Boathouse Bar & Stowaway Grill — Restaurant in Lakeport

It seems the restaurant is under new management as of Feb. 2020 (just in time for the Shelter in Place) and my experiences there all occurred previously to the change. I'll have to drag myself in there when the Corona thing has passed (if they are still open) and write an updated review. So take this for what it's worth.

The boathouse is a great place if you like to drink at the bar or come up from the water in a boat to drink on the deck. They certainly seem to try hard at making a nice restaurant looking at the menu items and selection but when the place is absolutely empty except for your party and it takes over an hour to serve three main dishes and they are cold and stale you have to wonder what the problem is. At least this has been my experience about a dozen times over the last 4-5 years.

Sure the dining room is quite dated and could use a deep cleaning, I don't mind that. Also, the staff seem like well meaning people who are trying their best but if you're gonna run a restaurant the guests need hot fresh food in a timely manner. Now if you're a drinker perhaps you can knock back a couple of high balls and by the time the food comes you're too buzzed to care that it's not hot or it has been an hour and a half after you received your salad/soup/app or isn't fresh and flavorful even if there are only the three or four of your group in the entire restaurant. In fact reading through some of the 5 star reviews you might notice how many times the 'great bartender' is mentioned or the pool table or that many of the food items mentioned are basically deep fried bar food..

Now the place does have a pretty regular and busy section but that is in the bar/deck. Since I haven't been a drinker in a long time I couldn't comment on that part but they do seem to be having a pretty good time by the sound. The Boat House to me is like an old school Bar and Grill where the grill is there when the bar crowd need something to eat long after the Happy Hour has past. My best experiences have been ordering take out and would suggest this to anyone focused on the food. Sure it's usually cold by the time you get it home but you expect that. They also generally have it ready to go when you show up.

I'm not trying to be negative this is just my honest in my assessment. I've worked in nearly a dozen restaurants over the years and eaten at a few too. I also live about three blocks from the place. The only reason I've frequented the place regularly is that my parents always want to go there when visiting because it's on the lake, despite my...

The Boathouse has been a staple for guests for some time now but recently new management took over the kitchen and really stepped up the menu and service. The food can best be described as comfort food with barbecue as well and a number of intriguing daily specials. There's a full bar as well with a view of Clear Lake plus outdoor seating in the summer with bands featured on Sunday afternoons.

Recently we had some sandwiches delivered which is usually unremarkable but I happened to get the tri tip sandwich. Bottom line, the tri tip had a wonderful smoky flavor and was as tender as can be. I avoid tri tip sandwiches because you usually end up with gristle surprise which ruins the experience - not in this case. It was tender and meaty from bite one to the end. The only disappointment was having finished the sandwich, darnit. But they'll make more!

We have sent many guests down the street to the Boathouse and have heard plenty of very positive reviews of the food and service. Being regulars ourselves we can attest to the warm atmosphere of this local hangout. The food is consistent and good, prices are very fair and service is generally quite good as well. We're pretty fortunate to have such a cool local hangout just a few steps down the...

UPDATE: My husband and I came by boat Sunday 7/6/25 at 11:50am, we were the only ones out on the deck. The sign said order inside so we went in and the bartender told us don't worry the waitress will come out to you. 10-15 min. later the deck was filling up with people and 4 tables were filled so we went back inside to ask the waitress if she was still coming out. She got extremely defensive and said nobody told her she was supposed to. We asked if our order could be put in before all these other groups that got here after us and she said NO and it wasn't her fault. My husband tried to explain the situation and what we were told to do and she kept talking over him, wouldn't let him finish his sentence and was so rude we decided to leave. I don't know how many bad experiences I have to have here before I stop coming altogether and letting everyone know how horrible the service is and the food not much better. I don't know how this bartender and waitress still have their job.

Older review: Pretty good, sometimes. Their fries are amazing and that's probably the best I can say about this place. The service was good ( this time ) food was quick. Appetizers look like a dollar store kids snack, and my turkey melt had no cheese, I knew it didn't...