Boathouse Restaurant Harbor Island Review

So, who ends happy hour at 5 pm? This stupid place does and they don't have prices on their beer our cocktail menus. Are they afraid that people will go running out the door in shock?

I was there for my 7 year anniversary. The view was excellent. The service was great and the food was outstanding.

The majority of our food was horrible. Chicken was dry and rubbery, clam chowder tasted like mushroom soup, the children's Mac N Cheese appeared to come out of a box. The service was also very slow.

Went here on Christmas Day and the service was terrible. Our server never came back to check on us or refill our waters or anything. The food was equally as terrible I ordered Mahi Mahi and it was so dry I couldn't even eat it. But by the time the server came back, I just wanted to leave, he didn't ask us how anything was, he just dropped off the check and walked away. I paid at the front and left. I will definitely never be back.

Horrible ice tea and poor service! Food was good but it was so slow and it was after the lunch crowd, about 2:00.

Delicious prime rib. Great view. Bread was just delicious -sourdough- right out of the oven.

Atmosphere is old and outdated needs remodel. Very hot in there! Need to figure out their AC or get some AC! Hostess was rude with no sense of humor. Server acted like she was doing us a favor by helping us even though the place was not busy at all. The only time she came by our table is when we flagged her down. Food was overcooked or undercooked and just nasty! Too many other good places in San Diego to eat don t waste your time on this restaurant.

Go here on the last Thursday of the month for your free Birthday dinner...

Not the best place in harbor island, but could be the best value place. Went on a Friday with my aunt and uncle, and ordered the prime rib special. It was only $14.99. Tasted like the quality you would normally get at a carving station at Sunday brunch. Can't say it was the best I've had, but it hit the spot.

Wednesday note is lobster night and it was SRO. Lobster was delicious, service was a bit sporadic at times but she always returned with anything I requested. Very attentive.

Lovely views of marina & bay! Try the $13.95 lobster dinner Weds nite or the monthly birthday dinner...free prime rib!

Excellent food, especially seafood! Great wait staff.

What happened!? An hour later with kids, still waiting for our food!! This place used to be good! Sad sad sad!

Generous portions of flavorless, tourist grade food. Beautiful presentation, wonderful staff, stunning views. But the food was underwhelming. A $14 glass of Cabernet was served in stemware more fitting for Dennys. We won't be back...

Nice upscale restaurant near the heart of San Diego. The food is good, the service OK, and the views wonderful. Prices are comparable to the area.

Very good food and, despite appearing high price, the values are very affordable. Delicious burger and fish and chips. Beautiful view of the marina and San Diego Bay!

Food and service were good, it was just crazy hot in there at dinner time.

We had prime rib that was very fatty, the soup came cold, and our blackened swordfish was over cooked. Service was fast but food was not worth the price. We were also hoping for a view but not allowed to sit in a certain section as it wasn't open until 5:30 and we were there at 5:15. Not happy and won't go back.

Great view! Fresh salmon and delicious mashed potatoes. Key lime pie was the cherry on top!

Came here for lunch on a business trip. Food, service and environment were all great. Good selection of draft beers, centering around mostly local stuff. Will come again

Oh, my. Everything was so dry and the service was strangely inattentive. Really: Strangely.

Wow. Wanted to take mom to a great Mother's Day brunch, but very disappointed in a place we used to like. Food was awful. Had reservations, but they still took 20 minutes to seat us. My mother's prawn looked like they'd been run over by a truck. She offered me to try it, and when I reminded her that I shrimp is not my thing, she said, "but it's not like you can really tell what it is." At our table, the fish in fish and chips was paper thin, the eggs benedict English muffins were too tough and slightly burned to cut through. They replaced the muffins, but stepdad said he thinks they deep fry them!!! French toast was mushy from the wet fruit on top. I would have asked for a different entree, but wanted to send them all back (and I'm not tough to please, like kids meals even). Really bummed that I chose this place to celebrate my awesome mom.

It's god good old style seafood restaurant . I enjoyed the chicken parm very much

Great Wednesday night special! Whole Maine Lobster for $12.99! Yummy!!

Wednesday lobster was good for the price, restaurant is already with great views.

Good service. Food is delicious. Definitely recommend.

I ate there at the boat house thanks giving.it was great.

Beautiful view and good food. Was a nice anniversary dinner for my wife and I.

They have nightly specials for a good price. Our food was pretty good. We had the Seafood Stew and Fish and Chips. Our server, once we finally got seated, was great. We also had the desert trio and all three were really delicious.
Not sure if reservations are a good idea or not. Based on reviews, we made a reservation online. We arrived earlier than expected. The hostess made us wait 30 minutes for our reservation time, even though 3 other parties arrived after we did, without reservations, and were seated before us. We almost just left. Fortunately our server was really good and improved our opinion of the service. So if you arrive early, don't tell them you have a reservation. Lesson learned.

Love the cocktail waitress Chelsea and the lobster and

Great place for good food and exceptional service! They really treat you good! Also, check out their special days.

Nice upscale restaurant near the heart of San Diego. The food is good, the service OK, and the views wonderful. Prices are comparable to the area.

Good food. Terrible service.
Went here for Lobster Wednesday. On Wednesdays they have Maine lobster plate for $12.99! That is one heck of a deal. Being a skeptical that I am, I was wondering how big the lobsters are. Well... it was pretty good size, although I don't know the weigh of that sucker I devoured. And it was cooked pretty well & tasty. And my colleagues also enjoyed their non-lobster dishes as well.
Now my problem with this place.....
1) It took them forever to sit us. We had reservation for 16, and they didn't want to sit us until all 16 of us got there. So we just crowded the entryway until all of us got there.
2) The servers took forever to come by & offer to take our drink orders.
3) Took forever to come back for food orders.
4) They completely forgot my order & took forever to bring out my lobster plate. This being the lobster special night, I would have guessed they have bunch lobsters cooking @ once but alas... guess that's not how they do things. I got my plate after all my friends were done eating.
5) Took them forever to bring our check - even after we asked for it twice.

Terribly noisy! Service slow....but was a large group. Vegetable arrived after meal was finished. Lobster was good. Price was good.

For awhile we'd come here every Friday for their Prime Rib special and then one time we had prime rib that was sub par. Maybe we were tired of the Prime rib. We went again a few days ago and everything was awesome. The service and the prime rib were top notch. Well have to come back more, but not too much!

Everything about this place is average. Food, service, drinks, and decor. The prices for the specials is the reason we went but I won't be returning. You can tell that the kitchen is working double time and the quality shows.

The service was impeccable. The food was amazing. The views of the harbor were enchanting! The ambience of the restaurant is great and I don t even eat seafood!

Just had put Christmas party there. Beautiful view, amazing food and great service. Michael handled our party of 18 without a hitch. Highly recommend them for your group party!!!

For the price, I was not impressed at all!!!! The food looked great but it wasn't anything to call home about and the portion sizes were small. I would not recommend this place to anyone.

Boathouse is a great place they do birthday prime rib for free last Thursday of the month can t beat that! Some menu changes would be appreciated!

Food is not particularly good, but you get free group picture and you can also have the mariachi serenade to you!

Great service, very nice views, and above average food. I thought all the food we ordered was good! The dessert was amazing!

Great food, atmosphere and view!!! couldn't ask for a better place!

Love this place got the best claims chowders in town

Ate lunch with family, service and food very good! Artichoke appetizer cold other than that, our fish plates were wounderfull.

Came here for the $12 lobster special. Friendly staff. The lobster was on the small side so we each ordered 2. We can t really complain since the grocery store charges about the same for ones that are still kickin. They were tasty and came with a side of rice pilaf.

It was busy so we got a couple drinks while we waited for our table. There were four of us and the two benches in the front were taken so we stood in the bar area. We had to keep shuffling around since it seemed no matter where we stood we were in servers way. This would ve been a 5 star review if we weren t constantly feeling like we were inconveniencing them by being there.

Wednesday's are my favorite. I go in for the lobster special and you can't go wrong. The clam chowder is so good! You never have to wait too long and the service is great!

The specials are excwllent whether its prim rib or prime rib night. Try the chowder anytime. Staff are
excellent

Great place with an exceptional view. Maybe a bit pricey but a good date night destination and convenient to the Gaslamp and Seaport Village areas.

Bad experience with the food and service... not coming back!!

Wonderful time eating with family on Christmas at the Boathouse Restaurant. Excellent meal and service. Merry Christmas.

I was the first to be seated and after me three other tables were seated and their orders were taken first while me and my family were ignored. Among the first to be served was the waitresses boy friend. Even then we waited about 7 minutes more. So we got up and left but not before complaning to the manager (if that did any good). I was very upset and I could help feeling a racist environment.

We shared a meal here after having a memorial at sea for my husband. The food and waiting staff was all excellent.

Birthday night serves the best prime rib dinner in San Diego

$$ to $$$ Considering the special location and atmosphere this restaurant is very affordable! A good value value

The Boathouse Restaurant location is exceptional! The surrounding grounds, Marina, and proximity to downtown San Diego offers a feel good experience (very good)...

The restaurants dining area offers great views of the Marina... We sat next to large windows overlooking this beautiful Marina. Our server (Will) did an excellent job at serving our party and his other tables (he was very busy; a very good attitude).

Everyone in our party of 6 loved the dining and drinks we ordered (except for me... Note: I am not easily pleased... sorry)... I ordered the Prime Rib and a bowl of Clam Chowder. The Prime Rib (this serving was very fatty) is served with a mashed garlic potato that was overly garlic for my taste. The Clam Chowder (I won't order again with a beef plate) was a bit lacking, which is surprising considering my expectation of this classy restaurant... I must insert here that I usually do not order Prime Rib so this was a venture away from my usual preferences... I did try a taste of the Macadamia Mahi Mahi but I wasn't impressed with that either.

The drinks were visually impressive, refreshing and tasty; a second round was ordered... Also the house expresso was appreciated and reordered by the two in our party that are very into expressos (so the drinks and expressos receive high kudos).

Assistant Manager (a young gal) was very professional (sorry I don't have her name). She was very congenial giving me a very good first impression.

I think most diners would rate the Boathouse with 5 Stars for the overall experience. I may have had a very of day...

By:
cmilton111
Google Guide
6.10.2018

Excellent service! I had to send my food back cause it tasted like mold. Went home hungry and my family said they're meals were mediocre at best.

Wish they served dinner earlier. Love the location. Good menu

Free Prime Rib Dinner for your Birth Month. Usually last week of each month.

Great Specials! Personal service with great food and unique ambience.

Very nice location. Service and food were great. Not fancy or extravagant decor but if that's what your looking for you wouldn't go here.

Hated the restaurant. The service was terrible. We didn't even stay because they had a fixed menu that they hadn't informed us about. The main dish we wanted wasn't on the menu and the chef wouldn't bother to prepare it. When you make a reservation, you need to be informed ahead of time regarding any changes to the menu. The worst part was that it was on new years eve and we were lucky to find a restaurant that had fantastic food and service.

We went there to celebrate my friend's 50th birthday. After having a nice time and enjoying the food, we get the bill...at that point everything went sour. We were initially told that we could do up to 3 separate checks. They put a party of 21 people all on one check without even checking ahead of time how we wanted the bill divided. There were 2 separate tables and when we asked when why the check wasn't separated, they replied that it was one party. Makes no sense to me...eventually they did separate it, but it was painful and the check was short because the majority was on the one check. Sadly, the birthday person paid the difference and management gave him a measly gift card. Later I looked at the receipt after all the changes and it had DOUBLE the amount the tip amount that the original check did. Hmmm sounds HIGHLY suspicious to me...and I don't understand why in today's age it would be so difficult to get separate checks. It turned what was a great night into a nightmare! Not the way you want your birthday to end.

Quiet, delicious food, great views, excellent staff. Brunch on Sunday was perfect, highly recommended.

Be sure to make a reservation if you plan on going here otherwise you might have a wait. On Wednesdays they have $12.99 lobster which is fresh and delicious. Some appetizers came out cold but the waiter fixed it and brought a hot replacement.