Wednesday night, date night, party of 2. Not busy at all, maybe 5 or 6 other parties were there. We were seated immediately but took our server a bit to greet us. The menu is large! Once we ordered, our food came out promptly but again, our server did not check in on us in a timely manner. The food was good. I ordered the hush puppies and the shrimp platter - great seasoning. My boyfriend had the redfish platter and he said it was good. Overall, it was a good experience. Will be back to try more off the menu. read more

The Boat - Shrimp platter - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

This place has really upped their game. Ahi Tuna Salad is terrific, love their fried shrimp, grilled shrimp, roasted garlic potatoes. Super casual, great outdoor deck. Just wish they'd invest in new outdoor furniture. Most uncomfortable chairs & tables in Austin. I carry out a chair from the dining room and all is good. Service is excellent, tho. Especially Henry. He's my fave. read more

See all

What a disgrace!!! Seasoned the crawfish way too heavily!!! Almost had a heart attack trying to freaking eat here! Asked to remove the seasoning and they didn't listen!! Made it more spicer!! Horrible customer service!! DO NOT GO HERE IF YOU DONT WANT TO GET POISONED!!! Should have filed a formal complaint after I was in the ER for 5 hours!!!!!!!! read more

I've been coming to 'The Boat' since it was 'Sam's Boat', how I haven't written a review here beforehand is beyond me. I was reminded to write a review as I was looking through my phone and found some photos from my last visit here. For the purposes of this review, I am solely reviewing my last visit where my friend and I enjoyed Oysters David. This is a starter that is made up of fried oysters on tortilla chips topped with pico and avocado-serrano sauce. The oysters for this starter are not of the highest caliber but do the trick when looking for a bite to go with a beer or cocktail. The kick from the avocado-serrano sauce pairs nicely with most beers on tap at this location. During my last visit, the server that my friend and I had was a riot. He had us in stitches and his service was prompt and courteous. Overall, this is one of those types of places where the food is often mediocre at best and all of us locals know and go to if for nothing else a good time. read more

See all

It gets 4 stars only because of the price of crawfish. I know it's a rough season for the mid bugs but the price didn't scare me from ordering my favorite treat! Best crawfish in Austin! The tuna sashimi salad is yummy! read more

The Boat - Yum yum yum - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

The gm was extremely unprofessional, we were sitting at the bar top and asked the bartender to turn up the volume for the half time show.. we then saw the gm purposely turn the volume down.. I looked around me and saw that the table behind me also asked the bartender if he could turn it up.. I looked back at the gm and saw that she turned it down again.. the bartender tried to get her attention but while he was walking towards her, she walked away from him to the back room. We left shortly after since we couldn't hear the music.. the people around us were also complaining. Do better as a gm. read more

This place is less than a mile from us and we finally decided to give it a try since we were in the mood for seafood. Easy-access right off of the highway and positioned next to a Shell gas station and behind a hotel that it seems to be associated with, the restaurant looks like a literal boat and has fun vibes. Overall, the food was good but nothing impressive, and the prices were pretty steep given the vibe of the place (workers are dressed casually and blend in with guests - they don't even wear name tags). I would be open to visiting again, but it wouldn't be my go-to. Everything was brought out fresh and hot. Food ratings: - Shrimp cocktail (3/5): Plump shrimp. Very slightly slimy if we're being nit picky, and 1 of them wasn't deveined. Cocktail sauce was average. - Fried pickles (3.5/5): These were good, but would be better if the pickles were sliced a bit thicker. Very crispy, though, which is nice. Sauce was good. - Oysters Rockefeller (5/5): Probably my favorite thing we ordered. Comes with bread and plenty of lemon wedges, which is nice. Tasty! - Shrimp and grits (4/5): Good, as expected. Nothing crazy. Flavor is decent. Shrimp are good size. - Buffalo wings (4/5): Not pictured, but standard. Fresh and hot and great size/value. Crispy. - Side of fries (3/5): These were mediocre. Needed salt. I liked the crisp outside and soft inside. Not worth ordering, though. read more

See all

I have eaten at the Boat four or five times over the past five years after taking a job across MoPac from them. I am a fish and chip kind of guy. Within that five years I have had fish and chips across Texas and by far the best fish and chips I have eaten is at the Boat. Their batter is very thin and light and the fish is perfectly cooked and flaky. And their chips are very good also. In my fish and chip travels across Texas I find that most fish batters are too thick and sometimes mushy or the chips are too thick and not crispy enough. The Boat has really dialed it in on their fish and chips. I can't speak for anything else on the menu since I am a fish and chip guy. Oh, their service is spot on also. read more

Good food but missing items on pickup. Entrees were good but the side of Cole slaw was missing.

Went here for a work function and must say I wasn't expecting much. The outside is not appealing so that's why I've never eaten here. I was impressed with the fry on the shrimp, nice seasoning, and very quick service. Talk about 5 big pieces of shrimp. Liked the seasoning on the fries, as well. read more

The Boat - Shrimp po'boy, fries - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

Overall 10/10! We opted to dine outside so we could checkout the kids play area for future trips. Our boys will surely enjoy the boat house when we come back! Service was top notch! Always attentive and gave us a great rundown of the best menu items. Food hit the spot! The oysters were perfectly crafted and the boil had great citrus and spice flavors. We chose the medium heat level which paired great with the Bishop Pineapple Cider. It was a great random stop for us and we will be returning! read more

The Boat - Oysters Rockefeller - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

See all

This place needs to do a deep cleaning. Window sills have spiders and tons of dust. My friend was craving fish and chips so we gave this place a chance. Good fish. I forgot to ask for vinegar but it didn't need it. Queso was interesting. It tasted like broccoli was in it but probably not. It's a pretty run down building. I just wish it were cleaner. I hope the kitchen is clean. I'd be nervous to eat oysters here. read more

Cold beer, good food, live music, AC, and an extended HH. I can't say there is anything outstanding about The Boat, but there is nothing egregiously bad about it either. If you're looking for a place to hangout with friends or a significant other, The Boat is an acceptable venue. This is not intended to be a "bad" review; it's just that I wasn't "wowed" by anything. The music is outside, so you'll have to brave the Texas heat. The tables do have some shade, but no fans or mister system. The service was okay- the wait staff was confused about who was suppose to serve our table, but we were served promptly nonetheless. We shared fish sticks and a big salad. We opted for onion rings over fries, and they were quite tasty. The Boat is in a convenient location with ample parking. Check it out and let me know what you think. read more

See all

Good crawfish, little over cooked, but the sauce is where it is at It is crazy how much they charge for a piece of corn and a piece of potato... they charged an extra $3 and it's a half of a potato and a half of a corn... It's also crazy how much they are charging for a lb of crawfish here... Felt like a Buffalo Wild Wings or a long John silver but for Crawfish Won't be coming back read more

The appetizers were good but not anything special. I specifically did not like their garlic Parmesan wings though, had no flavor. The crawfish was probably the best thing I ate. Very fresh and juicy! Excellent service, very attentive waiter for a party of 9 people. Very chill vibe inside. There is outdoor seating as well. read more

See all

Got no reason to hate on this place. Came here because it butts up against the parking lot of the hotel I was staying in. Thur-Sun they have live music on the patio which I could hear from my room. So I finally made my way over to try the food and I must say I was pleasantly suprised. This location used to be part of a chain I believe but has reopened into a family owned location. They do a thriving crawfish business, it seemed most everyone in there was scarfing down loads of the crawfish. Crawfish is too much work for too little reward for James so I had boiled shrimp, their seared ahi tuna, and some calamari. All of it was tasty and good. There is an upcharge for the dirty rice which is strange because that was in my opinion the worst thing they served as a side. Service was excellent every visit. First visit I had a server named Heaven and she did an excellent job keeping my drink full and checking on me and others on a busy night. She passed my server test by giving me honest answers on questions I had about what to order. If someone is less than thrilled with an item but tries to sell it to me anyway then I have no faith in them as a server. Not looking for someone to trash the food or the restaurant, but provide an honest answer about taste and prep and she did exactly that. Kept me from buying something that could have ruined the visit if it tasted bad. Servers on my other visits were just as attentive. As a place for some seafood and a big bar atmosphere this place works. Lots of TV's so I could watch March Madness, good service and really good food will have me going back when I have work in the area. read more

The Boat - Calamari and boiled shrimp. - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

See all

I have been craving crawfish for weeks and I finally decided to get my fix. I did some research online and I saw that The Boat had great reviews. We went in and we were sat immediately by the nicest hostess. The server immediately greeted us and we quickly placed an order. My husband had a ranch water cocktail and since I'm pregnant I stuck with Shirley Temple. We ordered the calamari as a starter. It was pretty darn good - nicely breaded. Some pieces were a little bit over cooked but it was still super tasty especially with the sauce. Now for the reason I came here... the crawfish. The seasoning was PERFECT. I was upset I didn't ask for buttery until I took my first bite and quickly realized... I didn't need it. The seasoning was so out of this world I just wanted to savor it. I ordered 3 pounds and each pound comes with a corn and a potato. So 3 came with it. I devoured the entire thing. Whenever I want crawfish... THIS is where I will be going. No questions asked. I have searched far and wide for tasty austin crawfish and this is the place. read more

The Boat - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

Im so disappointed and will not be returning back to this place out of all my years of eating crawfish I have never came across a bug in my food when I brought it to the managers attention she told me that she was unable to give me a refund because that it is grammar typical that they have bugs come in their crawfish. they clearly did not take the time to clean crawfish or rinse it at minimum before cooking it. I'm disappointed that I am disappointed that not only were they not willing to correct or accommodate to ranch wrongdoing, but they tried to justify the lack of cleanliness in their food. read more

The Boat - Bug in crawfish - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

We've been coming to The Boat since last summer. It was one of the few early places open as COVID waned here in Austin. Our family has enjoyed the variety of seafood they offer and we have tried just about everything. The servers have been some of the friendliest we've encountered in the area. Prices at this restaurant have been reasonable, too. We'd recommend this place as lively and enjoyable. read more

The Boat - The Boat sign at front entrance. - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

Food was good. Service was good. Fun environment Noise from the bar area can be a problem read more

Came on a Thursday night (Texas brews $2 off!) when there was live music on the patio, and this place was really busy. Usually when I'm by myself, I just find a space at the bar, but the bar area was full. I was given a small table, and my server was really good, but stretched pretty thin. There are a lot of great options for beer taps, and they offer flights. My server talked me into the shrimp Po'boy, which was pretty good. After I paid my check, though, I had to wait more than 10 minutes for her to come back and give me an itemized receipt. Not her fault, she was just assigned too many tables outside and in. read more

Service and seating has been speedy both times I came this weekend. First time was Friday around 6pm and today (Sunday) at 230 pm. This place has so much seating inside and outside (shade available). Plenty of screens all around to watch sports and 2 bar areas! Reason for my visit was solely for crawfish and I was not disappointed. Came 2x in one weekend Got them as spicy as they come and they were perfect for me when paired with an icy Dos Equis. Currently, price per pound is $16.99, but server said the prices decrease as we get deeper into crawfish season. She shared lowest price she has seen is $12.99. +fried pickles are also bomb. Super crispy and not too salty. Must try Con: I do not recommend getting their sausage, super overcooked. But maybe you'll be luckier with that than we were. read more

The Boat - Fried pickles - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

See all

Our company had a small technician gathering. We were extremely fortunate to have Kaylee be the one to serve us and she was extremely positive and helpful, and patient! She can hustle lemme tell ya, the food was brought out quickly ( which was awesome as always!) and she made sure to keep checking in promptly on us to ensure we were doing great. Excellent service and very happy and full! read more

The food here was not bad in any way, but also did not stand out in any way. There was simply not enough flavor in our entree. My wife and I both got the pontchartrain fish which typically comes with rice so we didn't think we needed to add rice as a side. Unfortunately, we ended up having no rice with this dish. The onion rings were nice and crunchy, and the roasted potatoes were ok as well. We found this place through Restaurant.com so we had a $25 certificate. The portions were amazingly small for our bill total to be $103 prior to the certificate, and prior to tip. 2 meals, 1 appetizer, and 1 coke. I realize food prices are high right now, but that combination is definitely a deterrent to returning. I typically give places a second chance to change an initial impressions so I am in no hurry, but I will likely give them a second chance. read more

My death row meal is some kind of fish platter with a killer Bloody Mary on a patio and this is the perfect backdrop for that. I LOVE the boat. It's the best parts of a dive and I'm never disappointed with the food. Also their Bloody Mary is probably one of my favorites in Austin. I'll be back as many times as I can and even more for crawfish season. This is also the only place in Austin Ive actually had good crawfish. read more

I haven't been to The Boat, in awhile but it is still as good as I remember it being. I was here recently for a birthday luncheon and the food was great. I had crab cake balls and some beers. Our server was super pleasant as she brought the plates of food out to us. Everything looked fantastic. I wish I would have ordered the boiled shrimp as they looked tasty. Several people I sat next to had the oysters. I'll have to get the shrimp cocktail and calamari on the next visit. If you haven't been here, you should stop In for some good seafood and cold beers. read more

This really worked out for us. "The Boat" replaced "Sam's Boat" when Sam's closed. It appears that they just opened. The decor and outside are basically the same and so is the interior with remolding and making adjustments for C-19. I ordered online (their website is working, but is a bit basic for now). We were staying at a hotel that was quite close and we had always eaten at Sam's at least once when in the area. So I put in the order and I immediately got an email to pick it up in about 15 minutes. I ordered the fried oyster basket with coleslaw and the Lady the fried shrimp basket with fries. The order was on time, hot, and included ketchup and tarter sauce. I took it back to the room and we dove in. I was happy and realized that it was more of an upscale bar-food. The breading was a little thick and the oysters a bit overcooked for my taste, but no problem, I forgot to ask for rare. The Lady said her shrimp was delicious. Is it fine seafood dining? Not really, but if your hangry, want a drink or 2, and some things that can hit the spot, especially with a beer, this works. It will work perfectly for those evenings after work where you just want to relax or pick up something different. read more

The Boat - Shrimp basket and oyster baskets picked up. - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

Food is good. Service is hit and miss. Love their seafood gumbo. Live music nearly every night. We've never had a wait to be seated even though it is usually busy and the crowd here is fun. read more

The Boat - Delicious gumbo!!! - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

I really liked my salmon dish from here, but it tasted exactly like the salmon dish from central market which I really liked as well. They have a huge selection of beer here quite a few of them caught my eye and I might come back here to check them out. Pricing was kind of high here so if I'm being honest I might not come back here due to the cost, but I mean it is a seafood restaurant so I can't give them too much slack for that. I just felt like I could order the salmon dish from central market for cheaper than ordering it from here. read more

What a lovely lunch we had today! The Boat was recommended by friends whose opinion we trust. We're in town for a wedding and staying about 360 steps from the hotel to the restaurant, so it seemed like it was pre-determined that we try it out. So happy we did. Started with 6 boiled shrimp. The were HUGE and perfectly prepared. My husband had the oyster Po' boy. The oysters were huge and he said they were perfectly breaded and cooked. I had the crawfish platter. These were frozen, not fresh, so the texture was a little different than I'm used to but they were nice. Very garlicky (!!) and spicy. We were offered a free taste before we ordered to make sure we would like them. That was very nice of our server, Sarah. We polished off the Key lime pie which was divine. Probably the very best I've ever had, and I've had plenty as evidenced by the size of my behind! I really enjoyed the overall tone of The Boat. Football on all of the TVs was awesome. As a football gal from South Austin, I was in football Heaven. The other diners were pleasant and not crazy loud. There were a couple of families whose kids were enamored of the pinball machines. Happiness abounded for all. It's the little things that make a dining experience special. Sarah wasn't a "little thing." She was the best part of our lunch experience, because we all know a mediocre server can ruin a meal. On top of everything, we never had to ask for beverage refills (one of my pet peeves). And, we got new glasses with fresh tea and lemon, which is a nice touch. Sarah he kindly offered a to-go iced tea which I happily accepted. Sarah's personality shone through when we chatted. She has a marvelous sense of humor, which added to her skills as a server, make her the go-to gal at The Boat. Sure hope she'll be there the next time we come here. As a South Austin gal, I rarely venture north of the river, but The Boat is definitely worth the trip and the traffic. * photos of 1 lb. crawfish, corn, potatoes, and mushrooms; Key lime pie; what WAS boiled shrimp. I ate them before I had the sense to take a pix of them. They were HUGE and tasty. read more

See all

My visit to The Boat was for a lunch meeting. Service was very attentive but not interruptive (kept our tea and water glasses full too!) The sausage and chicken gumbo was good, it was served with rice and garlic toast. Generous serving, but not very flavorful, the tobacso helped a little but still pretty bland. The garlic toast was wonderful, really helped make my lunch. I am not sure I would order the gumbo again, but I will come back and try one of their other offerings like the catfish platter, or enjoy their fun happy hour. read more

Food, service were good. I recommend. However, if you are about to spend more than $100 at The Boat, be willing to pay an automatic 20% charge on top of tips. I was were not made aware before the order. So 20% charge will be applied even with less than eight in the party. I am not happy about this policy. Just wondering what rational the management made but this seems defeat the purpose of encouraging customers to spend more at the restaurant. I am sure everyone would be happy to give tips based on the good food and good service but not the amount spent. read more

Great service, great food! Their tartar sauce and ranch are also really good; you can tell they're homemade. The place itself is very cute and I noticed there is often live music. Fries could use seasoning, but the seafood was absolutely amazing! We will definitely be back! read more

See all

The food & service were both good. The Rockefeller Oysters we're amazing! We ordered a 2nd round! They were short staffed, but used the staff they had efficiently. We were greeted & seated quickly & had or drinks and order placed within 15 minutes. Our waiter Sharee, waa spread thin but did an amazing job staying attentive & checking on us. There was a live band outside on the deck, but we choose to stay inside & watch the basketball game instead. We will definitely be returning. read more

The Boat - Rockefeller Oysters - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

See all

SAD SEAFOOD BOIL! I ordered gumbo, shrimp, king crab... Shrimp was overcooked and dry. It was no flavor cant recommend

Service was great. Ambiance was sports bar. The food, while quite tasty, gave us both food poisoning. If you're willing to roll the dice and *maybe not* get food poisoning, go for it, but if there is more than one in your party and only one bathroom in your house, maybe don't. read more

I thought this place would be expensive because it is located near a lot of hotels. However, the pricing is reasonable! There is a lot of outdoor seating and the menu is ample. If you're looking for an old fashioned seafood experience, this is the place. Randee keeps me coming back! read more

The Boat - Fish and Chips - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

Can't complain the food is good crawfish when in season are a must-have at the place one of my top 3 crawfish and seafood places to eat in central Texas read more

Being from Louisiana we were pleasantly surprised at how great the boiled shrimp were!!!! And we were visiting Austin for the music, Ange K Band was the absolute highlight of our trip!!!!! 10/10 read more

This place been done ruined since it became the boat ! Overpricing meals and taken advantage of Austin Influx . Now charging 25 a lb for crawfish saying it's market price . If that's market price then why are all other businesses selling it for almost 10 dollars cheaper ... exactly ! Just scamming read more

The Boat - Scamming crawfish prices - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas