Everything is wonderful here, including the beautiful sunrises on the water. The staff, Brianna and Natalie are very helpful when/if you need anything, they always accommodate. The rooms are beautiful and clean. Looking forward to the next visit. read more

Do not stay here. We stopped to see if they had any vacancies for a last minute stay. "Bri", the front desk worker told us they had 1 room available for that night. We took it. Fully checked in by 4:30PM. Went to the room & were met with a strange, musty smell. Figured we would just deal with it since it was only 1 night. Got ready & left to head to Watkins Glen for dinner & wandering. When we returned to the hotel around 9:30PM, we were met with a live band blasting music literally directly outside of our door and a loud bar beneath our room. There was absolutely no mention of this happening when we were checking in. I went down to the bar and asked someone who seemed to be working there what time the band was finishing and what time the bar closed. She had no idea and had to ask someone else behind the bar. They said the band was finished at 10:30, and the bar would stay open "as long as there were people there". I went back to our room and my husband and I decided to wait it out until 10:30 and pray that it would be better when the band was done. 10:30 comes, the band wraps up.. 10:35, music starts blasting from the speakers again. We were exhausted and just wanted to sleep, so we made the decision to find a different hotel and leave the Showboat. We quickly packed up and packed the car, and I called the number listed online for the hotel. Bri answered, and I told her that I was very upset over the noise and lack of communication regarding the band and bar when we checked in, and that we were leaving. I told her we would appreciate a refund and that the room was empty. She told me that this was not the first call she's received about the noise outside the rooms we were in, and they do not give refunds. I am blown away by the lack of customer service and compassion. We were only checked in for a little over 6 hours, yet paid an absurd amount for a full overnight stay in a rundown, musty, loud motel. Do yourself a favor and avoid this place at all costs. We ended up at the Harbor Hotel in Watkins Glen and had an exponentially better experience! read more

when arriving we were told it would be a 45 minute wait which was completely fine, once sitting down we were able to order. After 1.5 hours we still hadnt received our food, however 3-4 other tables that had come 30+ minutes after us had already gotten their food. These were not parties of 2 either, there was even a party of 11 people! When we approached to question what was going on and complain about others getting service prior to us they couldn't not provide an explanation. When we told them we would just pay our drink bill and go, the "chef" proceeded to come out with parts of our food order and offer them up to the bar patrons for free, just to be a Jerk. apparently didn't feel as though they should address the concern at hand, instead just wanted to be unprofessional. Tipped the waitress and left, won't be going back to a location that can't even address a customers concern! read more

Restaurant was horrendous. Awful service, waited over 2 hours just to have to get our meals to go & the food was nothing special! Long Post (sorry but need to share our experience)... My party of 5 went on a Saturday night with live music around 7:20pm, but it was not busy. We were seated immediately and there were very few other tables eating for dinner. Most people were there for the drinks and live music. We sat and ordered 4 cocktails & a lemonade. We got our drinks pretty quick and then put in our appetizer as soon as those arrived. It was all downhill from here. Our appetizer, loaded french fries, was ordered around 7:45pm. We did not get it until around 8:15pm, when we finally got it they were just okay. Our server told us our food was almost ready and asked if we needed anything else, we didnt. Then an hour went by and we still had no food and our waitress had not come over to us in a long, long time. I saw a table behind us that sat around 8:15 get their food before us. As a side note we did not order anything out of the ordinary, so we had no idea what was taking SO long. Finally, I went up to the bar to see if there was a manager or owner present, there was not. I explained our situation to the hostesses, after giving me a few fluff excuses, called the owner to see what could be done. They offered to comp our drinks, we had 4 total. And in this time another table near us (of 8!!) received all their food and we still had not received ours! At this point I asked for our food to be put in to go boxes because we had already been there over 2 hours. The final verdict "The best we could do" was to give us 25% off our bill. For 5 of us that had 1 drink each. Ate french fries an hour after we ordered then had to get our meals to go over an hour after that. Truly a poorly run establishment. An additional side note, our server was fine for the most part, but had nothing nice to say about the place they worked at and even told us to leave a bad review. They were the best part about our whole experience here. Last thing I will say, as we stood up to leave with our to go boxes, we heard the table of 8 next to us also complain about how their food did not come out right either. When we finally got home to eat our food, it was nothing special. I would recommend going literally anywhere else. McDonalds has better food and customer service. read more

Overrated. Stayed in Cottage last year and I literally videotaped mice running around the cottage. Rented lake front room for my daughter and it was okay but overpriced. Have eaten there many times. Okay but nothing great. read more

Great experience! Very nice staff! Very welcoming atmosphere! Clean and quite except if they have concerts. By the way food is very good. Very nice breakfast . Been in this place a few times and recommend! read more

Showboat Motel & Restaurant - Lake view - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Himrod, New York

See all

Cute little restaurant, right on the lake with beautiful views. Service here was great. Our server was super friendly and helpful. She made good recommendations with the menu and checked on us frequently. Food was good. My husband enjoyed the wings---not breaded and freshly fried. My chicken BLT was large and well done. We really enjoyed our lunch at this restaurant. Our only recommendation is a little more cleanup with the bugs at the windows but with the doors open for fresh air on a beautiful day, we understood why the problem existed. read more

I will say that the view was nice from our room and the pool was cute, and the bed was comfy. But, it's definitely not worth the $190 we paid after taxes and fees, for one night. The carpeting was gross and had paint on it. The bathroom could use an update, it kind of reminded me of an apartment managers special. Slap some white paint on it and it's good to go. There was nobody on site working there, the first person I ran into was the last cleaning my room after checkout. Also-there was another family there and they never got their room number or entry code, the text didn't include it. And they couldn't get anyone on the phone, neither could I. A neighbor had to come and help. All that said it would be a higher rating if it wasn't so expensive. It's not worth $190, there are better places around at the same price point. read more

Do you know what we saw a lot of potentially bad reviews but we were here just for the restaurant and it certainly served what we needed. We were looking for a laid-back relaxing afternoon lunch in the middle of a drive around Seneca lake. A lot of vineyards offer specialty cheese plates, etc. but we were looking for a good old-fashioned diner style food. The Showboat restaurant met our desires. It's not the Ritz-Carlton, it's a very acceptable laid-back restaurant on the waterfront. Their menu is full of several options. We were looking for sandwiches and salad and that's what we got... The house salad was good enough The fish sandwich was nice lunch meal I'll tell you what the chicken club I got was very good ... it really hit the spot. Some people prefer french fries to potato chips but I will accept the potato chips. I like to add the crunchy texture to my sandwich. we arrived in a car, not a boat, but I imagine pulling up in a boat would be very exciting. The dog enjoyed lake Seneca after we ate... read more

Showboat Motel & Restaurant - Chicken BLT. Give it a try it will hit the spot. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Himrod, New York

See all

We love the location, and the lakefront rooms, where you can wake early to watch the sun rise (and then go back to sleep!). There's a nice pool. The restaurant isn't open every day so you're stuck if you're there one of those days. We visited many times, most recently in August 2024. We were sad to find that they renovated the rooms in an attempt at contemporary style, but with that already dated bland modern hotel done cheaply look. The marble and black fixtures in the bathroom work against the style of a cute lakeside motel, and the sink water flows in a goofy stream--a typical failure of poorly executed modern design plumbing. One tiny towel bar can hold hand towels only. The tension rod for the bath curtain fell down in the middle of the night and scared us half to death. A freestanding full-length mirror stuck out stupidly in the bedroom. I wish hotels and restaurants would not use overly smelly disinfectant; we had to air the room every day and it was never enough. I'm sorry to say all this because we still have so much affection for the place. read more

Great wings-crispy with great sauce. The clam chowder was very good as was the fish and chips. The pork sandwich would have been great if there was more pork and less mustard. Waitress was a sweetheart with a nice personality. Kitchen was a bit slow and you can't beat deck dining right on the lake. BRING BACK THE PHILLY CHEESESTEAK! read more

Stayed here for a girls weekend getaway. Wanted something by the water close to brewery's and winery's.... also cheap. This place fit the bill. Located in Himrod right by the water, the restaurant is directly on the water. Docks ready for boats to pull up and park. The room located on the second floor, two sets of stairs available.. was nothing special but it's a place to shower and sleep. Two queen beds, fairly comfortable. Smaller bathroom , shower was dated but had hot water. The entire decor was older ( old tv was funny to see but never used). There is a pool on site, swim at own risk. No lifeguard no towels ... The restaurant is located right on the water, we never ate here but did enjoy the nightly live music outside. Cheap cold beer was good. Views of sunset and water were awesome! I could sit on the dock watching all the boats going by for hours. The best part of this place is how close you are to breweries and wineries.... and that's what we wanted. We visited this place during Covid, housekeeping was not a daily thing if you needed something you asked at front desk. I did break a circuit when drying my hair, they fixed it right away. There's also an ice machine on site in the front office.. but it's used up fast bring your own. read more

See all

Do yourself a favor and steer clear of this place. My wife and I went there for a steak dinner and got some corner cut of beef that looked like and tasted like shoe leather was supposed to be a sirloin steak not really sure what it was but it was absolutely awful, the vegetable was broccoli which was supposed to be steamed. It was ice cold and hard as a rock and got mashed potatoes served by an ice cream scooper The food was horrific. Please do yourself a favor and stay the hell away from this place. read more

I waited a week prior to writing this review to give the hotel a chance at a refund/apology. I just revieved a call that "it is against their policy to give any refunds". DO NOT BOOK THIS HOTEL. My fiancé slept on the floor - both nights due to the springs in the bed. The yv did not work - it ran off of wifi that apparently was overloaded. No one's tv worked. Night two - they had band that played until 11pm. The music pounded through the room and was TERRIBLE. THE TV STILL DIDN'T WORK. I called and complained, and was told "management isn't in". I'm still furious a week later - as this hotel has been run into the ground by terrible "management". The wifi clearly can not support a tv, let alone all of them. The hotel is also grossly over priced for the food. Stay anywhere else. read more

.... they don't even try.... It's great you can dock the boat and grab a drink. Just don't expect much. Yes we came back (in hopes they read my first review). Food is just .... I can't waste my time explaining it. Look at the bathroom door photo it explains is all. If they won't spend $5 on a proper lock for the woman's room door do you think they're going to use anything other than microwave French Fries? But the view is beautiful.... It's sad they have such an amazing location and they care so little... read more

See all

It pains me to drop this throwback location a star, but an incident when we visited on July 4th week lowers my review. We wanted to grill some burgers and hot dogs on Sunday evening and were told in a rather surly manner by the owner that grilling was absolutely forbidden. After he realized he was a little harsh in his tone, he came back to visit us about 5 minutes later and explained that "due to insurance reasons, we can't allow grilling here....plus the restaurant is available." Really? "Insurance reasons?" What would your insurance company say about people diving head first off the docks into the lake at this motel after having a few beers? Or people lighting fireworks from their boats tied up at the motel? Or any Tom, Dick or Harry lighting the giant bonfire? No, the rule has everything to do with the restaurant - he was worried our grilling would cut into the restaurant's business, and even said "other people will want to grill if you do it." Only a few things wrong with his argument. 1) It was Sunday night and the restaurant was closing for the night. 2) Even if the restaurant was open, how many people would have gone to the store (nearest store about a 30 minute drive) to buy burgers, hot dogs, charcoal, etc., lug a small grill, and prepare to cook a few burgers and dogs? Yes, it's their motel, their rules. But we were staying 6 nights and with the restaurant closing for the night, there were no other options for food. We ended up eating potato salad, pieces of Swiss cheese, and hamburger buns for dinner. Otherwise, the information in my previous review remains valid. Expect to go back in time when you visit here. The rooms on the lake are incredible, they have A/C (thankfully....I was worried about that, but even the Finger Lakes experience hot and sticky days in the middle of the summer), the vibe is laid back. But the grilling incident soured me a bit and I may consider checking out a motel that does not have a freaking restaurant on the premises for next time. read more

The view was great with the water, but we were assailed with fish smell as we tried to eat outside. This little lake's edge bar has good beers to serve but a mostly fried foods menu. We enjoyed cauliflower, cordon blue bites, shrimp and fries- all fried. Service was great. read more

Went for fish fry food was horrible. Had no flavor at all portions were sad . Beautiful place to sit and have a overpriced drink ! Staff was nice to bad food was not third time i have tried it 2nd time with new owners will not make that mistake again read more

Mark and Showboat team were very hospitable to our bachelorette group... definitely a place we would visit again!

We've enjoyed the Showboat over the years and look forward to seeing what the new owners have in store.

Save yourself some money and dont eat here. The food is so bad. And the entire staff is a complete disaster. They were friendly which was great, but we got there at 11:30 for lunch and were told it would be 20 min while they "changed over the menu from breakfast" then they took the menus from us and said they were runninng on a limited menu because the kitchen couldnt keep up. The limited menu consited of about 8 fried items, a burger and sausage sandwich. We ordered. Waited over an hour for fried food which was horrible. Watched servers stand around talking instead of filling drinks, or cleaning tables. Just simply a very poorly run establishment. Save yourselves the money and bad food. read more

Opened over 60 years ago, they continue to operate with a sparse lunch menu. Just 8 deep-fried apps., 8 usual burgers and sandwiches. Their attraction must be the waterfront deck location. I only tried the Bird Balls $5.95, which are described as "mini cordon bleu." I was charged $1 extra for takeout which was not mentioned until the food came! These 6 balls were 1 1/2 " each, nicely fried but with only a tiny amount of ham in the centers, AND NO CHEESE (usually Swiss for Cordon Bleu). One of them was even missing the ham. They come with a cup of a mustard-based dipping sauce. The server said they were homemade, twice, but I have a doubt about that. I don't want to try anything else here after this. read more

Initially thought about spending my holiday weekend here but ultimately selected another place. However, we did stop at the Showboat to eat at their restaurant, but after our experience I don't know if I would consider staying here in the future. The service was unbelievably slow. Our waitress was unresponsive. Her facial expression made you wonder if she actually was listening when you were speaking to her which was answered in the negative when the order eventually arrive - all requests ignored. From the time we sat down on the dockside patio to the time we received our order over an hour passed by. And during the time we waited we only saw our waitress at our table 3 times - once for the order, once to deliver our drinks (took 20 minutes), and once to deliver the food. When she walked passed going to see another table we inquired on the wait for the food and she said she would look into it but she never came back. Our order was pretty simple so we don't know why it took so long - 2 Hamburgers, 1 BLT, and 1 Grilled Chicken Sandwich - but when it arrived the first thing we did was ask for the check. The burgers seemed to be cooked okay although a little well done. The BLT was a little on the sad side, only one tomato slice on the sandwich. The chicken sandwich was a complete disaster, burnt to a crisp - in fact it was so burnt that it was uneatable and we were able to scrap off a few teaspoons of charred food. Seeing that the waitress never came back with the check we went to seek someone out to pay and get the heck out of dodge. I would love to say that this was an isolated experience but as we sat there we saw many other people waiting for extended lengths of time as well. Additionally when we tried to warn a newly seated family on our way out about the absurd wait times because we didn't want their young children to have to wait that long, they politely informed us that they vacation in the area regularly and are familiar with the unusual wait times and that it's always like that and with no explanation from the proprietor. read more

We checked their website before heading out from Watkins Glen by boat for lunch on a Tuesday in August. It said they were open M-F 12pm to 4pm for lunch. When we arrived there were some people sitting outside by the "tiki bar", however, there was nobody inside. I asked the people by the bar if they were open. They replied, "No, Not Until Thursday." How frustrating!! If you are trying to run a business, you should adhere to the hours you have posted on your website or update it when you change them. Unfortunately, there are very few other options on Seneca Lake. However, seems the food, service, and reliability is much better at those places. We won't be going back to the Showboat ever again. read more

This motel is awesome!! It is a great place to stay and has a beautiful view!! The workers are super friendly and great at what they do!! It's so nice to say that I made new friends and meant great people there. The owner is so nice and talks to all his guests. I loved the experience I had here and will be back again!! So happy we found this place! read more

This place is awful! I asked a waitress if pets were allowed on the deck outside. She stated no due to insurance liabilities. I said no problem. Thanked her and went on my way. However as I went to leave out of the corner of my eye I noticed a dog sitting outside on the deck. The same waitress that just told me pets were not allowed was kissing and petting the same dog. Imagine how shocked I was so I waited as that same waitress walked towards me. I asked her to clarify if pets were allowed on the deck. She replied that pets are not aloud so I questioned her as to why the dog she was kissing/petting was allowed. She stated she just went to tell them but with a nasty look of her face she rudely walked away. I stood there for 10 minutes and those people never left. What a joke. This was my first and last experience at the Showboat. Thank you for the wonderful customer service. read more

We thought the staff was friendly and capable. Our room was clean and comfortable. How can the location and view be beat?! Looking forward our next visit. read more

We had a really bad meal here. We ordered the sauteed sea scallops and got bay scallops floating in liquid, which is typical for frozen scallops. It's a pretty tacky and run-down place. read more

They charged me for 3 nights and we never even stayed. Then when I commented about it they deleted my comment (Facebook) and blocked me from creating a new comment. I think they're thieves. Won't even return a phone call. read more

we did not even try the food. our rooms had a combination of problems that did not involve extra amenities but lack of minimum standards. black mold on the ceiling of the bathroom, an overall musty smell, no hot water, a toilet that didn't flush, window coverings missing, hard mattress, hot tub that didn't work, smoke detectors not in place, etc. the only good thing is that it is located on the water. some issues were addressed and others they made excuses about. we hoped that the owners would try to make some gesture for our poor experiences, we had 22 people and all had issues with their stays. they did not try to make it right and therefore I would recommend to others not to stay at this motel. read more

My fiance and I stayed at the Showboat Motel during our vacation in the Finger Lakes. We came off-season before they are typically open so we ended up with the place mostly to ourselves. We had a room facing the lake with a gorgeous view. The interior of the room is very dated and the bed is uncomfortable. The room was very clean however. The bar/restaurant was not open when we stayed so I cannot comment on that. Our room cost us very little and I would not hesitate to go back in the future. read more

Lunch...2 hour waste of time. Pulled in by boat. After appetizers delivered, server disappeared. After waiting....and waiting...no drink refills, etc...walked in to ask bartender if he could check on order...look out window and see our server leaving....literally. After he disappears to kitchen, I go back to our table and wait more. Meanwhile - people that came AFTER us - are finishing their lunch, and we've still not received ours. He (bartender/server) comes out to look after another table...and I have to ask for status since he was obviously not going to volunteer it. Says its coming. Asks if we need drinks...of course we've been empty for 30 min - and takes drink order. New server finally comes...asks if we need drinks...tell her bartender getting them. She comes back..asks for drink order again...apparently he was not getting them..meanwhile this is 5+ minutes later.... just a cluster you know what. Oh...and we have kids...wonderful time... Worst service for mediocre food I've experienced in a long time. I guess because they are on the lake with a great view - they can just mail it in... read more

We went to the restaurant due to the convenient location. What a mistake. The server gave us a heads up that they were only cooking grilled and fried foods, which was fine (or so we thought), so we sat down and ordered drinks. After serving the drinks and ordering food, the server came back to tell us that they were actually out of several "available" items. So after some back and forth, the end result was that they really only had burgers, fries, a few finger foods, and a couple salad items that obviously had been out all day. Their "chef" was a teenager with a gas grill on the deck. Service was slow. The burgers were awful, but we were hungry enough that they were edible. Ambiance is 70's era. Their menu contained a brief history, indicating that their heyday was in fact the 60's and 70's when super awesome celebrities like captain kangaroo and Michael Landon visited. Eh, cool? Their only redeeming quality was the location. Great view, restaurant is over the water, and an unbelievable amount of dock space that sadly is being wasted on that dump. 2 stars based on potential and the fact that the food was edible. Very close to a 1. read more

If I could give negative stars I would. My husband and I have a cottage near the Showboat and decided to stop in for a beer and listen to the band that was playing on the deck. We had our small dog with us and did not know if dogs were allowed. We cruised by and saw two other dogs, one of which was in the restaurant section of the deck. Figuring that the dog was ok, we pulled in and being cognizant of the fact that some people don't like dogs, we selected a picnic table near our boat and as far from the restaurant as possible. We had the dog lay down under the table. When my husband went to the bar for a second beer, the owner came over and told me that dogs were not allowed. I honestly thought he was joking since one little poodle had just danced with it's owner on the dance floor (so cute). I asked if he was serious and he got irrationally angry and shouted "OF COURSE I AM SERIOUS!!". I apologized and told him that we thought it was allowed since there were other dogs there. He again got in my face and said that it was not allowed and stomped away. I was mortified. My husband came back from the bar and saw the look on my face and asked what was wrong. I told him to drink up so we could leave. The owner then came back over and just stood over us glaring. My husband said "May I help you?" and the owner exploded and said he wanted us to leave immediately and not to return - like that would ever happen. I have never experienced anything like that and hope to never again. read more

2nd trip so I was prepared for the shabby rooms, but the location is so great in the middle of wine country, you can over look a lot. Rooms are clean and it's cheap .Even though a little dangerous with a capped 220 line under the sink (what if a child got a cap loose?) and a green hose in front of my door that I tripped over at least 7 times that ran out to a sprinkler on the dock to keep the birds away? However, customer service was my biggest issue. Since I had stayed previously, I knew restaurant was staffed by teenagers and food is just plain awful. There's no where else to really eat unless you drive miles and that's not a real good idea after you spend the day wine tasting ! My husband and I were being joined by 2 other couples(they'll be writing their own reviews on their rooms) so we rented room #2 with kitchenette( no stove-had to run to Walmart for an electric skillet) .When booking, I was assured grilling was allowed by front desk Please note, I asked numerous questions about what was in the kitchenette and nobody knows nothing- thank goodness, there was at least a coffee maker. After we checked in, owner over heard our grilling plans and said absolutely no grilling on property. OK. We hunted down Ron, the manager of next lot and got permission to grill there. Now this is almost funny. My husband goes over to Ron's lot , carrying $100. worth of steak and is accosted by owner (does he spy on people? psychic?). He literally grabbed my 6'6" husband by the arm on Ron's property and forbad him to grill. My husband is much nicer than I and did not punch him. Personal space, peeps. While my husband is grilling he came back again and said since the were not "connecting" please never come back. Those steaks were delicious on the patio by our room. We drank our own wine and had a wonderful dinner party. This was a gathering place for a few other families that we "connected" with and much hilarity was made of us getting kicked out. We're in our late 50's- such troublemakers. What is a shame, is that this place would be a gold mine with a little professional help. Come on, empty bar and restaurant on Friday and Saturday nights. Dock was empty, as you were not allowed to use it unless you purchased their wine. This wine country, we would have appreciated cracking a few bottle and being able to order edible appetizers at the lake front. read more