Boathouse Brewpub & Restaurant — Local services in Ely

I have frequented Boathouse many many times over the years they've been open. Recently I made a stop in with my family (6 of us total) on a Sunday afternoon and was shocked by the way we were treated. We were told there was not room for us. When we asked to wait for a table, she told us there were not enough stools at the bar for us. We didn't mind standing, but it appeared that was not an option. Not wanting to clog the front doorway we began to move to find a place to wait. She then told us she would not come looking for us to find us if a table opened up. I offered to stay at the front door while the group got out of the way. We tried to find a suitable open spot to wait in the bar, but were kicked out of that area as well. But without direction from the staff on where we could wait (front host/waitress and bartender) we choose to just leave. They were not interested in our business anyway.

I was at the establishment a month prior with the same two employees who then seemed agreeable and were frustrated by lack of staffing and being the only restaurant open for lunch 7 days a week during quiet season. A financial and physical burden of constant ebbing and flowing Im sure (I work in restaurant industry, I get it), but WOW, I could not believe the night and day difference of the attitudes towards guests when we arrived in July. As if we were just "more pesky tourists". I've never felt so unwelcomed in anywhere in Ely in all my life.

They lost a polite, easy-going, good paying customers' group tab who were willing to rack up a bar tab while waiting, then a dining room tab for lunch. My friend and I ended up picking up the entire group tab (no splitting of checks) at the super fun and friendly Ely Steakhouse, where I made sure to tip very generously. Boathouse lost some year-round...

I had two separate experiences at Boathouse in the same day, both of which were amazing.

For lunch, We had a party of 13 people of mixed age who ate restaurant-side. Our server, Joseph, was very friendly and helpful. We had a few kids in our group and he was great with them as well. The food was tasty, all our orders came out perfectly, and the prices were very fair. He was also considerate when it came to splitting our check many ways (as we were multiple separate families). Our experience was a large part in what made us decide to come back later.

We returned for drinks that night and sat bar-side with a party of six. Game Seven of the NBA Finals was on, so it was understandably busy. The bartenders, Aaron and Dan (who also went by Biscuit), were phenomenal. They were friendly, helpful (to us out-of-towners who knew nothing about their beers), entertaining, humorous, and managed to stay on top of the whole place despite the bustling environment.

The taps started to run out by the end of the night, but we still had the opportunity to try everything. The only negative I could see for some people is the limited selection of beers, as they don't serve anything they don't brew (with the exception of guest taps). However, I personally felt this was a positive as it forces you to try their beers and doesn't detract from the quality of their collection. All of their in-house brews were exceptional and the guest tap was pretty good, too. My favorite was the Alimony Ale with the Blueberry Blonde closely behind. I strongly suggest you try either if they are available, depending on if you like dark or light beers (respectively).

Boathouse provided a top-notch experience and never missed a step. We will definitely be returning next time...

In town for the weekend with a family member who has property up there, we stopped here for dinner. The place was busy, but it was a Friday night around 7 or 8 so it was to be a tad expected. The food was good for the most part, but our server sucked to be honest. First of all we waited idk how long to place an order, which was ok because they were busy, but when we did order, and I asked for Xtra crispy bacon and no onions on my burger and Xtra crisp on my fries... The attitude I got was like I asked for them to part the red sea if you could have seen my servers eye roll and I wasn't even asked how I wanted my burger cooked?? Guess it was "assumed" I just wanted medium or well done???? Nevermind the fact that not one time did the server ask us how our food was or if we needed anything else until we were basically done with our meal. Mind you, we were sitting at the bar where they go in and out from behind the bar and she walked by us like a dozen times. Then paying our bill was yet another fiasco as the bartender obviously preferred the regulars and their drinks over those of us there to just get a good meal. Not a good example of Ely hospitality in my opinion. Not sure I would go back if I had to do...