The Boatman — Restaurant in Great Britain

Nice beer and gorgeous setting but food was expensive, scarce and meh.

First, the good stuff. This place is beautiful. If you come here and sit outside you will have a lovely view of the river. The decking and tables are fairly modern and they have some umbrellas and a glass roofed semi indoor seating area. You won't want for anything regarding setting.

I had a beer and I didn't really understand the guy who was serving me but I grasped it was an IPA and it was perfect.

However, there are some other areas where this place doesn't shine. Firstly, the prices Bere are high. It's £17 for bolognese. Some tenderatem brocoli as a side was like £5.50 or something and chips were around there too. Some of the starters we're alamot £8. I have attached a picture of the menu to my review. You can also see our receipt and how expensive the bare bones of dinner was here.

Next up, food quantity. I ordered the fish cakes. Or at least I thought I did. I've never seen them singular before but one only one turned up I double checked the menu and yes, it did just say "fishcake". There was a bit of lettuce and red pepper making a "salad" but essentially I paid £16 for one single fishcake. Actually the fishcake itself was lovely, but ot didn't fill me up and I felt a bit ripped off. I've out a picture of my lonely fishcake below.

My wife had the Cajun burger. It was the most basic burger ever. It was literally just bread - chicken-bread. There was a bit of salad in the side again and some chips, bur the burger was so plain. No sauce. No garnish. It was extra for cheese a slice of bacon (for £16 you could throw in the cheese and bacon, come on). I had a bite and the chicken was flavoured very well in my opinion, but it was dry. So dry. I would have needed some sauce to eat the whole thing myself. The chips were okay but nothing to write home about

Then there was the service. When we arrived the table wasn't clean. I asked for some napkins and cleaned it myself. We ordered drinks and they took ages to come. We ordered food and it came so fast we didn't feel we'd had chance to enjoy the river. Drinks should be quick. For food it's okay to be 20 minutes or a bit longer.

The "drinks" menu didn't have any soft drinks, any mocktails, or even any beer. I wanted beer and my wife wanted mocktails so it seemed a pretty rubbish menu. I asked for beer and guessed what I wanted without knowing the price (it was expensive) and my wife ordered lemonade because she wasn't going to order a mocktail without seeing what was in them (if they served them).

We won't be coming back here. I don't know if there's anywhere better in Windsor but I'd have a look...

I am writing this review with disappointment following my recent visit to The Boatman in Windsor. This place came recommended by a local, however, sadly it fell well below expectations.

Firstly, our request to have a riverside table was declined on the grounds that they were all reserved. The pub was not bustling, and we counted at least six tables available. The frustration was compounded when we observed that none of these tables were occupied during our stay of an hour and a half. A bit of flexibility from the staff or a reasonable explanation could have easily turned this situation around.

Secondly, apart from one person, the majority of the staff showed a profound lack of interest in providing decent customer service. They seemed indifferent to our experience and gave off the vibe of being utterly unenthusiastic about their jobs. Customer service is not just about serving, it's about creating an experience, and in this case, our experience was unmemorable, to say the least.

The pub further faltered in its food delivery service. It took an excessive hour for our mains to arrive after placing the order. We had ordered a staple - fish and chips, and their so-called 'gourmet' burger. Unfortunately, the food didn't do much to salvage our diminishing impression of the place.

The 'gourmet' burger was a serious let-down. It essentially consisted of the meat sandwiched between two dry and stale slices of bread with no embellishments whatsoever – no butter, no salad, no sauce. The food was bland and lacked any distinctive flavour. If anything, it added to our disappointment.

All in all, our experience at this Windsor pub was subpar. What we expected was a pleasant dining experience with amiable service and delectable food. What we received was the opposite – poor service, long waiting time, and unappetizing food.

I write this review not with a vindictive intent, but with a hope that the management takes note and makes necessary improvements. I'm sure no customer expects such a disappointing experience, especially in a place which has the potential to offer a great dining experience given its scenic...

While the food and location at the Boatman was great, the rest of the experience left a poor taste in my mouth. Overlooking the Thames, the Boatman is a beautiful restaurant with a wonderful atmosphere particularly in Spring and Summer.

The food is very well priced for the quality and quantity you receive, and the service was quick considering the entire restaurant was filled up. That being said, that was all the pro's. I have essentially knocked off a star for each con:

The restaurant does not provide takeaway boxes. While I understand this is printed on the menu, it still left a spur taste in my mouth knowing that if one cannot finish their £25 main course, that is it. The restaurant cites "Health and Safety concerns". How this is the only restaurant that has this issue that I have been to, ever. To their credit, they did not have an issue with us using our own container to take away what we could not finish. On going to the Gents toilets, I was appalled at the state of them. There was water (I hope!) and toilet paper on the floor in a large puddle, and the cubicle had what looked like flecks of excrement behind the seat, not to mention the bathroom as a whole was dusty and grimy. See attached photo's for what I saw. Any restaurant that has a dirty and grimy bathroom, I shudder to think what the kitchen looks like. While waiting for the only cubicle in the mens bathroom, the occupant eventually came out after 2 - 3 minutes (not a problem at all) and I saw it was a young waiter, who upon seeing me waiting, proceeded to open the door and leave. Without a) Flushing the toilet, or b) washing his hands. I sat and watched to ensure he did not handle any of our food.

This place seems great from the outside, and indeed the food is very good. But with the staff all seeming like they would rather be somewhere else and the other issues mentioned above, I dont think I would willingly come back. Maybe one day I will, and I will update my review accordingly...