The Maribyrnong Boathouse Reviews

Nice spot to relax people watch and enjoy the river and scenery

Best thing to say is the view is fantastic. The dining experience always leaves me wondering why I came.

I thought this place would be ultra fancy, but I was mistaken and severely over dressed! It's casual dining, the wait staff were overly attentive, always around if you needed them. Food was awesome, my whole family were happy, and the coffee tasted way better than I expected. Very nice view of the river, and a playground just outside for the kids to play.

The place has great food, nice atmosphere service a tad slow- however, what was terrible was the front of house staff smoking less than 1 meter from the front door.. perhaps to leave or have the kids play outside at the playground would be nice if you didn t have to walk through smoke from employees to do so...

Used to dine here reasonably often..dont think I'll bother again. Had the fish and chips, they were so overcooked I had to break thru the batter by hand. The chips were like wooden dry sticks. Not cheap..especially when you cant eat it it. Staff very sparce on the ground. Disappointed

It is hard to link this restaurant to Masterchef creators and host. It requires a refresh of menu to the latest food trends in the industry, in particular at breakfast. It's such a great location and there are too many places around the area which are in competition with better value for food and some clever creativity, please change the menu to match!!

Such a delicious, complex gnocchi. Trout was also amazing. Of course there's pizza and fish and chips on the menu, but why would u order that at such a nice place?!?

Best meal I've had so far in Melbourne. Well done Gary!

Hadn't been to breakfast at the Boathouse for about 2 years.
Service is always amazing and today was no exception.
All covid safe
You are going for the view and location- perfect for a nice walk before breakky
Had the Eggs Benedict BUT unfortunately fully cooked not runny at all which is always a disappointment- real hollandaise and no need for seasoning. Ingredients were fresh.
Coffee was ok.
Overall good place but was not wow-ed.

Nice atmosphere, good food and friendly service. Expensive, but good treat.

Shared a lovely lunch after creating our vision for a new adventure together

Had brunch here today. Amazing service - Allison was so friendly & attentive AND the food was incredible! Highly recommend the Zucchini Fritters. So fresh & full of flavour. Thank you very much for a wonderful experience whilst catching up with friends. Will be back.

Great coffee and cafe snacks from the hole in the wall.

It was a surreal experience dining in a post lockdown, but the guys at this joint made it very comfortable and were spot on with their service. Food is just amazing.

It is a good place to dine. The food is very good and I love the wood-themed environment and mostly warm lighting. Not many people were inside this evening and this helped to create a relaxing and peaceful ambience.

I ordered lamb pizza and it came after some waiting. It tasted nice and was flavourful, especially with the mint leaves. The lamb kept falling off the pizza, however and this was really frustrating.

The service was good but I feel that there should have been more attendance by the servers. I was given menus upon entering but that was it, apart from the servers actually delivering the food. I had to go and place my order to the cashier instead of the server coming to me. This is the norm in other restaurants around Moonee Ponds. This was disappointing, especially as it was not a busy day.

Overall though, I enjoyed my evening. I sat outside and had a great view of the river. I actually rate this as 3.5 stars, but Google does not do half stars.

Disappointing. Several dishes unavailable to order. Song list consisted mostly of songs containing foul language. Staff were pleasant but didnt know the menu. Restaurant was basically empty but we were sat at the worst table in the place. Food was average.

Nice place along the river. Dinner was moderate though. Ordered a salad which was half the size of all other main meals. Did not say anything about the salmon salad being a side or meant for kids. Can't see how a normal grown up person would be happy getting that small serving for that price, specially when the all other three people are getting the double..

Had dinner there last night. Very disappointed with the menu when we realised with such a limited menu our selections were not possible. No fish and chips, no steak sandwich, no salmon salad, what is going on. How can you run a restaurant like this and not provide the basic belief that what is on the menu is available. Appreciate running out of specials, but these were staples on this menu. Not good enough!

Great location to stop while cruising up the Maribynong River.
Good food and friendly staff

Terrible service! Been there twice a front desk service is so bad. Food and atmosphere is good thought

Beautiful location. Good range of drinks and food to choose from

Food is good and great views to relax with while your dinning.

Ok it is Easter Monday and there are a lot of people but ..... have not been asked about another drink and waiting for our lunch we have been here since 12.30. The lunch better be good. Wrong pizza cold and doughy then got questioned when I sent it back

Great coffee, great pizza, great staff! Awesome selections of international beers and local beers! Great all round restaurant!

Booked a table here Sunday afternoon at 2:30pm. Very busy place with a function inside so we were seated outside. We got our menu and went to the counter to order where a sign said Order and pay but apparently it s table service?
Definitely recommend the Boathouse burger, everything was delicious and reasonably priced

Beautiful location. Food was really nice but servings were a bit small. Playground out the back for those with kids. Staff were great.

What a lovely spot. Meals were great and crew very helpful and prompt. Good work guys!

Good neighbourhood restaurant, but they are VERY fussy when trying to book a table for a coffee & cake chat with a couple or a group, by offering a table for 15 or 20 minutes only and insisting on their nominated arrival time - Nobody's that good!

In the area it's the best restaurant with great setting, service, beautiful food.
The people working there make us feel like we are special.
The location and the atmosphere of the place is great.
Highly recommend it.

Soy milk coffees are over done causing the milk to be lumpy..

Long black ordered instead came out burnt and bitter.

Order a toastie and the bread was rock hard from being stale.

Stick to the basics when ordering and you should be fine

Great views, good seating & Friendly staff make this place

Great location. Service was average at best. Some of the food was good. My wife and I dined here on a balmy Saturday afternoon. Sitting by the river soaking up the views was fabulous. However. Choose your seat carefully. The seagulls and pigeons are a REAL PROBLEM. Try sitting nearer to the tree on the deck.

The birds swoop on any plate left with food EN MASSE IMMEDIATELY. The staff response to this was less than desirable.
We ate the fish and chips, delightful, light crisp and hot. The other two dishes left us disappointed. The chicken wings while full of flavour looked as if they had just been microwaved. The beetroot dip and bread lacked depth and seasoning.

But really something needs to be done about the birds.

Kiosk closed despite opening hours mom-fri from 9 am). Went into cafe to order coffee and after being looked up and down was told it was too busy to open kiosk and would be half an hour wait for take away coffee. Sorry if my hair was wind blown and I had a toddler in my arms. Clearly this unfriendly busy staff member didn t want our custom. Guess what. We don t want theirs either, ever.

Great service good coffee in beautiful river location and good playground for the children

Great venue with a relaxing view of the Maribyrnong river, play ground for the kids and the important one, the food is really nice. It's a fantastic place to have a group gathering like a party as we did, but it would be just as good for a couple. There's plenty of room you don't feel like you are part of the next groups gathering.

Food and location are excellent but the service leaves a lot to be desired. If you are after a coffee or tea, please be aware that you will be waiting for half an hour and the beverage will be served luke warm. When you ask the waitress what took so long you won't get an apology just a "Oh this is completely normal". The restaurant was not even full.

Very warm and comfortable atmosphere. Great staff, they are very responsive and accommodating. Great food. We really appreciated the allocated prayer section during Ramadan. Our new favourite location for sure!!!

Have been there many times, always great food and excellent service. Try it, you will not be disappointed :)

I was surprised at seeing the score at The Boathouse after enjoying my meal here. The pizza was amazing, the fried chicken burger was amazing and the dessert was amazing. Don't always judge a book by its cover is the moral of the story, there were probably 200 people in the venue when I was there - this place is killing it!

The place is a scar on the river of Maribyrnong - disrespectful staff, filthy tables. I wanted to like this place but I just couldn t find anything nice to say

Perfect for chill, great view, friendly staff, nice but over priced food. (Do not order Watermelon Breeze)

Desserts and staff are the only positive, how they can't cook a proper steak

Overpriced food. Staff were great and friendly, unfortunately the food isn't worth the money.

There nothing positive to write about this place. Basic food with lack of flavours. This restaurant is outdated and desperate for a facelift and please don't use the public toilets..
Service. Credit to the young kids who are trying to serve their customers with a friendly smile
PS. On a hot day, people would prefer cold water rather than warm tap water. Don't you think!!!!!
It evident that there is no care factor from management regarding their customers needs..
Disappointed

Service is quite slow & no split bills. Food is very tasty but a bit over priced. The location is amazing but watch out for birds on tables when you are outside, they are quite brazen about leftovers

Everything was great here until the floor manager accused me of being anti social for being on my phone even tho at the time I was writing a Facebook review of them!

Some of the best food I have tasted. I would however recommend going on a weekday than the weekends. Staff are even more friendlier and the service is better.

Their pizzas are always nice here. Although there was a wait for food.

loved it. great staff. very friendly n fantastic food. loved the tiny onions. will go back next time I am in as.

What a shame, this place has lost its edge. Been here a few times over the years and as of late food has been getting worse and worse.
Even the menue is very basic, had the chicken burger today and what a let down that was. Chicken tasted old and frozen, whole thing was just bland. My partner had a salad which was also very basic.
Hope it picks up again as boathouse in the past was a great experience.

A great location for lunch or coffee that overlooks the river and park. The food was well prepared and service was good. The place, however, is a bit dated and needs some money spent on it.

Service was a bit slow, but we did get there at 3:00. food was pretty good

We booked a table a night before, but the waiter did not seem to aware about our booking. When requested for a table with cushioned couches for my pregnant friend, The waiters did try to organise it for us (after showing my girlfriend's tummy).
The entree and the pre-lunch drinks were very nice and fast served, but the main course, desert and coffee and tea were talking long time to be served. After serveral times of requesting and re-taking orders, we finally got our orders on table, but it was close to their early closing time and were rushed to finsih our meals . One of our mains was under cooked "pink mince beef burger" and we did have a replaced burger after a gentle complain. The famous Garry's Cheese Cake was absolutely divine.
We did ask the waiter about our tight scheduled that we only allowed to have 1 hour and 20 minutes meal time, but it took us three hours to finish our lunch. It was not what we expected.
Overall, I would like to give it another chance and I hope they can improve the staff training and quality control before serve to the customers as the price is marked for high quality and service.

Great food, Great atmosphere also resides next to a very nice walking track along the river.

Great service, nice and calm atmosphere. Mushroom and black truffle pizza was delicious. And they have an area for families with prams where there's more space between the tables.

My first time had dinner here. Delicious foods, fantastic wine ( Sauvignon Blanc), staff are very friendly. The place beautiful relaxing.
Will go back again sure.

I was there yesterday for lunch. The service was good. The lady who served us at our table (114 outside) is really nice. She always has her smile on and straight to help us with polite manner. I would like rate her 9/10. Good service and I m happy to come back.

I recommend this place as the food is amazing I had the AVO AND EGGS and mushrooms it was very nice
And they have a nice park

Please update the menu! You have the best location but your menu is ordinary. The big breakfast I could make at home myself. Especially for $22. I'm happy to pay that elsewhere when I get a big dish which is unique and tasty something I can't do at home myself.
Take a look at other cafes in the area which are way more advanced.

Crowded, fast and great service but the food is awesome. we tried the veggie grill and a wagyu burguer. It was rainny so the exterior places were not available.

Very expensive food , chicken curry very bad for $33 and you get a drum stick with disgusting skin sliding off it and a bit of rice. Nice place just could be a little bit better for what you are paying.And toilets could be updated and clean.

Had a dinner reservation for a family member's birthday on a Saturday night and sat inside. The service was not great for drinks as we waited ages and they weren't that busy. But what got me were the flies near the window couch inside. We complained but they couldn't do anything. Food was ok (pizza fine but burgers and other mains not great). It definitely is not as good as it used to be (or maybe staff were on holidays). Initially we thought we would stay for dessert but in the end we got out of there. Good location but I was still disappointed with the experience.

Really liked the ambience; the calamari was excellent definite must try!

So dissapointed, i am still annoyed 3 days later!! The salmon salad was merely 2 tiny fingers of salmon that were dried out, with canned diced beetroot, some sauteed silberbeet, cherry tomatoes and it wasn t even tossed together with a dressing. All that for $25!! A can of tuna and packet salad would have been better at home. Never visiting again, i ll be sticking to the coffee at the canteen, don t waste your money. Location great but that s it!!!

Great location, fantastic food , excellent ambience

Given the nice location and attractive outlook when the weather is good, you'd think more effort would be applied to The Boathouse. No idea if Gary Mehigan is still associated with The Boathouse, but I hope not.

Service was really lacking and the staff are clearly uninterested in their roles. No effort had been made to remove standing water/dew from the outdoor tables, leaving our menus waterlogged and a great place to soak our sleeves.

Toilets are outside, shared wth the public toilets that serve the park nearby, complete with graffiti and a dirty-ish appearance you'd usually associate with a public restroom.

No acknowledgement when we left and said thanks on the way out, leaving us feel unimportant. When we arrived it felt like we were inconveniencing the server. Our bad ...

The kiosk next to the restaurant serves nice cold drinks but the hours are extremely frustrating. It might be open, it might not. This is despite the clearly posted hours on the door. For a short time we used to visit the kiosk every day in summer but have long since given up since the kiosk's open/closed status is basically guesswork.

Honestly the only reason this review isn't 1 star is because the coffee was ok and arrived quickly. Restaurant was close to empty so that would've helped, but that part was still fine.

We are local so it would be nice to have more positive comments, but I doubt we'll be back.

Only been once so maybe I caught them on a bad day but I went on one of the hottest days of the year and they didn't have the air conditioning turned up enough until someone actually asked them to turn it up. The tables near the windows felt like they were next to a heater. The food was only average and I understand that it's more wholesome food but I'd rather KFC or Hungry Jack's for a meal. And of course the drinks were overpriced but that's standard for any bar. Next time my work is having a Christmas party I won't be going. Even though the meal was free it wasn't worth the fuel to get here. I know other people like this place but it doesn't make my top 10 list.

Beautiful view but what a waste of money! We wait for an hour for the food and it was really disappointing. Very expensive for that quality of food! I thought the same the first time and I gave it a second chance but I am definitely not coming back again.

Friendly staff and outdoor area overlooking the Maribyrnong river

The food is amazing, especially the pizzas. Lots of vegetarian options and also are willing to accommodate for vegans. The sweet potato fries were amazing and the hummus dip is amazing. Still serving plastic straws though which is upsetting .

Went for a birthday party. Food was good but the gaps between entree, main and dessert was super super long, prob almost an hour in between. Felt sorry for the bday hosts because guests ordered drinks to fill the gap.

Not good since the star took over. Bring back the old owners from years ago

There was possum poo right next to our table. I was horrified. Otherwise okay food

Located next to Maribyrnong river

Coffee was okay - not enough options on the menu