Boardwalk Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Shakopee

Visited Boardwalk for an afternoon beer and dinner on a nice Fall day where my companions and I could enjoy the outdoor patio. The restaurant area is large and nicely furnished. There is an outdoor patio area that is huge! The Canterbury Downs race track runs along one end of the patio and you can watch the races and even place your bets right on the patio. The patio area is carpeted with artificial turf and has picnic tables with umbrellas, lounge chairs, tables with swings as seats and several fireplaces.

We selected a table in a sunny area on this 68 degree day and ordered a nice Octoberfest beer from the Badger Hill brewery (located across the street) which Boardwalk had on tap. Great beer!

Our waitress was fantastic! She was friendly and personable. She even anticipated our reorder for beer and brought it out just as we were looking to place a reorder. We also enjoyed an appetizer of Calamari which was very good. We did relocate to a different table as the sun was blocked by the building since it was just a bit too cool to sit in the shade. This was not an issue since the restaurant was not overly busy and there was plenty of open tables. After 3 beers we opted to move indoors for dinner since the temps were dropping. We requested our waitress to find us an indoor table in her section which she was able to easily do even though the restaurant was getting more crowded.

All 3 of us opted to order the hamburger ($20) which included a side item. I had a Blue Cheese salad which was very good. One friend had a salad with a balsamic dressing, and the third had French Fries. All the sides were very good. The hamburgers were about 1/3 pound and served on a potato bun. Very good! We rewarded our server with a 20+% tip for her great service!

The Boardwalk also has an attached music venue / party room area where live music can be presented or private events can be hosted. This area can accommodate probably 200 people and could overflow into the patio area.

I expect this restaurant will be very popular during warm weather months when horse racing is in progress and when the new amphitheater being built next door is completed in 2026.

Several other food and drink options are available in the immediate area to Boardwalk. You have Badger Hill Brewery. A Mexican Restaurant, Mister Pigs Smokery and an Og Za pizza location...

UPDATE: My second visit was a completely different experience.

My buddy wanted to treat me to a night out for my birthday so we decided to give Boardwalk another shot. The vibe was even better than last time (live music, Canterbury Staff taking bets, DJ, etc.). It was crazy how much the place had changed in such a short amount of time. All of the staff were friendly and accommodating . The hostess crew, security and bartenders were on another level and they remained laser sharp throughout the entire night.

We were on a liquid diet so no updates on the food, but the drinks/shots were reasonably priced and the bartenders definitely had their mixology skills on full display. What really blew me away is that the service was consistent throughout the evening even though the place was absolutely packed with people having a blast and yet, it never felt cramped. No lie, I never waited for more than 5 minutes for a drink and that is on a crazy Saturday night!

Without exaggeration, this might be the hottest place in MN right now and I am grateful that their entire team made a point to make my bday special. Thank you so much Boardwalk, I appreciate you so much. Definitely coming back multiple times before the summer ends.

First Visit:

Okay here we go. The vibe of this place is excellent. I had low expectations going in, but there was a lot to like. I legit feel fortunate that I can take people to a nice spot that is close to my house. That said, I have a few issues. First, the prices were pretty nuts and I just moved back to MN from downtown Chicago. Couple meals, apps and drinks was over $220 with a 20% tip (the waitress was young so I gave her a pass even though the service was average at best). Young people are struggling right now so I do what I can. One of the bartenders was nice, the other had a serious attitude problem. Arms filled with tattoos - if you know you know. Moving on to the most egregious item, the salmon. I probably picked 8-10 bones outta that tiny 'filet'. Also it was so dry I nearly choked on it. Thank God the waitress forgot to fill our water...if it wasn't pink, I would've thought it was carp. Definitely a few misses which bummed me out because it was our first date. I'll give it another try, but probably just drinks if its the...

Food: We arrived at 5 p.m. on Sunday. What food? They were out of my cocktail drink choices, out of brussel sprouts, out of pop overs, out of fried cauliflower, out of all protein to add to salads, out of watermelon salad, out of the pressed chicken dinner, out of Salmon dinner , out of Garganeli Peas and Mortadella dinner ......It was a guessing game as to what we could order that wasn't "out". I've been in a dinner club for 9 years , eating at establishments once a month for review, this was our worst experience. What food we received was ok. I gave it a rating of 1 star because of the many items not available .

The waiter, although not his fault they were out of food, was less than attentive. Long waits, not very attentive, never asked if we'd like another drink nor offered a desert menu.....Fair would be a good word to use.

The staff had more of a bar vibe. A lot of skin showing, mostly to the rear. I'm not opposed to this attire on the beach but when walking by our table, not so much want to see the butt cheeks hanging out of short short short shorts. But ....some may like this so go for the view!

Although fine dining is a word used to describe this establishment on some social media , it is not.

The ambiance and atmosphere sort of hip but LOUD and techno. If you like a techno beat, be prepared for the same one over and over and over and at a volume that requires you to speak to your dinner partners quite loudly.

If you decide to try this place out, give it a few months , (at least) they need to adjust their menu, staff training, etc.

Being at Canterbury and watching horse racing from a patio while eating lunch or dinner, having cocktails, SO COOL if they can get the experience right for the customer.

Side note, no reservations taken but I was told the first time I called that I could call 20 minutes or so before I arrived and I could get on the wait list. I did so and was told there was...