Boat House of Marietta (Boathouse BBQ) — Restaurant in Marietta

Boathouse BBQ has always been a "go to" summer place for dinner. We drove up for dinner and had a very poor experience.

We spent over 1.5 hours seated with our three children. After our one appetizer was ordered, we were informed that the kitchen "was very backed up and it will be a while for our dinner would be out". It should be noted that the wait was not the issue as it was a Friday summer night and we certainly understand. To be frank, wait times here are kind of expected.

Our waitress came back one time during this time(1.5 hours) to check on us. We ordered another round of refills on our drinks as it was 95 outside and all of our drinks were empty. I ordered a second beer and I watched it sit for over 20 minutes on the bar counter in the summer heat as our waitress walked past it serving other guests.

When the waitress came back, clearly forgetting I had ordered the beer, and asked if we needed anything while we waited, I said "yes please. I'd like the beer that I ordered but not the one that's been sitting on the bar for the last 20 minutes as it is now surely warm".

She proceeded to walk over to the bar and talk to the bar tender. The bartender, visibly irritated with the simple and fair request, "pretended" to pour another beer but it was obvious she just let the tap run for one second. The waitress came back and said "I'm sorry, but our glass chiller broke so this glass may be slightly warm."

When the meal was finished, I confronted our waitress about what the bartender did. She then admitted that the bar tender refused to pour a new beer and she herself had lied about the glass chiller being broken to cover for the warm beer.

As I stated to our waitress, we are perfectly fine with a night of slow service. We are perfectly fine with simply forgetting part of our order. What I am not ok with is blatantly lying to my face about something as simple as a $4 glass of beer. If she did not wish to repour the beer, simply be honest. I could have at least respected that.

This restaurant was always a go to for our family of five(making the 45 minute drive from below Mineral Wells WV), but we will not go back again. And further more I will make sure any person that asks about it, will be informed of their dishonesty.

This could have been such a simple fix but they...

This was our first time here and what a treat! The parking was not bad, the building, however, is far larger than you would think from the outside and from what we saw, very busy. Even so, we were seated rather quickly and were able to get an outdoor seat so that we could enjoy the weather and a great view of the Ohio river as well with our meal. We were waited on very quickly as well (our server was extremely helpful, gave great advice on the entrees, and was able to assist us to pair sides with our meals). We ordered ribs with beans and coleslaw for Lisa and fish and chips for me with a side of caramel glazed (although they do taste a bit like maple glazed) mashed sweet potatoes. Pickle chips for an appetizer. The pickle chips and drinks came out quickly and were very good, you could definitely taste the dill and the batter was a nice flavour and not over battered. When the entrees came out, it was a taste treat in itself. The fish and chips were tastefully done, battered just right in a very tasty beer batter and not too fishy, but a just right taste all around. The French fries were very good, fresh tasting and definitely a step above the standard fare. The Cole slaw was nice, baked beans very tasty, and ribs were drop off the bone delicious with a very tasty barbecue sauce that they were cooked in (they have other sauces just in case you want something different and all of them are very good as well). The maple glazed sweet potatoes ware very tasty....I have never had it this way before and was very impressed with the taste.... This could have been a dessert, it was so tasty and sweet from the maple which made the dish special but did not overpower the sweet potatoes . Add to this a great view of the Ohio river and this was a very tasty meal in a most relaxed atmosphere. The bill here is commensurate with the quality of the meal and we both left feeling very satisfied and full. Overall, I'd say that if you are already here, there's nothing I can add. But if you would be in the area or choose to make it a destination, I would say it would be worth the trip to have lunch or dinner here at the Boat House where you, too, can have a relaxed meal among friendly people, and an atmosphere that can't be beat.... Along with that relaxed river vibe and...

The experience at Boat House of Marietta (BoatHouse BBQ) was, unfortunately, quite disappointing. Tables are as sticky as if it was a floor of a party bar, and service was extremely slow. From the moment we tried to order Beef Tips, we were abruptly informed that they were unavailable, even before we could finish stating our order. Surprisingly, this wasn't the end of our ordering woes; we were then informed that both the ribs and Beef Tips were out of stock, even though it was only 1:32 PM on a Sunday. This left my partner and me with limited options, so we decided on the Brisket Sandwich for her and a Barbecue-BBQ Burger for myself, along with the Wood Chips appetizer.

The Brisket on my partner's sandwich was disappointingly cold and excessively chewy, lacking the rich flavor one would expect from quality barbecue. The bun, too, was soggy, making the sandwich difficult to enjoy. On my end, the Barbecue-BBQ Burger was decent, but once again, the bun suffered from sogginess, which was puzzling. On a positive note, the fries were a highlight of the meal, offering a satisfying taste. We did find solace in the Wood Chips appetizer, which we both thoroughly enjoyed.

The payment process caught us off guard as well; the establishment charges a fee for card usage, favoring cash instead. Moreover, they inquired about whether we wanted our change, including coins, which seemed a bit unusual. Additionally, it's worth mentioning the surprising fact that a restaurant would run out of plastic cups, necessitating the use of paper cups instead.

In summary, the overall experience felt far from satisfactory, especially considering the relatively high cost of the meal. While the ambiance of the location was relaxing, the food and service left much to be desired. It's possible that it simply wasn't a good day for the restaurant, and I remain open to the idea of giving them another chance...