The Boathouse - Kenora

This restaurant lost two stars from me because it took 15 minutes for our server to even acknowledge us. And this was after I asked the hostess (who was great! if we even had a server. Once we met our server, he was super nice, the drinks and food were really fast, and everything went smooth from there! The food tasted decent, no complaints : From a former server… touching the table when you walk by to let your guests know you’ll be right with them goes a long way.

Just in town for one night we checked out Husky the Musky and Tunnel Island Trail. great scenery. Headed to the Boathouse for a quick dinner before the tour on MSKenora. Order caesar salad, lasagna soup and two curry bowls, all of which were extremely tasty. Great curry. Someone know what they are doing in the kitchen! Michelle was a great ‘tender with a fun and upbeat personality. Great visit highly recommend.

Today a friend I went to the Boathouse for lunch. We were greeted, barely, by an uninterested manager. She told us to sit ‘where ever’. I used the restroom shortly after arriving. It was filthy. There were bits of toilet paper all over the floor and the hook to hold your purse/coat was ripped off the stall. The toilet paper sat out side the toilet paper holder as it too was broken and the stall door did not latch. The floor of the entire restaurant looks filthy. I was very turned off by the overall appearance and cleanliness and wondered what the kitchen looked like. I should have left but a friend was enroute to meet me. Upon sitting back down I over heard the manager telling an incoming patron they had been closed for a Gothic wedding on the weekend. The patron said ‘that must have been interesting’ to which the manager replied loudly ‘no, it was just ugly’. The distain in her voice said it all. Very rude and unprofessional as she didn’t seem to care who heard. Our fish and chip lunch was all batter and very little cod and the coleslaw was runny and unpalatable. . We did have a nice server and were so glad it wasn’t that manager tending to us. The only good thing about this restaurant is their patio and now that it’s cold I won’t be back. This place needs an attitude adjustment and a deep clean and a menu review. I hope the owner reads these poor reviews and cleans up what could and should be a wonderful lakefront restaurant.

My husband and I were staying in Kenora and had made plans to come for supper on Sunday. We planned our day around this dinner. After checking the website several times throughout the weekend for any hour changes..being it was the long weekend, we were very disappointed to see a sign posted closed due to staff party . 6 other young men arrived at the same time to only be disappointed and annoyed as well. It takes 2 minutes to update your hours. Try it next time.

We will not be going back and will certainly tell our friends to avoid this restaurant. We last visited the Boathouse several years ago and had a wonderful meal with friends but tonight was a great disappointment perhaps new management . While we know the restaurant was busy the service was at best spotty. The food was all very bland and the portobello mushroom unappealing , fries and mashed potatoes were cold on arrival. The shore lunch is locally caught pickerel but was tasteless as well. Also the building itself is just one big room with a bar all across one end so the place is very noisy so it is hard to carry on a conversation. Avoid this restaurant at all cost.