Lets start on a high. The Boat is in a superb position, nestling in a little hamlet on the banks of the river Dee. It used to be the site of a 'chain' ferry crossing that could definitely bring customers to the pub if it was reinstated. The beer was excellent - Spitting Feathers bitter from a small brewers in Chester - the wine list is extensive and not too pricey. The atmosphere in the old part of the pub is countryside cosy with open log fires and nice old furniture. We ate in the conservatory which is sadly lacking in atmosphere and decor. The new owners pride themselves on using local ingredients where possible but these don't show themselves much on the menu. Parma ham and Scottish smoked salmon?? That said the quality of most of the ingredients was excellent, my wife's fillet steak was superbly tender and perfectly cooked. My small sea bass fillet was of equal quality. On the other hand, my daughters chicken Caeser salad used cheap water saturated (pink!!) chicken breast that had a nasty aftertaste of fish. Surely in a £9.50 salad quality home cooked chicken should be used? In the end, all the meal really lacked was attention to detail. The cooking was fine, the service cheerful and swift but the presentation of the food left a lot to be desired - no colour, no flair. The steak came with an undercooked tomato, some excellent chips and an open cap mushroom but nothing green, no dressing and no attempt to give it eye candy. My fish was described as pan fried sea bass on the menu so I expected a whole sea bass not one little fillet. It also lacked colour and dressing. The starters of Parma ham and figs were just that. They were dressed with cress (!!!!) and a fairly tasteless shop bought onion chutney. All it needed was a squirt of olive oil and a quality chutney to lift it from the ordinary! We only had one dessert - a cherry bakwell tart that could possibly have come from Mr Kipling, nuff said. The new owners are trying very hard and are asking their customers for feedback - let's hope they listen.The staff are excellent, friendly and attentive and the service was smooth and speedy. If they highlight the local produce a bit more and pay some attention to the presentation then The Boat could just deliver the goods. One last thing. The Boat is on the banks of the river Dee. Scottish smoked salmon????? read more

We went to the Boat for Mother's Day, a special day and my first Mothers Day. We ordered soup to start, it was cool but did not complain but did not have any accompanying rolls, so we asked for some. They brought the rolls 15 minutes later so of course we had finished our cool soup. We were then asked if we wanted pudding, we informed them we had not yet had our main meal. Main meals were served approx 35 minutes later, with 1 small ceral sized bowl of veg to share between 6 adults, we asked if there would be anymore and approx 15 minutes later they brought another 2 bowls. Some of the meals were cold so were taken away to be 'heated up' they were brought back with the yorkshire pudding charcoaled. To make amends they said they would bring ice-cream for the children, this was brought and placed in front of the children without any spoons -torture for children! We waited & waited but no spoons arrived, we found some plastic spoons in one of our bags for them to use. We were thinking of having our wedding reception there and wow what a lucky escape that was, needless to say we will not be dining there again. read more

Wow, what a gem! Nestled cosily on a glorious gentle bend of the river Dee, this quaint picture postcard pub was a delight to behold. We arrived (by chance saw a sign and followed it out of sheer nosiness) on a late Sunday afternoon at the end of September. Quite a long way off the beaten track, we wondered if it was worth it it certainly was. The sun was shining, people were lazily fishing and children were splashing about in the water. The smell of woodsmoke coming from the pub was intoxicating and we were given the warmest reception by the staff that I can ever remember receiving. Glass of good red in hand, we sat back and relaxed only to have our taste-buds tickled by the smells and sights of others food. Gave in and ordered a Sunday roast Lamb shank by the way excellent, cooked to perfection and with all the trimmings and special extra touches (am a chef myself, so incredibly critical not a fault!) Can't wait for an excuse for long drive (about 40 miles) back to sample other culinary delights. Well done The Boat!! read more

We dined at this restaunt a few years ago and had a mirror experience! Fantastic location, lovely building but the staff were horrendous and made our experience very unpleasant. My partner (a local businessman) complained to the 'manager' on the evening, he was ...drunk!!! and abusive! The following day he then made contact with the owners and was met with much of the same!! They could not be bothered and even defended the manager!! We dine out at least twice per week and have not ventured near since. We also pass our comments onto other who ask advice on where to dine locally. We firmly believe if you are a customer and purchasing something be it a bottle of wine or a £40 per head meal your experience should be one of fantastic service. What a shame the boat still does not believe in good customer service!! Owners of the boat; if you want some advice on good customer service let us know!!! Lets hope things change!!!! read more

Me, my hubby and my baby (Woody the shih tsu !!!) have just returned from a wonderful Sunday afternoon at The Boat Inn. At £9.95 the Sunday roast is not as cheap as Wetherspoons or any Greene King establishment but boy can you tell the difference !!! We both had Roast beef and that was exactly what the meal focused on, not over run with veg and spuds but a substantial amount of excellently cooked Roast beef with a couple of roasters, home made Yorkshire pud, a few carrots, some cabbage and the most delicious gravy - superb ! Our afternoon was enhanced by some locally produced bitter (hubby was told it was brewed in Chester) and some great entertainment sitting in the sunshine watching fishermen in The Dee (yes IN , they are salmon fishermen and walk in with their waders on !) and a family outing of amateur canoeists (sp) . What a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon . Debbi, Paul & Woody Lindsay , Wirral. read more

Hi I have just visited the Boat Inn in Erbistock to find that it is under new ownership. As of two weeks ago a local family has taken this beautiful waterside inn over. They have appointed a new Head Chef, Kris Boulton formerly of Brasserie 1016 and Aquavit in Chester and boy does he know his food. The menu has been put together from locally sourced produce including Erbistock Ice Cream and the wine is all supplied by a local supplier called Tanners - you won't find any of the wine in the supermarket - I have to say this made me feel really special and I was pleasantly surprised by the prices. Not cheap but worth every penny. They have a great Christmas menu and have sourced the Rat Pack boys to appear on New Years Eve. To anyone reading this who hasn't been for a while or has had a bad experience previously I would suggest giving it a go. read more

We have just returned home from a wonderful Sunday afternoon which included lunch at The Boat Inn. It has been 23 years since we last visited this establishment, due to having moved away with work etc., we recently realised that we were not that far away, and so on the spur of the moment we thought we would take a stoll down memory lane and pay the Boat a visit. We were not dissapointed, the food was second to none, the setting is stunning, and the staff were both friendly and attentive. I would recommend this to anyone although not everyone as I would still like to be able to get a table! sorry if that sounds selfish. I am just so pleased that it was as good as it always was, and we will not be leaving it another 23 years before we return. read more

Following a recent visit after many years the location hasn't changed, it's a great place to sit outside and have a drink before your meal. A nice pint of real ale and there is Guiness on tap too! The meals were served by friendly staff and plenty of choice on the menu but charging £19.50 for a 10oz steak would mean it should be the best steak you have ever tasted. . . . . It wasn't ! it was an ok steak and something that should be £10 - £12 on the menu. The other meals were mediocre but nothing special . . . . in summary we paid restaurant prices for average pub food. Would liked to have written a glowing report but 2 stars it is . . . go for a drink but stay out of the restaurant or at least avoid the steak! read more

Sunday afternoon drive in sunshine spotted a sign for this pub and decided to investigate so glad we did! So relaxed and charming, the pub boasts such a pretty setting that my camera was out within seconds. Treated ourselves so an excellent Sunday dinner and chilled out by the river with an eagle eye out for the family of otters that live on the opposite bank (unfortunately we didn't spot any but that was probably due to the kids enjoying themselves in canoes and paddling in the river) Staff were friendly and welcoming and the array of beers and wines on offer was great (shame I was driving!) Will definitely be back again soon hopefully with my wife driving!! Blissfull and wishfull! read more

I've been to 'The Boat Inn' numerous times in the past couple of months since it's been under new management, and well, it truly is an amazing experience each time! The front of house are really welcoming, the wait-on staff are very approachable, well presented and well mannered. The surroundings of the pub are glorious, even on a nippy day! And the food? Well, the food, I mean I don't like change very much or trying new things but everything on that menu is well balanced and really is top-notch! I can not rate this enough! You'd be silly if you skipped the chance to visit such an amazing, historic and beautiful place! read more

I had my wedding here on the 28th October 2011, it was a perfect wedding! everything we wanted, the stunning views were great for photos, perfect! the food was outstanding, everyone who was there loved the food, we arrived for drinks in the conservatory, then after an hour moved into the dining room, we had our own bar, and made use of that!! Now the best for me was the staff there they were great, you wouldnt find better! Thanks guys! so if your looking to get married, this is the place, im sure you wouldnt be dissapointed, i could go on and on, so want to say thankyou for our great day. Callum and Dianne read more

We went to The Boat for our friends birthday .There was a special meal deal on that Tuesday night and we throughly enjoyed ourselves. The food was good and the service was excellent nothing was too much trouble for the staff. We found out that it has new owners and a grand job they are doing. It has been so sad in the past that this beautiful old inn in such a fantastic location has been priced out the market with staff that couldn't care less about their cutomers. Go try The Boat again and you can look forward to a very pleasant evening of good food, wine and music. We certainly will be returning. Val read more

Has the price of potatoes gone up recently? We ordered fish and chips, and we had 8 chips each! Yes, they were "chunky"; but not "that" chunky! Less than haf a small potato. And the mushy peas were served in an egg-cup sized bowl. The only way I'd go back is to sit by the river and enjoy a pint (oh yes - and the beer was cloudy, too!); and I'll definitely do that. The location is to die for. There's a beautiful old church and churchyard; the river Dee ambling past; on a nice sunny day what more could you want? (Okay - a designated driver, that's what!). But eat there? Never again. read more

We visited the Boat last night having not been there in a few years. The location is unsurpassed, and a pleasant ambience. However sadly the food was not good. Welsh Brie and Bruschetta was cheese and bacon on bread. Chicken Caesar Salad was such a disappointment. No flavour, cheap chicken, and noodles in another dish were very greasy. Had been so looking forward to it after reading the more recent reviews. Sad to say never again. We will stay closer to home and go to The Cross Foxes. read more

They messed up our booking and made us feel it was our fault. No apology and a bucketload of attitude from the manager. Very poor indeed especially as this was a treat for our best clients in the area. Managed to find us a table in the corner where we found the serving staff to be friendly and polite unlike front of house. Food nice enough but tiny portions. Great location but so disappointing overall. For the price this place should be offering top notch customer service. Avoid. read more

Hadn't been to The Boat for years but heard it was under new ownership and they were having a Music Evening - we got the last table! It was fantastic from start to finish - great hosts, great food an amazing wine list - basically it was a brilliant night - we even got up and had a dance it was like being at a family party!! Roll on the next one!! Will definitely be going back for a romantic meal a deux - The Boat is back - hurrah! read more

We visited The Boat last Friday and it was one of the best expeiences we have had in a while. The manager couldnt do enough for you and nothing was too much trouble. The food was good and very good value, wine was good aswell and they also welcome dogs in the bar area. The location is to die for overlooking the River Dee please visit soon we need to keep our British pubs open! read more

Fantastic food and service. I visited The Boat with a friend, we were greated with friendly faces at the bar, and pleasant waiting on staff who attended to all of our needs. Food was great, my friend had the beer battered fish and myself the bacon chop, highly recommend. Stunning location and the grounds filled with bright and colourful flowers. Will go again. read more

Went to The Boat last Sunday, hadn't been for ages but heard it had new owners. The place has been smartened up a lot but without losing any of its old character. Had a smashing meal, much like it used to be.Friendlyfamily have taken it over so hope they do well. read more