Great food, friendly staff and an amazing vibe! Went last night with my wife, my sister and her boyfriend for some excellent live music. They were busy but we got a table close to the stage and enjoyed the hell out of the pork shoulder and chop salad. Service was excellent, and we had good conversations with the owners as well. The crowd was very mixed and fun, with every age group represented. Oh, and they had a big free parking lot and plenty of street parking too!
Downsides? They lost our reservation, but they more than made up for it with the great service. The PA was a little louder than it needed to be, and it was a little awkward sitting at the tall table that was a re-purposed cable spool, but those are very minor quibbles.
All in all a wonderful place that we'll definitely go back to.
What reviewers say about Boathouse Collective
What are the most common complaints about Boathouse Collective?
Looking at the critical reviewers on file, the most common complaints are very slow service, the live music being too loud, prices being too high, and the loss of outdoor seating.
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Good beer variety, playing good music and have an open stage. I just wish it would be a little quieter. Also, the food was great. We had some of their appetizer, the burger and fries on the menu. Everything was well prepared except the fries. In my eyes too overfried. Enjoy!
Boathouse Collective deserves their high rating on Yelp. They are located in a restored boathouse one town over from the beach. Everything from their tables to their lights, screams neo-modern. On Fridays, they have live music. Every day they serve some of the LA area's best food. Here's what we ordered:
1) Steak tataki- Amazing and will melt in your mouth. It does come out more red so if you're squirmish, just a warning.
2) Kale salad- You'll remember the dressing for ays and want more.
3) Roasted chicken- full of flavor.
4) Prime hangar steak- melt in your mouth tender!
5) Bread pudding- amazing even if you don't like bread pudding.
If you want an Instagram worthy experience, come here!
Cool vibe. Watched a folk rock band. Hipster vibe. Unique location.
I go with my wife to this restaurant quite often! This is the best place to grab a bite. I visit this place frequently. The cooking is of high quality, the workers are friendly and the price is decent. I like being in this place over a decent meal.
Cool place with a local vibe and plenty of small bites.
Great atmosphere, community tables and elcletic menu. The cocktails are well designed as well. One of the few good spots in the West side Costa Mesa area. Good for a date or dinner and cocktails with friends. The Poke Ahi bowl was the best I've ever had, as far as Poke goes. I'll be going back soon for that.
Comfortable non pretentious place. Good clean food.
Pretty good food & service. Atmosphere is fun and music night are great!!
Swordfish curry = amazing. Great beers & wines. Try the sweet potato with miso butter. All-around rad.
The food was incredible, the drinks were great and the music was exactly what we wanted. The service was absolutely terrible every step of the way unfortunately.
Good food, good service, craft beer on tap, live music . . . what more could you ask for?
The best choice for exceptional food, great "tune-age" and a wonderful time! Go!
This place is so cool
The food was tasty. We ordered the chicken main dish and the vegetarian bow they were both delicious.
I loved the ambient, the decore, the live music the people watch....
Cool atmosphere and the food is good. Can get loud when there is a live band so be prepared.
Nice atmosphere, good food and good drinks. We enjoyed the live music.
I saw my friend play here and she is Amazing so 5 stars
I recommend this place to anyone looking for a nice night out! It's super delicious and awesome atmosphere, great music and great food. I recommend any of the Katsu dishes
Very slow service, took a long time to get drinks and food, there was 10 of us and the food came out one at a time, so we were all eating at different times basically.
I should have wrote this alone time ago. I really wanted this place not to be a expensive rediculous waste but it was so bummer
I love this place!!! Clay has a fantastic restaurant, cool, calm, relaxing and exciting all.at the same time The bar manager runs the bar like no other .
I've enjoyed bringing my sons 20 & 24 here. They are impressed their mom would find such a cool place!!
Food was pretty good but the service was lackluster, at best . Took 15 minutes to receive our last dish, relative to the first . also the menu is limited to several items , some of which are just combinations of the others. Not going back.
The most flavorful meal I've had in a long time! Our party of 4 ordered a variety of appetizers and entrees and shared everything. There is no particular dish that stands out, everything is awesome. I'll just say that the steak medallions were my least favorite entree, yet were still good. Even the vegetables and rice that come with the dishes are extremely flavorful. Cool ambience kind of like modern farmhouse, or barn sheek.
Fantastic food in a space that's over-the-top hipster cool. Try the swordfish.
This place is in the industrial part of Costa Mesa. Such a diamond in the rough. Their food is delicious, especially the salmon, and the live music they have in the evening is always pleasant. Interesting place to cruise by and have a few drinks with friends or just as a date. Ambience is fabulous. They have indoor and outdoor seating. Reservations are a plus especially on busier nights like Friday and Saturday.
One of the cooks, Indiana, makes the best food. I was sucking my fingers with how succulent the chicken was! The salad was amazing and desert was amazing. I have never had food make me want to cry but this place had me sobbing with how amazing the food was! Recommded for a date night ;)
Very hipster and affordable. It reminded me of a speak easy but extremely nicer and more upscale.
A few good local beers, but the service was just alright.
Live music, great food, good cocktails. Can't beat it
The food is quite tasty and the atmosphere fun. The cocktails are delicious and they can make a good old fashioned. On Saturdays and Friday night the place can be very busy and if you want to eat you should make reservations.
Love this spot! And so does every one else I know, its something different from your typical restaurant and perfect for casual stops for food or group outings. The drinks are well made and the menu options are very good, everything I ve had is delicious and made with effort. Live music, cool decor, and off-beat location makes this a local gem! Check it out
Myb I ordered the wrong thing... Seabass was just ok, sticky rice so so. Pinot grigio....yeah not so good either. The flies and lack of air conditioning didn't help
Excellent food - I recommend the Filet Medallions!! Amazing Music - Doc Pittilo(The Guitar Doctor) and Friends with Brian Joseph Coakley & Jamie Sim Coakley (Waxapples) and Eric Roebuck(Professor Columbo)
Cool new spot! I appreciate a place that doesnt pack you like sardines (pun absolutely intended) . so Nice to be on a sat night and have room to move. Great little outdoor patio where you can still here the live band. Give it a whirl!
last night was the first time we came to that fine restaurant. But It is absolutely not the last. We had great time with the generous service, with the exceptional dishes and wine and with the decent price. We will definitely go back there soon.
Great place to dine!
Went out here a few month ago for a dinner with friends for a bday. I was not disappointed. The food was great, the atmosphere was awesome and service - incredible!
I will come again.. Actually already have 2 more times!
Favorite bar in Costa Mesa. I love this place and recommend it to everyone I know. Adam is the best ever. Bachelorette a, going away parties, and any night of the week- this is the place to go. I wish they still did trivia!!!
This is the kind of restaurant that you want in your city. They have quality ingredients, a great tasting menu, a small business feel, and regularly have local artists playing on the stage. There's a decent selection at the bar as well. This is a good spot to meet up with friends for dinner. There are two good menu items for vegetarians as well (would love a couple more).
Great art space
And food
Everything we had was top notch. Not one complaint on any dish and we had a lot.
Came here after work with a group of 10. We tried almost everything on their happy hour menu and stayed through dinner. Very impressive ingredients and preparation.
Plus the atmosphere is unique and laid back. Staff is super nice and helpful.
Will be back again.
Super chill bar/restaurant with a nice outdoor seating area. Must go for happy hour! There s also fun eclectic decor and live music :)
The place offers a nice variety of fresh food. I enjoyed dining here. Staff members are always helpful, prices are convenient and the spot is always clean.
Great hidden gem. Delicious drinks, great food, large portions, great service, ambiance is a hip, modern vibe with a SoCal feel. Live music is great. A must go and see the secret "speakeasy" style restaurant and bar. It's hidden for a reason.
Love it. Wonderful and unique menu, great music, funky atmosphere.
Fun crowd, good music and tasty menu.
Will definitely return!
They have a really cool patio with picnic tables and holiday lights overhead. There's usually live music on the weekends. It's kind of in the middle of nowhere, but it's a cool, unique spot. They have good drinks and food. It can get crowded, but the place is pretty big so it's not a big deal.
Amazing place. Love the location and the food. We shared a few plates. We had the lamb poutin which was amazing. The rib eye was excellent though we wish they had given us a couple sides to go with it because for 40 bucks all you get is the 16 oz rib eye. We also had the chicken and waffles. The waffles were excellent and for the most part the chicken was excellent however some parts of it were really dry and chewy while others were just right. So there are some consistency issues there. I also tried the Moscow Mule and the Fineapple and both were excellent.
Kind of a hip vibe. The food was good, tightly focussed, with a good bit of attention to the quality and the ingredients. A little noisy, but also lively. Parking on the street can be tough, but there it's a valet.
Great food, came across it on OpenTable. Food was amazing. We had the Katsuya poke bowl and the herbivore bowl while listening to the best 80's casual listening.
The food was great. We just had to wait for 45 minutes after being seated to have a waiter get us some water then another hour for our food.
Great food, ambiance, service, cocktails, + local music. What's not to love?!
We had a lovely evening with friends, with good food, good music and great ambiance..
Good atmosphere, good food and drinks. But... No air-conditioning, makes it's hard to enjoy during the summer
Definitely an outstanding night. The food surprisingly great the ambient superb the live music is cherry on top. I had a great time with my friends and my son.
Best time. Oh and I had my first kiss. Lol live music was so fun. And a good variety of beer.
Cool place. Kinda small and kinda loud, but it's an interesting spot to grab a drink. I feel like it might get crowded at times when there's live music.
Super cool ambience, looks like a warehouse, but opens in to a cool beatnick kind of experience. DJ and stage.
Awesome place, really friendly people . NO TV's, a real bar . Food was way better than I expected 5 stars!!! Thursday to Saturday live music. Go and treat your self.
The food was delicious and the place is cute and charming!!
A true gem in the west side. Ever evolving menu offering unique and more familiar dishes. Friendly service and a cool industrial vibe.
Great food, fun atmosphere, interesting drinks! This place has live music and craft cocktails. I recommend the band bowl
Cool vibe with pretty good food. One of those places with a smaller menu so you keep looking for something else but in the end you'll like what you get!
Great food, great servers, and they allow dogs on their patio! Make sure to check out the specials and try to be there to catch some live music. 10/10
Great food, great prices, friendly people and good music!
Great food but it did come out cold. I was informed the kitchen was swamped but I would've liked to get my food out one by one rather than all at once leaving some dishes to be served cold.
The service was excellent, the people were very nice and the place was very busy. The food was fresh and quite tasty.
Food is top notch!!! Good music on a Friday night. Good for a date or to bring your foodie friends.
Excellent service and great variety of food. The sashimi and moscow mule were amazing! Fun crowd
Food and drinks are great! The market salad was amazing!
Boathouse has great food and great ambiance. Great service.
Loved this place! Its was very cool and unique. Food was fabulous!and the staff was awesome!! It was hard to find but with it!!
Great place to meet coguars, but they do have good drinks and live music a few times a week.
Amazingly relaxed ambiance... exceptional food, incredible service... need an event? Jade is a Wonder Woman
It's a nice place that's secluded. With indoor/ outdoor seating and they have live bands, which is why myself and my guy were there, to see a 3 piece band we been following called Rob Leines. Good Appetizers. And about mid price for drinks
Boathouse is such a hidden treasure! The filet medallions are delicious and I love their crispy rice so much I crave it sometimes. Also the bartenders are super knowledgeable and helpful, I haven't had a drink I didn't like! They do have a smoking section in the outdoor area if you're into that, usually I just snag a spot at the bar indoors. It does get quite busy and I haven't had good experiences trying to get an actual table, so I would def recommend the bar. Also they have a water stand!! Just another perk
Cool live music on a Saturday night. Food is good as well. It's a great place for date night
The deluxe bowl with the steak and salmon is so freaking good. As for drinks, as for the Newport Sour- they always goof around and take it off the menu!
This place was super fun, with very nice bartenders, a good view, and awesome specialty drinks and beer options. Supposedly their food I'd bomb, but I didn't have any (this time!)
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- Website
- boathousecollective.com
- Phone
- 9496463176
- Address
- 1640 Pomona Ave
- Categories
- Restaurants