The Boathouse at Saugatuck

This is an incredible location for an outdoor event. You're right on the water! The Boathouse has an outdoor patio with views of the river that are gorgeous. One thing I loved was that they have a large tent over part of the patio that's clear, so the view isn't blocked. (Most tents are solid white.) The Birthday girl at this party arrived by boat, which made for a unique grand entrance. Love this venue. Beautiful views, friendly staff and great food.

It is a nice spot to have a drink or dine in. The staff is nice and the food was tasty. We had the pâté to start which was delicious and their scallops were yummy! We lucked out with beautiful weather and will definitely come back again.

Recommendations: Outdoor Table (upstairs), Local Oysters on the Half Shell, Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, Chicken Liver Pate, and Boathouse Lobster Roll.
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Detailed Review:
It's Summer 2022, my wife and I looked for a waterfront restaurant in CT. I found this place, however, it's tough to reserve an outdoor table for a weekend dinner. I booked my table on 6/6 for the dinner on 6/25. Initially, my reservation was for 2 of us. On the day of my reservation, my friends wanted to join us, I called the restaurant to update my reservation and they helped us to accommodate it. They handled it very professionally by making sure that they have enough room for us to sit outside, and called me back later to confirm that my reservation was updated successfully.
When we got there, the host and the waitors were very friendly and helpful. We asked for recommendations and their suggestions were good.
We ordered: Local Oysters on the Half Shell, Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, Chicken Liver Pate, Prime Burger, Boathouse Lobster Roll, Apple Strudel, and Creme Brulee.
- Local Oysters on the Half Shell & Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail: very fresh, you can even feel the oysters were crunchy.
- Chicken Liver Pate: the Pate was very good, you may want to ask for more bread to finish the disc.
- Prime Burger: it's juicy, the beef was good (but not excellent yet). The fries were crispy.
- Boathouse Lobster Roll: delicious. The torpedo was crispy but not hard.
- Apple Strudel: the vanilla ice cream was very good.
- Creme Brulee: burning smell, not too sweet, delicious.
🍔So I gave 5/5 for the food.
🥂We did bring our own wine, there was $30 for corkage fee. I just wish they could have an ice bucket for our bottle, but they served well and their recommendations for food were good. So 5/5 for service.
The view was great, there is the Saugatuck River flows by. Since the patio faces East, during sunset, the sunlight does not shine directly to your table. So view is 5/5.
The restroom is nice and clean. They have an individual restroom upstairs and another restroom downstairs.
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I hope this review is helpful for you. 🙂

Perfect weather sitting outside. What an amazing location. Food and service were great. Had a great kale salad with an excellent piece of salmon on top. I would have sat up there looking at the all afternoon but had to get some work in during the day. I will definitely go back and next time try dinner

Absolute perfection, food, service, atmosphere and the manger who is a charm. We enjoyed a wonderful water view.

Went for a Valentine's Day 💘 dance was amazing great food, and the professional ballroom dancer were a nice addition to the evening.

Sat upstairs for brunch, and our waitress was super attentive, restaurant was adorable, and the food/drinks (pictured below) were tough to beat. 10/10 experience overall - Glad we decided to try this spot and hope to visit again soon!

Beautiful view, tasty food and very friendly staff. REALLY GOOD SERVICE. Would definitely recommend to my friends.
Thank you guys!

Great atmosphere and views. The halibut was excellent! We would go often if we lived nearby.

I have been in the hospitality industry for over 20 years and have worked with some of the most premiere chefs in the industry. Tonight was my first experience at The Boathouse at Saugatuck and both the food and service was outstanding which exceeded all of my expectations. Firstly, I called to make a reservation and was lucky enough to get Joette who was accommodating and assured me that I would not be disappointed with the food and view. She was correct on both counts so I am glad that I listened to her. In fact after we were seated she came to our table to introduce herself to us to check that everything was to our liking so she went above and beyond! Will, was our server and he made excellent suggestions for specialty drinks, the main course and dessert. He too checked on us many times throughout dinner to make certain we were pleased. So he was fantastic as well. Lastly, I decided to make another reservation to come back in a couple of days and Danielle came to the table to organize this for me. She was also fantastic, friendly and very professional! It was obviously important to her to insure that I will have another wonderful experience. All in all...if I could give 10 stars to the chef and staff, they certainly deserve it!! Thank you so much for a wonderful night!

Had a great brunch. It was nice near the river, no bugs. Great service and menu.

Lovely evening with high quality food and phenomenal staff.

Service here is always friendly. Loved the special lobster risotto. Two suggestions - add a few more wines to your wine-by-the-glass menu, as well as one or two more Main Entree selections.

Beautiful location right on the water. Very helpful and attentive with everything. Food was great and loved playing with the band for a recent wedding there!

Had an amazing experience last night Owner Scott and Host ( with the most) Michael accommodated my best friend and I with no reservation The food was delicious service was awesome from beginning to end when we thought it couldn't get any better they gave us a complimentary dessert, for our birthday celebration and wine. Great experience!

Beautiful venue. I was here for a New England Culinary Group Meeting. Great venue and beautiful venue on a lovely early June night!

Wonderful experience. Food was great, service was top notch. Setting and view - lovely. Staff was incredibly nice, as was Scott the owner. We will definitely return and recommend to friends!

We really enjoyed our lunch and the beautiful setting overlooking the river. The menu is excellent along with the specials! I never new it was open to the public until today and so happy we stopped. Will return again.

I mean, if the view doesn't speak for itself, I will! Every time I have gone to the Boathouse it is FABULOUS. It is so well managed, super clean and safe, the food is killer and the menu is always changing. The staff is great and work soooo hard to service all customers when with a labor shortage!

Was here for a special occasion. Service was excellent. Food selections were limited but very tasty. Sat outside. Small venue by the water.