Thank you,Boat House. for another great time. Food was delicious, Baked Haddock, and Seafood Platter. Our server, Karen, was very welcoming, helpful, and attentive. Enjoyed our meal and fellow diners also made the evening pleasant. They, too, LOVE the Boat House. We'll be back. Thank you to Donna, the manager, for continuing to have superior management and customer service. We appreciate. Thanks, also, to the talented chefs and assistants. Our favorite place, never had a bad meal or time there. read more

We stopped by for dinner on Saturday night and the wait wasn't too bad for a party of 4. I ordered the mussel pasta dish and was impressed to see how many mussels were on the plate! If you're a big mussel fan, definitely order this dish. We also ordered a side of fries and it was enough to share with the entire table. read more

Boat House Grille - Seafood Near Me - Essex, Massachusetts

We decided to eat here while staying in Salem and looking for some good upper-end dinner options. Glad we made this choice! Our waitress was attentive and helpful. We had a bottle of wine and bread to start as well as calamari. The calamari was fresh and crispy, and came with a jalapeño aioli which paired very nicely. We ordered Veal Parmesan and Lobster Veal Marsala. The Veal Parm was good and a large portion. I ate about half and am looking forward to leftovers! My boyfriend really enjoyed his Marsala. I kept asking for bites of it! It came with a lovely mushroom ravioli and the sauce was to die for. Plenty of good pieces of lobster and a generous portion of veal as well. The mushrooms were perfectly cooked. Although the food and wine were in the higher-end side, the ambience leaned more casual, especially because we were there while a football game was on and most patrons were at the bar. Lovely spot and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good dinner spot! read more

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I just had a fantastic lunch at the Boat House. Sharon is incredible and made such great recommendations and was spot on with service and friendliness. The Fried Clam and Onion Ring appetizers were great but nothing comes close to the entree. I hope the photo actually does justice to how amazing the Hot Pastrami Sandwich was! Make this place a mandatory visit this summer and ask for Sharon to get the best of the experience. read more

Boat House Grille - Hot Pastrami Sandwich at the Boat House - Seafood Near Me - Essex, Massachusetts

Visited the Boat House earlier this week for a 75th birthday dinner. We were able to reserve one of the private rooms in the back of the restaurantw which allowed us to spread out and have some separation from others. This was definitely appreciated as we were celebrating and had several kiddos in tow. Our server was excellent and really made the birthday boy feel special. We had several martinis which were delicious! The chowder was also a great starter. Everyone loved the meal and the portions here are massive and a great bang for your buck. We all had some leftovers for lunch the next day. Highlights included the fish and chips, mixed combo with steak tips and chicken, fried scallops and their delectable mashed potatoes. Two of us had burgers and I had the porkchop. It has great flavor but was a bit dry. Definitely would come back for another meal or to just grab appetizers and drinks at the lively bar. read more

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We went for dinner on a Saturday night. We were a party of 4 adults. We were waited on by Kat who was lovely, funny and attentive For apps we had the spicy shrimp, steamers and fried pickles. We were so full we had to have some salads and fish tacos! Food, atmosphere, service and drinks all great! We love it here! read more

Came here recently. There were 5 of us. The food was just OK. I did have a greek salad with chicken which was fine. No one else made any comments on the food. The ambience was nice and we had a terrific waitress who was efficient and took care of us. The bill came and was over $200. Summary: The food was just OK. The service was excellent. I thought it was over priced for what it was. Dissapointed. read more

Moved from the area and hadn't been back for a while but as good as ever if not better! It seemed pricey - but the portions of what we ordered were huge. Delicious onion soup...a true blue traditional (and fresh) lobster pie with crushed crackers and lots of butter, and a fried whole belly clam appetizer that was definitely dinner size and then some. Generous pours on reasonably priced wines and great and personable servers. And elegant upscale clam shack atmosphere that's quite cozy on a cold night. Hope I get back to the area again soon...I miss this place! read more

Boat House Grille - Lobster pie. Tons of meat and buttery goodness. - Seafood Near Me - Essex, Massachusetts

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Had the Fried Oysters and was pleasantly surprised by how sweet and tender they were with service a very light batter. Excellent job! The service was great and the environment was spacious enough that I didn't feel like we were packed in the room like sardines. read more

Boat House Grille - Fried Oysters - Seafood Near Me - Essex, Massachusetts

Entering was wonderful. Good drinks great seafood. One of our favorite restaurants.

I hate to write a negative review... BUT we ended up walking out of The Boathouse Grill today mid afternoon because of the hostess. She was very abrupt and argumentative not only with guests just asking to see how long of a wait there was BUT also people calling in to ask. We've eaten at The Boathouse Grill many times and loved it. It's too bad their front of the house staff is NOT GOOD FOR BUSINESS. We turned around and walked out. Hopefully she won't be there next time we go. read more

The food was fresh and flavorful. Jody was our waitress. She was attentive, efficient, with a great personality. A+ read more

Boat House Grille - Haddock - Seafood Near Me - Essex, Massachusetts

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Yesterday, I came here with a friend for lunch to grab a bite to eat. WE started with the spicy shrimp scampi appetizer. Big pieces of shrimp in an abundant, just the right spice sauce. Bartender graciously served us some house brown bread and homemade butter! For the entree, we split the clam strips plate. WOWZA! So much food, perfectly crispy, great tarter sauce too. Even between the two of us, we couldn't finish. Drinks were good, interesting specials, and ended with a hot and dirty that was good too. Can't wait to bring the hubs here! read more

Boat House Grille - Seafood Near Me - Essex, Massachusetts

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Great food - solid portion sizes (check out the photo of the steamers)! Staff was attentive. It was busy inside but we were able to be seated quickly, can get loud depending on how busy the restaurant is. read more

Boat House Grille - Steamers - Seafood Near Me - Essex, Massachusetts

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The boat house is an incredibly solid place that I find myself returning to pretty often. The fried & steamed clams are both great & exactly what you would expect in Essex. The fish tacos are good but not great, they use haddock as the blackened fish. There is usually a dozen or so craft beers on draft as well as some rotating bottles & cans. The menu is large & covers many different food types allowing something for everyone. My favorite dish so far has been the swordfish Cesar salad. The place can get busy but the service doesn't suffer as a result, although I opt to sit at the bar if I can. The inside has bar seating, dinning room area, booths & high tops giving it ample seating to handle the peak times. read more

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Super disappointing experience. Sadly my second in a row here... My wife and I drove almost an hour looking forward to lunch at what used to be one of our favorite spots. We were seated quickly by a lovely hostess on Saturday just after 1pm & were pleasantly surprised by how quiet it was. That was all we got though; silence. We sat for 15 minutes without ever being acknowledged. I know this because I started my phone's stopwatch after waiting at least 5 minutes with a drink in mind I never got to order. We both work in the service industry and noted that there were at least 3 different servers and they were being very attentive to the few patrons around us. With empty tables all around. I got pissed when I heard a server right behind us ask how someone was enjoying their drink while we clearly sat without any. We decided to leave once an employee started to set a table directly next to us, not 3 feet away, and never acknowledged us or noted our lack of accommodations and the situation honestly just got uncomfortable. We were shocked and literally laughed on our way out after being completely ignored. One of the worst displays of service I've ever seen. My previous visit a few weeks back I had the pleasure of ordering some food from the bar. Only to sit and listen to a server talk to a regular about how the "new chef doesn't really know what he's doing" and proceeded to bad mouth her own staff. Made me super excited for my meal, lemme tell ya. My lobster roll was hearty but under-dressed, and frankly, bland as hell. So, I guess the server was right about the chef. Fool me twice...shame on me. My family had been going here for a decade plus, but no more. The massive portions are now overshadowed by the poor service. read more

Food very good! Drinks amazing! Boat House Grille is known for its over the top pours, and they do live up to reputation.

I'm not someone who typically leaves a review but after thinking about it, I felt like it was the right thing to do. While the food and drinks and bartender were great, I was really put off by the behavior of one of the waitstaff. She was repeatedly and LOUDLY screaming slurs and other expletives against the LGBT community. It really put a damper on a good night out with friends, and I thought the business and the public should be aware. read more

so disappointed.. cocktails always good .. appetizer .. good .. screwed up my meal .. never came back to see if my husband empty cocktail would like another .. 2 bartenders where Saturdays was always Hannah who could handle entire bar .. with no mistakes .. not going back anytime soon .. miss you Hannah .. wherever you are read more

Another wonderful restaurant. Especially if you're hungry. Meatloaf is so very good. The portions ares amazing.

This is one of my favorite restaurants in the north store. It's very cute with a nautical theme. They give you hot bread (crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside) with creamy butter to start. And we got clam chowder, personally, I like it thicker, but they had a lot of clams which was great We ordered the lobster roll (they definitely don't skimp out on the lobster or fries) and you can do either hot with butter or cold with Mayo. Full belly fried clams that come with onion rings, fries, and coleslaw. And the shrimp and linguica. The portions are huge and so flavorful. The shrimp and linguica pasta is my favorite, I get it every time I come here. The service is really great and attentive as well. You definitely need to try this place if you're in the area, you won't regret it! read more

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The catfish was fresh. I wish it was more seasoned than what it was. The mashed potatoes were pretty decent, but I think out of everything. I absolutely enjoyed the mac & cheese. It surprise me at how bland it looked, but it was so creamy and delicious. I was a bit sad to hear that the meatloaf was the best thing and they were out that day, so I do recommend getting the catfish because it was fresh and delicious. I'm just a down south seasoned read more

Boat House Grille - Catfish platter with mac & cheese and red skin mashed potatoes - Seafood Near Me - Essex, Massachusetts

First time at this restaurant. Very good food and service , a seafood type atmosphere. Very naitical setting. The seafood combo was excellent and the grilled sword fish good as well. read more

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Perhaps I went to the Village in Essex for too many years and got spoiled. Food was average, service good.

Always great food and great service! One of our favorite go to restaurants! An added benefit was that there was no wait!

I just had a terrible experience with Boat House Bistro. Starting with the terrible cook food! Veal was dry and tough, and eggplant was really tough, But that was just the beginning, be ware their website has deceptive prices, the staff admitted that prices are higher than they are posting on their website, but not till I picked up my take out did I find out my bill, it was almost double from price that I added up from the website? Said that they are in process of updating?! ' Also, Ive spend 30 years in customer service, never encountered such rude and disrespectable treatment in any industry as i was subjected tonight. Ava and Brigite? Rude is being kind. Trust me, Dont waste your money on this terrible restaurant. So dissapointed that I spent $ 50.00 on crap food! ! read more

Our first time to the Boat House Grille, and we were pleasantly surprised, especially after all of the mixed reviews. This place looks like they can handle large crowds, and I expect is packed during season. We arrived around 12:30 on a Saturday for lunch and were immediately seated, but by the time we left there were people waiting, It's popular and for good reason. Service was friendly and efficient, we had a wonderful waitress, but realize there is some Boston north shore charm here that all might not be used to. Our cocktails were potent and made correctly. A big loaf of piping hot brown bread and butter was brought to the table that was delicious. Since it was lunch, we went straight for entrees. The crab cake sandwich was delicious, large and loaded with real crab, no filler. The fried clam strip platter was huge, over the top portion with fries and onion rings. I see some comments here that the food is bland, and for me it was a delight that the food was not over salted. So many restaurants over salt their food which is not healthy and you can't taste the food! The clams were crisp and tasted of clam, not salt! I would not hesitate to return here, but without reservations for smaller parties, I'm sure you might be in for a bit of a wait during the busier seasons. That said, put this on your list to try when in the area. read more

Boat House Grille - Fried clam strip platter - Seafood Near Me - Essex, Massachusetts

Excellent dining experience at Boat House Grille on 2/15. Got deviled eggs, lobster bisque and haddock chowder to start. Finished the meal with lobster sliders and fried clams. Definitely recommend!! read more

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Very disappointed. I ordered the lobster Mac and cheese. It says on the menu that there are button mushrooms. There were none. The amount of bread crumbs is overwhelmingly disgusting. I would never eat there again. read more

Another wonderful meal tonight at the Boat House Grille. We arrived about 5:45 and it was very busy. Our server was Kat and she was excellent. She initially apologized for the delay in getting to us, but she more than caught up as our meal progressed. I had my favorite, baked haddock, with mashed potatoes and butternut squash. Someone else had blackened haddock, a third person had a Caesar salad (gigantic!), and the 4th person in our party had an appetizer of steamers (again, gigantic), linguica with mashed potatoes, and a side salad. Highly recommend! read more

Nice decor in the restaurant although they need new menu folders since they were falling apart. Our server was rather indifferent- not at all bad but didn't seem to care... Menu is rather large. I had one of the days specials - blackened swordfish which I have never had before..it was good and I liked the mashed potatoes - had some small less-mashed potatoes in along with some potato skims which is just how I make it myself to give some texture. But the portions are just way too big! (I only ate just under half of it). The price was on the expensive side so I would much rather pay less and get less. Brought the rest home but fish is never that good as leftover food. read more

Saturday evening at 6pm - busy as usual, but seated immediately. Mo is an excellent waitress. We received our drinks and bread right away and our chowders soon afterward. AOK so far. For dinner, we ordered baked Haddock with sides, Haddock Parmesan with linguini and Shrimp scampi. Baked Haddock was very hot but the sides were stone cold (no problem). However, when the Shrimp scampi was served, the linguni were watery and the shrimp were all floured and breaded - very pasty and sandy - not Shrimp scampi at all. It's like they threw some baked shrimp dish over some pasta and gave it to me. I sent it back and was not charged. If you come here and want to order anything Italian, you may want to make sure the cook's last name ends in a vowel. If it's Norbert G. Huntington III, order a hamburger and leave asap. They should take their chef to the North End some time and make them learn what Shrimp scampi over linguini actually tastes like and how it is supposed to be prepared and served! Just sayin'. read more

Appetizers, dinner choices, drinks and desserts nothing we can recommend. We tried twice to give it a fair chance but were very disappointed. read more

I love the clam chowder, and last night they had a fried pork belly app special that was incredible, but I'd be remiss if I did not mention that a big reason for my schlepping over an hour out there is to see Sharon bartend. She made me a Paloma by special request when I wasn't feeling any of the great looking cocktails on their menu. It was also great seeing Cathy at the hostess stand! My mom had a pretty amazing looking lobster Mac and cheese that I would have eaten, and that isn't even my thing. Love the food! Stay for the staff. read more

Delicious. Fresh baked bread, good clam chowder, bacon wrapped scallops all recommended

I can't say enough good about the dinners I've had here. Great service, great drinks and the food is awesome. This place defies most other restaurants today with the larger sized portions, high quality and reasonable prices. It seems my ring of restaurants I go to is shrinking in this economic climate hamstrung by Bidenomics. read more

We went here during lunch on a weekend. I got a lobster roll and the lobster was definitely not fresh. I foolishly ate it anyways, as I felt bad wasting the lobster (instead of speaking up to the wait staff, so I own that I should have spoken up). Alas, I ended up not feeling well for the next day due to sad lobster. The atmosphere is OK. The service was very pleasant. Just make sure to speak up if your food tastes... off. read more

A fun, lively restaurant with a large range of choices for seafood and many salad and meat options as well - this used to be Lewis's and they still have some of their menu items. Servings were very generous and everything tasted great. Nice nautical décor. Friendly and efficient service. read more

We were warmly greeted upon arrival. Our original server was stoic & passive. She was either having a bad day or didn't want to be there. Cathy/Kathy was delightful and quickly took the reins. Their generous portions are a throwback to a bygone era. Boat loads of food were brought out to other customers during our lunch. One entree could easily be shared by two/three. We brought most of our yummy food home and still didn't have room for dessert. We look forward to another visit in the near future. Their onion rings are legit w/a thin, crispy batter. read more

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Returned for a lobster roll here after many years. The server kindly let me relax over an iced tea while catching up on my phone. The restaurant has much of that casual elegance that folks in New England seem to do effortlessly. (My dad used to find it funny that the restrooms are labeled 'inboard' and 'outboard'). They have a much more extensive menu, but the lobster here is very fresh, steamed and picked on site. The bar area also filled up on a sunny Friday afternoon, and there's a fun list of cocktails. Nice place to stop, especially if you're lucky enough to be visiting Crane Beach. read more