The ordering system is a nightmare. Our main courses came at different times. The same thing happened last month, but figured we would give it another try. We won't be going back until the ordering system is gone. Awful experience. read more

The Boathouse - Texts with my mom - Seafood Near Me - Midlothian, Virginia

This is our 2nd visit for brunch in the last three weeks. The 1st server was just ok. She did forget about us a few times. But our server today, Jacob, more than made up for the last visit. He was very attentive and was amazing! He kept all of our drinks filled, all of our orders were correct, he kept us updated on our food status and did everything with kindness. His service ALONE makes us want to return. Jacob, thank you! read more

Excellent views but overpriced by 10-20%. Paying for the view but could step it up on food quality.

Let me first say that the food has been great and we go often. It is consistent and I appreciate the people behind the scenes you can't see. The front of the house is struggling. I actually like the contactless service and feel like it could be an amazing experience because you get to time your food. The problem is there is no incentive for anyone to do a good job when 20% is already included so you get for your food and want horseradish to make the cocktail sauce a little more spicy you will be done far before someone checks on you. I waited awhile to do this so they adjust and it's just getting worse. read more

Ambiance was amazing. Food was delicious. Service was friendly and upbeat with great menu recommendations

Real jerks! Rude, condescending, don't care about customers and the food is just mediocre. The only thing this place has going for them is the view, as the food sucks! Never return and I recommend you don't either! read more

Phenomenal food! The happy hour is a great deal and you can't beat the view on the water!

By far THE SAFEST restaurant environment and BEST FOOD I have had since the pandemic!!! The staff and food were amazing!!! Hats off to Thomas our server and to the cook. The crab cake sandwich was delicious and my lunch guests loved the fish n chips and margarita pizza. You must try the hush puppies and crab dip and do not forget the Creme Bru Lee..... Kudos Boathouse! I will return soon. PS-- the BEST dining atmosphere around..the lake is the next best thing to being by the sea. read more

My boyfriend and I come here all the time and it's always such a great experience! We were here earlier this month and had Savannah as our server, she was super sweet and did a great job!! read more

My boyfriend made Valentine's Day reservations to The boathouse, our waiter Jenn was super courteous, professional, very sweet, and super attentive. I would recommend boathouse to family and friends, if you're lucky you'll be seated in Jenn's section! I promise you won't be disappointed! read more

We got a table outside on the deck and it was beautiful with the sunset over the lake. Our server was Billy, who was attentive and very helpful. The food was excellent. read more

If I could I would give it a zero. No menus, wait forever for service, waitstaff acts like they are doing you a favor. And you pay an automatic 20% for bad service. $18 for a glass of champagne. This place is a joke. Too bad because the view is great. Will never be back. Ever. I am telling everyone I know because being insulted and demeaned by waitstaff and then being forced to pay 20% is criminal. Will see how much longer this place stays open read more

Went there for my birthday and Kristen was perfect ! Food was timely and warm another great experience !

We went to The Boathouse at Sunday Park on Friday happy hour for my moms birthday. We sat at the bar tables since we didn't make a reservation and they could my get us a table for 8 people for a few hours.. We chose the restaurant for the views, happy hour (3-6pm) and it is close to the their house.. too bad it rained so we didn't spend much time outside... We ordered pizza plain, meat n fungi and crab/ asparagus. The happy hour specials were great. I think it was 4 dollar house cocktail and wine.. The pizzas were thin crust and very tasty.. I think we had 8 or 10 of them. My favorite was the crab asparagus. The asparagus was crunchy not mushy like I expected. I would like to go back sometime to try the dinner menu... All and all the food was very good and reasonably priced.. I almost forgot to mention the service was excellent.. We were very pleased with our experience.... read more

See all

This Halloween year (2018) my husband and I ordered three desserts to share with each instead of eating a bunch of candy. All three of them were absolutely decadent!! They were also decent size which is another reason why I'd order desserts from them again. Take a look at the pictures I took on my Instagram swolfie_wolfie or look at the three I posted below. read more

See all

Xaveria is an amazing server! She is very attentive and cheerful. Make sure that you ask for her when getting seated.

Kristin was our server. She was very attentive to us. We enjoyed our visit.It was our start time dining here. We will be returning. Atmosphere was nice. read more

JOSH WAS GREAT! If y'all come thru here, you definitely want josh to be your waiter. If I could give 6 stars - I would!

I really didn't want to leave a review. Hell, I've never left a review anywhere but I guess I should. TLDR: -Waited 20 mins to be seated with a reservation. -Trained for 10 minutes on how to contactless order via Toast -Party member was unable to use a gift card for their portion of the bill -Food came out wrong and took 45 minutes to be fixed and even when "fixed" it was wrong with no one around to help. -Service was absolutely bottom tier and basically unhelpful in any way. Longer Story: My family and I (party of 8) decided to celebrate my younger sister's birthday with a trip to The Boathouse at Sunday park. Upon arriving on time for our reservation, we were told they needed time to get some tables together (nbd). Some of us waited down by the lake while others stayed by reception. 15-20 minutes later we were sat. After being sat, water was provided. We all happily poured a glass and our waiter jumped into providing us a training on the app. Pretty straight forward, except, my older parents found it difficult to use. There was no way for them to just order regularly. (This is "post" covid restrictions.) After a training of the app, we ordered appetizers and an entree or 2. A set of drinks. We've finished the water, but no ones around to refill it. Every "server" [food runner may be a more appropriate term], just seems to drop off plates and leaves. No one is asking if the drinks are good, or if the food came out alright. The "server" also just handed us incredibly hot dishes without warning that the plate may have been a little too hot. We "flagged" down a "server" to refill our water and they ended up slamming the water down when they did refill it. As if we were being a nuisance. One of our guest ordered a filet, medium, with a lobster tail. It was delivered and immediately cut into, to see if it was cooked to the guest likeness (it wasn't). The "server" never came back to check, so we pressed the button and waited 10 minutes for a "server" to assist. When a "server" showed up, (not the one we started with), we explained the steak was over cooked and handed over the plate. 5 minutes later our original "server" came back and asked if if it was under cooked... (it was already well done). She then asked them if they still wanted what they ordered.... (Why.. wouldn't they?) My guest waited and waited and waited for their fixed meal. We inquired to see how long the food was going to take and the server had no idea. She originally said not long and then when she came back we were met with a less enthusiastic "it's gonna be a while" from our original "server". 45 minutes later, our party had eaten their meal, the new steak entree is brought out, but this time without a lobster tail. Again, no one sticks around long enough to make sure the steak is properly cooked (it wasn't, but at this point they gave up and just ate). The meal is coming to a close, but we are all still kinda waiting for a dessert entree to come out with a small happy birthday. When we booked the reservation we specifically stated it was a birthday occasion. When we arrived we mentioned it was "so and so's birthday" but never once were we directed that we had to actually order the desert and again mention it was a birthday in the order. That's it, the meals over. I had to ask for help to remove the lobster tail from the menu and met with resistance from our "server" as to why. Cue the manager approval to remove the lobster but not check in with any of us about our dining experience and not to double check on the messed up order. While attempting to pay one of my guest has a hard time with being able to pay for their order and once again the "server" is unable to assist in any meaningful way. (Specifically being able to single out their own items and use a gift card.) -- the "server" took the gift card and then ran it against the entire bill as opposed to just that guests items. The "server" and manager seemed so inconvenienced that I paid for everything and told my family we could figure it out later. I'm really not upset about paying an additional 20%. I generally tip 20%. I'm upset because I frequented boathouse pre-covid... the quality of the service was excellent. Now.. it's not. I can only hope my love of restaurant dining has not turned into "servers" who's primary job is to train users on how/when to order and run food to customers. As a guest best explained it to me; "you really just order to go food and have it at the table instead of taking it home" Side note: one of the guest left to use the restroom and when she came back, she literally told us it was beyond disgusting. If we had to use the restroom we had better wait til we got home. read more

Just OK to subpar food ... slow service ... We went on a Wed evening for dinner, while not packed, it was still pretty busy around 7 pm. The ambiance of the restaurant, especially when seated outside is pretty nice, overlooking the Swift Creek Reservoir. The wedge salad wasn't quite fresh; looks like it was pre-made and sat in the fridge for a while. Wasn't bad, just not fresh. The pizza was OK, a safe bet most anywhere. The side dish on the lobster plate was sub par. The mashed potato was dry and unappetizing, the sauteed asparagus was limp and didn't taste quite fresh either. Maybe I am nitpicking here but the plating of the dishes and the presentation lacked imagination and creativity. Crab cake was fine, probably best of the lot here. The Salmon was bland and tad dry. Our food was slow to come out and the manager came out to apologize for the delay. Our waitress seemed to be covering all the tables near our section by herself and was slow to refill our water glasses. All in all, rather disappointing dining experience ... Ambiance ... 4 stars Food ... 2.5 stars Service ... 2.5 stars read more

The Boathouse - Seafood Near Me - Midlothian, Virginia

See all

Came in with a group of 10 with kids. The food was Great and the service was 5 stars.

Kristen was a great server!! She checked on us often and made sure we had everything we needed. Such a great server and a great happy hour.

As a south of the James institution, the Boathouse is worth experiencing. When the weather is appropriate, the generous deck is unbeatable. With a view over the lake and sailboat masts in the foreground, the setting is beautiful. I arrived just after sunset, and saw the oranges, grays, and blues reflected in the still waters of the lake. Tonight I had the crab, brie, and asparagus pizza, which was good. The crust was thin, not overdone, and the toppings were sufficient. I prefer to have a little crust with my pizza - i.e., generous toppings. I had to concentrate to appreciate the crab taste, but it was there. A friend had the lobster bisque, with a similar effect. She enjoyed the lobster flavor, but quipped that the cooks used lobster extract, as she couldn't detect any lumps of lobster in the mix. Our server was pleasant, present, and helpful. read more

The Boathouse - The view from the dining deck at the Boathouse - Seafood Near Me - Midlothian, Virginia

Exellent service , quality of food and atmosphere. What else could you ask for? The grilled octopus and seafood platter were great read more

My first time here. I loved the food. We got the salmon risotto and hot chicken sammich with extra risotto and started with zucchini chips. Everything was delicious! The staff was amazing and attentive! My ONLY complaint is the ordering system. My mom is 70 and didn't have a phone with her and it was hard to order for 2 on one phone. Knowing this ahead of time I printed their menu out for her to look through. We couldn't pay separately that way either but our waitress split the check no problem. But we were at a lovely restaurant with lovely views with my head in my phone way too much. We'll be back though. Everything else was too good to let that stop us. read more

Brenda is the most amazing bartender and Chas is the best manager ever. I would give 10 stars for the 2 of them ..

Tonight we had the unexpected opportunity to pay just shy of $200 for a dinner for 2 without a waiter or physical menu at The Boathouse at Sunday Park. Upon arriving for our reservation we were greeted at our table with a QR code for meal selections and a written notification from the Boathouse management concerning the abysmal hourly rates for waiters in the industry generally and their decision to automatically include a 20% tip surcharge due to said abysmal rate. As a former waiter, I appreciate the notion of taking care of staff, and I have always tipped 20%-30% as a baseline minimum, but in this instance there was no actual service provided during the meal nor any real service provided beyond delivey/removal of food and drinks ordered online. To be clear Boathouse management determines what hourly rate is paid to their staff, on top of any tips provided to servers, so industry hourly rate anecdotes aside, Boathouse management determines the hourly rate situation of their staff. In short, Boathouse management is perfectly capable of paying their staff more than the $2.xx hourly rate referenced in the notification card on the table...if they so desire. With all that said, rather than have a nice night out disconnected from cell phones we were instead required to use our phones to log onto the Boathouse website and place online orders for various drinks and plates, with the warning that if we placed orders for appetizers, salads and/or entrees at the same time, they would be delivered together. If you want to be disconnected from your phone, however briefly, THIS IS NOT THE PLACE TO GO. Simply put, at the Boathouse, there is no option offered where you are not placing an online order. So...once orders are placed, meals are brought out (buyer beware don't order all at once! ). While the food and drink provided is acceptable, there is no real interaction with waitstaff and you are left wondering about the experience you are paying for. WHAT THIS IS: This is self-service online ordering where plates are periodically removed from the table. There is minimal interaction with staff with little to no input about the menu. The experience requires buyers to be engaged with their phones throughout the meal. If this is for you...I am so sorry. Seriously, find a way to disconnect. There are plenty of restaurants you can enjoy without resorting to leaving a phone on the table. WHAT THIS IS NOT: A fine dining experience. You are ordering your meals online. There is no physical menu and there are no specials. You have no designated waiter. But fear not, you will still be paying full freight and tip as if you had a dedicated waiter and service experience. To be clear this criticism is not directed at the waitstaff but rather at the feckless management of the Boathouse. The waiters, in their limited capacity, delivered and removed plates, but for which we paid a $40 *premium* for limited interaction/guidance. The experience offered during the service, or rather complete lack thereof, is the responsibility of management, and in this they robustly failed. To their credit, for a $200 dinner for two bill, Boathouse management did not require us to bus our own table or wash dishes! Clearly room for growth! Maybe next time? Assuming we would ever return. 1 star is too gratuitous. read more

The food and service was great! Jacob was the waiter and he help us with everything we needed. He was pleasant and and came by often to check on us. read more

Boat House is nice. Service can be bad sometimes. Last visit we got Mike. He did a great job and made my family feel comfortable. read more

The Boathouse - Burger up - Seafood Near Me - Midlothian, Virginia

Great place top to bottom! No problems! Shrimp and grits are the best, but they have a bunch to choose from. Great quality food.

Idiotic ordering system. It is designed to be 100% to the advantage of the restaurant. Including automatic gratuity for servers who merely bring your food out...like service at Hardee's. I'm a fantastic tipper and enjoy the restaurant experience. This experience is lost due to the greed of the owners, who are taking advantage of the pandemic to squeeze out a few more nickels. Great location, great food, ridiculous POS system. read more

Went for 37 year anniversary, and was disappointed. Medium steak $40 was charred with a burnt taste Waistress said all steaks are checked before leaving kitchen. Insisted to return and second steak not as bad , but still charred. SHould have rejected that too, and they did not credit the dinner. In fact the second steak came back with no sides. Not very happy, so we left, and most likely will not return. There are better places to spend $300. Fine dining should always be good, or made up to. This is only the second bad review I have had to write in many years. read more

I ordered 2 drinks at the bar, they charged me $45.00 including a 20% tip. Nice of them to pad the bill 20% at the bar. And everything you order will include a 20% tip, regardless of the quality of service or food. I will never go here again. And the service and food was not good. read more

The only thing that this place has is location. Hate the que scan menu. They won't give a printed menu because the scheduling of meal depends on how you data enter your order. God forbid that you make a mistake. You have to start from square one. No service person to take your order. Plus a mandatory 20% tip to the server. I'm a good tipper, but I want the tip at my discretion. Oh, they have a printed song and dance about they have this policy because servers don't get paid very much. Well guess what Boathouse, how about you pay your employees a decent wage. Never go back here. read more

Came to visit Virginia the first time , and this is a must try spot beautiful view great tasting food and our server Danielle gave us great recommendations, overall a top tier experience will come back ! read more

The ONLY thing this restaurant has going for it is the view of the water. The food is disappointing, the drinks lackluster and overpriced. read more

Great pre-holiday dinner for two. Quick and attentive service. Out server, Nick was knowledgeable and accommodating. Thanks for another fabulous meal Boathouse! read more

I absolutely LOVE boathouse but we can hardly go because they have one vegan option and that is not very good at all. If they had more to offer we would be visiting there so much more as we live locally. Please Boathouse, it would be great to be able to enjoy our evenings there again. read more

My review progressively worsens every time I come here. Now they charge an upgrade for truffle fries with my Mac n cheese. I've ordered this meal at least 7 times in the past and I have never been charged for this. Now all of a sudden they have an up charge? And $5 at that. A whole order of fries is $8 so to give a $5 up charge to make regular fries into truffle fries is crazy. Not to mention my fries were stale and cold and probably the worst they've ever been. I also saw bread when I walked in and asked if we could get some. There was no where to order this on the app and no one has ever offered us bread before. When I asked the waitress rudely said "order it on the app". You don't think I would have already done that if it were an option? Ridiculous. This place gets more and more expensive with less and less service every time. I only keep coming to show the view to friends but crazy to charge for a lake view seat also. I have to be careful what times I come to avoid all the ridiculous up charges read more

Horrible prices for low quality food. They say they take 20% for gratuity, added on to your bill without the option to refuse, no matter the party size, and giving some random percentage to the wait staff. Sad the place is a shadow of it's former self. #kevinPleaseSellThePlace read more