The Riverside Tavern in Medway

I Googled Rochester restaurants as we were visiting family in the area we chose this as liked the look of the menu. We arrived a little early and were told they were happy to serve us in the bar as mum has mobility issues and resturant table were further. The staff were lovely the decor nice and fresh. We had a bit of a wait as a problem with the oven, they were very apologetic and reduced our bill. We had mussels, garlic mushroom, and crayfish cocktail as starter. Lamb shank and shin of beef for mains. Despite the oven problem it was all cooked perfection we will definitely be back.

I booked a table at The Boat House for a birthday lunch for my mother. On arriving, we were welcomed by the attentive staff, who showed us to a table overlooking the river. We ordered, and were swiftly brought, our drinks, followed by our food orders. My minted lamb shank was cooked perfectly, falling off the bone just as I like it, with sweet delicious minted gravy. Mum's shepherd's pie was meaty and wholesome, both generous portions. While we didn't order dessert, there was a wide selection and from what we saw from other tables, looked like they were of similar quality. A real gem, a short walk across the Rochester bridge, and I will certainly return soon.

Two of my good friends where visiting from Wiltshire and we chose the Boathouse. Just to make sure, I called them to check it was fine to have my Therapy Assistance with us and I was told this was fine and I booked a table for 3 a 2 p.m. When we arrived we were asked to sit in side booths rather than the restaurant. It was 30 minutes before our orders were taken and whilst my friends food came out correctly, my order was incorrect. Because of the time it took to actually order and receive our food, I chose not to say anything. It's clearly a very popular place to eat, but we were put in a corner, almost out of the way, which is exactly what I'd hope we'd avoid with my Therapy Assistance dog and bearing in mind my friends needed to travel back to Wiltshire, the timings were too long. The young lady who served drinks was brilliant though and she served the best gin and tonic with appropriate fruits added but ensuring beforehand I had no fruit allergies. I doubt I'd go back again, but I'm glad it's thriving given the current economic climate!

Had to wait over an hour for the worst ever Ploughman’s lunch we’ve ever had…cold toasted bread, limp salad leaves and few pickles for over £11….we made a complaint but not one person apologised!

Excellent carvery and sweet waiting staff superb.Great value for money.Lovely setting overlooking the river with and old Russian sub moored in the river.

Friendly service, great Sunday roast, big portions. We were a party of 5 adults and a baby- staff very kind. Good value for money, good gluten free choices for desserts.

Food disappointing..Starters expensive and small portions, did not taste homemade. Pie was like a pukka pie, wilted salad served with curry, mash served with lamb was sweet. Good service.

The good, lovely meal the previous week and comfortable the previous two visits. The bad, turned up today and they altered their opening hours for the day, we checked online before driving 30 minutes only to be turned away at 2:45pm even though they advertise serving until 6pm and they were taking desserts out, terrible won’t use them again

This is a great restaurant located close to Rochester bridge on the bank of the River Medway. The menu has plenty of choice. I opted for the crab cake starter and the feather blade of beef main and my wife opted for the garlic mushroom starter with the belly pork for main. All of our food was cooked perfectly and was delicious. My beef was so moist and tender it just melted in the mouth, it was great. The belly pork was excellent too. The keylime pie for desert was really good, one of the best I've eaten out and my wife said the gypsy tart was great. The portions were of a generous size and the mains come with lashings of gravy served separately. The service was very good and the restaurant had a good feel about it. We will definitely pop in again. I might try the lamb shank meal next time because I saw one served to another diner and it looked fabulous. 😋

We went here for a family meal & to celebrate 2 birthdays . We practically had the back of the restaurant all to ourselves, which was quiet , relaxed . The food was great as was the service . I really wanted to try this new cocktail that is trending at the moment ( lemoncello spritz ) . It wasn’t on the drinks menu but the lady behind the bar who is called Chanelle offered to make it as she knew what I was talking about. She made my day in fact she made my birthday even more special it’s now my favourite new drink! Can’t wait to go back to the Boathouse , the food is good staff are amazing!

Welcoming and delicious food. Perfect sitting for a relaxed dining experience. Staff were very friendly, and menu varied. Excellent value for money.

This was our first trip to the Boat House and after hearing good reviews we booked it for a birthday lunch. We were sat in the restaurant garden which is lovely with nice views. The staff were really helpful in bringing a high chair out for our baby. We ordered starters and main courses soon after arriving and our starters came out quickly (and were very nice). However, after waiting well over an hour after finishing out starters we were told our mains would be another 20 minutes. In total we were sat at our table for over 2 hours and still our mains were 20 minutes away. With a young child and having to get back to pick up another from school we couldn’t wait that long and had to cancel our mains. Whilst I understand the kitchen was busy we were never told there would be a delay with food and were told it was due to us ordering starters which I’m not sure I understand as we eat out regularly and don’t experience long delays between starters and mains. It is disappointing as we enjoyed our visit up until this point but this will put us off returning.

Sunday lunch with my dad in a perfect setting, lovely views , I can’t wait to go in summer and make better use of the garden , the staff are all so friendly and happy , the food was amazing and always for me the veg on a Sunday roast is my fav part , 7 different vegetables perfectly cooked and 3 meats , stuffing and Yorkshire pudding, total value for money and a well stocked bar . Can’t wait to return and see the staff again and enjoy some of their amazing stocked bar and try the normal Menu too

Very disappointed to be greeted with , we need the table back by 3pm, you are only allocated 90 minutes for dinner and then have to leave. We booked via the website and there was no mention of a time limit on the table. Carvery style service, but you are not allowed to go up, you have to wait until you are told you can approach the carvery.

First visit today for Sunday carvery. Excellent food. Friendly welcome. Clean. Efficient. Will definitely be returning

Staff are nice and friendly and managed to squeeze us in which was nice as we had not made a reservation. Place seemed clean and tidy with a good view of the river. This is where it goes downhill. My partner and I had the carvery and I tried all 3 meats on offer. In my opinion the ham and turkey were both reconstituted joints totally lacking in flavour and had the consistency of thin cut slimy spam, the roast beef seemed to be the genuine product but was served with a thinness that has to be seen to be believed, the roast potatoes were not at all crispy, the other vegetables faired a bit better. The meal didn't start very hot and was cold in minutes. The price would have been very reasonable had the food been up to any standard whatsoever. This is the first time in my adult life that I have not left a tip ( although they do give you an opportunity to on the card machine as you have to cancel various requests to tip before you can pay) When asked at start of meal if everything was ok my partner said yes before I made a scene and I kept my mouth shut. Nice staff but shame about the quality of the food. I will not be going back.

Excellent food ! Excellent service ! Excellent groundings ! What more can I say except see you all again 🫶 Ps . Easy and plentiful parking 👍

We went along as a party of 12 for a birthday meal. They were very welcoming and the staff were very friendly. It’s a lovely setting and the garden has been refurbished, it looks lovely. Everyone enjoyed their meals and we had a few bottles of wine. It was good value for money. I’ve been here a few time now and would highly recommend a visit.

Disappointed. Starters were really nice - we had garlic mushrooms and pakoras. But then we had The Boathoise Burger and it wasn't very nice at all - it was a very basic burger that you'd expect to get from a roadside van. We gave feedback, and they 'told the kitchen' but we didnt get any feedback from that. I asked for a jacket potato in place of chips and was charged £2 extra. I wouldn't go back.

unfortunately the surrounds walking towards the pub looks like a building site that's without dodging all the dogs mess on the paths which isn't the fault of the Boat House but something you need to be aware of, but has a dog friendly advert so its obvious where the the dog mess comes from. inside the pub it looks well presented until you need to use the toilets then you realise its in need of a total refurbishment. Moving on to the booked reservation, we had our meal then decided not to have a desert which back fired on us as we were told we had 20mins before we had to leave as the table was booked for someone else but there were empty tables throughout the pub.

We had our baby shower at this lovely pub today and i could not fault one aspect of our day. The organisation, space, staff and the most amazing food! We had the most perfect day and couldn’t thank the boat house enough!

First visit with the dog today. All the staff and other customers were so welcoming. The food was delicious and good value for money. Customer service was excellent. I highly recommend a visit.

Amazing staff so attentive really great food could not fault the place Christmas decorations were beautiful

Booked for 7.30 table for 6. By 8 we’re asked for our orders as kitchen closed at 8! We’re not told that when booking! Desert menus given, but after a few minutes we’re asked what we wanted as kitchen were waiting to go home !! Given bill without asking but 3 times asked if we were ready to pay and then asked to move as they needed to set up for a table of 40 for the next day! Food good but Extremely rushed and Not relaxed!! Will not return!

A great Christmas lunch in my favorite resaurant. The food was excellent it was hot and there was plenty of it. Once again the staff were lovley.

Food was nice. Had the vegan Mountain burger, please can I have it on a plate next time? It was kinda messy and served on a small wooden board. Service was good, staff friendly. But over £5 for a pint of lemonade was a bit over the top

First time at the Boat House and definitely won’t be my last. Firstly I was very impressed with the general atmosphere and decor of the place and secondly the general service of the staff. The Roast dinner was huge and well worth £13.95 with very succulent meat plenty of vegetables and gravy. I couldn’t give 5 stars as the meal could have been hotter but generally we were very impressed and will recommend and return.

Had a lovely evening meal at The Boat House. Food was delicious and well presented. I did have few minor issues: Camembert sharing starter would have been nice to have a small plate each. Also could have done with a fresh napkin with each course....

Arrived on time, taken to our table, waitress asked re drinks, I said “What beer do you have?” Waitress replied “I don’t know, I don’t work in the bar”. I had to go to the bar myself to see what they had. Gents toilet -...

It’s a great building, great decor with bright clean white walls. Overlooking the river with very interesting rotting boats that really should be taken away to a salvage yard. But that is not the fault of the restaurant. What is the fault of the restaurant...

Lovely setting, food Lovely, great service and friendly staff. We had a lovely meal here to celebrate our daughters 24th birthday. She was pleasantly surprised and had a lovely family birthday meal. Personally, don't read the negative reviews and go experience the boat house for...

We had an excellent three coarse lunch at this lovely pub by the river! The staff were friendly, attentive and the quality of the food was excellent for just under £17 per person! We are sure to return again as it is very near to...

Celebrating my son's 40th birthday the food (Sunday carvery) was amazing a great selection of meats and vegetables highly recommend the service from the waiting staff (Elle) was excellent and the boys serving the food

Terrible service one poor girl behind the bar serving left on her own to deal with a bank holiday Sunday crowd. Told on the door there was no sandwich’s which was fine went found a seat went straight away to order food at the bar...

Nice airy uncluttered dining room by the river. There was deafeningly loud music much of the time. We had the set lunch menu which is limited but very reasonably priced. The service was friendly and welcoming. The restaurant was not busy but service was incredibly...

We were visiting a wedding venue close by and saw reviews on this place on open table. We arrived, were told food had a wait of around half an hour. Limited menu for bar garden but the terrace garden has a lovely menu. Food was...

Service slow food was cold staff were rude and had attitude i would never recommend this please to anyone

arrived on time and was seated and a waitress took our drink order and told us there was a 10-20 min wait for food. when our drinks arrived the waitress said there was a hour wait for food! the place was only a quarter full...

Wow what a little gem of a place. Staff amazing service fantastic. Food glorious. The best thing about this restaurant is the price of the meal. Rochester high street restaurants have become a joke with service, food and price. This place is 5 minutes away...

Couldn’t see anywhere that curry night is literally a curry night and with Only bout 4 other meals to choose from. I had a chicken kebab with flatbread. The bread was very cold and the chicken tasteless. The peppers were very watery. On the plus...

Our daughter took us for lunch here, we all ate from the lunch time menu, everything we all had was amazing , the staff very helpful and friendly. The gypsy tart was perfect.

Had a lovely birthday lunch at the boathouse today. Food was lovely. Staff really pleasant wish I had known about this pub before. Will definitely return m

1st time here, went with friends for a late lunch. The staff were friendly and helpful, Sheila our waitress very friendly and efficient service by all staff. The menu was very good lots of food choices especially so for one of our group who is...

Excellent food and service. It was a birthday celebration and we had asked for a large square table but unfortunately that didn’t happen. Food was delicious, recommended

Ok im going to start with a bad that if i was not with a friend i would have just left, im on a diet at the moment for medical reasons so before booking i took the time to check the menu i canceled a...

Amazing service & Food too. Sheila was our server . Lovely friendly welcome . Had a lovely 3 course meal for two + soft drink £39.60 .Great value and service . Lovely decor nice river view

Totally disgusted with this place booked over a week ago for 7 of us on Saturday night on Saturday morning they cancelled our booking because they booked a private function instead we could not manage to get booked in anywhere on such short notice personally...

We went to the boathouse last night for drinks after hearing how good a pub it is. Such a shame...... I called a few days before to warn the staff that about 30 of us would be coming in. When we arrived there was only...

Just returned after having a meal out with friends for their birthday. Food was excellent as was the service and ambience. As someone in our party was celebrating their birthday, we had bought a cake with us for after the meal The staff were extremely...

We've been here before but never tried the Sunday carvery. Our other review of the Boat House was glowing due to the excellent food, surroundings and service and today we were not disappointed. Went for the carvery to celebrate my birthday and they couldn't have...

A couple of items were not available on the menu which was disappointing, however all the food we had was well presented, hot and tasty. The fish pie was delicious as we're the mussels. It has a lovely location which would be lovely when the...

Nice place, very friendly staff. Service was a little slow at times, the wait for 3 cocktails was particularly long. Food was good, although they had no naan to go with the curry, which we were not told until questioning where the naan was when...

Went here today for lunch and had an amazing experience. My dog was warmly welcomed indoors to her delight and the food was fast and delicious! I am vegetarian and had loads of yummy choices. Also had a cheeky lunchtime cocktail and chose a porn...

Lovely place, lovely food, lovely people. Visited with my husband, son and my dad. The starters were delicious as were the carvery. The meat was fresh, the vegetables was a lot of selection and you could tell was not frozen. The dessert which was a...

I can't really add more to the other postive reviews. 13 of us for lunch, excellent service and value. I can't wait to go in the summer and enjoy being outside enjoying the river view. (And I can't believe that after all the years I've...

We held our Christmas Meal here, excellent service, excellent food. Definitely want to go back in the summer to see the views across the river in day light.

After hearing a radio add on how great this place was and their award winning dishes (maybe more fool me) We attended for lunch and it was well below average. Staff were almost dead behind the eyes. Hardly a welcome, almost like we was not...

8th December and again we are back for our Christmas meal. Funny . It was 8th December last year too. 23 of us needed feeding and watering as usual and the Boat House yet again did themselves proud. The meal as always was delicious with...

My girlfriend and I had previously checked the menu for gluten free options (she's a coeliac), but upon arrival, being a Sunday, the menu was reduced as there was a Carvery. We asked if there were more gluten free options as the menu only had...

We had a gathering of 6, Friday evening, starters and mains, excellent food, freshly cooked tasty meals. Lovely atmosphere , friendly helpful staff. Will definitely come again, highly recommended .

Do not order Mariners pie. Complete false advertising. Hardly a bit of fish in it. Only tastes of cheese. I informed the waitress who passed it in to the chef. Still charged full price. Disappointed.

We hosted a birthday party here and would definitely recommend it to anyone. Brilliant organiser and team of staff, so helpful and answered any questions I had. Lovely space to use as wanted including inside and outside seating space. Very inviting and comfortable with nice...

Outstanding, i cannot recommend highly enough. We visited as a group of 12 for a celebratory lunch after our wedding ceremony at Rochester registry. From start to finish, making the reservation to the end of our lunch everyone and everything was exceptional. The food was...

Have just returned home after experiencing the buffet breakfast at The Boat House. I would wholeheartedly recommend this eatery to anyone who asks. The food and variation available, the ambience, and the friendliness of the owner and staff are all excellent. Many thanks to all

Excellent food,great value for money with fantastic service. Pleasantly surprised by menu,not extensive but more than adequate. Starter, main course and dessert were generous and delicious. Our servers Holly and Chloe were attentive without being intrusive and well informed about the menu.Great location with views...

Medway man all my life - Sitting here now in the sun - first visit - lovely ambiance and food - will definitely be back - try it, you will like it

Popped in for lunch on a hot day. Friendly, helpful staff. Plenty of tables available in the restaurant, bar and garden and there is a designated smoking area. Relaxed afternoon with good food and a nice breeze by the river. Worth a visit.

Went to the boat house for the first time on a recommendation what a loverly surprise the carvery was a delight nice setting plenty of room and good service will return with our friends why keep it a secret well done

Popped in for lunch with the hubby and was very pleased with everything. From service to food to the awesome staff. I loved it! All helpful and sweet mannered and the decor and atmosphere was very nice. I cannot recommend it more. Don't forget to...

Nice place on the river medway. Not much parking but you can park on the road outside. The staff were lovely and the food was nice My only issue was there is a very limited menu on a Sunday basically carvery and a couple of...

We had our wedding party at this venue and wow what a night. Danny and the team were amazing, from bar staff to kitchen staff, they really made us feel special and everything was perfect. They arranged the DJ and helped us set up for...

Thank you all for another amazing visit to the Boat House. You make our little family of four feel very welcome, including our autistic son. Always very helpful and accommodating, the waiting staff are lovely. Food is always reliably tasty and special requests, such as...

My wife and I have been to lunch at the Boat House on three occasions now and each time been most impressed with the standard of food and service along with a good and well priced wine list. Yesterday (12th May) we only needed a...

After a trip to the cinema to see "Downton" 3 of us myself my sister and my daughter decided to eat lunch out. Never used this restaurant before. Excellent food, excellent service, hidden Gem. would really recommend this restaurant.

So I’m new to meeting up using the ‘Meet up’ app but was quite impressed with everyone that came yesterday. However all the group agreed we could have met elsewhere and it would have been so much better. The venue made quite a lot of...

Amazing place great food, great service lovely place 😄 didn’t even know the restaurant was there so glad to find it ! We have had roast dinner witch was suburb kids love the puffing definitely worth coming !

From start to finish our experience was the best we have had in such a very long time. We were recommended by a friend about this place as they enjoy it so much, I took my daughters and my dad to to a celine Dion...

We found it initially very welcoming but once we’d ordered our food the situation changed.we ordered our food, starters and main. The starter came after 10 minutes , which is a normal time for them to arrive. Once we had finished our starters (20 mins...

We discovered the The Boat House, while searching for a Mothers Day Venue Very pleasantly surprised, Apparently its only been a restaraunt for about a year We understand that it was previously a Night Club This is a very spacious airy Restaraunt overlooking the Medway...

Just been for Sunday lunch, the food was excellent and plentiful but unfortunately it was slightly cold. The decor was good the website doesn't do it justice. Also we wanted a cocktail but they did not have any they said there was a big party...

Bad drom start to finish waited ages to be asked what drinks we would want to order came out wrong food was soggy and bland waiting staff seemed to make more time for a certain table of guest rather than all guest...won't be going back

Really nice decor, recently revamped. Overlooking River Medway and great view of U-475 Black Widow Soviet submarine from Cold War era. We chose from the 3 course menu at an amazing price of £13.95. Large portions of well cooked and presented dishes. Wine menu very...

Now called The Boat House As we walked through the door we had a great warm welcome. We were able to seat in the restaurant over looking the river and submarine. The staff were great and the food exceeded our expectations. All drinks and food...

Starter mushrooms, toast cold and not toasted. Sent back and still came back cold. Main meal ok could have had the same at Wetherspoons and cheaper. Won’t be repeating this experience ruined my birthday. Staff were lovely but didn’t make up for the experience.

On arrival for a 12.30 booking was greeted by ella very welcoming shown to our table by the window with a river view food and service was excellent had a cheeky cocktail with meal definitely going back. However the tide was rising rather rapidly on...

20 of us desended on the Boat house. From the moment we arrived the staff were helpful and accommerdating. To say the least, they excelled themselves. The 3 course meal was huge, well presented, well cooked and very tasty. Not one moan from anyone. Everyone...

Now called The Boat House. Avoid this place at all cost. I booked up this place on Wednesday Dec 1st in person for a little celebration for my son’s 18th on Sat Dec 4th. Turned up on the afternoon and they didn’t have my booking...

Not a friendly welcome for a start. Our waitress was extremely rude and lacking in people skills throughout the whole service. All staff looked miserable. Parsnips were undercooked. Veg was cold. Cauliflower cheese was basically cauliflower boiled in milk, with a bit of cheese on...

7 of us went for sunday lunch which was excellent as were the staff however when we got our bill there was a service charge of £16.50 added which we were not expecting. We did not quetion this as it might have spoilt a lovely...

Visited the re-named Boat House today for Sunday Carvery. Absolutely top rate, food excellent and very attentive staff (huge thanks to Hollie) and lovely views over River Medway. Give it a go, recently refurbished and lovely patio terrace too.

Now called The Boathouse. Our second visit in 2 weeks for a Sunday Carvery lunch. Again, excellent service , great food and lovely surroundings. Finished our meal and then took our drinks outside. Surprised and excited to see a seal swimming in the Medway near...

Excellent service, the manager could not have been more helpful, excellent food, the only disappointing thing was my partner ordered a desert and after Fiteen minutes of waiting we were informed the desert would take another Twenty to Thirty minutes to be delivered to the...

Welcomed my Friend and I with open arms, haven't visited in around 15 years, really gone up market. Food excellent, very classy clean tidy. Very pleasent experience Looking forward to returning.

Just been to a wedding reception here and I can only compliment the managers and all the bar staff for a fantastic reception. From the venue, the food, the staff and the view it was brilliant. We would totally recommend this pub to anyone even...

This is now such a nice venue in a lovely spot. But food was dreadful. Chips were just warm, looked horrible and tasted dreadful. Chicken kebab, was revolting, meat was tough and stringy, even our dog wouldnt eat it. Kids sausage and mash was also...

Now called the Boat House, newly renovated and, so too, the Russian submarine, that sits in the Medway just off shore! Great views onto the Rochester Castle, Cathedral and bridge. An excellent, spacious, bright setting, with a sizeable beer garden and outdoor dining. Good for...

Set in a post apocalyptic former industrial area is the riverside premises. Don’t let the location put you off as soon this will be developed into expensive trendy apartments! The venue has undergone extensive renovation and is well spaced out for dining inside and out....

As mentioned in other reviews this place now seems to be called The Boat House. I had a very good dinner here. The food and drink was great and the staff very polite and attentive. I would definitely recommend this place and would eat here...

We live locally and usually frequent a certain eatery/pub on Rochester High Street when we go out for family meals. This is most definitely our new favourite place to go. The food this evening was amazing, the starters gorgeous, the mains excellent and even our...

This is now called the boat house and its the first time I've visited. From the moment I walked through the door, waiting for the rest of my family to arrive, the bar staff were so welcoming and made me feel at ease. We were...