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    Boathouse Collective

    3.9 (532 reviews)
    Open 4:30 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

    Boathouse Collective Photos

    Business Info

    BOATHOUSE COLLECTIVE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Hipster
    Moderate noise
    Live music
    Good for kids

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    Papaya salad
    Aileen K.

    Such an adorable place. We came more for the live music and good cocktails we had heard about but ended up being hungry and ordering food as well. The food was just okay. We ordered the papaya salad, ital vital (probably my favorite of the bunch), and the shaken filet. The filet was wayyyyy overcooked, shockingly so. I was a bit surprised that they ended up serving it but we ended up not eating it anyway. It was a complete waste. We ended up still hungry so we ordered the belgian fries which got us full almost immediately. Bang for your buck at its finest. I tried the boathouse sour and the first class. They were both really well crafted.The live music came later in the night and was quite the entertainment. Ultimately, I'd be back for the drinks and music, but I'm skipping the food next time!

    Here for lousy little dogs  and the food!!
    Sylvia T.

    Omg.. can we say whaaaaa?? The food here is exceptional and delicious. I'm Vegan and thier vegan dishes are to die for. We firstly came to see lousy little dogs. But when we had the food we were sooo surprised. I cannot recommend this place enough too others. The place has a kool vibe and is so cutesy and hip. I would recommend reserving a spot for sure, this place gets packed our server tam was excellent and attentive. This is a great to go to place for outstanding food and entertainment plus good service

    Spencer H.

    Really cool space, delicious (but not quite great food), terrific service, and fun programming (e.g., open mic night on Tuesdays). Came here for a mid-week dinner, 2 people. There was no crowd so we were quickly seated. Our server (and everyone else we interacted with) was incredibly friendly and contributed to the awesome vibe of Boathouse Collective. We ordered a lot of different stuff on the menu - burger, chicken katsu, hamachi, yakimo, shishitos. The food was excellent except for the french fries - extremely salted and near burned. The menu is quite diverse so there's probably something for everyone. To boot, the open mic night added to the ambiance. Great spot that I'd recommend. I'll be back!

    Basil Greyhound and a Margarita
    Czarina D.

    Came here on a Friday night around 6:30 pm. This restaurant looked ambiguous on the outside, but was very cute on the side! The ambiance had a slight hipster vibe but was pretty cool and chill. I had a party of 3 and we sat at a large community table. I didn't mind the seating at all, but I did think the music was too loud and we couldn't hear each other talk. Our server Jennifer was super fun and friendly! The servers came off as more of our friends rather than people working, which I enjoyed. Now for the food. I found the food to be good, but not amazing. The food was slightly overpriced to me, but maybe we just ordered the wrong things. I got the burger ($15) which was cooked well, but didn't amaze me. The fries has a good flavor but were kinda soggy and the aioli was tasty. My boyfriend got the special which was a ribeye steak ($40). It was a hefty piece of meat served with what tasted like a horseradish cream. The meat was cooked well, but was unfortunately over seasoned and pretty salty. Still enjoyable though! But for $40, I'm not sure if I would get it again. For drinks, we got a margarita and a basil greyhound. Both were tasty but also STRONG! After a drink and a half, I was on a good level. Overall, this restaurant is good. Really cool vibe! But based on price, there might be better out there. Still a fun night though!

    Butterscotch Panna Cotta
    Ruby L.

    The food here is so good!! Food/Drinks: Try the Band Bowl or the Deluxe Bowl!! My friend and I ordered both and shared. The medallions and salmon were cooked perfectly and they come with crispy rice (which I thought was unique). The poke tasted fresh and the katsu was also really great. They come with some rice topped with a special sweet & salty sauce. Our server had some fruity mocktails made for us since we're under 21 and we really enjoyed them. Dessert: Their Butterscotch Panna Cotta is my new favorite dessert. If I weren't so full already, I would've ordered a second one. I'll definitely be back for some more. Service: Our server was really attentive to what we wanted. We made a reservation for 6:30PM on a Sunday night because we weren't sure how busy they would be but it was quiet and anyone would've been seated immediately.

    Inside
    Susan H.

    This place is so cool I will be making a tradition of visiting this place anytime I'm in the area! I loved it! Lots of ambiance, just fun! Music, entertaining bar area, lots of seating, great for kids earlier in the evening it's loud enough they're not going to disturb anyone, and to top it all off the drinks and food where SO GOOD! Our waitress was a little slow to check on us or bring us our check but we where not in a rush so it didn't bother me. We love this place! Try the salmon you won't be disappointed!

    Michael B.

    So much potential....inconsistency was comical. Six of us went to Boathouse on Saturday evening. We sat down and waited a little bit until the server came over. We ordered a round of drinks with two people in the group ordering the basil greyhound. Drinks were served and the basil greyhounds looked completely different; one was yellowish with basil in it, the other was ruby red and no basil in it. The server says, don't worry, they'll taste the same...they were just made by different bartenders. Well, they tasted completely different. We were about to order and the server asked if the host had given us the specials menu. Answer, was no. He brings us the specials menu with some interesting, but diverse options; Cuban sandwich, uni pasta, etc. Meanwhile, we order another round of cocktails, with three of us ordering the First Class (Templeton Rye I China China I Vanille De Madagascar I Lemon $14), as that was a favorite from the first round. It was served differently than the first one. First one, no ice, great flavor, well balanced. Second one, ice, watered down. Server says sometimes it is served on the rocks, sometimes not. Strange. We ordered our entrees and I went with the server's recommendation of the Cuban sandwich. Wife went with the filet tips, rice, and arugula. We also ordered the uni pasta for the middle of the table, to share. While waiting, we order another round of First Class cocktails, asking the server to have the bartender who made the first one make it. Score! The drinks were delivered and they were awesome. The ladies were tired of the inconsistency, so they opted for a bottle of Pinot Noir. Options were $30, $70, $80. Strange price breaks/options and they went with the $30 bottle. The food was served, except for the Cuban sandwich. Server says that the Cuban sandwich was taking longer than normal. 2-minutes later, it comes out; cold hunk of pork belly, cold cheese, avocado and cold, dry bread. It was horrible. I would of rather the server said they forgot it, waited another ten-minutes and had it done right. Wife's filet tips plate was cooked super rare...meat was super chewy. Uni pasta was good. Others at the table weren't impressed with their food. Oh well. We ordered another round of First Class and another bottle of Pinot Noir....surprise, we received a different tasting cocktail than the previous ones. Not bad, but just not great, like the initial cocktail. Auto gratuity of 20% on a party of six. Aggressive.

    Neela S.

    Driving around one Saturday evening, we stumbled upon the Boathouse Collective. I've never visited any place like it before. There is a hipster vibe to it and the decor makes it original. There is valet parking but you can also opt to park on the street. It's an unsuspecting restaurant in the middle of a residential area. Our server was very free spirited and friendly and we were attended to promptly. We ordered a couple of cocktails and sandwiches.Not bad at all. If you are looking for healthy menu options I noted none. I'm pretty sure my arteries were clogged after eating my sandwich but it was so worth it. There was a live band and the layout of the restaurant is quite unusual. Everyone had a great view of the stage. In all it's a different experience and I will recommend to try at least once. P.S please make reservations especially on the weekend!

    Erik P.

    Location - I consider this place a hidden gem in Costa Mesa that is only known by worth of mouth. Parking - Some street parking and affordable Valet parking. Venue - Very chill place with cool decor, lighting, and patio. Service - Staff here is very nice, wuick and efficient. Food - All the food was cooked perfect and had great taste. Price - Dishes and drinks are fairly priced. Music - The day I came they had Indie/pop/folk and it was very good. Even if thats not what you listen to its cool to just come and enjoy. Overall great experience and would highly recommend it to others.

    Menu
    Jeff T.

    Very cool place to come for a date or hang out spot. I think the restaurant was built in a hanger or something, but the decor and ambience is pretty unique with surfboards on the ceiling. I wouldn't say its a romantic setting, but it's definitely fun. You can either valet for $5 or easily find free street parking. There's a live band area and sitting near it can get pretty loud and hard to hear your table conversations, but nonetheless the band is a great aspect of Boathouse. One thing to improve would be to maybe add some sort of purse hooks to the tables. For small parties, the little tables and stool chairs leave no place for the ladies to put their purses. As for the food, we started off with the Poke ($9) and Ital Vital veggies, and finished with the special (16 oz steak). The Poke worked well with the rice, greens, and avocado aioli but was a little lacking in size for the poke portion. The Ital Vital, which was essentially a large plate of seasonal veggies, was really flavorful; only part I didn't like were the peppers in it. Some were not spicy at all and some were spicy af. We ordered the steak medium-rare and were pleasantly surprised at the size when it arrived - I guess we forgot what a 16oz steak looked like! It was really well-seasoned and flavored, but the cut wasn't as great as I had hoped, with some portions being a little stringy and difficult to cut. The fact that portions of it were still a little on the rare side didn't help either. I would like to try their outdoor patio on a nice day eventually. The whole place gives a very hipster vibe and the food has a slight asian fusion twist to it. Would recommend.

    Deluxe Bowl. Pieces of salmon and Filet with slaw and sticky rice
    Danny O.

    Great spot! Love the ambience and the food. Kind of a hipster vibe buts it's cool. Prices aren't bad either. We ordered the Poke for an appetizer and it was a very good portion which my girlfriend and I split. I got the Deluxe Bowl which came with salmon, pieces of filet and a slaw. My girlfriend got the grilled salmon filet entree and it came with Brussels sprouts and a very good sauce at the bottom. Poke was $10, Deluxe bowl was $19 and the grilled salmon was $19. Overall, good pricing for very good food. I would definitely come back The place is hidden and you wouldn't really notice it if you were to drive by, but it's worth going in and grabbing some food and beer.

    Crispy Rice with Yellowtail Collar
    Kenny W.

    The boathouse collective is a very lively environment with good food and a decent selection of wines. I came in at around happy hour and we sat at the outside patio area. Heaters were on and the atmosphere was comfortable. There was no menu for the beer but the waiters know all of them at request. I ordered the special, a yellowfin collar with crispy rice. Although priced a little high $28 for a bar, the meal was delectable. The fish was cooked to absolute perfection and was falling right off the collarbone. The sauce was not overwhelming the flavor of the fish. Our server highly recommended it and I have zero regrets. I would absolutely come back. The value is great, reasonable alcohol prices with a decent selection, and food to write home about.

    Basil Greyhound
    Tyler T.

    This place is located a little bit away from everything else (at least it seems that way at night anyways), so it can be a little tricky to find cause the location seems odd. Parking can be a little bit tricky as well. There are some spots along the street, but if you can't find any there is also $5 valet service. On Fridays and Saturdays they have a live band playing at night, but the seats in there fill up fast, and according to our server, a lot of people sit there for most of the night to enjoy the show. We ended up being seated outside, but the vibe and feel was still nice as well. The whole place looks very nice with the lighting, live music, and decoration, a bit of a "hipster" kind of vibe. It is a fun place to eat and chat with friends. Despite this though, the food was lacking and not all that good for the price point. My friends and I shared the Catch of the Day, which was a swordfish curry, the filet medallions, the chicken katsu, and some fries. The swordfish curry had a giant piece of swordfish that was cooked well, but the curry sauce it came in tasted like one of those instant Japanese Golden curry packs and at $19 a plate, I expected something a little more interesting than curry I could make at home for a lot less. The fillet medallions were a bit boring as well, the meat was cooked okay, but it lacked the perfection and finesse I would expect from a good fillet. The kind of spicy sauce that went with it didn't really add much either, just a sweet kind of taste. The chicken cats was just like regular chicken katsu you can get from a Japanese restaurant, and it was pretty good but it was nothing special. The fries came with an interesting kind of mayo-like sauce, but they were just fries. For drinks I got the basil greyhound, and it was a bit strong, in the sense that it was mostly just an alcohol taste, you couldn't really taste the grapefruit or anything. Whether you prefer it like that or not is up to you.

    Short rib

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    11 days ago

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    This business is closed. No longer a restaurant super eclectic weird place. Covid killed most likely

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    Page 1 of 14

    Ask the Community - Boathouse Collective

    Is this place permanently closed. The number is disconnected?

    To the best of my understanding, and broken heart, yes. The number is shut off. I messaged them online months ago, no response. The Boathouse Collective was magic. They're missed.

    Will there be anything happening on New Year's Eve?

    Are reservations recommended on Saturdays?

    Definitely

    I'd like to know if there is a dance floor... also if there is a buffet style menu what type of music and is this venue good for groups?

    No...but can move around in front of the stage.

    Can this restaurant accommodate a small wedding for 40 to 60 people?

    Yes! Nice eclectic atmosphere

    Is this place kid friendly?

    Absolutely! All ages welcome!

    What is crispy rice?

    Sushi rice which has been grilled to perfection over our charcoal grill, which gives the rice a soft warm inside and crispy outside texture. YUM! My favorite dish is the CATCH OF THE DAY which features seasonal local caught fish paired with… 

    What is the corkage fee here?

    Looks like corkage fee is $15.

    Are dogs allowed on the patio?

    Yes

    Are we able to reserve the patio for a large group? And is there a minimum or maximum capacity?

    Hey Taylor! Of course! We can offer several spaces for private parties and large group, from our full dining room, to our spacious patio, and our adjacent gallery space. I would be happy to discuss options with you more in detail at your… 

    What time does the kitchen close on the weekend? Can I get dinner at 9:30?

    Kitchen usually closes at 10pm, but if people are still ordering, we love to keep it rockin!

    Is it 21+?

    Yes it is

    View All 18 Questions

    Review Highlights - Boathouse Collective

    We ordered a lot of different stuff on the menu - burger, chicken katsu, hamachi, yakimo, shishitos.

    Mentioned in 7 reviews

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    Palenque Kitchen

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    Boathouse Collective - newamerican - Updated July 2026

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