Boathouse Swanwick — Restaurant in Fareham

Came here twice over the weekend with different friends. Sadly, the service was terrible compared to the “old boathouse cafe”.

Staff were very friendly upon arrival and clearly wanting to make things work, but this was let down with the wait times of over 25 minutes for a simple avocado bagel and sausage bap. When the bap came the food was cold inside and my pregnant wife had to go into the venue to politely ask the staff whether the food was incoming or not. 25 minutes wouldn’t normally be a long time to wait but this was the takeaway area where it’d normally expect to be slightly quicker.

We saw lots of people getting frustrated when arriving and asking to sit outside and being told to wait as the staff found a table. This became a rather amusing spectator sport given around 85% of the tables outside were empty.

We appreciate staff have to manage flows of people, particularly as it may have been getting busier later on in the day. Salt Cafe in Porchester has a good system where when being given a table you’re politely told that it’s booked at X time and will be needed then. This doesn’t pose a problem, it manages expectations and shows customers that you still value their custom, even if this can only be accommodated in a short window.

Further, we also thought that placing reserved signs on the tables would manage the misassumptions around whether tables are booked or not, which will also stop people taking seats themselves.

The final experience we had this weekend was my friend and I wanting a very quick and simple 1/2 of cider for 20 minutes. He went to the bar but was abruptly told to take a seat as it was table service only. Then after a 10 minute wait outside nobody came to the table. We ended up walking off as the systems here don’t seem to be setup for a positive customer experience at this time.

The staff cannot be faulted for being both friendly and polite on the whole. Customers are welcommed to the venue and staff were apologetic when delays were incurred; which they can do no more than that.

Unfortunately we came away from the experience not wanting to return anytime soon and hope that in the passage of time these “teething errors” will be addressed.

The venue has great potential as do the staff, but don’t go expecting a positive experience if you value more than friendly staff from...

Positives: The restaurant benefits from a truly stunning location, which initially raised our expectations for the evening.

Negatives: Unfortunately, the service fell far short of what one would expect in such a setting. We arrived slightly early at 19:45 for our 20:00 reservation and were told our table wasn’t ready, with instructions to return at 20:00. While this is understandable during busy times, the message was delivered in a rather abrupt and unwelcoming manner by the staff member on duty.

Upon returning at 20:00, we were informed that our table was actually inside and that we needed to check in at the indoor bar—information that could easily have been shared during our initial arrival. Once seated, it took approximately 20 minutes before our drink order was taken, followed by an additional 15 minutes before anyone returned to take our food order. At this point, we had already been at our table for over half an hour without any substantial service.

An hour after ordering, a manager—presumably the bar manager—approached our table to assure us we hadn’t been forgotten. When we asked for an estimated wait time, we were told there were still several orders ahead of ours. His focus, however, appeared to be more on his ordering device than on delivering clear or reassuring communication.

At this point, it was past 21:30, and we decided to leave. To the manager’s credit, he waived the charge for the drinks (a beer and a water), which we appreciated.

Summary: While the setting is undeniably beautiful, the overall experience was marred by poor communication, excessive delays, and disengaged service. Staff appeared unmotivated, with food visibly sitting in the service area uncollected, and little urgency shown in addressing customer needs.

Regrettably, we won’t be returning, and I would advise future guests to approach with modest expectations. The location deserves far better operational management than what we...

I was excited to try The Boathouse given the owners have clearly done a fantastic job on the refurbishment and the location is fantastic. The area is in real need of good quality restaurants and somewhere that can become a regular, reliable destination. On the surface this looks like it should deliver on that front but sadly is falling short on two key fronts. Service - There is certainly a warm welcome as there are plenty of staff but the lack of training is evident and leaves for a chaotic, cafe feel where you try and grab someone if you can. When you do they will be super friendly but lack knowledge or any real experience as waiters. Lots of young college students which I have no issue with at all but certainly for a dinner service I’d expect well trained professionals with good knowledge of the menu and wine list. It should feel like a quality experience and doesn’t. Speed - Drinks take forever! More staff behind the bar needed. It will pay for itself as we certainly drank less than we might have done as it took too long. We waited 30 mins for 4 cocktails. Quality of food - I really wanted it to be amazing. Menu sounds good but the quality of food is lacking. Portions are small for the price too. At best it is mediocre.

It is such a shame. There has been a lot of money invested for sure and so much is right but a restaurants reputation will not be established on location and decor alone. Thee is still time to rectify the above and give all of us that have tried and left disappointed opportunity to take it all back! What I don’t see however, is any changes on site from the similar and reoccurring comments that have been left. We’d love this to be a superb favourite to frequent but it needs work before we will return. I hope you take the feedback in the spirit it...