Forest Park Boathouse

i love this location! it overlooks a small lake/pond in forest park. pets are welcome, which is nice, but the ducks are fearless. the server was weird, but not bad. do not order the quesadilla! gross! it was greasy and floppy. the fries were pretty good though. would be a great place to take kids. Pros: awesome location Cons: bad food! more

This is a "St. Louis Institution," so I've been told. I made reservations online, which seemed to work after I sternly reminded them of my "reservation" (however, they still didn't recognize me once I got there). First - the food: It's is "okay" at best. My family was in town, and we are healthy eaters (not ridiculous tree-hugging hippie eaters....just not fried EVERYTHING). Our attempts to select anything remotely healthy were lost. And, the house casserole was fatty, tasteless, and disgusting. Second - service SUCKED - Our waiter messed up our side order of pancakes (and even the "one pancake" he brought was bland), and despite having scrambled eggs on the menu, he refused to serve us any sunny-side-up??? I bet if I had asked for eggs to be deep fried, that baby would have come out with a smile and a huge pat of butter on top! Don't waste your money. Pros: Fat people watching during the summer. Cons: Sub-prime food and bad service. more

This was my second trip to the Boathouse. The food was good the first time, but service was horrible. We were giving it a second chance...Be prepared to wait a very long time. We were quoted approx 30 minutes for the two of us, but waited about 45, which is fine, I have worked in restaurants, I know how that can be. However, literally half of the restaurant was empty. Tables remained dirty for approx 15-20 minutes. The staff was unbelievable unfriendly and did not offer any explanation for the long wait. Once our name was called the hostess ran so far in front of us, we actually lost her in the restaurant. Then sat us at a dirty table. She offered no apologies for that either, in fact she didn't even speak to us. We sat for literally 10 minutes before anyone came over...Again the restaurant was HALF empty. We left before anyone actually came over. This place could be such a gem, too bad it's horribly managed. Pros: Good food, if you ever get it. Cons: Horrendous customer service. more

I have been to the Boat House numerous times over the last two years. The service and food have been great, the ducks are a joy to feed for the younger kids, and all my guest have enjoyed this restaurant. I highly recommend going. Plus the atmosphere is relaxing. Pros: Thumbs up Cons: None more

What's going on down at The Boathouse? Nothing good. Seems the management has taken early retirement, as a definite "I don't care" attitude not only pervades the place, but is explicitly expressed to patrons. I talked to the manager on duty for an explanation for our hostess insisting on seating our 5-person party at a square four-place table, and was told "That's the way we always do it.". Here's where it got interesting. I said "Well, that doesn't seem to be working tonight. There are two 7-place tables sitting unused." The response: "Opinions differ.". I kid you not. In addition to the two large tables, there were nine other 4-person tables open in the same room (out of an estimated 18 total tables), and yet we had just been seated after a 50-minute wait. The manager explained that the kitchen was so far behind, the wait was justified by the desire to not seat people without having the ability to serve them food. Fine, that's a separate issue. In the end, the food was good, and our server was apologetic. But we'll avoid the place from now on, on principal, and to avoid having our time wasted. more

The wait time is unreasonable and the management does not seem to address this issue at all. They also now sell the tickets for boatrides which is the worst idea, they can not handle anything that requires careful time managment! And everyone in this palce acts as if they dont care. That is because people like the location. Food is over rated. Hostess behaves as if she does not care about you as a customer. Would not ever attend this place and will have to avoid boatrides. Cons: Bad customer service, Huge wait time more

I went to the Boathouse with a group of friends, but I can't wait to take my husband! The view and atmosphere are great and I love the fact that I can bring my dog and they will give him water and treats. The food is tasty and inexpensive and we ate near the water with a great view of the sunset. Service was good/friendly too. Pros: Ambiance/View, Food, Dogs welcome more