The Maribyrnong Boathouse Reviews

Nice place for a sunny day. Food is nice but could be better

Smashed avo - avocado is not even fresh - it is a premake off the supermarket shelf and tastes more like guacamole. How can you even call it a smashed avocado dish!!!

The location is excellent. The food and service are well below Melbourne average. Chicken burger had that 'this has been frozen and defrosted taste'. Beer menu does not include anything independent. No table service and you need to line up to order like in a bistro, they also charge a debit card surcharge. They have a strict you can't order lunch before 12 policy which means lining up with the 30 other tables waiting to order when the clock hits 12.

We went on Melbourne Cup Day. 15% surcharge, say what??? On already over priced meals? Pretty disappointed. Lunch meals were small and overcooked. I had the salmon and so did my partner, there was a small now I mean small piece of salmon well done way overcooked. It Had a nice crispy skin, so I think it had been overcooked trying to make the skin crispy, it was laying on 4 asparagus spears and a couple wedges of maderine and a dollop of hollanaise sauce. I had cappacino to wash down the dryness which was cold. Came to $82. What a total rip!
And we had to come home and eat lunch!!

This place makes Gary Mehigan look bad. Originally it was great. More recently I got food poisoning from the swordfish. I called to inform the kitchen and no one ever returned my call. The quality of food and service has dropped. Shame...

Great location amoung the river and a giant childrens park.
So whether you come by from exercise track among the river or a family at the park or just dropping by it caters for a vast variety of the public. Family and adult friendly, great views if sitting outside. Menu is very reasonable and full of flavour, great variety.
Park next door the cafe has marketed by also having a window for coffee and snacks, among benches and shade. All parties are happy and well done with the extra thought for the families at the park also looked after without having to disturb children at play.

4 star just for the view and the waitressing service the rest you can forget it the food is terrible and you pay big bucks not worth coming to this place

Awesome food I really like it, the service wasn t so good

Foods very poor, watching Gary critique food on Masterchef certainly doesn't marry with the outcome of his food at his restaurant - disappointing. George's food fabulous

When buying coffee or anything they charge on using your debit card surcharge and public holidays charging extra

The coffee from the kiosk outside on Sunday afternoon is the best in the whole Melbourne the young bloke made it to the perfection. It did so well that I had write a review so more people can enjoy it. The food inside the restaurant is horrible though.

Have had lunch there on a couple of occasions, very nice food and lovely views over the river.

Service has a lot to be desired. If you paying a premium price for food you should not have to get up to order.

Lovely atmosphere. Has all you can eat pizza on Tuesdays.

Had the pleasure of living close by The Boathouse last year and have missed it since, great food, coffee, staff and location.

Big, spacious venue located on the banks of the Maribyrnong River. The breakfast menu is great, the signature Boathouse Pancakes were outstanding. Feels like this is a very underrated venue, I'll definitely be back!

Poor service, was pretty much ignored the whole time I was there, everytime I asked if I could order they kept sending me inside but there was no one free to take the Oder.
Wasn't busy with lots of people waiting but there was severs staff running around like they didn't know what they were doing.

Great spot, service pretty good, reasonably priced delicious food.

Nice place to grab a coffee after a long river walk on Sunday morning. :)

Ali Doo brought all the boys here for Ftoor in Ramadan. The food was great but the service was a bit slow. Overall we enjoyed our dinner here and will be looking forward to giving Ali doo a Kaf.

A year ago: The place is a gem. Love going there as the place is next to a nice walking path. The view is magnificent. While you have your coffee or their beautiful dishes, you can enjoy the scene. Recommend it to people around Melbourne city. Good place to getaway.

2/8/2020: Appalling experience today by the barrister.
I asked for my usual almond latte extra hot. By looking at the milk cartons on top of their fridge, I presumed it will be milk lab.
They gave me another brand which I cannot drink. Not knowing that they also provide such brand as well.
After I sipped, I went back. I explained kindly to order taker. She said that s fine. However after a minute, barrister shouts out to the public, They need to tell us what milk! . I felt humiliated but didn t say a word not to make things agitated further.
There is a good way of telling such info. Would I have another coffee from that barista? No? Would I change my starring to original? Not until management apology!
Politeness pays, rudeness is always ugly.

Advertised $5.20 but charged differently without no sign. Will not argue for a coffee fee! I guess extra to see others yelled at.

Nice for a dinner, good pizzas for takeaway too. The burger is nice too. Fish and chips is great.

Very bad service. Lady told us the wait was going to be 25 minutes but needed up waiting for 50 minutes for 2 pizzas a one burger !!!!!

We had some pizza and they were good wood fired, chips was good, good service and really good views, no complaints

Great place to catch up with friends, sharing a meal with a glass of wine or water, overlooking the river.

Great spot, coffee just ok, food just ok, over priced

Friendly staffs, the place is great for family but the coffee was just fine

If I could give this place a ZERO I would, doesn't deserve the 1 star I have been forced to give. Drinks took ages to come out. Food was APPALING. We had the salmon and mixed grill, the salmon was cooked okay but the asparagus was so burnt it was black and literally crumbled as I bit it. Whatever the sauce was surrounding it was curdled and bland. The mixed grill was 5 tiny bits of meat, could barely call this a mixed grill especially given the price? Service was nothing special, given the location there should be outstanding meals and service, such a waste! Overpriced and disappointing to say the least. Won't be returning.

Great atmosphere & scenery. The food quality is good, my favourite was the desserts. Service is top quality.

Good location along the river and really large space but food is average.

This place is pretty over rated. Price for food isn't worth it's quality. I'd say most food here is from frozen items. In saying this the pizzas aren't too bad. But really... It's just pizza so it should be ok.
The coffees are hit and miss. Only 1 from my 4 cappuccinos was great. The others where just coffee, more made to a latte than a cappuccino. It's in a nice little area though. So a view with average food can surpass an ok stop.

Terrible service. The lady manager/ owner absolute joke. It s a shame because it s a great location.

The location is awesome thanks to the scenery and it's a good spot to take kids too thanks to the playground nearby. The menu though is too limited and could be improved.

What an incredible find, fabulous location, fantastic food....

Expensive restaurant for a very poor quality food. I have never been more disappointed with a meal.

it was a wonderful morning with my cookie walked here , he showed me this amazing view restaurant which i m really appreciated!!

Great place right on the river, good menu and good kids menu
Staff were fantastic

Hubby took me there for lunch on my birthday. The food and coffee were amazing. Staff is very friendly. The atmosphere is relaxed and beautiful. It's a real gem of a place. Oh and you have to try the cheesecake it's out of this world!!

Had salmon salad which was good but desserts were amazing.

We came late afternoon group of 4. We were greeted, seated and handed a menu each. The decor made it feel warm and ambient.

We awaited for a waiter to come take our order to be told we had to order at the counter. This was quite disappointing considering you have to wait to be seated, also there menu prices you would expect complete table service.

My husband ordered the salmon, the skin was crispy with a side of green veggies and sauce (could of added a little more green veg). I had the budda bowl with chicken and we had a bowl of eggplant chips to share.

I would definitely like to come back to check out the breaky.

Arrived, having navigated the parking nightmare, to discover we were seated outside, despite booking 2 weeks in advance. This seemed fine, until we were told there was no table service outside, which meant ordering and paying at the bar, no split bills and having to get our own water and cutlery (rummage through a basket of stuff) while those indoors enjoyed table service, water jugs and cutlery provided - all for exactly the same price. Waited an hour for our food, which arrived containing ingredients other than those specified on the menu (*note to chef: cashews are not peanuts). We were served shiraz which had oxidised, but was replaced on request. A rude barman and exorbitant pricing for average food made it a disappointing experience. Generally, wait staff were lovely but that was a small mercy for an overall unpleasant and expensive experience.

Under staff and untrained barista, burnt chorizo and dry bacon with smallest "big" breakfast didn't help the experience either. won't be coming over the weekend again.

Went to the Boathouse for Lunch on Sunday. There were quite a few things that made us feel not so welcome and on top of that had some issues with food too.

Waiting staff wasn't that polite all the time and not super knowledgeable of the menu. One of us had a small bag next to their chair and a waiter walked past and simply shouted "that is dangerous" and kept walking by.

When ordering food one of our party needed gluten and dairy free options due to allergies. The restaurant had a gluten free menu, but she pointed out that she also needed dairy free. the waiter pointed out a couple options for her and she ordered one of them. When the food arrived, it had cheese and other dairy products in it. We only noticed as the cheese was crumbled on top.

The staff manager came over to apologise but still we felt a little bad because our waited said to the staff manager he did not hear our friend say she needed dairy free too. and then soon he came to our table to say he had not know there was dairy in the meal. Two contradicting stories that were both told to us.

Eventually got all the food. It was basic at best (had a pizza, two risottos and a beef burger).risotto was a little bland. Pizza had way too much cheese (and olives that almost half had pits in them) and the burger was overcooked and not very juicy.

Overall a disappointment as we had looked forward to visiting for a while.

Quite place with nice music and view. I like to enjoy afternoon tea or coffee with some dessert here . There's also a kid playground beside the restaurant, very good for family .

Staff are rude and unfriendly. Tried to blame me and my friend for giving the wrong table number when we didn t. Staff couldn t even be bothered to get us an extra straw. Said they were too busy but it s not even table service. We arrived at 11.24am and were told that breakfast stopped at 11.15am so we would have to order from the lunch menu which is limited. Went up to order at 11.40am and were told we had to wait until 12pm to order for lunch!! Seems ridiculous in this day and age. I would avoid.

This place is alright for a local place hidden nice scenery the river.people walking jogging its good location once you do your excersice u can stop there unwind coffee etc

Beautiful view! Lots of space and seating. Fairly grumpy and not prompt service, and the menu is very basic including very few drink options.

Great and diverse menu, Victorian wine list and awesome wood-fired pizzas. Heaps of room for groups, especially during summer in the outdoor area. Right next to the playground and river, they have a takeaway coffee and food outlet too.

So basically they take 15% surcharge for not giving any service and then attitude of serving staff is worst

Great service and food for our daughter's wedding reception

Great food, reasonable prices, staff were friendly for our family lunch.

Location wise perfect. Staff really trying to do good service but the quality is terrible. Tried it few times always not good.

I admit, it was mothers day, BUT there is absolutly no need to yell at your customers before they have ordered and call them names.

After waiting patiently to order coffee and hopefully something quick to eat from the takeaway window outside, we were yelled at who is next, without looking at us. We were clearly supposed to intuit she was addressing us.

We ordered our coffee and attempted to order off the menu board. I was yelled at that they weren't serving food today (no notice on the blackboard that food was not available, and a visible menu on the shutters of the 'quick bites'). After enquiring if they had any food available I was informed they had muffins and toasties (which WERE on the displayed menu). All this time the woman attempting to take our order was yelling at us, failed to explain what was actually on offer and called me a brat.

We walked off without completing our order in confusion/anger at being both yelled at and called names for simply attempting to order a coffee and something warm to eat. Note until we walked off we were attempting to be polite and civil, this was not an antagonist exchange on our part, despite the conduct of the woman taking our order. She was so distracted/aggressive in her conduct she failed to acknowledge we had requested our order to be cancelled.

From previous experiences dining there for lunch and dinner, the service has declined since my first meal there in 2015. The food is expensive and generally ok. Lovely view/surrounds. There are other, better options in the area. I doubt I would go back after this experience.

It's a little pricer than it used to be but it's worth it imo.

Lively and lovely space on the River. Food menu offers a great choice that would suit most.

Food and service was good, they do over cram the people in though and place can get very hot but they will switch a heater off if you ask.

Food is OK but staff need to focus more on customer experience. When you ask not to be seated by the door don't tell us we can't sit where we want because of reservations then 10 minutes later seat other people at these same tables even though they hadn't reserved them. We would often eat here and spent a bit of money - never again!

Good food and atmo. We have been here a few times and also for a wedding. Staff are friendly. Parking can be a bit hard during weekends. Good to have a park next to it for kids to run wild before/after. Nice view of the river if your into that sort of thing.

Very poor service and unfriendly staff, and the burger is over price.

Nice and relaxed evironment with a lovely ambience. However the food took far too long. It took about 45 mins to be brought out. The food wasn't of good quality, and 2/4 meals were simply unpleasant. The remaining two meals were absolutely basic and standard. The meals are overpriced and flavour was simply not great. However the customer service was marvelous, lovely waitresses and staff. Overall I don't really recommend for the price of the meals

Staff were friendly and lovely location. Went on Sunday morning for breakfast. It was extremely busy and had to wait quite a while for food and coffees.

Went here recently for a weekday lunch for a family birthday. Ordered the "express" lunch but found it to be anything but. Whilst the entree was served relatively quickly, we were left waiting nearly an hour between entrees and mains. There seemed to be a lot of staff walking around but it was hard to get the attention of any of them. The food was average but expectations weren't high given it was a $25 express lunch. The view of the river is nice but wouldn't recommend.

Great spot .. unique views of the river from the outdoor decking. Good coffee and snacks.

We chose to sit outside and we're informed there would be no table service unlike inside. However same prices apply.....waited at the bar for over 5 minutes for drink service whilst a staff member did not even acknowledge myself. Ordered food and two out of three arrived, we had to ask twice where was the other meal. 2 pizzas ordered where good as usual, the other meal calamari, chips and salad would have been a disappointment at $10 let alone $32!!!! Bought in calamari pieces, bland salad, soggy chips smothered in dressing. Something has seriously gone wrong with this venue as you can only survive on pizza and coffee margins for so long.

A sunny day on the river. Great food and wine and service.

We wanted to go somewhere different for brekky on Monday. My family enjoyed it very much. Staff were good. Would definitely come back, maybe try lunch next time.

Great food and coffee with a terrific view of the Maribyrnong river.

Dinner was mostly good. The calamari starter was tasty and cooked to perfection.
Ambience was a let down with very poor lighting. There's an interesting feature - a boat - fixed to the ceiling but you'd never notice at night, they've really stuffed up the lighting! Had to remind them we were waiting on drinks - maybe they were understaffed. I wish they'd realise that there's nothing more annoying than a wobbly table when you're trying to have a meal!

Love Love Loved it! The lamb pizza is to die for, i actually loved it so much that i made a booking for this coming Saturday. I need to try more from the menu
Highly recommend

Very nice restaurant.
It is recommended if the weather is good

What a lovely host and staff. You made my mums 93 birthday special. The attentive host was absolutely delightful. Food was delicious and coffee lovely. The kids had a ball playing outside and we felt relaxed and not rushed . My daughter and her husband are vegan and you looked after them beautifully.We had a simply lovely lunch and will return again. Thank you so much. Jo beckett

90 minute sitting times at the moment, which sounds reasonable if service wasn't so delayed that food came out with less than 25 minutes to spare. Coffees took almost half an hour after initial order.

With the recent reopenings of dine in venues, all can be forgiven if the food or coffee was worth the wait. The Boathouse Benedict and scrambled eggs were passable - lacked something, coffees a notch above McCafe standards.

Maybe it was one of those days but not tempted to return. Service was alright, outdoor views of the river a highlight.

The view is gorgeous but the quality of food and coffee is sucks!!!