Boat Club Restaurant and Bar

Stopped in to try out this restaurant that I had heard some nice things about. My visit started out fairly well...After waiting by the front desk for over 3-4 minutes someone finally noticed me and directed me to the dining room. I was told it was happy hour & got reduced pricing on my beverage order. That was a nice bonus. I sat at the bar since I was dining alone. I had a martini that was very tasty as well as had lovely presentation. I sipped on my drink for awhile and relaxed to enjoy the ambience of the scenery. From here on out it went downhill. I finished my martini & was hoping to get another but the bartender and waitress were nowhere in sight. I sat there without a beverage in front of me for 12 minutes. Finally I saw the bartender coming in from the back door & waved to get his attention. He came to my spot on the bar & I realize immediately that he had been outside on a smoke break as his clothing and body reeked of smoke. He did prepare another beverage for me & I was pleased to note that at least he used some hand sanitizer before making the drink. I decided to order an appetizer before dinner and the happy hour menu had 5 options on it. I ordered the smoked salmon but was told that they were out of it as they would be changing their menu soon and would not be continuing. I checked the menu again and decided to order the house made sweet potato chips. The reply from the bartender was that they were out of those too & were completely taking them off the menu also ( even though they were listed as a side item on the main menu) So back to the drawing board and I decided to just get an order of crab cakes off the regular menu. I can say that they were very flavorful but they were served barely lukewarm & the texture was quite mushy. I was very much underwhelmed by this spot! I can only hope they can get their menu items worked out and be more forthcoming with their patrons if they are out of product. I don't see any reason for me to return here.

Great food and views of the lake! Spicy shrimp fettuccine alfredo and walleye are excellent!

Decore was beautiful, our waiter was excellent he was very accommodating. Food was great will be back again. Thank you.

A disappointing quality with luke warm food and dried out turkey. Stuffing that made Stove Top look good and pre made mini pies with more crust than filling. A huge disappointment. What little apple crisp was left in the pan was excellent and our server was friendly and quick.

We had a Nice quiet dinner with romantic ambience, food was very good. Small portions but then there was no waste and room for dessert and an after dinner drink.

We brought our family, including out-of-town members. Our server was exceptional (than you, Chris). With a group from infants to seniors, he anticipated our needs and met them. The speed of food coming up was slow for the young ones but appropriate to the setting and time of day. Great experience.

We have enjoyed dining here in the past so chose it for a special dinner. We found this to be a much different experience than we previously experienced. For a Saturday night we were surprised that it wasn't crowded. We both ordered clam chowder which was served barely warm. It was sent back and the second try was hot. The chowder was good. We both ordered filets for our main course. This course tool longer than it should have. At one point our server came and told us it would be arriving soon and apologized. At this point there were even fewer diners than when we arrived. When it was served we both found the Potatoes Anna which came with it were chewy and only warmish. I ordered my filet rare and it was. My wife ordered hers medium rare and it was more rare than mine. Over all it was not a pleasant experience for an expensive meal. Sadly, it is no longer on our recommended list.

Great view and nice ambience!

We have eaten at Boat Club many times and always enjoyed it. However, this time we were sadly disappointed. The clam chowder was SO delicious in the past. This time starchy, lumpy, and only lukewarm. Traditionally they serve popovers complimentary with the meal. We had to ask for them. Other menu items were only so-so. Perhaps the chef this time, but this is no longer our go-to dining spot.

Great ambiance. Will return soon. Great steak and unusual potatoes!

Sadly, food was sub par and way overpriced! $48 for a King Crab Leg (yes, just ONE.) Tuna steak was over cooked and marinade was more of a gravy. Even the steak my husband ordered didn’t taste good. It’s a pity because the restaurant is nice, the service was great, and the view is remarkable. Perhaps just for drinks and appetizers?

Had a wonderful birthday dinner with my wife. Special thanks to our server Elizabeth!

Beautiful view, great food and funny, friendly waitress!!!

The foot was very good, although for the price I thought portions would be more. Our server, Larry, was wonderful! Overall, we would definitely go back for another special occasion.

The food was very tasty. My husband's walleye was EXCELLENT, as was my filet mignon. Our server was very attentive and friendly.

The food was absolutely fantastic! The service was very good. We will be back again for sure.

Aunt’s 80th birthday. Server could’ve been a little more on point... had to wait a long time for an extra plate so we could divide the entrees we all shared. Drinks not kept replenished, but he was nice. Other than that, was a very nice time, as always!

Visited Boat Club for lunch on a Thursday. We both had the lobster omlet with citrus greens. It was excellent. Big chunks of lobster with a delicate cream sauce . Very fresh salad with a yummy citrus dressing. Our server was knowledgeable and attentive. The only reason I didn’t give it all 5 stars was the ambiance. Walked in and there was no one to greet us. Just a seat yourself sign. There were 2 empty window tables with dirty dishes and 3 occupied tables. Otherwise the place was empty. After waiting a few minutes and no one cleared the window tables we sat down at a non window table. The dirty tables remained that way for about 15 minutes.

As published elsewhere [Edited to meet space]: After several nice weeknight meals at the Boat Club, we booked a Saturday night table for 4 for 6:30PM. We arrived a few minutes early & invited to wait at the bar. We noted a wedding reception, nothing an established restaurant should have any issue with. We waited. And waited, & waited & waited. At 7:00PM asked about our 6:30 reservation & was told diners ahead of us were lingering. As a former server, I know that happens; good reservation & seating management allows for that. 7:10, I asked again & hostess, who was doubling as a table busser, said they just needed "a few more moments."

7:20, 50 minutes late, we were seated, after embarrassed bartender offered a round on the House, which we declined. (Something was off-the-rails when they apologized for not having any Bloody Mary mix available, with Sunday brunch just hours away) Our server was prompt, & we placed our orders, anticipating finally eating. We waited. Waited longer. Not even a basket of the Boat House's fresh, warm popovers that half our party could eat. At 8:00PM, 1 appetizer showed, with the server explaining she'd cut her hand on a broken glass & had needed to tend to her wound. (Which raises an interesting public health & employment question).

She returned with a basket of limp & collapsed popovers, that seemed rewarmed in a microwave, & the explanation "we thought we ran out, but we found some." (From the wedding?) 8:20PM, nearly 2 hours after we should have been seated, the entrees arrived. For 2 of our party, the sorry trail of delays and lack of attentive service continued: The trout "Special" , was over cooked, dried out and lukewarm, at best. They did not seemed to have been prepared while we waited.

Past 9:00PM, we left after paying our bill, with agreement to NEVER EAT AT THE BOAT CLUB ON A WEEKEND!!! Duluth has too many fine dining options to waste an evening and our money on terrible service and lukewarm poorly made food.

Very good, as usual. My husband's strip steak was excellent. My crab cake appetizer was delicious. Unfortunately, my main salad with chicken was not so great. The chicken was tender and good, but the salad itself not so much. I tire of those greens that require lots of cutting to eat them, and sliced carrots just don't make it. How about subbing a little romaine and shredded carrots?
The restaurant was very busy, but our waitress did a good job of working as fast as she could!

The experience was overall positive. My only negative comment was in regards to the hostess. We asked for a window seat and we got “attitude”. She was curt and basilically said we should have asked for it. We had no idea this was an option because we have never been there. We would recommend this be offered when reservations are made. Please coach your hostess to not be so rude

Was greatest sea food I've had. Great service. Great wine!!

Beautiful evening to celebrate our anniversary! Thank you for making us feel special and treating us so well! We will be back!!!

We had family in from out of town and we also invited friends to join us. There were six of us. It was so wonderful. Food excellent we dined for hours!!!

The food was good, but I had to send my steak back. I ordered Med Rare and received Med Well. By the time my food came back, my wife was done eating. It was disappointing since we were out for our anniversary.

They had set a table aside for us with beautiful lake views. Service staff was friendly and checked on us frequently. Except for an overdone steak, this was a pleasant.

Cheery environ in old multipurposed brewery. Excellent menu, moderately priced, entrees, appetizers and wine selections excellent and GREAT service and not obsequious.

Great martini special that night. Everyone’s dinner was delicious. Good presentation. No to-go containers needed.
Wait gal was on top of everything! View of Lake Superior this evening was perfect.
Asked to have A/C lowered as we were slightly uncomfortable.
Highly suggest this restaurant for a special occasion and we’ll definitely return!

I went there on a date and we were seating next to a table with two crying babies for almost the entirety of our dinner. I ordered a filet medium rare and it came out well done and half of the steak was charred black. I expected more from a $40 steak and on a $70 tab.

Great food and service! Went here for a date night while on a couples weekend. Went for happy hour and ended up getting a full meal as well. Will return again for a lunch or brunch.

Excellent food, service and ambiance. One of the few special dining places left in Duluth.

View from dining room is impressive. And we liked the little binoculars for boat watching. Wait staff was friendly and attentive. Drinks were quite nice. Food was good, but not great for the price. I would recommend the sea scallops, which were nicely prepared.

The view was great. Enjoyed the band and their casualness. We had a friendly server.

Not worth the price we paid overall. Was expecting a classier restaurant.

Ashley was our server and she was very engaging, funny and cheerful. She made our wedding dining very enjoyable.

Our server was Ashley and she was wonderful! Our food took a little longer than normal and even though we weren't bothered by it, she kept us in the loop. She was very knowledgeable of the food and the recommendation of the Opah tacos was spot-on! They were so scrumptious! :) We would definitely go back if we head back to the area!

I selected this restaurant because of its location on Lake Superior. I was extremely happy with the service as well as the quality of the food (we both had the New York sirloin strips). Overall I would recommend the Boat Club for those looking for great ambience with a view of Lake Superior and a good meal.

We love the nautical decor. The walleye was great, especially the lemon sauce. I ordered the wild rice with it,which is delicious. Everyone loved the popovers! Our waitress Amanda was terrific.

Very surprised at how few people were in the restaurant. Have been there many times & it's been busy. Can't figure out why so few customers. Service was excellent.

Went there because everyone else raved about the view. The was okay. Food Was good except my wife's mashed potatoes were very salty, maybe slip on cooks part. Menu has changed from their website.

This was our first time dining at the Boat Club. The service was great...the food was just ok, nothing special.