient staff and lovely food. The Boathouse is in a lovely area with good views of the lake and wildlife.

My favourite place to go for a bit of solo self care. The food is always tasty, staff are friendly and the view is stunning.

The food was shocking, and so was the service, It's definitely not worth the long wait. Probably why you pay before and not after.

Love this place - right on Newmillerdam. Had coffees and cakes - went with family and dog, sat outside as it was a beautiful day, though we have sat inside with the dog before. The only issue was that the staff were clearly overwhelmed on this busy sunny weekend day so we had to repeatedly ask for stuff that had been forgotten. Not the servers fault at all as they were doing all they could, but the management should ensure good coverage for both customers and staff. Will be back

This cafe is placed conveniently in the middle of Newmillerdam Country Park, therefore during our walk a few weekends ago, we stopped by for some lunch and were not disappointed! We decided to stay in and eat in the cafe but there is also the option to takeaway which is great for anyone wanting to walk around Newmillerdam with a drink and a snack. The cafe is only small and does get very busy but luckily we managed to get a table straight away, I do think you can book a table via the website which may be a good option, especially on a weekend. To order, we got; the cheese wrap, antipasto wrap, berry flapjack, apple and cinnamon flapjack and a latte. The wraps were packed with filling, making them really tasty and were nicely presented with a side of salad garnish. The flapjack was also so yummy, full of flavour, I couldn’t decide which flapjack tasted better, they were both amazing (and large pieces too!). This wasn’t our first visit to the Boathouse and it certainly won’t be our last, from the friendly staff, to the good quality food, everything about our experience here was great!

Wow, just visited today and called in at the boathouse. We have past it many times previously but have always gone when it was closed. Today we were lucky. The weather was sunny and there were plenty of dog walkers sat outside having a coffee/lunch stop. We sat inside, where it was quite full but the waitress managed to get us a table. We were well impressed with our toastie and wrap and coffees that we ordered. All the staff were so friendly and helpful and genuinely wanted to know if everything was ok. It's such a quaint little place with good views of the lake. Our waitress (with blonde hair) was really accommodating and explained about the upcoming events that they do. She even gave us a business card, which was very helpful. The toilets were nice and clean, which is always a good sign. Keep up the good work and hope to see you again and probably at your spring market event ! 👍

Excellent service, and coffee's and cake were great,reasonable prices,very friendly staff and a great setting. Highly recommend a stop here if walking around Newmillerdam ad adjacent woodland Wendy & Terry

We only stopped for a drink but what a lovely welcome. Idealic spot to stop for a bite to eat or a drink. Dog friendly and they serve puppychino’s and “ham bags” The staff were so welcoming.

Stopped by here for coffee & cake this afternoon, and it was lovely. Can't fault our visit at all. Service was quick, attentive, and friendly. Coffee was delicious, as was the cake. We had parkin and an apple and cinnamon flapjack. Perfect for this time of year! The cafe was clean, and the atmosphere was very relaxed. Overall, a nice experience. Will definitely be returning as i want to try more on the menu! It's nice to see a small business doing so well for itself! 5 stars 🌟

The boathouse in newmilelrdam is a place i go quite often duirng the morning or around 6 at night.The staff here are so polite and always have a smile on their faces.The food has a wide variety of toasties and drinks to choose from.I Cannot describe how beautiful the views are from the boathouse and especially from the balcony.

This is a little gem I the middle of a beautiful Country Park. We've visited several times and enjoyed great coffee, sandwiches and cakes. What makes this place exceptional is the staff. They are all pleasant and helpful, but I want to mention a lady who has served us a couple of times, yesterday 29th July was one of those times. I'm sorry I didn't ask her name, she is brilliant, totally understands what hospitality should be. Best service we've had anywhere in a long, long time.

I recently visited with my pup and we were both welcomed with smiles. We were shown to the terrace which overlooks the dam, and the views are absolutely stunning - such an amazing spot for a cafe! The menu was full of lovely light, fresh options and I had a delicious antipasto sandwich - 10/10. I also treated myself to a glass of fizz but I know the coffee here is also really good. All in all, a gorgeous place with lovely staff, fab service and delicious food - what more could you want!

Went for coffee today with our sin who has additional needs. Staff were lovely, kind and understanding about disability issues. The coffee was delicious and we will definately go back to sample the food next time.

We quite literally stumbled upon the Boathouse a couple of months ago while we were walking our dogs round the reservoir. Having only recently moved to the area we knew nothing about it and actually had to scrape a few quid together for a welcome cuppa. We were impressed by the friendly service and we knew we'd be back. When some friends visited last month we went for lunch. Nice quirky decor upstairs, very dog friendly, and a nice selection on the menu. We went for a lovely grazing platter to share with a selection of meats and cheeses, a New Yorker sandwich and a delicious ploughman's sandwich. Very nicely served with wine, beer and a coffee for me as the designated driver. Service was prompt and friendly and overall a highly recommended spot overlooking the picturesque reservoir. Lovely!

Called here for a bite to eat after walking round new millerdam. First of all it is so pretty and lovely and very welcoming. We had toasties, kids had milkshake and me and my friend thought we would treat ourselves to a Prosecco. The toasties were nice, although could have been a bit better presented for the price, salad and coleslaw would be nice with it as they aren’t cheap. The Prosecco is £5.50 a glass and literally we got half of a glass each. I mentioned to the waitress that they needed topping up as were only half full but she didn’t really acknowledge me. I don’t mind paying a bit over the odds but would at least expect a full glass! The kids did enjoy their milkshake.. Overall we enjoyed the visit but feel it was expensive for what it was… with a few tweaks this place could’ve been better

Called here twice in one week(once for food and once for drinks only), not having been to Newmillerdam for a long while. It was a morning walk so thought we would call in for a bacon sandwich or similar. Low and behold no such thing on the menu. Not sure why...maybe the size of the kitchen or possibly a fire risk for the isolated building. The only hot food I recall were the toasties of which there was a good selection. There were other breakfast selections but in the end we chose sandwiches in the end. Both sandwiches were on thick granary bread with a little side salad. Both were tasty and coffees were decent. Service was good and staff friendly. Will call again

I was excited to see two gluten free cakes listed on the board, however when I asked a member of staff if they were suitable for coeliacs she warned me that the cakes have a may contain gluten warning on. This is misleading so although I'm grateful to this member of staff for their allergy understanding and awareness, I'm concerned that another gluten free person may assume the cakes are safe and then become ill. It would be great if this cafe can provide gluten free cakes that are suitable for people with coeliac disease, in addition to gluten free lunch options such as sandwiches as I had to watch my family eat as there was nothing safe for me to have. There is a good variety of nice drinks, and great options for dogs with puppuccinos and dog doughnuts and biscuits.

Came as a family at half term a table of 7, the table was over run with pots,so as we sat down asked the waitress nicely if she could clear them and wipe the table,her attitude was rude,she told us we would have to wait,until she was ready, in a haughty manner,she never came to clear the table so asked another waitress,who was very nice and cleared the table,blonde and sweet she was,the food was really spot on,went to pay and the waitress took our payment her name was Heidi as it popped up on the screen,im afraid we would never come her again,as her attitude was rude,and too superior,not very welcoming at all.

Called for a coffee on my walk, what a lovely, friendly greeting I received from all the staff. The coffee is Darkwoods and my Americano was hot, flavoursome and delicious. My friend and I visit Newmillerdam most weekends and this will now be the place to call for our coffee and toast instead of one of the other Lakeside cafe near by. Would highly recommend.

Met my friend for a walk then stopped at this cafe on bank holiday Monday. Sat upstairs in the cosy warm room on high chairs and had latte's and toast. Really nice atmosphere, coffee and food was very lovely. Staff were friendly and welcoming and the experience was so pleasant. Rivalled the Lake District, Hebden Bridge, Grassington and it's right on our doorstep. Perfect. Thank you!

Flat white was so good I had to have another one. Beautifully decorated and lovely staff waiting on. Will gladly return.