The Boathouse, South Queensferry Reviews

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Latest Reviews

“First and Last Visit!”

★☆☆☆☆

written by on 19/06/2011

The Bistro food was overpriced pub fare in a casual atmosphere billed as if it is some fancy restaurant. The owner makes NO apologies for his bad food nor bad service. We went for a family birthday. I would NEVER eat here again or recommend it to anyone. The view of the bridge is nice but since you can get the aame view elsewhere that is exactly what we will do!

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“I was stunned by how disappointing I found the...”

★☆☆☆☆

written by on 06/04/2011

I was stunned by how disappointing I found the Boathouse in Queensferry this week. I have never had such a bad customer experience in my life. The waitress was rude and exceptionally unhelpful and the food was very average and not worth the inflated prices. I suggested we left soon after ordering to which the response was 'fine, but you'll have to pay first'. I have noticed from other customer reviews that I am not the only one to have this experience. I strongly recommend that potential customers visit the other considerably better restaurants in Queensferry (with friendly staff and excellent food). I will not eat in the Boathouse again.

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“Walked out of Boathouse Restaurant in Queensferry even...”

★☆☆☆☆

written by on 27/03/2011

Walked out of Boathouse Restaurant in Queensferry even before seated. Went weekday lunch. After carrying down baby in buggy down all those steps then bumping buggy up steps to door made our own way inside and stood waiting to be seated. No-one else there apart from manager in corner doing paperwork. Plenty tables and space to accommodate us with small baby in buggy. Waitress asked if we wanted a table then pointed to the worst table - beside bar against radiator and TOLD us to put the buggy behind 1 of the chairs. I asked for 1 of the other tables as wanted to have our baby beside us not behind my back and was offered a high chair. I said the baby was too young to sit in highchair and I pointed to 1 of the tables by the window and asked if we could not have 1 of those. I was told "there is no room for us to get past so no", I disagreed and said there would be plenty room and I was told there wasn't. So despite the fact we had made an effort to carry the buggy down to the restaurant, wanted a table to have the baby beside us (not an unreasonable request), there was plenty room to do so (other restaurants with less space between tables have been happy to let us do so) and there was nobody else in, we had no option but to leave. What is more disappointing is that the manager in the corner clearly overheard the discussion and thought it perfectly acceptable to be spoken to so rudely and unfriendly. Or maybe he chose the venue deliberately as access is difficult with those with small children and would minimise families in his restaurant???? Went along to Orocco Pier, received warm welcome there and were told could sit anywhere and no problem to keep buggy beside us!

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“We took my mother to this restaurant for her 70th...”

★★★★★

written by on 23/03/2011

We took my mother to this restaurant for her 70th birthday with about 25 friends and it was a wonderful experience from start to finish. The staff were extremely attentive from the start, knowledgable regarding the menu and dealt with all requests calmly and promptly. The food was cooked to perfection and there was not a criticism from any of our party. The views are stunning and the location is perfect for a relaxed family outing or intimate get together. Thoroughly recommended!!!

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“We have visited the Boathouse on a number of...”

★★☆☆☆

written by on 17/02/2011

We have visited the Boathouse on a number of occasions. We find the staff dour and not very attentive. This restuarant has one of the best views in South Queensferry but the practice of not allowing two people to take up a four seater table by the window, albeit when tables are free and not booked and the place is not busy seems ridiculous and has sadly put us off returning. This has happened to us twice in the last month and we wonder if it is the owner's policy or just the duty manager's. Perhaps a re-think is in order since the last time we requested such a table the duty manager said she'd already had to refuse two other couples' similar request.

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“I had a very disappointing meal at the restaurant...”

★★☆☆☆

written by on 27/05/2010

I had a very disappointing meal at the restaurant earlier this week.
My starter of fishcake (yes, one fishcake) with tartar sauce, a huge piece of lemon and a huge lettuce leaf rolled up, tasted burnt and was unpleasant. My main course, after being told that my first choice of swordfish was not available some time after ordering it, was a joke. It is nothing more than a starter on a big plate. 6 small scallops, 3 small potatoes, 1 carrot, 1 small peice of courgette in a light batter and some small runner beans, with another huge piece of lemon. Whilst I have to say that the scallops were cooked very well and tatsed lovely, this definitely should have been a starter and not a main course. Finished off with sticky toffee pudding. Unfortunately there did not appear to be much in the way of 'pudding'. It was a pile of dates in a sticky sauce with some ice cream.
Yes, I should have complained at the time, but this was a business meal I was being treated to and it was me who recommended the restaurant !
It's not often that I leave a restaurant after eating three courses and still feel hungry, and I am not a big eater.

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“Had a lovely meal at The Boathouse, food excellent,...”

★★★☆☆

written by on 13/09/2009

Had a lovely meal at The Boathouse, food excellent, views great was a lovely day. Our only dissapointment was the unfriendly staff who seemed to take a dislike to us as soon as we walked in.We had to ask twice for coffee. They were very "dour" We said this would definately stop us going back which is a real shame as the rest of the day was great!!

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“Good service, excellent location. The staff are friendly.”

★★★☆☆

written by on 30/04/2008

Good service, excellent location. The staff are friendly.

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“Excellent food and prices. The service was very...”

★★★★★

written by on 09/03/2008

Excellent food and prices. The service was very friendly and first class. This was our first visit and will be going back.

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“We skipped starter to enjoy mains and a sweet. Both...”

★★★☆☆

written by f00dy on 12/12/2007

We skipped starter to enjoy mains and a sweet. Both ordered steak, one rare, one medium rare and both were cooked to perfection. Large steaks too. Pepper sauce very tasty and nice touch that it was served in separate small jug rather than just poured over to drown the steaks. Vegetables interestingly different. Nice South African Red wine served at perfect temperature. After the plates were cleared that's when the problem started. Waitress suggested 10mins break before sweet which we thought was a good idea too, but 20 mins became 30mins during which time we'd gone off having a sweet, we'd just opt for coffee instead. But still the waitress didn't come back and no-one else came near our table (it was as though they were scared to step on head waitress's toes) so after another 10mins we'd have had enough of being ignored, paid our bill and left. Won't go back, which is a shame because the food was good, just pity about the poor service.

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“You can not book the bistro at The Boathouse in South...”

★★★★★

written by georgiep1 on 03/09/2007

You can not book the bistro at The Boathouse in South Queensferry, which is advantageous to everyone. Great views and a good atmosphere. Suits all ages.

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“Money well spent, and to the guy that had fish and...”

★★★★★

written by lordshadowman on 10/07/2007

Money well spent, and to the guy that had fish and chips , if you want to eat fish and chips go to the chippy, if you want to eat the best sea food the boat house is the place.

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“Ordered the tapas for 2 as a starter, which had a...”

★☆☆☆☆

written by tam30 on 13/05/2007

Ordered the tapas for 2 as a starter, which had a medley of very different tastes on the plate. Thankfully, we have broad minds when it comes to food, and a very varied appetite for different origins of foods, as it was a mixture of pitta bread, pate, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, squid, smoked salmon and Parma ham. It was OK, although not great. Completely different to the restaurant. We then ordered Haddock in beer batter and home made chips. Well, this was an incredibly disappointing. I expected much better than this, especially at £8.25 for glorified fish and chips. To be honest, I wish I had gone to the local chippy. The fish was placed so undelicately on top of of undercooked grease sodden chips, just in case they weren't greasy enough, to soak up the grease from the batter from the fish. I complained and was met with a very unhelpful member of staff. And no apology was given, and she offered to take £4.25 off the bill for the trouble. To be honest, I couldn't be bothered to argue any more, especially because she made sure the whole bistro turned around from their table of delights, so she had an audience. My partner ate the fish in the middle of the batter and nothing else, and yet, they didn't offer to refund any of his food bill. This was clearly the worst fish and chips I have ever had the pleasure of paying for.

So to conclude; what an utter disappointing waste of an afternoon. Should have gone to the restaurant instead, as we normally do. I won't be going back to the restaurant in the future. I work in the catering business and have done for years on and off.

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Edinburgh Diner's Response to tam30's Review

Written on: 09/07/2007

I totally disagree with tam's "review".
<br/>
<br/>The Boathouse is an excellent restaurant which makes fantastic use of local available produce. The fish is always fresh and cooked to perfection. Its a 9/10 for me. Tam should go back to his day job - which I can guarantee does not involve either the use of his taste buds nor intellect.

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397191_Dougiedave's Response to tam30's Review

Written on: 01/09/2008

I disagree with this review because I have eaten the fish and chips in the Bistro many times and it is nothing short of magnificent.

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“The Boathouse is a restaurant with a good view over...”

★★★★☆

written by markuk on 10/10/2006

The Boathouse is a restaurant with a good view over the River Forth and Bridges, with a nice little bistro atmosphere. You'll have to book at least a week in advance as it is in demand - always a good sign.

The food is not over-complicated but cooked perfectly. An excellent, rich seafood bisque for starters. My scallops were obviously fresh and cooked perfectly with a very light, uncomplicated dressing. My wife's monkfish was also simply prepared and cooked well. The usual side dish of assorted vegetables, perhaps a little bullet-like for me, but what I have come to expect.

However, the star of the evening was a peach tarte tatin. I'm not normally a big fan of desserts but I'll make an exception in this case.

The one downside was a very ordinary Pinot Grigio from an unexciting and a little over-priced wine list.

In summary: if you like good fresh seafood, simply cooked, then you'll like it here. Remember to book first.

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