Our family has owned property in the area for 36 years and we love this place! Great food, drinks and view!

We love this place. If you're here to watch the ski show or just have an evening watching the water, we love it. It's a Northwoods supper club. Which means that it's busy sometimes. Other times, not so much. We enjoy sitting at the bar, and we enjoy getting a coveted table overlooking the ski show. But anywhere you are in this place is GREAT. Drinks are strong, food is good, servers are fun -- if you make the effort to enjoy the moment and appreciate the Northwoods. We've had everything from the prime rib to fish fry to appetizers. Everything was tasteful and well-made. It's not gourmet, but it's great for the Northwoods. Servers are well-trained and personable, especially if you make the effort to get to know their names. Highly recommended for a fun evening of good food and enjoyable lake view. read more

Kennedy was our server and she was extremely stand-offish and rude the entire time. She barely checked on us and when she did, she answered our questions with a great amount of attitude. To top the whole experience off, my crab was so dry that I could barely eat it and felt very sick after eating it. Overall had a pretty terrible experience at this restaurant and would not recommend it. read more

Always a good meal , definitely would recommend getting a table on the patio especially in summer . Great place for a date night. Excellent lobster.. read more

The Boathouse - The patio - New American Near Me - Minocqua, Wisconsin

Every time I am in town, we plan to have dinner here. Tonight was no different. Arrived and was told it was a 40 minute wait. Not unusual but there were plenty of open tables. Sat at bar and had drinks and appetizers. Seated after about 40 minutes and no one came to our table with waters or anything. I had to flag down our waitress to get service. Even after letting her know that we had been waiting, the terrible service continued. We waited forever for our food and were one of the last to leave the restaurant because of the pathetic service. Not sure why I left any tip at all. The bartenders were great but the dining staff were truly awful. I will likely take my business elsewhere moving forward. Great location but not sure what the problem is with this place. read more

Walked in to a relatively open bar and restaurant. Expected a quick drink and bite but was treated to only a bite. They don't serve food at (what at the time was an empty bar) except appetizers and then greeted to a rather abrasive bartender who treated us with contempt. In a small town with amazing people and service this stood out as aggressive and rude when compared to big city standards. read more

Came here for lunch while on vacation with my boyfriend and I'd say we enjoyed our meal. Got seated right away, great table view by the window that over looked the entire lake and our server Jonas was very nice. The cheese curds were delicious and we shared the fish fry (cod) meal. My only critiques are that I wish the menu was a little more "unique", seemed very typical bar food with simple fish dishes. It's such a beautiful place overlooking the water it just needs a little updating and a menu refresh. read more

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The food is excellent. The view is excellent. It's a bit pricey...but the view and the food are top notch. I've had better cuisine for cheaper. read more

Superb experience. From the pre dinner Manhattan to the warm welcome from our server, Kennedy. Walleye cheeks were delicious. Ribeye with blue cheese cooked to perfection. Can recommend. Boat parking is a great option! read more

We just came in for an appetizer and cocktails. Very friendly staff. We sat by the window ( perfectly heated) over looking the lake. I had two delicious old fashioned and we shared walleye cheeks, which were delicious as well. Would have been lovely for a full meal. I would highly recommend this place read more

Yum!! Had dinner there the other night. We sat on the porch area overlooking the lake which was very nice. I had a Boathouse Collins that was very good (gin). And reasonably priced @ $7. It came in a 16oz tall glass. The pretzels were a great starter. They were served with a cheese dip. Don't want to call it a sauce because it was not the runny nacho sauce. Soups were good/excellent. Tomato Basil/Hungarian Mushroom. The mushroom was similar to Beef Stroganoff in taste!! My wife had Lobster Mac and Cheese = delicious. I had the glazed grilled pork chop with a side of 3 deep fried shrimp. The shrimp were done perfectly. The chop was a bit well done but still very flavorful with the bbq glaze. The key lime cheesecake my wife got for her birthday was outstanding. It was one of three deserts produced locally. (I wonder if I could get a whole one? ) Service was on point. read more

Everyone had a bad attitude. We had to go to the bar to get our drinks, no service at the bar tables. Were told it would be 40 minutes, then after 40 minutes they said another 40 minutes In the meantime there were groups of six coming up and getting tables without any wait? The explanation was they only had tables for six that were open and not any for two? Meanwhile there were eight or 10 groups of two waiting while there were five or six tables of six open? So we had to wait till one of those tables opened up? I guess they have not heard of putting tables together to create seating for different size parties? Overall, and iconic place but with terrible management! Don't go there! read more

In years of dining I have not found an expressed negative experience that led me to feel the need to publicly display my dissatisfaction. On Tuesday 11/6/2018. My wife and I decided to meet a friend for dinner in Minocqua which was approximately an hour drive for each of us. We met at the reception area waiting to be seated promptly at 7pm. 15-20 minutes later we were met by a man asking if we were waiting for a seat. He said that he would clean a place for us and came back 4-5 minutes later to be sat. Our drink and dinner orders were taken one after the other shortly after being sat by Kendra. We ordered 1 salmon, ahi tuna and sirloin. After ordering we waited without drinks being refilled for 53 minutes until our orders came out after a number of individuals sat after us had been served. When our dinner arrived, we were asked if we had any further requests. It was at this time that I asked what the issue was with the wait for food. To which Kendra replied, "the salmon takes a long time to cook". Dumbfounded I did not ask anything further. I was hoping to hear some version of the truth as our dinners either were not rung into the pos in a timely manner or there was an issue in the kitchen. In the end we paid $100 plus tip for the food and service as we do not want to ruin any of their patrons experience. It is my hope that the management staff can turn things around. The location and building are great and there is so much potential if staffed with positive, honest and hardworking individuals. I do hope this review helps both those looking to dine in the Minocqua area as well as improve local businesses by sharing their shortcomings. Should things change for the better we would love to visit again with a different experience. read more

I am extremely displeased with this establishment. The bar was extremely disgusting and dirty, the bartender was rude, tried to convince us that we don't know what a Mai Tai is (even though the ingredients are written on the menu) and her drinks were just terrible. EVERYONE- DO NOT GO HERE IF YOU JUST WANT A DRINK AND APPETIZER. GO TO ANOTHER SPOT ON THE WATER. My mother and I came in after the lunch rush and decided to have an appetizer and cocktail after our day shopping downtown. We sat down at the bar, which was dirty and disgusting. Even with Covid happening, I thought no big deal, she (the new bartender) will clean it right up. 10 minutes later we were not greeted hello or given waters. I asked the host if he could wipe down the bar, which he did so, and was very friendly and attentive. Finally, the bartender asks what we would like, so we order our drinks and appetizer. She then rudely tells us that she is not serving food at the bar because she is "too swamped" Keep in mind there are only 2 other people sitting at the bar, and the restaurant isn't even half full. As a previous bartender and service industry worker, I understand what it feels like to be busy. We said ok, and then got a table with a server. We ordered the fish tacos and they came out quickly and were pretty decent tacos. Our server was very friendly. But, for drinks, we ordered Mai Tai's off of the cocktail menu. When our drinks came, they were NOT Mai Tai's. They came in martini glasses and were white with a pineapple and coconut cream flavor. (this was clearly a pina colada) As someone who has worked at a cocktail lounge, I know what a Mai Tai is. I tried asking for cherries because we thought, maybe this will help the drink. The cherries didn't help. I don't like complaining or sending things back, but this was just not acceptable. We told the server that this wasn't a Mai Tai, and she agreed to state she had never seen the Mai Tai's served that way before. She then comes back and tells us that they actually are Mai Tai's and that it's just an original version of the Mai Tai. I was very confused and thought I was being punk'd, waiting for Ashton to pop out. Anyway, we then order Moscow mules because who can f that up? But then it took another 25 minutes to get our drinks meanwhile no one is at the bar. We see our drinks sitting at the bar for about 10 minutes with no server insight. We have finished our food at this point and just wanted to get out of there. They took off both of the drinks from our bill, which was appreciated, but honestly, I will never come back to this place and will advise everyone I come in contact with to never go here either. I appreciated our server but just felt really bad for her dealing with the bartender's mistakes. It's one thing to accidentally make the wrong thing and fix it. NO biggie. But to be rude, then try and convince the customer that we were wrong and just uneducated on the type of drink we ordered is next-level ridiculous. My mom and I laughed out about it afterward because it was so insane and would randomly burst out comments like "that bartender did that on purpose" "I cant believe she was even allowed to work the bar by herself if she can't handle 3 customers" "she was trying to gaslight us" with that being said, sour taste in my mouth. I'm still mad about it. not a good feeling to get when you are trying to be on vacation. Advice to the restaurant- get rid of that new bartender or give her the proper training she needs before allowing her to work by herself. We were there on 8/2/20 Also, her drink pours were insane so you should probably fix that unless you're trying to lose money on your alcohol sales. read more

No complaints here whatsoever. There was about a 20 minute wait for seating, which is reasonable for popping in at dinnertime at a place like this. My pops and I headed to the bar area and grabbed a couple of drinks. The bartender was super cool, quick, and it was easy to get his attention even when the bar was crowded. When it wasn't, he was perfectly friendly and chatty, but not too chatty. The host and the server were equally friendly. All the food was great. Portion sizes are perfect and will leave you full without a bunch of extra food to take home. I wasn't feeling a steak, so I tried the glazed pork chop and it was fantastic. My dad had the salmon, which I stole a bite of, and it was also very good. The view from this place is gorgeous. It's a great place to watch the boats and water-skiers on the lake in the early evening. read more

This is clearly the best place in town, by a country mile. A good meal starts with good bread, and The Boathouse has some amazing bread. Fluffy, crunchy rolls baked fresh and brought out warm. Already we were off to a great start. Fresh made butter with spicy flavoring was a nice addon. Soup is wonderful on a cold night, and the Hungarian Mushroom Soup is absolutely divine. Generous servings of mushrooms, the right spice blend, and at the perfect temperature. My entree was also magnificent, a blackened Salmon filet with baked potato. The chef clearly knows his stuff when it comes to seasoning and food appearance. On top of all this the bar had Ginger Beer, which made it possible to enjoy a Dark and Stormy. This experience was wonderful, can't wait to come back. read more

The Boathouse offers dining with an incredible view of the water and the view is likely the main draw to the restaurant. The restaurant caters to a large tourist/vacationer clientele and for that they fulfill their mission well. There was nothing wrong with our meals (hamburger, pasta dish & chicken tenders) but there was nothing overly memorable about the experience aside from the view. The prices were on the higher side for what you get but again they are after the tourist dollars in a relatively short season I'm likely being a little critical but when "up north" I want more of a personal experience and bartenders /wait staff that are more engaging. I guess it's hard to be too engaging when you're likely to see a particular customer only 1-2 times in a year. We stopped early (4p.m.) and as others have noted the service was a little slow especially for the time of day. read more

When in the Northwoods you generally must embrace a style of eating that includes deep-frying, cheese and bread aplenty. The Boathouse had some nice other options (Grilled Caesar Salad, Sautéed Scallops, Tuna steak) in a very relaxed friendly atmosphere with great service and a beautiful view! In the evenings there is live piano, and on Saturday nights they have double (not dueling) pianos for a show that makes reservations in advance necessary! The must-get appetizer is the crunchy riblets - sauce is more sweet than vinegar, and not spicy - it's the texture combination of tender meat and crispness that make them fantastic. Other wins were the battered fish fry and the Cuban sandwich. My only disappointment was the tuna steak - I love sushi, so prefer mine rare - this was almost cool as if it hadn't quite thawed all the way and had no flavor without the mango salsa in each bite. We were in Minocqua for just a few days between camp drop-offs and ended up eating here 3 times because it was such a nice place to be. read more

The Boathouse - Great view from the window tables - New American Near Me - Minocqua, Wisconsin

I've been coming here since I was a little kid when this place used to be Bosaki's. It still has a similar feel and brings back a lot of great memories whenever we visit this location. Even though it's no longer Bosaki's, I still enjoy this place and it gets the job done. The cheeseburgers are really good here. We also ordered the walleye scallops which were an awesome bar snack. The beer was cold and went down a little too easily. The service could improve. The hostess wasn't very friendly the two times we visited. The servers for the most part did a good job and were friendly. read more

DRINK HERE EAT HERE just be patient it's very much the island relaxed service... and everyone is nice. Fish tacos perfect The boathouse sandwich perfect The islander punch perfect read more

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Wonderful fish, lovely location, sweet server but restroom was filthy, staff and hostess wore no masks and tables in restaurant were not 6' apart:( read more

Food and service is good. However, the management is a joke. There were two parties of six waiting over the quoted hour we were told, then the manager comes to the host stand and forces the hostess to seat her friends instead. She did it right in front of us - including a starving pregnant woman - and then screwed off downstairs and was never seen again. Never in my 10 years in the business did I ever see such poor business and cowardice on display. read more

This is a great restaurant with great Northwoods atmosphere. We like the Friday fish fry and the rib eye steak a lot. Will definitely come back. read more

The Boathouse - New American Near Me - Minocqua, Wisconsin

This was my 2nd time eating here, once for lunch and had the fried shrimp basket and a couple of drinks. Really good lunch. The 2nd time I went at dinner time on the Friday before New Year's and got there about 5 knowing it would probably be busy and it was. The wait was 45 minutes which was ok and expected. Ordered a ginger ale at the bar which was $3.50. That seems like a lot but I'm not sure. The bar itself is an old wooden bar that is massive and beautiful. The menu had ample choices but I opted for the Lure salad which was very good but it would have been nice if it came with warm bread. It did, however, come with a small dish with a cheddar cheese spread and some type of white spread served with a basket of breadsticks. I happen to enjoy those and eat way too many. I like getting some type of relish tray, it's just a typical supper club offering. Service was good and we were seated by the window overlooking the lake. Although it was dark the view was really nice. Overall, I would recommend it just be prepared to wait on a weekend. read more

Food was great as always. Service was really excellent this time all around. Waiter and all the assisting staff. Really nice job! Thank you for working hard. It's appreciated. read more

Great ole fashions, fish fry and soups! Friendly staff and the view of the lake at night makes for a relaxing dinner.

The ahi tuna appetizer was amazing! Great view of the lake as well as the water ski show. For dinner I had the filet oscar prepared perfectly. Can't wait to stop in again ....we also filled out pontoon up and had no issues. Highly recommend and you will need a reservation. read more

The Boathouse - Filet Oscar - New American Near Me - Minocqua, Wisconsin

Awesome spot right on the lake! Really tasty food, friendly and attentive service, nice beer selection. Had the blackened walleye which was fantastic. Antique boat show going on outside on the dock featuring some really cool wooden boats from early-mid 1900's. Great option in Minocqua! read more

The Boathouse - Blackened Walleye + 3 Sheeps IPA - New American Near Me - Minocqua, Wisconsin

Terrible Service, but Pamela jumped in and saved the day! Thank you Pamela. Great job!

This is our favorite place in Minocqua, we always order take out every time we go to Minocqua. they have the best tasting hamburgers. Service is excellent! read more

There is a point where you get into the northern Midwest where the people are just friendly and genuinely kind. This is that place. The service is absolutely top notch, the beer delicious and cold, and the food is great. The Wisconsin Amber was cold and fresh. The ribs with the sriracha bbq sauce were delicious. And the service from the bar staff was second to none. If you're in Minocqua, Wisconsin this place is A MUST!!! read more

Terrible. Four of us went there in October on a Saturday night around 7 PM. There where half a dozen empty tables with no one waiting and we were told there was a 20 to 30 minute wait. No one left and no one came in and after 15 uncomfortable minutes the hostess said "I guess I can seat you. Waitstaff was incredibly slow. Messed up 3 of the 4 orders. I had the driest, boney walleye I've ever had. I miss the old Bosaki's of the 1960s. Yes I'm old but that's no excuse for bad service and terrible food. I only post this now because Yelp reminded me to. Not on here much. read more

After a long day of driving we checked into our hotel & asked the desk clerk for a recommendation for dinner. He highly recommended The Boat House. & we could see why! The Old Fashions were perfect even though both bartenders were new & inexperienced. Upon being seated at our table we were promptly served a basket of cracker type items and two different cheese spreads along with our second drink. Wish I had retained the name of the young woman who was our server because she was absolutely terrific! The perfect combination of personality and efficient professionalism from start to finish. We started with cheese curds & onion straws for appetisers. The curds we numerous, hot & perfectly prepared. They had a nice light coating that contained the gooey white cheddar without being bready or having that annoying, grainy corn meal crunch. The onion haystacks were hot, thin, crisp and not greasy or oily. The portion was huge. My wife said that her Caesar salad was excellent. I had the fried Walleye which was firm, flakey & clean tasting without even a hint of oil & was very, very lightly breaded rather than drown in a gooey batter. The preparation was just right. Besides salt I couldn't tell what else the baked potatoes had been rolled in but it was expertly prepared. The inside was airy & without excess moisture & had a very slight almost wood fire flavor. It provided a very nice accompaniment to the walleye. We had a thoroughly enjoyable, delicious dinner that was expertly served along with a beautiful view of the lake. read more

Very expensive for the quality of food. Not worth it. The customers Seem arrogant and self centered. The tourists seem to force there way in and take over the bar area. This place is not worth going to. To expensive and the clientele is just plain rude. read more

Stopped for lunch, girls said 30-40 minute wait and there were plenty of tables. Didn't seem to want to accommodate the two of us. Very noisy and run down!! Can't tell you how the food was as we didn't bother to wait. Went to Minocqua Brewing Company. Took good care of us and better atmosphere. read more

We have just about given up on having a good meal with adequate service in the Northwoods. We were very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food, the attentive staff, and the view. The hostess seating us started to place us in the main dining room, then quickly noticed a table vacating on the covered deck with a water view. She asked if we minded waiting just a minute, and that's exactly what it was for us to get a waterside table. Our server Frederick gave us the specials and recommendation. We both enjoyed our steaks which were perfectly cooked and seasoned. I've read a few reviews complaining about the "tough" Bistro filet. Well, it's a Teres Major cut shoulder steak that costs $21. It's not going to melt in your mouth like a more expensive tenderloin filet. Maybe they should call it something different so less discerning people don't think they're getting a cheap filet mignon. It's a nice Wisconsin supper club experience with the cheese spread, crackers, bread, salad, and potato, rice pilaf, or vegetable included with your meal. I miss that after moving from the Midwest to Denver a few years ago. It's nice to be back for the summers! We will definitely add the Boathouse to our Northwoods go to list. read more

After not coming to this restaurant for 50 years it's still as good or better than I remember. We went for dinner on a Wednesday night and only had a slight wait for a table by the lake. They start you out with a nice cheese spread, crackers and melt in your mouth cornbread. Our waiter Frederick was wonderful and our dinner was delicious. Our go to place next time we visit Minocqua. read more

Stopped by here for lunch today. Had a party of 10 four adults and six kids 2-6-7-11-15. First off asked to sit by the water stated not able to sit parties over four by the water. Asked about sitting at separate tables again stated not allowed. Mind you this was past the lunch rush. Had seven tables with guests. The hostess extremely rude. Our 7 year old grandson has severe milk allergies to the point of carrying an epi pen. Our waitress was two days on the job. When asking about what foods were milk free really didn't know. Which I understood. Didn't offer to check with the chef. Asked about corn dogs her comment was these should be ok. Unbelievable exposure for law suit. Would give this place even less than one if possible. Our party just got up and left not one employee even asked our issues. read more

One of the very best eateries my husband and I have been at. I ordered the Ribs and they fell off the bone. No knife needed!! Would have liked a little more with the baked potatoes besides sour cream. My husband enjoyed the prime rib and he loved it! Service was excellent and the window view overlooking the lake made the evening perfect! read more

We stopped here on a Wednesday evening, we were seated very quickly by the friendly host. Our server, Frederick, was so welcoming and accommodating for us and our 10 month old. Our food arrived very quickly and and it was delicious! We ordered 2 of the specials, the fried cod, and the perch. Both were phenomenal. We thought the menu was pricey at first, but the servings are decent. Definitely will come back when we return to Minocqua. read more