4. Restaurants

Boatwerks Waterfront Restaurant

216 Van Raalte Ave, Holland, MI, 49423
  • (616) 396-0600
  • Store is closed

Boatwerks Waterfront Restaurant Menu

Sorry, We are updating this restaurant menu details.

  • Paul N.

    BLONDE BLANDE HOLLANDE The view is swell. The ingredients are fresh. The menu has nice ideas. But the most of the food is timid and bland. Lunch today: Rolls - dry and tasteless. Pea soup was well executed and not greasy - the high point of the meal. Grilled Ceasar Salad was a little disappointing - almost no char on the grilled romaine, and why do folks think that Ceasar Salad dressing is just tangy mayonaise - give me at least a tiny taint of anchovies in the dressing please. I felt I was truly in the land of the blond-dutch: even the dishwasher in the kitchen was white.

    (3)

  • Jeff C.

    Probably good for drinks. The view is nice but the food isn't good. Clam chowder and southwest corn chowder were both good. From there it was downhill fast. We both had the "famous" lake perch sandwich. Lots of breading, not much fish. Should be called the "infamous" lake perch sandwich. We also tried the chips & guacamole. The salsa was basically Chi Chis salsa and the guacamole tasted exactly like Costco's. I like Costco's guacamole; just not when I'm paying restaurant prices for it. Overall, have some drinks and enjoy the view. Skip the food.

    (2)

  • Carter C.

    Go buy a boat so you can dock it up right next to the outdoor bar! You could wear loafers without socks and pop your collar. I might go full on preppy just for the experience... Can't beat an early evening drink at an outdoor bar right on the water! I'm impressed with the location. Beer seemed pretty good - I hear they have bloody marys...will update this review once I've had one. Loss of points for ho hum food. What's with this town and basic American food? Burgers, sandwiches, classic main dishes and appetizers. I don't even need to get into it, you know what the menu is already. Somebody open a restaurant with lots of fresh ingredients and I will be your first regular customer.

    (3)

  • Ryan S.

    One of my favorite spots to take a break and sit outside and have the breeze hit you as the boats pass by. Had Stevie M. as our waiter and he was entertaining and gave excellent service...

    (5)

  • Myron K.

    Bland Food/Unsanitary - hair in seafood chowder, which was on my bill until I brought it to the attention of our waitress (less a star), dirty silverware (less a star), "signature" Mac n cheese was soupy and tasteless (less a star), tasteless fried perch (less a star), bad service (less a star), great dinner view (half), desserts were great (half) - Overall: too pricy for the quality of food. One star is out of charity!!

    (1)

  • Donna S.

    My Sister and I went here for her Birthday dinner and we were both extremely pleased with our meal and the service. I had the Tilapia baked with crab and asiago cheese, served with couscous and steamed asparagus.. absolutely delightful! My Sister had the Chicken oscar with angel hair pasta and steamed asparagus and equally pleased. The service was awesome and our waiter had a marvelous personality.. his recommendation of watermelon lemonade was the perfect splash of refreshment for the 90+ degree day! Definitely recommended!

    (4)

  • Jay W.

    Boy were we disappointed after recs from locals in town. Service was great, but everything else fell short. We should have suspected something, since @ 12 PM on a hopping Saturday in Holland with a MI football game on TV, there were about 15 people in the place and 10 cars in the lot. That should have been a clue for us to keep driving. I'm sure this place gets packed at times, but I can't imagine why. The food was expensive. I ordered a their special burger, with smoked ham and bacon, cooked medium. It came out overcooked and dry. Server said they are fresh burgers, but BOY to me it looked preformed. Too uniform a patty. I should have sent it back but I didn't. MY FAULT there. We were in a hurry to hit the road. The smoked ham was really salty. In their defense - the bacon was good. But my wife's yellowfin tuna was dry too. Only thing worse than overcooked burger is overcooked tuna steak. And $10 burger doesn't come with fries, only chips? Fries cost extra? Tiny menu too. At least at lunch. Yes it's right on Macatawa. Decent views, though you see the "industrial" use of the lake because it's right by the gravel piles I understand are brought in by barge/frieghter and trucked off for road work around western MI. Anyway the views to the north and west are great, to the east... not quite as picturesque. Still cool, but not as beautiful as the west end of the lake.

    (2)

  • Anna W.

    I really enjoyed eating here. It was crazy hot out, so there was a wait inside but no wait for their really nice waterfront dining. Although it was really hot and little shade, sitting outside wasn't as miserable as I had anticipated. The food was great. My boyfriend had fried lake perch and I had the baked tilapia which was topped with lobster and shrimp in a zesty citrus sauce. I thought this was one of the better meals I've had in a while. The only thing that turned me off a little was that the rice seemed to be from a box. I think the food was 5 star quality, but I felt as though the restaurant had a bit of a generic, red lobster-y feel that knocked it down a point for me. It was also pretty expensive. However, the food and service were excellent.

    (4)

  • Delilah D.

    Great location, sub-par food. After a bad experience last summer, my intention was to never return. But on a nice spring/summer Sunday, I had the urge to sit outside and eat... so we decided to give Boatwerks another chance. My lunch date ordered a burger, and I decided on an herb-encrusted fish dinner. His burger featured a barbeque sauce, bacon, and fried onion strawws, and was served with kettle chips. Mine was described as herb-encrusted red snapper, with veggie couscous and fresh asparagus. Our food finally arrived, and the burger looked great. The fish dinner, not so great. I was told the burger tasted good, so I can't give the place just one star. BUT my dish was so bland and tasteless; I can't imagine how it could have been much worse. Fist off, the fish looked like it had been boiled or poached (which the menu did not specify) and it was coated with a thick layer of green herbs, which seemed to be oregano and parsley? They were just wet herbs on plain fish. Totally overpowered the fish. Disgusting! And don't get me going on the couscous- it tasted like it had been made from a box mix a week ago. Honestly, it contained what looked (and tasted like) freeze-dried pieces of veggies, and tasted like dust. No spice, except what probably came in the packet inside the box... which I suspect was dry chicken bouillon. I have had couscous many times, I don't understand how this can be messed up, it's very easy to cook. The highlight of the dish was the asparagus, which was cooked correctly and slightly grilled on the edges, but again- no spice at all- would it kill them to use a hint of garlic or salt or something? Because I was starving, I salt and peppered everything to make it edible, and scraped some of the green mess off from the fish. My advice to this place is to simplify the menu (it's way too large, pehaps trying to do too many things and not doing all of them well), and use some more creativity and freshness (and flavor) in the food. This place is on the pricey side, so beware you are paying for the view and the privilage of their location. If you stick to drinks and appetizers you will probably be satisfied.

    (2)

  • Sean M.

    I have been here a few times, being local. The location on the water in the summer is a plus! The food is good, but the wait staff is not very efficient and we have had different servers each time. If you want to sit outside in season you will have to wait and not just for an open table. The bus service is slower than the wait staff. My suggestion is to go during off peak hours so that the service issue will be at a minimum and you can enjoy the view and food.

    (3)

  • Mike S.

    The service and food have improved greatly in the last six months. Now i love this beautiful place.

    (4)

  • Liza V.

    I guess it depends on when you go, but my husband and I had a fabulous dinner here. Love it on holidays when the staff gets creative on menu, drinks, specials. The patio obviously is just amazing and a fabulous spot to enjoy a gorgeous day. Not too pricey for being a unique location.

    (5)

  • Kelli S.

    GREAT LAKESIDE PATIO! Think ahead before going--this place gets really busy. However, if you're up for a predinner cocktail, there's an outside bar as well as the inside one. Even if you're not a fish person, the tuna steak on Naan bread is amazing! I kept talking about it after my visit...I'm a big fan of gyros too--probably why I liked this dish soooo much. Boatwerks is a great place to enjoy a summer evening in or outside dining.

    (4)

  • Lindsay D.

    The location is FANTASTIC. Its exactly what Holland needed. That said, I wish they would do a serious menu/chef overhaul. The food tastes very average and bland despite the high price. I'm pretty sure a majority of the meals or meal components just come right from the Sysco or some other food service distributor. Nothing taste homemade or from scratch. That said, the menu is TOO big. Make it much smaller and focus on what you can cook really well. It will result in more people writing reviews about how great the food is.... A couple other small gripes. The "no substitution" rule is BS in today's environment. I didn't want cheese on my salad b/c I was looking to eat a healthy salad. I was told they couldn't take the cheese off. Well, what if I had a dairy allergy? Lastly, they had some stupid "happy hour" rule where you had to sit at the bar in order to partake. That just seems ridiculous to me and resulted in the bartender being slammed and the rest of the waitress's being bored b/c no one wanted to sit in their sections. (We were outside and it was gorgeous, btw). I really hope Boatwerks managements will consider a couple simple tweaks. I think it would result in a lot of happy customers.

    (2)

  • Rob H.

    As mentioned before, the location and view is fantastic. We sat outside for dinner. I had a great bloody mary and an average meal. We ordered an appetizer at the same time as our entree. We should have said we weren't ready and held off on the entree. Within minutes of our app hitting the table, here came our entrees. Cool evening + stiff breeze + everything arriving at once = cold food. Service was good. Our server couldn't help the fact that the kitchen was cranking out food with no sense of timing.

    (3)

  • Matt N.

    Nice location right on Lake Macatawa. Service was a bit slow and food quality was average at best.

    (3)

  • Hannah H.

    You can't beat the location - right on the water...I had travelled to Holland for a long weekend getaway and the front desk at the nearby CityFlats hotel had recommended the place for its atmosphere and great food. Well, they got the atmosphere part right. The food was fine - portions are huge and the fish & chips I ordered were just okay. The onion rings were worth a repeat order. Our waiter was very attentive but felt like he was the only one on duty while others congregated at the bar and talked to oneanother. Poor guy - I made sure we tipped him well.

    (3)

  • drew y.

    Best brunch I've ever had. I've only been there for brunch, but I love having the opportunity to go back. Their brunch menu was surprisingly diverse and delicious. They've had your typical American fare, but also some fusionyAsian cuisine, that was quite delicious. I'm hoping to take my mom there on mother's day!

    (5)

  • Debra V.

    My husband and I had enjoyed a drink in this very pretty bar, the view is fantastic! However, when we made reservations for a meal, and took another couple we were so dissatisfied. The food is very ordinary, burgers could have been cooked the day before. Everything was cold. The menu is very uninspired, presentation of food is terrible, no garnishes, cold stale buns and bread. Fries very cold. Service was just OK. I absolutely would not recommend this restaurant.

    (1)

  • Tony G.

    This place is great! Right on the water(Lake Macatawa). We had one of the best meals that we've had in a long time. Everything was cooked perfectly. Our server was really really nice, but the service was just ok - she may have had too many tables or something. I'd go back in a second!

    (5)

  • Catherine P.

    I really liked this place...was up in MI visiting with my sister. It's right on Lake Macatawa. At night, the lake is lit up with lights from homes...very pretty. It's a large, new-ish building. We sat towards the back by the large bar. It's nicely decorated thoughout. They have lots of fancy martinis (that aren't really martinis at all, but just served in the martini glass, but you know what I mean). The calamari appetizer was really tasty with 3 dipping sauces, but it's not a very large portion. Their bread has sesame seeds on the crust..yummy! For my entree, I had fish & chips. Tasted good to me...I was pretty full from the aforementioned bread. :) This place has a good vibe and ambience...nice choice for a date, I would think.

    (4)

  • K M.

    Been here twice, both times same experience. Sat at the bar, ordered drinks, enjoyed them, left. Boatwerks is located on the edge of the downtown area of Holland and gets quite the crowd. Not sure what to make of the crowd except they range from the severly underdressed to the strangely overdressed. Mostly it's affluent families gathering for a night out. Either way, we like the bar that overlooks the water view. Husband always gets the same - Belvedere Dirty Martini straight up with Blue Cheese stuffed olives. I try to change it up and order something new each time. This last time I ordered a mojito. Which was served with the warning "let me know how that tastes, I haven't made one in a long time" Which to me means that I undoubtedly deserve an immediate discount for my beverage. However one was not offered and the taste was not that great. We've never had the food but it looks tasty. Good place for families, older people dates (you know "older but desperately seeking younger", and groups.

    (3)

  • Chelsea C.

    Had a great experience all around here- food, service and atmosphere. We wanted to stop in for a late lunch/early dinner on our way home to Cincinnati from a long weekend in Michigan. We asked someone a good place in Holland where we could sit on the water and they said "Boatwerks- hands down." When we arrived they quoted a 40 minute wait for outdoor seating but luckily it was half of that. They have a decent craft beer selection (lots of local MI brews included) and the food was great- we had the spinach salad which was a great starter (but could be a meal!) and the Rustico pizza which I thought was one of the better pizzas I've had in a while. Kevin was our server and he was great- super friendly and making sure we had what we needed. Lastly you can't beat their patio- when the weather is nice with a nice breeze off the lake- heavenly! After dinner you can walk around the edge of the lake that surrounds a park which is a nice way to end the evening (and walk off your dinner). Had a wonderful time and would definitely come back!

    (4)

  • Mike K.

    Entrees and desserts for our party of four: excellent. Lake view from inside: excellent. Attentiveness of server: excellent. Time it took to deliver our food after ordering: 45 minutes (intolerable; lower overall rating one star). My advice: order an appetizer and entree at the same time, enjoy the bread, arrive earlier than 6:30 on a Wednesday or knock back a few drinks.

    (3)

  • Liz P.

    Lovely restaurant. We stopped here when we arrived in Holland. Great water views, I recommend sitting outside if it's nice out. I got a chicken sandwich and paid the extra $2.50 (ouch) for the seasoned fries, which were good except a bit salty - next time I'd try the onion rings. Service was also good and my water glass was always full. It looks like they do events/catering here too. I'd definitely come back if in the area, sandwiches were like $10-12 which is reasonable for the view.

    (4)

  • David C.

    First things first: This restaurant is NOT on Lake Michigan, but a smaller inland lake. It's a sprawling lakeside restaurant & bar (think Jimmy Buffett vibe and you're on the right track) and an equally large (huge) outdoor dining area, with another bar and dozens of tables lining the waterfront. Speaking of: the lake water smells a bit, as though it's stagnant (which it is....), but you'll get over it. We visited on a sunny summer evening, must have been 300 or more people but the place is so broken up with numerous dining areas plus another huge bar inside that it didn't feel like a mosh pit. This place gets seriously busy, with dozens of Boatwerks staff sweating it out just to keep their heads above water-- much visible dish schlepping. We had a massive spinach salad for 9 bucks, really good: swimming with mandarin oranges, dried cherries and walnuts, maytag blue cheese and a light dressing. It was excellent and because we opted for the large size, it could have been a full-on meal in itself-- for 2 people. Pizza for 15 bucks, 9-10 inches: good crust and decent sauce, but nothing remarkable. Service by Kevin was great. Our pizza came out in 30 minutes or so. It could have been worse with all the people crushing the place. So, we ordered another beer; problem solved. DOH. The view is nothing spectacular, but it's great to eat outdoors on the water. Lots of boaters, everyone is there to have a chill experience. I'd come back if I was passing through but probably wouldn't go out of my way to revisit. The hook is the fact it's on the water.

    (3)

  • Corey C.

    This place has agreat atmosphere. Very open and warm along with a beautiful view of the lake. The service is average, not bad but not amazing. The menu has a good amount to choose from but in my opinion a little bit over priced. My food tasted good, it was just a lot of money for two fish tacos and some chips. If I remember right I think I paid around $13 for my meal alone. Just not enough bang for the buck. I think maybe adding another taco to the dish would have compensated the price better. I have gone here a couple times and had a nice time. I would actually recommend giving this place a try. Both of my experiences were good enough to go back.

    (3)

  • Katie H.

    This place has the perfect view of the sunset over the water at dinner time! And they seem to frequently have live music in the evenings. It's a perfectly relaxing way to end the day! My husband and I shared the Bacon BBQ burger with sweet potato fries - both were pretty good. My friend got the Shrimp Tacos and seemed to really enjoy them! My only complaint is that they charge a $2.00 for sharing...

    (3)

  • Ron B.

    Very nice place. I love the outdoor seating right on the water, but the weather today was not very cooperative for us. The appetizers were delicious! A very eclectic collection to say the least. Our lunches were very delicious as well and one will not walk away disappointed. We had desert as well and we all left very fulfilled and in a relative food coma. This is one place I would like to come back to again when in town again.

    (4)

  • Kathy V.

    Thank you so much for making my sons rehearsal dinner stress free! From the time I went in to make the reservation, you gave us what we requested. We arrived on time the tables were ready and shortly after all had arrived our waitress, yes only 1 person for our group, came to us to let us know she'd be right back to get our drink orders, We had a group of 16-20 and Tammy did a FANTASTIC job! She handled our group better than some will only 4. We couldn't have asked for a better waitress. The food all came out to order, hot, and all at the same time, so we didn't have sections of the table eating before others. Good job to the kitchen staff/cooks. The food portions were very generous, and some were unbelievable. Thank you all for helping us make great memories.

    (5)

  • OldIrvingPoodle H.

    The 1 star is for the what the service was like when we walked in...umbrellas are only for decoration - they can't be put up, they say. If more than one is up next to each other they don't fit, they break and then there are losses. Forget that it is sunny and that you have customers. So, we put it up and come to find...a ton of bugs that dropped on our table. Gross start.

    (1)

  • Cindy G.

    Great waterfront outdoor seating. Fantastic for families or for date night. Knowledgable staff when it came to food allergies and celiac. They caught an a possible error that I didn't even catch. Very happy!

    (5)

  • Jill Z.

    What a disappointing experience for out first visit to Holland and Boat Werks. We were a party of 2 and waited 20 minutes on a rainy, cold Saturday at 530 pm where there were open tables. We finally got seated after I asked if we could be seated to an empty table and then it took the waitress 15 minutes to approach us. In an impatient annoyed tone of voice, her greeting was, "Do you know what you want yet?" Again, this was our first conversation. I wasn't because I had menu questions. She said she would return momentarily to ask the chef, she didn't. The sodas took another 10 minutes to arrive and were served by another waitress who was "just helping out". She took our food order and was much friendlier than the other waitress. My Ahi Citrus salad arrived without the Ahi. That took another 20 minutes. By this time, my salad is gone. They did not remove this from the bill. We won't be back.

    (1)

  • Billy L.

    A long wait (50) minutes and we were not told that you had to put your name in separately for the outdoor patio. So we ended up eating inside which actually turned out to be OK and we had a great view of the lake. I had the seared scallops and I would have to say they were phenomenal. The meals come with hot rolls that were really good. The person I was with got the Perch sandwich and loved it. He got onion rings on the side and that was really good too. The place is very pricey but the food was good.

    (4)

  • Andi W.

    What a fun place to eat outside and enjoy the waterfront. We had awesome drinks on the patio with our group of 6. Everyone ordered a different entree and no one was disappointed. We really enjoyed the perch, and the crab cakes were great. In the Kollen Park across the street, a wonderful free concert ran from 6-8 so we walked over to listen to Delila DeWylde and the Lost Boys. Fabulous evening.

    (5)

  • Alden V.

    The 91 reviewer's before me have it about right. The food is okay to good. My burger with jalapeno relish was actually quite delicious, so there's a point. The service we had was not to good. I felt it was probably the result of the fact that no one ordered alcohol with their brunch. So, I guess, sorry we're not boozing with a baby at 11.30a? And, we had seven people, so the tip was already set. Didn't see the boy after he gave us our Arnold Palmers. Other servers brought our food, and he only came back to clear plates. That said, I don't dig restaurants based on the service of one. I give it an edge to a 4 because of the massive patio on the water and the fact that my burger was indeed good. If your game is a summertime sit on the waterfront or to drive up on your boat, Perfect. If not, Pass.

    (4)

  • Kelli S.

    GREAT VIEW. Food prices were what you would expect for seafood. We accidentally came during the happy hour-which was an amazing deal (though you cannot sit out on the patio-happy hour menu is for indoors and outdoor bar seating only). Our guy friend who eats alot ordered solely off the happy hour menu and was decently full. Service was excellent! Everyone we encountered was very professional and courteous. We also came during the Tulip festival so it was pretty busy. I had the traditional cobb salad, the small was a very decent size. The sweet potatoes and fish tacos were pretty good as well. Overall a pretty good experience. PS-there's a nice boardwalk and place to stroll along the lake afterwards!

    (4)

  • Dillon H.

    Great food, great service! Nick was excellent! I had the BBQ bacon burger, and my girlfriend had the Mac n Cheese, and she ate it all, that never happens. I definitely recommend this restaurant, we have been traveling all through Michigan for over a month now (we are from Missouri) and this was the best food and service we have received!! Thank you Nick!!

    (5)

  • Karyn O.

    My previous experience here was absolutely amazing. They hit everything out of the park with food and service. However, Last night was a different story. Food was just okay and we spent the majority of the time looking around for our sever since she was no where to be found. I talked this place up so much to my brother who was in town from LA, and was very disappointed this time around. The view on the water is the only reason for my 3rd star.

    (3)

  • Allison F.

    Many moons ago, there was this magnificent restaurant called Boatwerks, and they had the most exceptional black bean burger topped with guacamole. Then one day, the place mysteriously closed, and everyone was heartbroken without their favorite restaurant on the lake. Some time later, back by popular demand, Boatwerks reopened...and they took their exceptional black bean burger off of the menu. All these years later, I'm still pouting about it. Nowadays, it's okay. The food is pretty mediocre, and the highlight is sitting outside next to the water. I bet all that would change only if Boatwerks brought back that magical black bean burger!

    (2)

  • Joe K.

    We went there with a party of 11 - without reservation - on a very nice and sunny Sunday. After a 45min - wait we finally got seated. Watching the process to get a table was very interesting. It seemed like they were not in a great hurry. Once seated, We had a very nice table on the patio with a spectacular view towards the lake. It really felt like vacation! We ordered drinks and our food. Most of us had sandwiches or burgers. Everyone was very satisfied. Food was juicy and delicious! I deduct 1 star, since we would have expected to get some bread/breadsticks (or similar) during our wait for our entree and it took fairly long to get our drinks (15min). Summary: We will come again to check out if the food remains as delicious and if the seating/serving speed may be improved.

    (4)

  • Mike F.

    Sunday in Holland there is not a lot of choice of restaurants open in the are. Wife's birthday so I thought I would upscale the dinner. Hotel said this was a good place. Short wait, acceptable. Sat down, ordered drink, all OK. Looked at menu and was a little surprised at the premium price. OK. It will be good. Ordered food. Had to wait 30 mins for the food. The chicken on pasta was small but pretty good. Not real hot but OK. My wife ordered the mixed grill seafood dish, $30+. It was just warm or less. Butter didn't even melt on the vegetables. Fish was just like warm. My wife who is an excellent cook told the manager about it in great detail. They took half off but I think it should have been removed from the bill. She could not bring herself to waste it and did not want to wait for another. Also, for the price of the meals, a simple dinner salad was not even included. And there were a number of pesky flies that kept flying around us. We probably won't come back.

    (2)

  • Author Anjela R.

    Not the best food, but a great view. The prices are very high for what you get. I wouldn't come here at all if it weren't on the water.

    (3)

  • Nhan L.

    It took forever for my group to get our food. Between putting our name down to finishing our meal, it took over 2 hours. Be prepared to spend money if you're going to wait. I was at the bars for 3 drinks before being seated for my meal. On top of that, we were told multiple times that the kitchen was backed up on orders. The drinks helped pass the time. The seafood was delicious but I wouldnt wait this long for any meal. They brought out bread to snack on while I waited. The beer menu is also very small. My favorite was the oatmeal stout and the raspberry ale.

    (3)

  • Robert M.

    This was recommended by a relative that goes to Holand often, it's right on the water and a nice day so we were seated outside. We were there just before noon, so the lunch crowd came shortly after we arrived. The service was quick and pleasant. My wife had one of their specilties, stir fry chicken and I had the Lake Perch sandwich. Both were very good, but I really liked my wife's stir fry, had a good bite to it, lots of veggies, ( a little lite on the amount of chicken), but I wish I had ordered the same and would next time. Bottom line, a nice lunch spot met or exceeded our expectations.

    (4)

  • David A.

    I've eaten at Boatwerks a couple times this year. Both times I've found the food to be very average. This time 'round I tried one of their self proclaimed, "House Specialties": The Baja Shrimp Taco. The dish consists of three soft shell shrimp tacos and homemade tortilla chips paired with ramikens of guacamole and roja salsa. First, the tacos: The tacos were a big let down on a couple fronts. Each taco consisted of thinly shaved cabbage, 2 pieces of shrimp (grilled), lime-chile crema, pickled red onion, and cilantro. The cooks used way too much lime-chile crema on the tacos! The housemade cream based condiment was literally dripping out of my tacos. The cream overpowered the taco. Also, noteably absent from the dish was the distinct lime and cilantro flavor that defines Baja Fish Tacos. There was only a sprig of cilantro on each of my tacos. The cilantro would have been tastier and better distributed throughout the taco had it been minced. There was no flavor of lime beyond the cream based condiment. Either squeezing lime over the tacos and/or adding wedges of lime would have been a more traditional, and tastier, alternative. The guacamole like the Fish Tacos was mediocre. It could have used more lime, cilantro, salt, and jalapeno pepper. Overall I found the Baja Shrimp Tacos and the accompanying sauces to be lacking depth of flavor. Putting cream on Baja Fish Tacos bucks tradition and in so doing it should have been used sparingly or on the side. Somewhat ironically, the more traditional sauces were either absent (Pico De Gallo) or on the side (Guacamole and Roja Salsa) while the chef's creation (The Lime Chile Crema) made it into the taco. The dish cost $18. I'm not going to say that it's not worth the money, because first, the value of money is subjective to the individual and how much of it you have. And second, I believe the real draw of Boatwerks is the location and the accompanying views, not the food. So, again subjective to the viewer, depending on how much you value views while you eat, will determine whether eating at Boatwerks is worth your dollar (or Eighteen). I will say this, I certainly would not eat at Boatwerks indoors. Since Boatwerks is in Holland MI, this limits my eating at Boatwerks to the summer months. The views from the large wrap around patio - deck overlooking the entrance to Lake Macatawa are beautiful, though the food doesn't live up to the views and the price.

    (3)

  • Glenn C.

    Nice view. I have been here twice, once for lunch and once for dinner. For dinner I ordered the seafood platter which had a crabcake, shrimp and salmon. The salmon was perfectly prepared. I would have liked more crab in the crabcake. We ordered appetizers too. The guacamole and black bean dip was OK. Service was slow on drink refills. Wine/beer prices are a little high. 2 other people had giant scallops. They were very happy. Another person had a burger and giant onion rings. The bread is decent. Also had a chicken sandwich and onion rings for lunch. It was on the expensive side. Onion rings were an upgrade. You definitely are paying for the view!

    (3)

  • Yehoshua L.

    Brought a group of 19 to this location and was please with the food and service (overall) with regard to my experience. For the group experience, we had reservations 1 month in advance for 8pm on a Friday - when we showed up at 750pm they were not ready for us (understandably, we were early); however, we waited until at least 810pm. This was not a major issue, but typically (with this size group) I would imagine the table would be ready at least 10-15 minutes before the reservation time. Regardless of that, being that it was minor, our server (younger female, can't remember name) was excellent and accommodating for us as a large group. My meal was excellent (small steak) and many other of the groups' meals were at least good or better. My neighbor sitting next to me ordered a seafood sampler of some type and had gotten sick later in the evening (unsure if car sickness or if it had to do with the food). Other than that, it was a great experience. I would recommend.

    (4)

  • Nancy D.

    Great view of Lake Michigan ..service subpar as well as food. Had to ask for bread with meal and asked for salad as dinner and received a side salad. They did not have sides. Fiance enjoyed his seafood dinner.

    (3)

  • Scott G.

    Disappointing is how I would describe our meal here. The atmosphere is great, on the water, table next to the water but the service was a little slow and the food was just ok. My wife had the parmesan crusted chicken which should have tasted delicious. However, the chef should be ashamed to have let it out of the kitchen. The bottom side was way overcooked to the point it was like hard crust and brown (see the photo). He had to know he had burned this one but instead someone let it out of the kitchen. My wife, not being the type to complain, ate it but didn't like it. I thought it would have been a home run were it not for someone actually checking the plates exiting the kitchen. My grilled Scottish salmon was ok. The green peppercorn pernod cream was non-existent but the salmon itself was very fresh and tasty with the tomato jam on it. And it wasn't burned beyond recognition, LOL. Service here being a Saturday night was slow. We waited at the bar and I finally had to just leave the bar after my wife left to get the table after waiting for over 10 minutes just to get my bar tab. We had them put the two drinks on our meal tab but it also meant no tip for the very busy bartender who was all alone on a Saturday evening. Not her fault she couldn't keep up with the huge crowd. Our waitress outside also put in sporadic appearances but again, only because she seems like she was running from one table to another. Don't get me wrong. This is a nice place to have dinner. Just don't expect the attention to detail to be there on a Saturday night.

    (2)

  • Gemma H.

    Really good burger and fries. Even better are the views of the water and the service! Would definitely eat here again.

    (3)

  • Erik F.

    Very nice place right on the waterfront. I had the trout, Caesar salad, and cheesecake. No complaints about food but the kitchen brought the hummus appetizer out same time as the dinner. Inconvenience but they brought the manager over without even a complaint, apologized and took it off the bill. Bathrooms a little sloppy, not dirty, just needed trash emptied and counter wiped down. Austin was our server and he was awesome, very attentive without being pushy or bothersome. I would eat here again if I'm in the area. Sit on the patio! Great view :)

    (4)

  • Janet I.

    Our experience at Boatwerks was excellent! The food we ordered was delicious and creatively prepared. Sarah, our waitress was extremely attentive to our table. She was friendly, knowledgable, caring and couldn't do enough to accommodate us. I would highly recommend dining for lunch or dinner at Boatwerks.

    (5)

  • Steve P.

    Great location. Sandwiches, burgers and salads are very good. Steer clear of entrees.

    (4)

  • Linda G.

    Don't do it. Terrible service. Terrible food. We are there tonight and my hi and hasn't left the bathroom

    (1)

  • Erika K.

    It's a shame I have to give it a one star, because the food was delicious, but the service is AWFUL!!! Our waitress straight up told us that she didn't realize that she was responsible for our table (after we waited 20 minutes to give our drink order), it was another 30 minutes before we got our appetizer of bread, and another 45 before we got our food - not to mention that our food traveled around the restaurant to different tables before it got to us at all. Our server 'apologized,' saying, "I tried to give your food away! Don't tell any one." Not again, Boatwerks. Not again. Sorry...but...not sorry.

    (1)

  • Stacey T.

    This is an ideal location for a waterfront restaurant. I got there around dinner time and sat at the bar. It took a long while for the bartender to acknowledge me. I ordered a drink and then waited several minutes for him to come take my food order. I finally had to flag him down to do so. I ordered off of the Happy Hour menu. The white fish dip was excellent. The Baja shrimp tacos were typical bar food. The drink did not have much alcohol in it. Towards the end of my meal, another bartender appeared and was much more attentive and helpful. To me, this is an overrated waterfront restaurant that has great potential.

    (2)

  • Joe J.

    We waited 15 minutes for the server to come by and take our drink order, let alone our food order. Food was expensive and the portions looked small, so we gave her 10 minutes to bring the drinks and then tossed down a $20 bill for what we ordered and left before the waitress came back. On the way out we were talking about how slow and bad the service was, the manager was standing there looking over the restaurant and heard it all. Rather than find out what was wrong and try to make it right, he just looked away when I met his eyes and ignored us. I'll never go back.

    (1)

  • Yuri S.

    Boatwerks is a really big place. There is plenty of parking, lots of indoor space, bar area with TVs, etc. They also have a big outdoor waterfront patio area. We were there on a Saturday in early June on a perfect sunny day and we were able to get a spot on the waterfront with no problem. The reason I'm giving Boatwerks 3 stars is because it was a let-down in the two areas that all restaurants have to focus on: Service and Quality. We were seated and were not given a drink menu. Then we waited for about 10 minutes until our waitress showed up and had to ask her for a drink menu. The service was fine for us the rest of the time, but we could hear the waiters messing up orders for the table next to us and apologizing. The quality of the food didn't really love up to the prices. It's all standard American food, lots of fried items, burgers, etc. My shrimp tacos were $18 and I have to say that's quite a lot for what I got. Shrimp is not expensive these days. The ones I got were very tiny fried shrimp. They tasted fine and I don't have many complaints. But it was noticeable that they didn't deserve the price tag. Many other items on the menu were in the $20s, $30s, and even $40s. It just didn't seem right because if you're going to charge that much, you have to have good service and ultimately it was just another American grill-type place. They also charge $2 if you're going to share a plate with someone...which is just weird. They're clearly trying to grab every dollar they can out of you. I would come back here, but not for the food. If anything, just order something cheap, grab some beer and enjoy the lakefront location.

    (3)

  • Candece H.

    Ok food. Did not ask how I wanted my burger done. Got it. It was thin. Guess all are well done. I think for what you get this place is overpriced. Chips come with the burger. If you want fries or onion rings it's $2.50 extra. Had 2 sangrias. Weak. Parking is limited compared to the spots.

    (3)

  • Aaron K.

    Food was quality. Shrimp tacos are excellent. Good ambiance. Service a little slow.

    (3)

  • Matthew B.

    A very nice restaurant that is right on the water. I recommend the ahi tuna. Drink menu is on par with most. Sit out side if you can. The park with a board walk is right next door so you can take a nice walk on the water after dinner.

    (4)

  • Alex D.

    Really disappointed in this place. The patio is nice, the food had some issues, but the view does not give this place permission for terrible service. First of all, when we checked in, we were told there was a wait, even though I could see ten open tables. Twenty minutes later, we were seated in one if those same tables. Second, our server and hostess had challenging attitudes, maybe having a bad day? Hard to get their attention, and the place was half empty on a holiday weekend. Third, they served me a beer with a chipped glass. No offer to comp the beverage. Next, we had a hungry 4-year old at the table and the food took FOREVER to show up, like an hour and 15 minutes. Don't they understand the concept of fast tracking the order for a kid? When asked them to follow-up we got a rude response. Finally there is a total lack of management at this place. Manager not visible, did not check in, just total disorganization. So if you are desperate for a place in Holland go here, otherwise find better options. Yelp has plenty of others listed in Holland.

    (1)

  • Aimee H.

    It was perfect time for our visit to Michigan as it was the fiancé's dad's birthday, so we were able to take the family out to dinner. Jon picked Boatwerk's since he loves it and missed going there since moving to Phoenix. We didn't make a reservation, which maybe we would have. We were seated pretty quickly though so not a big deal at all. They have a great front entrance, that was still decorated for the Holidays, nice! There was a window into the kitchen to watch them work while we waited. I am not a huge fan of this in restaurants but, whatev. Once we were seated our waitress was very pleasant we were given drinks quickly. She was very knowledgeable about the menu. Jon and his dad got the special that evening, Meatloaf. It looked good, they both scarfed it down so fast I couldn't get a taste. If you favor a ketchup glazed meatloaf over gravy, this isn't the dish for you. I had the pot-roast sandwich, which I loved. I finished every bite. I felt a little over stuffed afterward, but oh well, I was on vacation. Miss C said that her Crab-cake Melt was "the best thing she has ever tasted." Verbatim. I take that as a must have when you are there. Portions are generous and the atmosphere is great. I can't wait to see the view over the water during the summer.

    (3)

  • Anna N.

    No complaints here! Beautiful patio next to the lake making a great atmosphere. A little bit of a wait but they texted us when our table was ready. The service was prompt and friendly. I highly recommend the fish tacos, they were delicious! The mexi dip appetizer was also very good. Looking forward to coming back next time I visit Holland!

    (4)

  • Bob R.

    Went to Boatwerks last weekend for the first time in about 6 months. What a disappointment. While waiting for a table, we sat in the bar to have a drink. The back of the bar looked like a bomb had gone off. There was bottles, plates and garbage laying all over the floor. Asked for a vodka and tonic and was told that they had no fruit to garnish the drinks with. Waited about 40 minutes for a table but while walking around saw numerous tables that were empty. Finally sat down and to my surprise, found an abbreviated menu from what they used to have. Ordered linguini with seafood and was very disappointed, the mussels seemed undercooked. Two people did have shrimp tacos and they did enjoy them

    (2)

  • Boston B.

    If you're ever in Holland, MI... very large restaurant with bars inside and outside. Food is excellent. Big draw is the large outdoor patio with plenty of seating over looking lake.

    (5)

  • Luvto E.

    So this is a well-known fancy, overpriced restaurant that you can drive or sail your boat to on Lake Macatawa. That is the best part of the deal here. Dishes are served in small portions. The very worst aspect of the dining experience here is possibly the slowest service ever. The wait staff seem to be attentive for the most part so it is likely the kitchen staff that hold every order up. So all in all, if you want to spend your time enjoying your friends or family in a place that smells like food without getting yours this is your place. You could go stand by the window looking into the kitchen longingly but I doubt it will speed them up. Oh, and the TVs here and there only help pass the time for the first 20 minutes of your wait time in my estimation.

    (2)

  • Ashley G.

    I continue to return to this location for the view. The service is constantly slow with a crummy attitude. My most recent visit was a continuation for my disappointment. I called to make a reservation and was informed that reservations were only available for groups of 13 or more. I asked if there would be a long wait if I were to arrive around 8. I was told that it would be a twenty minute wait at most because their business calmed down around that time. My family and I waited for forty five minutes. There were plenty of tables available, but nobody was being seated at the tables. Their wait system is now available through text messages and a website so at least you know when people are being taken off the list. When we were seated, we had to wait about ten minutes to be greeted by our server. It took over five minutes for the drinks to make it to our table after this. Then, we had to wait to order another ten minutes. It was so frustrating. The server was oblivious to our irritation. She continued to be slow throughout the night. We were seated outside, and we had to request light in order to pay our bill at the end of the night. She was surprised by the request, but there were lights on the pillars so I have no idea why they weren't turned on. Boatwerks needs to work on their service.

    (2)

  • Suzie T.

    I take my reviews seriously and I'm always so impressed to know that management and owners listen to their patrons. Your restaurant is still on my list to visit next trip to this beautiful area of Michigan. Thanks again Chris for your contacting me---worth a star in itself Message from owner: Suzie, Thank you for your comments on Yelp. We appreciate your feedback both good and bad and will discuss your comments on our food with the Executive Chef. I appololgize for the seat choice and will also encourage our Host/ and Hostesses to seek alternative tables when avaialble to allow a better view of the Lake. Thanks again. Chris H., Owner

    (4)

  • Tracey B.

    I called for a reservation for my anniversary. Let them know it was a special evening and we were pretty much treated like we were a nuisance. Drop the food off and left. Didn't come back until we were about done. No "happy anniversary" like we get at other places we've been to. I guess if you want a special occasion place to go, this isn't the place. Food was ok. I have special requirements and she seemed very annoyed I asked for what I did.

    (2)

  • Tom C.

    I was a bit concerned with all the negative reviews, but we had an overall great experience at Boatwerks. The entrees seared scallops, mixed seafood grill, and lobster risotto, shrimp tacos, and burger were tasty and well presented. The atmosphere was perfect - outdoor dining and the water view couldn't be better. and we lucked out with perfect weather. The only bad thing I have to say was the service was somewhat inattentive - glasses sat empty for 5-10 minutes at times before the waitress came over. Overall a good experience would go again.

    (4)

  • P B.

    Boatwerks- What is wrong with you?? You have the class-A location. You have potentially higher-end patrons. So after all these reviews, where is the good food? It's a restaurant. Ambiance and service can only take you so far...but you have an incredible opportunity! Anyways, we went there as a 2-family party. I hadn't been in a few years. The service was fine(despite what we're reading). I ordered the italian grinder. Now maybe I didn't read well, but I thought it was a hot sandwich. Nope. It's basically a sub- and Jimmy John's is waaay better. It had very little for sauce, I left 1/2 of it there. My wife's fries had a hair in it. She sent them back, and didn't offer to replace the burger(which she wouldn't have anyways, she's easygoing like that). Our other friend paid $20ish for what amounted to 5 very small lake perch. He stole other's food because it just wasn't enough. Kids meals(I have 3) are $5, before the $2 drink. That's really pushing it, but the kids were happy. Very overpriced for what it is. The GOOD- I thought the service was just fine. No problems, friendly waitress, seated quickly. Home made potato chips are GREAT. One party had the bacon mac n cheese- INCREDIBLE. We all tried it. My wife liked her burger. I can't go back when I can't get excited about the food. Hire an upper-end chef, Boatwerks! You can be #1 in the area!

    (3)

  • Amy D.

    The spinach salad was drenched in oily dressing. It was inedible. I ate a few bites but felt a little nauseous. The crostinis were hard, brittle and oily. The mushrooms that came with the crostinis were bland. After one bite I was done. But on a more positive note my stomach hurt so I wasn't hungry.

    (2)

  • Kristine M.

    Although this restaurant gets very mixed reviews, we strongly recommend it. When we checked in (they don't take reservations in the summer) they said it would be an hour or longer because we wanted to sit outside - FANTASTIC view of the lake and a golden moon - but took my cell phone number to text us when our table was ready. We walked around the quite lovely waterfront and they texted before the hour was up. The service was slow, that's true, but they couldn't have been nicer and more apologetic. We were all very happy with the food. We shared a polenta appetizer that all four agreed was swoonable. I had almond-encrusted whitefish which was fresh, moist, and delicately flavored. We will definitely go again!

    (4)

  • Martha G.

    Four of us at dinner there. Three enjoyed their meals. My husband ordered a cobb salad that was mainly chopped iceberg lettuce with a sparse amount of chicken and 3 other ingredients on top. For the price, it was very disappointing.

    (3)

  • Vera K.

    Visiting from Chicago and looked for a restaurant with ambiance. Live music was appreciated on the deck. Enjoyed the company of other tourists at the bar awaiting seating. Asked and received a table dockside with only a 20 minute wait. The writing on the menu could not express how delicious the actual food was. I expected a beautiful presentation and a small serving; I was surprised to be wrong! I ordered Lobster Risotto and my aunt ordered the Salmon. Each of us were extremely satisfied.. so delicious! This place must have great Chefs' . Service was above average and the help assisted each other, which is fairly rare. Over all big BANG for the buck and TOP of the line.

    (5)

  • Marie S.

    The view is unbeatable, the service was stellar....why didn't I give them 5 stars then? The food was just meh, I ordered their "most famous dish" the whitefish and it was BLAND. The mac and cheese I ordered my son was boring. We only waited for 10-15 minutes at 6 on a Saturday, but the outdoor waiting area was filthy. If any of the eleventy billion bus people would have just swung through there, they could have allowed the eight people standing around to have had a seat while waiting. We'll go back, if nothing else, to have a decent dinner and drinks on the deck.

    (3)

  • Anyelei A.

    Waited more tan 10min to get WATER but the food is Average. They do not have a good service. I had the mac&Cheese it was ok. My husband had the Cesar salad the croutons were stale and there was no dressing on the salad. In response to the message that Chris H. Sent: Hi Chris, first of all my name is ANYELEI. You are reflecting the same lack of care as your employees. We do not have the ticket to provide the info you requested. They should all be given training in customer service, you have a considerable amount of staff that was walking around us waiters and greeters and they all ignored us until Someone that was not our waiter heard me complaint and approached us. The girl that was supposed to bring our food took it to the wrong table, and the person laying down the information about the 4th of July put it on our table while we ate , he did not say "excuse me I need to place this on the table " or anything what so ever he could have waited until we were gone to put it on the table but he did not.

    (2)

  • Hope S.

    Great view, good food, quick service. Had lunch here on a gray Saturday. Enjoyed splitting the chop salad and the beef brisket sliders. We added a glass of beer (him) and a glass of Chardonnay (me). We both thought both entrees were tasty and presented beautifully.

    (5)

  • Steve M.

    The highs: Excellent space and ambiance for a father's day brunch in the sun. As others have mentioned, the outdoor patio is one of the nicer backdrops in this neck of the woods. The so-so: Lunch fare was OK. I had a tuna steak sandwich which was described as being served on "authentic naan" bread, but was really a pseudo-pita which you'd find at a Chicago gyros stand (go to Five Faces and you be the judge). Come to think of it, the sandwich had all other gyro elements too except for the lamb/beef spit meat: tomato, yogurt sauce, lettuce and onion. Hmmm. The bad? The service definitely lacked today. It was the jr. high JV squad out there today - no one knew to take away empties/dirties, it took 10 minutes to even talk to someone once seated, and the staff just seemed disorganized. Chalk it up to the wrong day to train young service staff? Still, cool to see all the vintage Chris Craft stuff and outboard motors everywhere. I really really want Boatwerks to be awesome, so I'll give Boatwerks another shot, for sure. But probably not during a high-volume time.

    (2)

  • Dave C.

    We ate lunch here while in town for the weekend. The place has a lot of outside seating with views of the lake. We sat outside even though it was a bit cold. I had the Monte Cristo sandwich and it was very good. I would certainly come back here again.

    (4)

  • Steve K.

    FANTASTIC location and views!! Eat out on the deck if at all possible. Food was not outstanding, but not bad. On food alone, I'd give it 3 stars. Service was friendly but rather slow.

    (4)

  • Kyle K.

    Had a business lunch there perfect setting, great food, great wait staff. Our drinks were always filled, dinner rolls were tasty. My table loved the soups, I had the cuban panini and it was delicious. I can't wait to come back with my wife and take her out for a nice dinner. The views of the lake are outstanding!

    (5)

  • Julie K.

    5 stars for service and ambience. The 3 stars above is for food. While aimlessly discovering parts of Holland beyond downtown, we stumbled upon Kollen Park. There was a concert there, and my mom kept mentioning this place called Boatwerks she saw in Shoreline. Well low and behold across the park, there it was! For being a multi-purpose facility, they do it right. Usually in restaurants that have banquet facilities, it feels more like a banquet hall. There are designated areas for inside restaurant, banquet, and outdoor eating. EAT OUTSIDE! There is a separate hostess stand for outside, another good idea. They must have known we weren't regulars, and sat us right next to the glass window overlooking the docks of Lake Macatawa. It's one of those places you could sit all day, enjoying the sun and breezes. The outdoor area is nicely landscaped and organized. Somewhere you want to relax on vacation. Other Yelp reviews were not positive on the service. Our waitress Brea was fun, bubbly, and amusing. The manager even swung by a few times, chatting jovially with my dad and brought us more bread. Service is great! Best service I've had from anywhere in a while. So, you may be wondering, the review has been glowingly positive so far, why 3 stars? The food and prices. Food is overprices for was it is, and based on this experience, isn't tasty. We split the hawaiian BBQ chicken pizza, which is not listed as being a flatbread, but it is. A family of 3 couldn't finish the bigger size, would be enough for a family of 4. For having red onion and pineapple, it was tasteless! You think the sharpness on the onion or the sweetness of the pineapple would have came through, but it tasted the same as the cheese or chicken. The multigrain roll in the bread basket was delicious. Go for the service and views. Hopefully everything else on the menu is better than the pizza! P.S.: Most people wore khakis & sundresses or skirts. One step up from jeans would be appropriate.

    (3)

  • Mark F.

    Location, location, location! That's what this place has going for it. What a shame that there aren't more places with this lovely view. The food, however, is mediocre, and the drinks can be OK depending who is behind the bar. Just beware of pre-mixed cocktails! I must say however that I have not been for some time and I was informed by the manager that they have a new chef, so I am looking forward to giving it another try.

    (2)

  • Lisa C.

    I have a total love-hate relationship with Boatwerks. That is, it's a two minute walk from my house and boasts one of the best patios I've ever seen (love). Their weekend afternoon happy hour is fantastic (love). However, the cocktails are expensive, the food is average at best, and the service never fails to confound me (hate hate hatityhate). Take, for example, my most recent experience: they've apparently installed a new table notification system on the patio. The host takes your name and tells you to watch a tv screen to see when your table is ready. First off, it's a 22" flat screen stuck at the top of a wall in the far corner of the bar area, and the names scroll across the bottom in 12 point font - basically only visible if you happen to be within 5" of the screen. Second.. well there's no second, really. I couldn't see the screen from my waterfront spot and they had to come looking for me anyway. Pointless. And this is not the only example - sometimes you get patio seating from the host inside, sometimes from the host outside. It's kind of a crapshoot which. We've gone at 9:20pm, only to be told they close at 9 when their door clearly stated their hours (open until 10pm). I could go on, but I think you get the point. I mean, I'm going to keep going back, even though the drinks are expensive (except during the aforementioned happy hour), the food is 'ok', and the service is questionable, just because it IS the nicest patio for miles. But it seems to me that this restaurant in any other location would have crashed and burned years ago.

    (2)

  • Michael M.

    The fall was long for this previously great restaurant. Lunch today included a bowl of lukewarm tortilla soup served to my partner as her entree a full 20 minutes before my entree was served, and I ordered a salad. The menu is too large for them to do everything well but this was a big disappointment. There are still only 3 or 4 places along Lake Michigan where you can eat outside and maybe good cuisine isn't necessary. Our meals were prepared with little imagination and very basic in defiance of the menu description. The place must be under new management in the past year or so.

    (2)

  • James S.

    My wife and I went there this evening to celebrate our second anniversary. In doing so, I was going to get the 10 ounce steak for $24.95 assuming that it was going to come with salad/vegetable and a potato-NOPE! That was just for the steak! If you wanted a salad which was the size of a small side salad, add an additional $4.95 so I opted for a burger. My wife had the perch dinner $17.95 which the waitress indicated you'd get five small pieces. I'll admit, the view was absolutely gorgeous as the location is right on Lake Macitawa but this place is over-rated for what they are; an over-priced Big Boys! This has been our first and LAST visit as we'll go elsewhere.

    (2)

  • Michelle R.

    100% agree with most of the reviews of Boatwerks. The food left muuuuch to be desired, with the exception of their calamari and crabcakes, which were actually pretty good. But the view is phenomenal - my party was there for sunset, so we went from dinner inside to dessert and drinks out on the patio. Such a great view!

    (3)

  • Heidi M.

    Great deals on the Happy Hour menu for both food and drinks!! The food we had was ok, glad that it wasn't expensive. The Michigan Cherry Brat was good. Sadly slow service. Seemed to take forever to get drinks and place our orders, then our appetizer came out as we were finishing our meal. Kinda a strange looking building from the outside but nice inside. This place is huge. It's a very large restaurant inside with a large outdoor seating area and outside bar. Nice setting next to the lake and a park. Great location and nice interior, but they need to step up the food and service.

    (3)

  • Jay S.

    We have always gone here for the atmosphere and not the food or the service. This visit was different. The food was excellent and the service so much improved since our last visit. If you enjoy summer evenings eating outside while the sun sets, Boatwerks is the place to go in Holland. We will be sure to go back and enjoy more than the atmosphere.

    (4)

  • Dylan B.

    Eating at this restaurant made me sad. Any idiot with a fryer can make decent french fries, and yet each of the fries served with my fish and chips were lukewarm, sickly disappointments. The fish was average at best, and accompanying coleslaw was a bland waste of time. The beer selection was decidedly unspecial. Try other restaurants in Holland long before you bother with Boatwerks. Food: 2/10 Value: 1/10 Staff professionalism: 7/10

    (1)

  • Dee B.

    As many Yelpers mention, the view here is nice (who doesn't wish to eat out on a patio on the water when the weather is warm and sunny?), but food and service are average or below average.

    (2)

  • Chris M.

    The Good: First off, it's in Holland, MI. Just being in Holland makes you feel ultra relaxed and ready for anything. Take your mound of relaxation, and dump the most beautiful patio dining experience on top of that, and you'd be hard pressed to not have a great meal. The Bad: The menu was extensive, and seemed to be "too many things for to many people". I expect a menu at a place like this to be a bit more refined. While the servers were very personable and charming, the service was a bit slow, and one of my dining companions didn't get her food for a while. The Ugly: My steak was barely edible. It looked like it was cooked perfectly, but my dinner roll was juicier than the meat. One of my companions ordered a chicken parmigiana type dish. The chicken was smaller than her fist, and the side of noodles was just that; a side of noodles. No sauce, no butter, nothing. We didn't even stay for dessert.

    (2)

  • Tim S.

    In town for a Regatta we decided this would be the place for the Crew Dinner. What an accommodating bunch for our large contingent of hungry crew and significant others. We probably had just about everything on the menu and no one had a bad thing to say about the food or service.

    (4)

  • Arthur D.

    You get what you pay for here. And you pay a little bit more then other restaurants but you get something worth it.

    (5)

  • Brandon Z.

    I don't really get the appeal of this place, other than its location on lake. The space is enormous and looks like a pole-barn from the outside. The only vegetarian option other than salads and appetizers was (decent) mac-and-cheese, and the prices are higher than what I normally pay in New York for better and more interesting food. Eh. Super-friendly and attentive service, at least.

    (3)

  • Jennifer C.

    It's hard to rate this place. It's a "2 star" for service, a "4 star" for food. I compromised. Here's what you need to know, to get to the food faster: There are two table queues from which to select: indoor and outdoor seating. What no one seems to mention is that there are roughly twice as many outdoor seats as indoor. We chose indoor because we thought it would be in less demand. We waited exactly 56 minutes to be seated, arguably the edge of my "wait time" limits. They also have each area controlled by different "desks," (why??? I don't know!) so you have to decide right at the get-go which way to roll the dice. With no input from the less-than-helpful desk greeters. Choose outdoor if the weather is even marginally pleasant. You'll get seated and get your food before the indoor folks can decide what to order for their appetizer. Also, as a personal peeve, there were at least 10 empty tables in the indoor area when we were finally seated. That seems an inordinately high amount of empty space and indicates to me that they should have more staff available to work 'em. No one should have to wait almost an hour on a Saturday night for dinner. The food is good, though. The full bar made a generous drink (which I needed at that point because I was getting crabby). We have one regular eater and one gluten-free eater. The regular eater got the mac and cheese (yum...addition of brisket not really necessary...next time kielbasa!). The gluten free eater got the au jus. Anyone who is GF knows that bread is the problem in this equation. The bun was less than wonderful. The meat was good by itself so we "de-bunned" and t was a weird but tasty meal. Next time, I'm (yes, I'm the gluten hater) bringing a bun from home and just ordering the same sandwich and swapping my home-made bun for the one that comes with. Anyway, the views are lovely. Sunset is an amazing time to sit by Lake Mac. More than once, I said to myself: "I live here! How lucky am I??" The overall experience was pleasant, the wait was decidedly not.

    (3)

  • Ted R.

    Cool place to come with the Kids. Sat on the patio and enjoyed the perch sandwich with the family. Great view. One pointer: do not sit next to the plexiglass if it is a hot day! You will get absolutely no breeze and cook. We moved to one of the tables closer to point of the patio. NIce atmosphere,very friendly atmosphere. You can also tie the boat up right to their wall and walk up for a bite to eat. Inside was quite large, nice bar area too.

    (4)

  • Timothy B.

    The view gets 4 starts, but the food is awful. And the menu is just too huge. It just takes way too long to read it, and it's trying to be too many things at once, and not doing any of them justice. Everything I've ever had here has been just pre-packaged flavorless stuff. I'm just going to roll the 2-3 times I've eaten here all together. Their seafood chowder, which promises to contain fresh fish and seafood, has SEA LEGS in it. Sea Legs! Ya know, the fake crab? Sea legs are not fresh fish. I know what fresh fish looks like. If you're going to use fake crab, at least use the flakes- much better than tubes of mushy fish trying to be crab legs. Please don't call it fresh fish and seafood in the chowder. Tastes more like most of it is made from a can, and then doused in cream with no seasoning. The tilapia fillet salad is the most tasteless thing by far. The tilapia tastes like it was pre-frozen with factory sprinkles of paprika, then heated up in a microwave. The romaine lettuce was dressed with what tasted like bottled italian dressing, and left whole. Very hard to eat. The only reason romaine lettuce should EVER be left whole like that is if you're grilling it. Oh, and the parm cheese on the salad really didn't belong, and neither did the store bought pieces of grape tomatoes. Bor-ing. (you're mere blocks away from a farmers market, and this is the best you can do?) Real (fresh) grilled salmon on chopped dressed greens with lots of herbs would have been a better idea. And homemade dressing. The chop salad was okay, but the chunks of cold chicken in it were gross. Tasted like it had been leftover in the fridge for a few days. If I wanted to eat leftovers, I would have eaten at home! The poppy seed dressing is way too sweet, tastes like it's from a bottle. Come on guys, making good and fresh homemade salad dressing is not that tough. Also I would not recommend the buffalo chicken pizza; it just tastes like overly-sweet (probably canned) bbq sauce. No Red Hot flavor at all, like the menu promised. The pizza itself was under-cooked, and only scant traces of blue cheese. Most of it was covered with a low-quality mozzarella cheese. I looked around and most of the food I saw just looked like reheated stuff, nothing made from scratch. The points they get are for the view, and the fact their servers are nice. Prices seem a little high for what you get, but maybe you're paying for the view. Might be a nice place for a snack and drinks, but I would not recommend lunch or dinner.

    (2)

  • Betsey A.

    This really is the only place in Holland to eat with a view. Their view is beautiful. However, I went for lunch today - 2 adults, 2 kids and a $55 bill (pre-tip) has me rethinking the view. We had no alcohol, 2 kids meals and my salad had a piece of green plastic in it that I chomped down on. I didn't act annoyed but reported it to the waiter who said he'd take it to the chefs attention right away. The bill came...no deduction and no mention about it from there on. Now granted, I didn't ask for anything (like not having to pay for the house salad) but isn't that a give-in?! With that said, the kids enjoyed their kids' shrimp meals and I enjoyed my black-bean burger. The kettle chips that came with the meal were good. My cousin's turkey sandwhich was also good, nothing special. The ONLY reason that I give it 3 stars is the ambiance. If it were based on food value versus price, I would have given it only 2 stars.

    (3)

  • Beth N.

    We love the atmosphere on the patio! Food is great too!

    (4)

  • Joanie B.

    This is my favorite restaurant in town. No, the food is not *foodie* heaven but it's not bland or awful by any stretch of the imagination. My biggest gripe has always been the inconsistent service, you know, like having to wait way too long for your coffee (refills too) when you're there for breakfast. Service has been improving and the new Fall menu items look good (pics posted on their fb page) - I haven't been in to try them yet. I love the Paella, breakfast is always excellent, great burgers, loaded Mac & Cheese, good fish, and the seafood sampler is a favorite. You can not beat the view and the restaurant has a nice waterfront vibe. It's where we take all of our visitors and they always want to go again.

    (4)

  • Robb C.

    Had the Hawaiian pizza. It was large enough but it seemed like it was not made carefully. The toppings did not extend to the edges. The atmosphere is very nice. The outside looks like it would be fantastic in warm weather. Too bad I was there when it was cold and breezy. I think the food lets down an otherwise great location and atmosphere.

    (3)

  • Elizabeth G.

    The service is always terrible every time I visit. The food is very very over priced for what you get and the taste is sub-par. Basically, you are paying for the view (which is lovely). The happy hour isn't bad in the summer when you can sit at the outside bar, but that's about it. Not a place I come to when I am in town.

    (2)

  • Jack H.

    Where to start, reservation was at 6:30, one person was a little late, ( had party of 11 ) drink orders where good and on time, so the waitress did not take meal orders until about 6:55, now the wait, from here on in it went in slow motion, did not get out of the restaurant until 9:30, 2 stars. Food, had the rib steak, very good ordered rare, came med-rare, still good, but not rare, my steak looked like the 14 oz as said in menu, person next to me commented how mine looked good size but his looked only about 10 oz, yes it was really small, so where other peoples, (8 ordered the rib) Do not like it that you can not have option of different potatoes, or veggies, (maybe for a price) also, for $22 it should come with salad, will not pay $5 for x-tra salad, 3 stars for me, if I was one of the other persons that got a small one it would be 1 star. Would I go back? Unless it was free, NEVER!

    (2)

  • Rich J.

    Gorgeous day and the patio is closed. Seem ill equipped to deal with average amount business. Nice setting but seems to be mediocre on service and not very well organized.

    (2)

  • Tiffany D.

    Great summertime place and they have the best happy hour! The patio is a wonderful place to watch the sunset .

    (4)

  • Denise B.

    We had high hopes for lunch at Boatwerks - it was a beautiful, sunny summer day, and lunch on the waterfront under a table with an umbrella seemed like a great idea. My dad is obsessed with "nice spots" (by which he means an outdoor table with a nice view where he can linger) and makes this place a regular visit when he sees my elderly grandparents in Holland. Too bad a restaurant needs more than just a beautiful ocean view to be a good restaurant. blah. My main impression while I was here was "mediocre, mediocre, seriously mediocre!" Our server appeared to be trying, but she was clearly inexperienced and didn't really seem to know what she was doing. I ordered I lunch-sized veggie pasta dish with some chicken for my entree. It was really bland, but I forced myself to eat all of it, knowing it'd be my last chance for food in several hours. When the server came over, she looked at me, the empty plate, and gasped "wow, you're the first person I've ever seen finish that ENTIRE dish!" Great lady, way to make me feel like a massive glutton. At that point she tried to backpedal with comments that my portion was smaller than normal, but it was too-oooo late. I suspect most people hadn't finished it because it didn't taste very good! I saw a cousin of mine later that day who informed me that Boatwerks is notorious to all youngish job-seekers in the Holland area for treating servers terribly, so generally anyone who actually sticks with working there isn't very good and can't find a job elsewhere. Makes a lot of sense! Come here and have a drink if you're really craving the view, but personally I'd stick to a better restaurant a bit more inland.

    (2)

  • Ben K.

    The space is fantastic, and the location right on the water front is great too. Unfortunately the food is pretty average despite a fairly high price tag. I had the rainbow trout and my fiancee had the baked tilapia. Both were decent, but a little overcooked, and served with identical sides of rice and undercooked vegetables that I admittedly finished off, but that were fairly bland and devoid of seasoning. Not that I regret coming here, but I will probably stick with New Holland Brewing Co on future pass-throughs.

    (3)

  • Kathryn B.

    We were looking for lunch on the water and this place makes that mark, excellent view from the patio. However, the food was just okay. We ordered a wedge salad, do not recommend!, a chop salad, which was average, and the beef sliders, average at best. The service was good, our waitress was very nice. Might be a good place to grab happy hour for a drink by the lake.

    (3)

  • Abby A.

    What a great experience! Loved the servers! Loved the food! Loved the atmosphere! Can't wait to go back!

    (5)

  • Adrian M.

    Great views! Food pretty okay too

    (5)

  • Patrick I.

    Locals avoid this place for a reason and its really a shame. It has a beautiful view and a wonderful patio area but the staff and food are both memorable in a bad way. Living in holland, whenever guests are in town they want to eat on the water. After eating here a dozen times I've finally got fed up enough to write a review due to such bad service. Here are three incidents that I can remember off the top of my head. 1.) Ordering a round of beers and the beer was warm. The server says its because the compressor wasn't working. No apology, no offer to replace it with a cold bottled beer, nothing. And for that matter, why weren't we told in the first place when we ordered? He didn't care. Of course when we got the bill he took the beers off to make it look like he did us a favor and pad his tip. 2.) More than a couple happy hours I've sat around with an empty glass for 10 minutes or more even though I'm giving eye contact to the bartender. They need to learn some speed skills. 3.) One time around 4pm, I had an early dinner with family that was in town. The place was dead with maybe one other table but our salads and soups still took an hour. I think the server was high because he kept coming over to give me more lemonade even though my glass was previously full. I'm not lying when I say I had 3 pint glasses full of lemonade in front of me but no food an hour after sitting down. As for the food, its mediocre with only a few things worth ordering for the price. The pizza, seafood chowder, and perch are all safe. Outside of that be prepared to be underwhelmed. The staff turnover seems high. The manager is nowhere to be seen and apparently doesn't care at all. I bet the owners are taking a bath for putting so much money into an amazing building on a beautiful spot of real estate. I hope they lose it all so the place gets sold to someone who cares.

    (2)

  • Tony P.

    ...Great food ,great view of Lake Mac, but a bit pricy..

    (4)

  • Jose G.

    I've been here probably 4-6 times in the past year or so, mostly because others in the party want to go there. I've only been there between the hours of 5-9 p.m., so I can't really say much about their lunch or late night atmosphere. Having said that, here's my scoop on the place: Reasons TO GO: Their patio on a warm day is FANTASTIC! They have a lot of tables right on the water with a great view. Most of the tables have umbrellas too, so on a hot day you can still have some protection. If you sit inside, especially on a hot day, bring a jacket or sweater! They keep the AC cranked! You will freeze. The runners that bring the food out and refill water have usually been very friendly (yes, there's a reason I listed this... keep reading). My reasons that I wouldn't recommend this place: Depending on the way the wind's blowing, there might be a few wafts of dead fish coming from the shore/water. The food here for me is average, and bland. I've yet to order anything that wasn't bland, even the chips and salsa. I've had ketchup that's had more spice. The sandwiches and salads I've had here are presented very nicely, but I'm usually disappointed with the lack of flavor. Each server I've had here comes across as very robotic, scripted, and uninterested. I've yet to be served by someone who I felt was genuine and enjoyed working there. I felt like I was being a bother if I asked for something, whether it was another napkin, another beer, or my check. So, there you have it. Nice view from their patio, very average and plain food, and 'eh' service.

    (2)

  • Tom Z.

    Ate dinner at the bar (2 hours wait otherwise) on Saturday, July 2010 and followed up with lunch on Sunday. Working backwards, my wife and I ordered fried perch. It showed up with cole slaw on the bun and no lettuce, tomato or onion. After 5 minutes of trying to flag down our invisible server running around all the aisles and poking my head into staff areas in a restaurant that had less than 10 people in it I finally ran her down and she assured me those condiments 'would be included' (she didn't even know our lunch had been delivered by someone else and was sitting there getting cold). She remained invisible so I had to go to the hostess to get our condiments delivered. The dingy waitness showed up about 10 minutes later unaware of anything that had occured to us. We killed the dead time by killing flies. The place was dead and beat. The dinner the previous evening occured at the bar due to a 2 hour wait for an overcrowded table in the masses. We initially enjoyed the environment due to the livliness of the many customers. We ordered our dinner - had some drinks and sat their with growing hunger as we noticed others at the bar that had rather nice looking bread and butter provided to them that had ordered dinner. We finally asked the bartender if we could have some bread (something we shouldn't have had to ask for), his response was one of surpise and 'he'd see what he could do'. Another 10 minutes pass and he comes to tell us the 'kitchen is out of bread'. (despite later arriving bar customers chewing on theirs). He asks us if we want chips. What a joke. Food was marginal at best, took over 30 minutes to flag down ANYONE at the bar to get our bill paid (we paid someone else).

    (1)

  • Boston B.

    If you're ever in Holland, MI... very large restaurant with bars inside and outside. Food is excellent. Big draw is the large outdoor patio with plenty of seating over looking lake.

    (5)

  • Luvto E.

    So this is a well-known fancy, overpriced restaurant that you can drive or sail your boat to on Lake Macatawa. That is the best part of the deal here. Dishes are served in small portions. The very worst aspect of the dining experience here is possibly the slowest service ever. The wait staff seem to be attentive for the most part so it is likely the kitchen staff that hold every order up. So all in all, if you want to spend your time enjoying your friends or family in a place that smells like food without getting yours this is your place. You could go stand by the window looking into the kitchen longingly but I doubt it will speed them up. Oh, and the TVs here and there only help pass the time for the first 20 minutes of your wait time in my estimation.

    (2)

  • Ashley G.

    I continue to return to this location for the view. The service is constantly slow with a crummy attitude. My most recent visit was a continuation for my disappointment. I called to make a reservation and was informed that reservations were only available for groups of 13 or more. I asked if there would be a long wait if I were to arrive around 8. I was told that it would be a twenty minute wait at most because their business calmed down around that time. My family and I waited for forty five minutes. There were plenty of tables available, but nobody was being seated at the tables. Their wait system is now available through text messages and a website so at least you know when people are being taken off the list. When we were seated, we had to wait about ten minutes to be greeted by our server. It took over five minutes for the drinks to make it to our table after this. Then, we had to wait to order another ten minutes. It was so frustrating. The server was oblivious to our irritation. She continued to be slow throughout the night. We were seated outside, and we had to request light in order to pay our bill at the end of the night. She was surprised by the request, but there were lights on the pillars so I have no idea why they weren't turned on. Boatwerks needs to work on their service.

    (2)

  • Suzie T.

    I take my reviews seriously and I'm always so impressed to know that management and owners listen to their patrons. Your restaurant is still on my list to visit next trip to this beautiful area of Michigan. Thanks again Chris for your contacting me---worth a star in itself Message from owner: Suzie, Thank you for your comments on Yelp. We appreciate your feedback both good and bad and will discuss your comments on our food with the Executive Chef. I appololgize for the seat choice and will also encourage our Host/ and Hostesses to seek alternative tables when avaialble to allow a better view of the Lake. Thanks again. Chris H., Owner

    (4)

  • Tracey B.

    I called for a reservation for my anniversary. Let them know it was a special evening and we were pretty much treated like we were a nuisance. Drop the food off and left. Didn't come back until we were about done. No "happy anniversary" like we get at other places we've been to. I guess if you want a special occasion place to go, this isn't the place. Food was ok. I have special requirements and she seemed very annoyed I asked for what I did.

    (2)

  • Tom C.

    I was a bit concerned with all the negative reviews, but we had an overall great experience at Boatwerks. The entrees seared scallops, mixed seafood grill, and lobster risotto, shrimp tacos, and burger were tasty and well presented. The atmosphere was perfect - outdoor dining and the water view couldn't be better. and we lucked out with perfect weather. The only bad thing I have to say was the service was somewhat inattentive - glasses sat empty for 5-10 minutes at times before the waitress came over. Overall a good experience would go again.

    (4)

  • P B.

    Boatwerks- What is wrong with you?? You have the class-A location. You have potentially higher-end patrons. So after all these reviews, where is the good food? It's a restaurant. Ambiance and service can only take you so far...but you have an incredible opportunity! Anyways, we went there as a 2-family party. I hadn't been in a few years. The service was fine(despite what we're reading). I ordered the italian grinder. Now maybe I didn't read well, but I thought it was a hot sandwich. Nope. It's basically a sub- and Jimmy John's is waaay better. It had very little for sauce, I left 1/2 of it there. My wife's fries had a hair in it. She sent them back, and didn't offer to replace the burger(which she wouldn't have anyways, she's easygoing like that). Our other friend paid $20ish for what amounted to 5 very small lake perch. He stole other's food because it just wasn't enough. Kids meals(I have 3) are $5, before the $2 drink. That's really pushing it, but the kids were happy. Very overpriced for what it is. The GOOD- I thought the service was just fine. No problems, friendly waitress, seated quickly. Home made potato chips are GREAT. One party had the bacon mac n cheese- INCREDIBLE. We all tried it. My wife liked her burger. I can't go back when I can't get excited about the food. Hire an upper-end chef, Boatwerks! You can be #1 in the area!

    (3)

  • Chelsea C.

    Had a great experience all around here- food, service and atmosphere. We wanted to stop in for a late lunch/early dinner on our way home to Cincinnati from a long weekend in Michigan. We asked someone a good place in Holland where we could sit on the water and they said "Boatwerks- hands down." When we arrived they quoted a 40 minute wait for outdoor seating but luckily it was half of that. They have a decent craft beer selection (lots of local MI brews included) and the food was great- we had the spinach salad which was a great starter (but could be a meal!) and the Rustico pizza which I thought was one of the better pizzas I've had in a while. Kevin was our server and he was great- super friendly and making sure we had what we needed. Lastly you can't beat their patio- when the weather is nice with a nice breeze off the lake- heavenly! After dinner you can walk around the edge of the lake that surrounds a park which is a nice way to end the evening (and walk off your dinner). Had a wonderful time and would definitely come back!

    (4)

  • Mike K.

    Entrees and desserts for our party of four: excellent. Lake view from inside: excellent. Attentiveness of server: excellent. Time it took to deliver our food after ordering: 45 minutes (intolerable; lower overall rating one star). My advice: order an appetizer and entree at the same time, enjoy the bread, arrive earlier than 6:30 on a Wednesday or knock back a few drinks.

    (3)

  • David C.

    First things first: This restaurant is NOT on Lake Michigan, but a smaller inland lake. It's a sprawling lakeside restaurant & bar (think Jimmy Buffett vibe and you're on the right track) and an equally large (huge) outdoor dining area, with another bar and dozens of tables lining the waterfront. Speaking of: the lake water smells a bit, as though it's stagnant (which it is....), but you'll get over it. We visited on a sunny summer evening, must have been 300 or more people but the place is so broken up with numerous dining areas plus another huge bar inside that it didn't feel like a mosh pit. This place gets seriously busy, with dozens of Boatwerks staff sweating it out just to keep their heads above water-- much visible dish schlepping. We had a massive spinach salad for 9 bucks, really good: swimming with mandarin oranges, dried cherries and walnuts, maytag blue cheese and a light dressing. It was excellent and because we opted for the large size, it could have been a full-on meal in itself-- for 2 people. Pizza for 15 bucks, 9-10 inches: good crust and decent sauce, but nothing remarkable. Service by Kevin was great. Our pizza came out in 30 minutes or so. It could have been worse with all the people crushing the place. So, we ordered another beer; problem solved. DOH. The view is nothing spectacular, but it's great to eat outdoors on the water. Lots of boaters, everyone is there to have a chill experience. I'd come back if I was passing through but probably wouldn't go out of my way to revisit. The hook is the fact it's on the water.

    (3)

  • Corey C.

    This place has agreat atmosphere. Very open and warm along with a beautiful view of the lake. The service is average, not bad but not amazing. The menu has a good amount to choose from but in my opinion a little bit over priced. My food tasted good, it was just a lot of money for two fish tacos and some chips. If I remember right I think I paid around $13 for my meal alone. Just not enough bang for the buck. I think maybe adding another taco to the dish would have compensated the price better. I have gone here a couple times and had a nice time. I would actually recommend giving this place a try. Both of my experiences were good enough to go back.

    (3)

  • Katie H.

    This place has the perfect view of the sunset over the water at dinner time! And they seem to frequently have live music in the evenings. It's a perfectly relaxing way to end the day! My husband and I shared the Bacon BBQ burger with sweet potato fries - both were pretty good. My friend got the Shrimp Tacos and seemed to really enjoy them! My only complaint is that they charge a $2.00 for sharing...

    (3)

  • Ron B.

    Very nice place. I love the outdoor seating right on the water, but the weather today was not very cooperative for us. The appetizers were delicious! A very eclectic collection to say the least. Our lunches were very delicious as well and one will not walk away disappointed. We had desert as well and we all left very fulfilled and in a relative food coma. This is one place I would like to come back to again when in town again.

    (4)

  • Kathy V.

    Thank you so much for making my sons rehearsal dinner stress free! From the time I went in to make the reservation, you gave us what we requested. We arrived on time the tables were ready and shortly after all had arrived our waitress, yes only 1 person for our group, came to us to let us know she'd be right back to get our drink orders, We had a group of 16-20 and Tammy did a FANTASTIC job! She handled our group better than some will only 4. We couldn't have asked for a better waitress. The food all came out to order, hot, and all at the same time, so we didn't have sections of the table eating before others. Good job to the kitchen staff/cooks. The food portions were very generous, and some were unbelievable. Thank you all for helping us make great memories.

    (5)

  • OldIrvingPoodle H.

    The 1 star is for the what the service was like when we walked in...umbrellas are only for decoration - they can't be put up, they say. If more than one is up next to each other they don't fit, they break and then there are losses. Forget that it is sunny and that you have customers. So, we put it up and come to find...a ton of bugs that dropped on our table. Gross start.

    (1)

  • Cindy G.

    Great waterfront outdoor seating. Fantastic for families or for date night. Knowledgable staff when it came to food allergies and celiac. They caught an a possible error that I didn't even catch. Very happy!

    (5)

  • Jill Z.

    What a disappointing experience for out first visit to Holland and Boat Werks. We were a party of 2 and waited 20 minutes on a rainy, cold Saturday at 530 pm where there were open tables. We finally got seated after I asked if we could be seated to an empty table and then it took the waitress 15 minutes to approach us. In an impatient annoyed tone of voice, her greeting was, "Do you know what you want yet?" Again, this was our first conversation. I wasn't because I had menu questions. She said she would return momentarily to ask the chef, she didn't. The sodas took another 10 minutes to arrive and were served by another waitress who was "just helping out". She took our food order and was much friendlier than the other waitress. My Ahi Citrus salad arrived without the Ahi. That took another 20 minutes. By this time, my salad is gone. They did not remove this from the bill. We won't be back.

    (1)

  • Billy L.

    A long wait (50) minutes and we were not told that you had to put your name in separately for the outdoor patio. So we ended up eating inside which actually turned out to be OK and we had a great view of the lake. I had the seared scallops and I would have to say they were phenomenal. The meals come with hot rolls that were really good. The person I was with got the Perch sandwich and loved it. He got onion rings on the side and that was really good too. The place is very pricey but the food was good.

    (4)

  • Andi W.

    What a fun place to eat outside and enjoy the waterfront. We had awesome drinks on the patio with our group of 6. Everyone ordered a different entree and no one was disappointed. We really enjoyed the perch, and the crab cakes were great. In the Kollen Park across the street, a wonderful free concert ran from 6-8 so we walked over to listen to Delila DeWylde and the Lost Boys. Fabulous evening.

    (5)

  • Alden V.

    The 91 reviewer's before me have it about right. The food is okay to good. My burger with jalapeno relish was actually quite delicious, so there's a point. The service we had was not to good. I felt it was probably the result of the fact that no one ordered alcohol with their brunch. So, I guess, sorry we're not boozing with a baby at 11.30a? And, we had seven people, so the tip was already set. Didn't see the boy after he gave us our Arnold Palmers. Other servers brought our food, and he only came back to clear plates. That said, I don't dig restaurants based on the service of one. I give it an edge to a 4 because of the massive patio on the water and the fact that my burger was indeed good. If your game is a summertime sit on the waterfront or to drive up on your boat, Perfect. If not, Pass.

    (4)

  • Kelli S.

    GREAT VIEW. Food prices were what you would expect for seafood. We accidentally came during the happy hour-which was an amazing deal (though you cannot sit out on the patio-happy hour menu is for indoors and outdoor bar seating only). Our guy friend who eats alot ordered solely off the happy hour menu and was decently full. Service was excellent! Everyone we encountered was very professional and courteous. We also came during the Tulip festival so it was pretty busy. I had the traditional cobb salad, the small was a very decent size. The sweet potatoes and fish tacos were pretty good as well. Overall a pretty good experience. PS-there's a nice boardwalk and place to stroll along the lake afterwards!

    (4)

  • Dillon H.

    Great food, great service! Nick was excellent! I had the BBQ bacon burger, and my girlfriend had the Mac n Cheese, and she ate it all, that never happens. I definitely recommend this restaurant, we have been traveling all through Michigan for over a month now (we are from Missouri) and this was the best food and service we have received!! Thank you Nick!!

    (5)

  • Karyn O.

    My previous experience here was absolutely amazing. They hit everything out of the park with food and service. However, Last night was a different story. Food was just okay and we spent the majority of the time looking around for our sever since she was no where to be found. I talked this place up so much to my brother who was in town from LA, and was very disappointed this time around. The view on the water is the only reason for my 3rd star.

    (3)

  • Allison F.

    Many moons ago, there was this magnificent restaurant called Boatwerks, and they had the most exceptional black bean burger topped with guacamole. Then one day, the place mysteriously closed, and everyone was heartbroken without their favorite restaurant on the lake. Some time later, back by popular demand, Boatwerks reopened...and they took their exceptional black bean burger off of the menu. All these years later, I'm still pouting about it. Nowadays, it's okay. The food is pretty mediocre, and the highlight is sitting outside next to the water. I bet all that would change only if Boatwerks brought back that magical black bean burger!

    (2)

  • Joe K.

    We went there with a party of 11 - without reservation - on a very nice and sunny Sunday. After a 45min - wait we finally got seated. Watching the process to get a table was very interesting. It seemed like they were not in a great hurry. Once seated, We had a very nice table on the patio with a spectacular view towards the lake. It really felt like vacation! We ordered drinks and our food. Most of us had sandwiches or burgers. Everyone was very satisfied. Food was juicy and delicious! I deduct 1 star, since we would have expected to get some bread/breadsticks (or similar) during our wait for our entree and it took fairly long to get our drinks (15min). Summary: We will come again to check out if the food remains as delicious and if the seating/serving speed may be improved.

    (4)

  • Mike F.

    Sunday in Holland there is not a lot of choice of restaurants open in the are. Wife's birthday so I thought I would upscale the dinner. Hotel said this was a good place. Short wait, acceptable. Sat down, ordered drink, all OK. Looked at menu and was a little surprised at the premium price. OK. It will be good. Ordered food. Had to wait 30 mins for the food. The chicken on pasta was small but pretty good. Not real hot but OK. My wife ordered the mixed grill seafood dish, $30+. It was just warm or less. Butter didn't even melt on the vegetables. Fish was just like warm. My wife who is an excellent cook told the manager about it in great detail. They took half off but I think it should have been removed from the bill. She could not bring herself to waste it and did not want to wait for another. Also, for the price of the meals, a simple dinner salad was not even included. And there were a number of pesky flies that kept flying around us. We probably won't come back.

    (2)

  • Author Anjela R.

    Not the best food, but a great view. The prices are very high for what you get. I wouldn't come here at all if it weren't on the water.

    (3)

  • Nhan L.

    It took forever for my group to get our food. Between putting our name down to finishing our meal, it took over 2 hours. Be prepared to spend money if you're going to wait. I was at the bars for 3 drinks before being seated for my meal. On top of that, we were told multiple times that the kitchen was backed up on orders. The drinks helped pass the time. The seafood was delicious but I wouldnt wait this long for any meal. They brought out bread to snack on while I waited. The beer menu is also very small. My favorite was the oatmeal stout and the raspberry ale.

    (3)

  • Robert M.

    This was recommended by a relative that goes to Holand often, it's right on the water and a nice day so we were seated outside. We were there just before noon, so the lunch crowd came shortly after we arrived. The service was quick and pleasant. My wife had one of their specilties, stir fry chicken and I had the Lake Perch sandwich. Both were very good, but I really liked my wife's stir fry, had a good bite to it, lots of veggies, ( a little lite on the amount of chicken), but I wish I had ordered the same and would next time. Bottom line, a nice lunch spot met or exceeded our expectations.

    (4)

  • David A.

    I've eaten at Boatwerks a couple times this year. Both times I've found the food to be very average. This time 'round I tried one of their self proclaimed, "House Specialties": The Baja Shrimp Taco. The dish consists of three soft shell shrimp tacos and homemade tortilla chips paired with ramikens of guacamole and roja salsa. First, the tacos: The tacos were a big let down on a couple fronts. Each taco consisted of thinly shaved cabbage, 2 pieces of shrimp (grilled), lime-chile crema, pickled red onion, and cilantro. The cooks used way too much lime-chile crema on the tacos! The housemade cream based condiment was literally dripping out of my tacos. The cream overpowered the taco. Also, noteably absent from the dish was the distinct lime and cilantro flavor that defines Baja Fish Tacos. There was only a sprig of cilantro on each of my tacos. The cilantro would have been tastier and better distributed throughout the taco had it been minced. There was no flavor of lime beyond the cream based condiment. Either squeezing lime over the tacos and/or adding wedges of lime would have been a more traditional, and tastier, alternative. The guacamole like the Fish Tacos was mediocre. It could have used more lime, cilantro, salt, and jalapeno pepper. Overall I found the Baja Shrimp Tacos and the accompanying sauces to be lacking depth of flavor. Putting cream on Baja Fish Tacos bucks tradition and in so doing it should have been used sparingly or on the side. Somewhat ironically, the more traditional sauces were either absent (Pico De Gallo) or on the side (Guacamole and Roja Salsa) while the chef's creation (The Lime Chile Crema) made it into the taco. The dish cost $18. I'm not going to say that it's not worth the money, because first, the value of money is subjective to the individual and how much of it you have. And second, I believe the real draw of Boatwerks is the location and the accompanying views, not the food. So, again subjective to the viewer, depending on how much you value views while you eat, will determine whether eating at Boatwerks is worth your dollar (or Eighteen). I will say this, I certainly would not eat at Boatwerks indoors. Since Boatwerks is in Holland MI, this limits my eating at Boatwerks to the summer months. The views from the large wrap around patio - deck overlooking the entrance to Lake Macatawa are beautiful, though the food doesn't live up to the views and the price.

    (3)

  • Glenn C.

    Nice view. I have been here twice, once for lunch and once for dinner. For dinner I ordered the seafood platter which had a crabcake, shrimp and salmon. The salmon was perfectly prepared. I would have liked more crab in the crabcake. We ordered appetizers too. The guacamole and black bean dip was OK. Service was slow on drink refills. Wine/beer prices are a little high. 2 other people had giant scallops. They were very happy. Another person had a burger and giant onion rings. The bread is decent. Also had a chicken sandwich and onion rings for lunch. It was on the expensive side. Onion rings were an upgrade. You definitely are paying for the view!

    (3)

  • Liz P.

    Lovely restaurant. We stopped here when we arrived in Holland. Great water views, I recommend sitting outside if it's nice out. I got a chicken sandwich and paid the extra $2.50 (ouch) for the seasoned fries, which were good except a bit salty - next time I'd try the onion rings. Service was also good and my water glass was always full. It looks like they do events/catering here too. I'd definitely come back if in the area, sandwiches were like $10-12 which is reasonable for the view.

    (4)

  • Yehoshua L.

    Brought a group of 19 to this location and was please with the food and service (overall) with regard to my experience. For the group experience, we had reservations 1 month in advance for 8pm on a Friday - when we showed up at 750pm they were not ready for us (understandably, we were early); however, we waited until at least 810pm. This was not a major issue, but typically (with this size group) I would imagine the table would be ready at least 10-15 minutes before the reservation time. Regardless of that, being that it was minor, our server (younger female, can't remember name) was excellent and accommodating for us as a large group. My meal was excellent (small steak) and many other of the groups' meals were at least good or better. My neighbor sitting next to me ordered a seafood sampler of some type and had gotten sick later in the evening (unsure if car sickness or if it had to do with the food). Other than that, it was a great experience. I would recommend.

    (4)

  • Nancy D.

    Great view of Lake Michigan ..service subpar as well as food. Had to ask for bread with meal and asked for salad as dinner and received a side salad. They did not have sides. Fiance enjoyed his seafood dinner.

    (3)

  • Scott G.

    Disappointing is how I would describe our meal here. The atmosphere is great, on the water, table next to the water but the service was a little slow and the food was just ok. My wife had the parmesan crusted chicken which should have tasted delicious. However, the chef should be ashamed to have let it out of the kitchen. The bottom side was way overcooked to the point it was like hard crust and brown (see the photo). He had to know he had burned this one but instead someone let it out of the kitchen. My wife, not being the type to complain, ate it but didn't like it. I thought it would have been a home run were it not for someone actually checking the plates exiting the kitchen. My grilled Scottish salmon was ok. The green peppercorn pernod cream was non-existent but the salmon itself was very fresh and tasty with the tomato jam on it. And it wasn't burned beyond recognition, LOL. Service here being a Saturday night was slow. We waited at the bar and I finally had to just leave the bar after my wife left to get the table after waiting for over 10 minutes just to get my bar tab. We had them put the two drinks on our meal tab but it also meant no tip for the very busy bartender who was all alone on a Saturday evening. Not her fault she couldn't keep up with the huge crowd. Our waitress outside also put in sporadic appearances but again, only because she seems like she was running from one table to another. Don't get me wrong. This is a nice place to have dinner. Just don't expect the attention to detail to be there on a Saturday night.

    (2)

  • Gemma H.

    Really good burger and fries. Even better are the views of the water and the service! Would definitely eat here again.

    (3)

  • Erik F.

    Very nice place right on the waterfront. I had the trout, Caesar salad, and cheesecake. No complaints about food but the kitchen brought the hummus appetizer out same time as the dinner. Inconvenience but they brought the manager over without even a complaint, apologized and took it off the bill. Bathrooms a little sloppy, not dirty, just needed trash emptied and counter wiped down. Austin was our server and he was awesome, very attentive without being pushy or bothersome. I would eat here again if I'm in the area. Sit on the patio! Great view :)

    (4)

  • Janet I.

    Our experience at Boatwerks was excellent! The food we ordered was delicious and creatively prepared. Sarah, our waitress was extremely attentive to our table. She was friendly, knowledgable, caring and couldn't do enough to accommodate us. I would highly recommend dining for lunch or dinner at Boatwerks.

    (5)

  • Steve P.

    Great location. Sandwiches, burgers and salads are very good. Steer clear of entrees.

    (4)

  • Linda G.

    Don't do it. Terrible service. Terrible food. We are there tonight and my hi and hasn't left the bathroom

    (1)

  • Erika K.

    It's a shame I have to give it a one star, because the food was delicious, but the service is AWFUL!!! Our waitress straight up told us that she didn't realize that she was responsible for our table (after we waited 20 minutes to give our drink order), it was another 30 minutes before we got our appetizer of bread, and another 45 before we got our food - not to mention that our food traveled around the restaurant to different tables before it got to us at all. Our server 'apologized,' saying, "I tried to give your food away! Don't tell any one." Not again, Boatwerks. Not again. Sorry...but...not sorry.

    (1)

  • Michael M.

    The fall was long for this previously great restaurant. Lunch today included a bowl of lukewarm tortilla soup served to my partner as her entree a full 20 minutes before my entree was served, and I ordered a salad. The menu is too large for them to do everything well but this was a big disappointment. There are still only 3 or 4 places along Lake Michigan where you can eat outside and maybe good cuisine isn't necessary. Our meals were prepared with little imagination and very basic in defiance of the menu description. The place must be under new management in the past year or so.

    (2)

  • Yuri S.

    Boatwerks is a really big place. There is plenty of parking, lots of indoor space, bar area with TVs, etc. They also have a big outdoor waterfront patio area. We were there on a Saturday in early June on a perfect sunny day and we were able to get a spot on the waterfront with no problem. The reason I'm giving Boatwerks 3 stars is because it was a let-down in the two areas that all restaurants have to focus on: Service and Quality. We were seated and were not given a drink menu. Then we waited for about 10 minutes until our waitress showed up and had to ask her for a drink menu. The service was fine for us the rest of the time, but we could hear the waiters messing up orders for the table next to us and apologizing. The quality of the food didn't really love up to the prices. It's all standard American food, lots of fried items, burgers, etc. My shrimp tacos were $18 and I have to say that's quite a lot for what I got. Shrimp is not expensive these days. The ones I got were very tiny fried shrimp. They tasted fine and I don't have many complaints. But it was noticeable that they didn't deserve the price tag. Many other items on the menu were in the $20s, $30s, and even $40s. It just didn't seem right because if you're going to charge that much, you have to have good service and ultimately it was just another American grill-type place. They also charge $2 if you're going to share a plate with someone...which is just weird. They're clearly trying to grab every dollar they can out of you. I would come back here, but not for the food. If anything, just order something cheap, grab some beer and enjoy the lakefront location.

    (3)

  • Candece H.

    Ok food. Did not ask how I wanted my burger done. Got it. It was thin. Guess all are well done. I think for what you get this place is overpriced. Chips come with the burger. If you want fries or onion rings it's $2.50 extra. Had 2 sangrias. Weak. Parking is limited compared to the spots.

    (3)

  • Aaron K.

    Food was quality. Shrimp tacos are excellent. Good ambiance. Service a little slow.

    (3)

  • Matthew B.

    A very nice restaurant that is right on the water. I recommend the ahi tuna. Drink menu is on par with most. Sit out side if you can. The park with a board walk is right next door so you can take a nice walk on the water after dinner.

    (4)

  • Alex D.

    Really disappointed in this place. The patio is nice, the food had some issues, but the view does not give this place permission for terrible service. First of all, when we checked in, we were told there was a wait, even though I could see ten open tables. Twenty minutes later, we were seated in one if those same tables. Second, our server and hostess had challenging attitudes, maybe having a bad day? Hard to get their attention, and the place was half empty on a holiday weekend. Third, they served me a beer with a chipped glass. No offer to comp the beverage. Next, we had a hungry 4-year old at the table and the food took FOREVER to show up, like an hour and 15 minutes. Don't they understand the concept of fast tracking the order for a kid? When asked them to follow-up we got a rude response. Finally there is a total lack of management at this place. Manager not visible, did not check in, just total disorganization. So if you are desperate for a place in Holland go here, otherwise find better options. Yelp has plenty of others listed in Holland.

    (1)

  • Aimee H.

    It was perfect time for our visit to Michigan as it was the fiancé's dad's birthday, so we were able to take the family out to dinner. Jon picked Boatwerk's since he loves it and missed going there since moving to Phoenix. We didn't make a reservation, which maybe we would have. We were seated pretty quickly though so not a big deal at all. They have a great front entrance, that was still decorated for the Holidays, nice! There was a window into the kitchen to watch them work while we waited. I am not a huge fan of this in restaurants but, whatev. Once we were seated our waitress was very pleasant we were given drinks quickly. She was very knowledgeable about the menu. Jon and his dad got the special that evening, Meatloaf. It looked good, they both scarfed it down so fast I couldn't get a taste. If you favor a ketchup glazed meatloaf over gravy, this isn't the dish for you. I had the pot-roast sandwich, which I loved. I finished every bite. I felt a little over stuffed afterward, but oh well, I was on vacation. Miss C said that her Crab-cake Melt was "the best thing she has ever tasted." Verbatim. I take that as a must have when you are there. Portions are generous and the atmosphere is great. I can't wait to see the view over the water during the summer.

    (3)

  • Anna N.

    No complaints here! Beautiful patio next to the lake making a great atmosphere. A little bit of a wait but they texted us when our table was ready. The service was prompt and friendly. I highly recommend the fish tacos, they were delicious! The mexi dip appetizer was also very good. Looking forward to coming back next time I visit Holland!

    (4)

  • Bob R.

    Went to Boatwerks last weekend for the first time in about 6 months. What a disappointment. While waiting for a table, we sat in the bar to have a drink. The back of the bar looked like a bomb had gone off. There was bottles, plates and garbage laying all over the floor. Asked for a vodka and tonic and was told that they had no fruit to garnish the drinks with. Waited about 40 minutes for a table but while walking around saw numerous tables that were empty. Finally sat down and to my surprise, found an abbreviated menu from what they used to have. Ordered linguini with seafood and was very disappointed, the mussels seemed undercooked. Two people did have shrimp tacos and they did enjoy them

    (2)

  • Amy D.

    The spinach salad was drenched in oily dressing. It was inedible. I ate a few bites but felt a little nauseous. The crostinis were hard, brittle and oily. The mushrooms that came with the crostinis were bland. After one bite I was done. But on a more positive note my stomach hurt so I wasn't hungry.

    (2)

  • Marie S.

    The view is unbeatable, the service was stellar....why didn't I give them 5 stars then? The food was just meh, I ordered their "most famous dish" the whitefish and it was BLAND. The mac and cheese I ordered my son was boring. We only waited for 10-15 minutes at 6 on a Saturday, but the outdoor waiting area was filthy. If any of the eleventy billion bus people would have just swung through there, they could have allowed the eight people standing around to have had a seat while waiting. We'll go back, if nothing else, to have a decent dinner and drinks on the deck.

    (3)

  • Kristine M.

    Although this restaurant gets very mixed reviews, we strongly recommend it. When we checked in (they don't take reservations in the summer) they said it would be an hour or longer because we wanted to sit outside - FANTASTIC view of the lake and a golden moon - but took my cell phone number to text us when our table was ready. We walked around the quite lovely waterfront and they texted before the hour was up. The service was slow, that's true, but they couldn't have been nicer and more apologetic. We were all very happy with the food. We shared a polenta appetizer that all four agreed was swoonable. I had almond-encrusted whitefish which was fresh, moist, and delicately flavored. We will definitely go again!

    (4)

  • Martha G.

    Four of us at dinner there. Three enjoyed their meals. My husband ordered a cobb salad that was mainly chopped iceberg lettuce with a sparse amount of chicken and 3 other ingredients on top. For the price, it was very disappointing.

    (3)

  • Vera K.

    Visiting from Chicago and looked for a restaurant with ambiance. Live music was appreciated on the deck. Enjoyed the company of other tourists at the bar awaiting seating. Asked and received a table dockside with only a 20 minute wait. The writing on the menu could not express how delicious the actual food was. I expected a beautiful presentation and a small serving; I was surprised to be wrong! I ordered Lobster Risotto and my aunt ordered the Salmon. Each of us were extremely satisfied.. so delicious! This place must have great Chefs' . Service was above average and the help assisted each other, which is fairly rare. Over all big BANG for the buck and TOP of the line.

    (5)

  • Stacey T.

    This is an ideal location for a waterfront restaurant. I got there around dinner time and sat at the bar. It took a long while for the bartender to acknowledge me. I ordered a drink and then waited several minutes for him to come take my food order. I finally had to flag him down to do so. I ordered off of the Happy Hour menu. The white fish dip was excellent. The Baja shrimp tacos were typical bar food. The drink did not have much alcohol in it. Towards the end of my meal, another bartender appeared and was much more attentive and helpful. To me, this is an overrated waterfront restaurant that has great potential.

    (2)

  • Joe J.

    We waited 15 minutes for the server to come by and take our drink order, let alone our food order. Food was expensive and the portions looked small, so we gave her 10 minutes to bring the drinks and then tossed down a $20 bill for what we ordered and left before the waitress came back. On the way out we were talking about how slow and bad the service was, the manager was standing there looking over the restaurant and heard it all. Rather than find out what was wrong and try to make it right, he just looked away when I met his eyes and ignored us. I'll never go back.

    (1)

  • Anyelei A.

    Waited more tan 10min to get WATER but the food is Average. They do not have a good service. I had the mac&Cheese it was ok. My husband had the Cesar salad the croutons were stale and there was no dressing on the salad. In response to the message that Chris H. Sent: Hi Chris, first of all my name is ANYELEI. You are reflecting the same lack of care as your employees. We do not have the ticket to provide the info you requested. They should all be given training in customer service, you have a considerable amount of staff that was walking around us waiters and greeters and they all ignored us until Someone that was not our waiter heard me complaint and approached us. The girl that was supposed to bring our food took it to the wrong table, and the person laying down the information about the 4th of July put it on our table while we ate , he did not say "excuse me I need to place this on the table " or anything what so ever he could have waited until we were gone to put it on the table but he did not.

    (2)

  • Hope S.

    Great view, good food, quick service. Had lunch here on a gray Saturday. Enjoyed splitting the chop salad and the beef brisket sliders. We added a glass of beer (him) and a glass of Chardonnay (me). We both thought both entrees were tasty and presented beautifully.

    (5)

  • Steve M.

    The highs: Excellent space and ambiance for a father's day brunch in the sun. As others have mentioned, the outdoor patio is one of the nicer backdrops in this neck of the woods. The so-so: Lunch fare was OK. I had a tuna steak sandwich which was described as being served on "authentic naan" bread, but was really a pseudo-pita which you'd find at a Chicago gyros stand (go to Five Faces and you be the judge). Come to think of it, the sandwich had all other gyro elements too except for the lamb/beef spit meat: tomato, yogurt sauce, lettuce and onion. Hmmm. The bad? The service definitely lacked today. It was the jr. high JV squad out there today - no one knew to take away empties/dirties, it took 10 minutes to even talk to someone once seated, and the staff just seemed disorganized. Chalk it up to the wrong day to train young service staff? Still, cool to see all the vintage Chris Craft stuff and outboard motors everywhere. I really really want Boatwerks to be awesome, so I'll give Boatwerks another shot, for sure. But probably not during a high-volume time.

    (2)

  • Dave C.

    We ate lunch here while in town for the weekend. The place has a lot of outside seating with views of the lake. We sat outside even though it was a bit cold. I had the Monte Cristo sandwich and it was very good. I would certainly come back here again.

    (4)

  • Steve K.

    FANTASTIC location and views!! Eat out on the deck if at all possible. Food was not outstanding, but not bad. On food alone, I'd give it 3 stars. Service was friendly but rather slow.

    (4)

  • Kyle K.

    Had a business lunch there perfect setting, great food, great wait staff. Our drinks were always filled, dinner rolls were tasty. My table loved the soups, I had the cuban panini and it was delicious. I can't wait to come back with my wife and take her out for a nice dinner. The views of the lake are outstanding!

    (5)

  • Julie K.

    5 stars for service and ambience. The 3 stars above is for food. While aimlessly discovering parts of Holland beyond downtown, we stumbled upon Kollen Park. There was a concert there, and my mom kept mentioning this place called Boatwerks she saw in Shoreline. Well low and behold across the park, there it was! For being a multi-purpose facility, they do it right. Usually in restaurants that have banquet facilities, it feels more like a banquet hall. There are designated areas for inside restaurant, banquet, and outdoor eating. EAT OUTSIDE! There is a separate hostess stand for outside, another good idea. They must have known we weren't regulars, and sat us right next to the glass window overlooking the docks of Lake Macatawa. It's one of those places you could sit all day, enjoying the sun and breezes. The outdoor area is nicely landscaped and organized. Somewhere you want to relax on vacation. Other Yelp reviews were not positive on the service. Our waitress Brea was fun, bubbly, and amusing. The manager even swung by a few times, chatting jovially with my dad and brought us more bread. Service is great! Best service I've had from anywhere in a while. So, you may be wondering, the review has been glowingly positive so far, why 3 stars? The food and prices. Food is overprices for was it is, and based on this experience, isn't tasty. We split the hawaiian BBQ chicken pizza, which is not listed as being a flatbread, but it is. A family of 3 couldn't finish the bigger size, would be enough for a family of 4. For having red onion and pineapple, it was tasteless! You think the sharpness on the onion or the sweetness of the pineapple would have came through, but it tasted the same as the cheese or chicken. The multigrain roll in the bread basket was delicious. Go for the service and views. Hopefully everything else on the menu is better than the pizza! P.S.: Most people wore khakis & sundresses or skirts. One step up from jeans would be appropriate.

    (3)

  • Lisa C.

    I have a total love-hate relationship with Boatwerks. That is, it's a two minute walk from my house and boasts one of the best patios I've ever seen (love). Their weekend afternoon happy hour is fantastic (love). However, the cocktails are expensive, the food is average at best, and the service never fails to confound me (hate hate hatityhate). Take, for example, my most recent experience: they've apparently installed a new table notification system on the patio. The host takes your name and tells you to watch a tv screen to see when your table is ready. First off, it's a 22" flat screen stuck at the top of a wall in the far corner of the bar area, and the names scroll across the bottom in 12 point font - basically only visible if you happen to be within 5" of the screen. Second.. well there's no second, really. I couldn't see the screen from my waterfront spot and they had to come looking for me anyway. Pointless. And this is not the only example - sometimes you get patio seating from the host inside, sometimes from the host outside. It's kind of a crapshoot which. We've gone at 9:20pm, only to be told they close at 9 when their door clearly stated their hours (open until 10pm). I could go on, but I think you get the point. I mean, I'm going to keep going back, even though the drinks are expensive (except during the aforementioned happy hour), the food is 'ok', and the service is questionable, just because it IS the nicest patio for miles. But it seems to me that this restaurant in any other location would have crashed and burned years ago.

    (2)

  • James S.

    My wife and I went there this evening to celebrate our second anniversary. In doing so, I was going to get the 10 ounce steak for $24.95 assuming that it was going to come with salad/vegetable and a potato-NOPE! That was just for the steak! If you wanted a salad which was the size of a small side salad, add an additional $4.95 so I opted for a burger. My wife had the perch dinner $17.95 which the waitress indicated you'd get five small pieces. I'll admit, the view was absolutely gorgeous as the location is right on Lake Macitawa but this place is over-rated for what they are; an over-priced Big Boys! This has been our first and LAST visit as we'll go elsewhere.

    (2)

  • Michelle R.

    100% agree with most of the reviews of Boatwerks. The food left muuuuch to be desired, with the exception of their calamari and crabcakes, which were actually pretty good. But the view is phenomenal - my party was there for sunset, so we went from dinner inside to dessert and drinks out on the patio. Such a great view!

    (3)

  • Mark F.

    Location, location, location! That's what this place has going for it. What a shame that there aren't more places with this lovely view. The food, however, is mediocre, and the drinks can be OK depending who is behind the bar. Just beware of pre-mixed cocktails! I must say however that I have not been for some time and I was informed by the manager that they have a new chef, so I am looking forward to giving it another try.

    (2)

  • Heidi M.

    Great deals on the Happy Hour menu for both food and drinks!! The food we had was ok, glad that it wasn't expensive. The Michigan Cherry Brat was good. Sadly slow service. Seemed to take forever to get drinks and place our orders, then our appetizer came out as we were finishing our meal. Kinda a strange looking building from the outside but nice inside. This place is huge. It's a very large restaurant inside with a large outdoor seating area and outside bar. Nice setting next to the lake and a park. Great location and nice interior, but they need to step up the food and service.

    (3)

  • Jay S.

    We have always gone here for the atmosphere and not the food or the service. This visit was different. The food was excellent and the service so much improved since our last visit. If you enjoy summer evenings eating outside while the sun sets, Boatwerks is the place to go in Holland. We will be sure to go back and enjoy more than the atmosphere.

    (4)

  • Dylan B.

    Eating at this restaurant made me sad. Any idiot with a fryer can make decent french fries, and yet each of the fries served with my fish and chips were lukewarm, sickly disappointments. The fish was average at best, and accompanying coleslaw was a bland waste of time. The beer selection was decidedly unspecial. Try other restaurants in Holland long before you bother with Boatwerks. Food: 2/10 Value: 1/10 Staff professionalism: 7/10

    (1)

  • Dee B.

    As many Yelpers mention, the view here is nice (who doesn't wish to eat out on a patio on the water when the weather is warm and sunny?), but food and service are average or below average.

    (2)

  • Chris M.

    The Good: First off, it's in Holland, MI. Just being in Holland makes you feel ultra relaxed and ready for anything. Take your mound of relaxation, and dump the most beautiful patio dining experience on top of that, and you'd be hard pressed to not have a great meal. The Bad: The menu was extensive, and seemed to be "too many things for to many people". I expect a menu at a place like this to be a bit more refined. While the servers were very personable and charming, the service was a bit slow, and one of my dining companions didn't get her food for a while. The Ugly: My steak was barely edible. It looked like it was cooked perfectly, but my dinner roll was juicier than the meat. One of my companions ordered a chicken parmigiana type dish. The chicken was smaller than her fist, and the side of noodles was just that; a side of noodles. No sauce, no butter, nothing. We didn't even stay for dessert.

    (2)

  • Tim S.

    In town for a Regatta we decided this would be the place for the Crew Dinner. What an accommodating bunch for our large contingent of hungry crew and significant others. We probably had just about everything on the menu and no one had a bad thing to say about the food or service.

    (4)

  • Arthur D.

    You get what you pay for here. And you pay a little bit more then other restaurants but you get something worth it.

    (5)

  • Brandon Z.

    I don't really get the appeal of this place, other than its location on lake. The space is enormous and looks like a pole-barn from the outside. The only vegetarian option other than salads and appetizers was (decent) mac-and-cheese, and the prices are higher than what I normally pay in New York for better and more interesting food. Eh. Super-friendly and attentive service, at least.

    (3)

  • Ted R.

    Cool place to come with the Kids. Sat on the patio and enjoyed the perch sandwich with the family. Great view. One pointer: do not sit next to the plexiglass if it is a hot day! You will get absolutely no breeze and cook. We moved to one of the tables closer to point of the patio. NIce atmosphere,very friendly atmosphere. You can also tie the boat up right to their wall and walk up for a bite to eat. Inside was quite large, nice bar area too.

    (4)

  • Tiffany D.

    Great summertime place and they have the best happy hour! The patio is a wonderful place to watch the sunset .

    (4)

  • Anna W.

    I really enjoyed eating here. It was crazy hot out, so there was a wait inside but no wait for their really nice waterfront dining. Although it was really hot and little shade, sitting outside wasn't as miserable as I had anticipated. The food was great. My boyfriend had fried lake perch and I had the baked tilapia which was topped with lobster and shrimp in a zesty citrus sauce. I thought this was one of the better meals I've had in a while. The only thing that turned me off a little was that the rice seemed to be from a box. I think the food was 5 star quality, but I felt as though the restaurant had a bit of a generic, red lobster-y feel that knocked it down a point for me. It was also pretty expensive. However, the food and service were excellent.

    (4)

  • Jennifer C.

    It's hard to rate this place. It's a "2 star" for service, a "4 star" for food. I compromised. Here's what you need to know, to get to the food faster: There are two table queues from which to select: indoor and outdoor seating. What no one seems to mention is that there are roughly twice as many outdoor seats as indoor. We chose indoor because we thought it would be in less demand. We waited exactly 56 minutes to be seated, arguably the edge of my "wait time" limits. They also have each area controlled by different "desks," (why??? I don't know!) so you have to decide right at the get-go which way to roll the dice. With no input from the less-than-helpful desk greeters. Choose outdoor if the weather is even marginally pleasant. You'll get seated and get your food before the indoor folks can decide what to order for their appetizer. Also, as a personal peeve, there were at least 10 empty tables in the indoor area when we were finally seated. That seems an inordinately high amount of empty space and indicates to me that they should have more staff available to work 'em. No one should have to wait almost an hour on a Saturday night for dinner. The food is good, though. The full bar made a generous drink (which I needed at that point because I was getting crabby). We have one regular eater and one gluten-free eater. The regular eater got the mac and cheese (yum...addition of brisket not really necessary...next time kielbasa!). The gluten free eater got the au jus. Anyone who is GF knows that bread is the problem in this equation. The bun was less than wonderful. The meat was good by itself so we "de-bunned" and t was a weird but tasty meal. Next time, I'm (yes, I'm the gluten hater) bringing a bun from home and just ordering the same sandwich and swapping my home-made bun for the one that comes with. Anyway, the views are lovely. Sunset is an amazing time to sit by Lake Mac. More than once, I said to myself: "I live here! How lucky am I??" The overall experience was pleasant, the wait was decidedly not.

    (3)

  • Kelli S.

    GREAT LAKESIDE PATIO! Think ahead before going--this place gets really busy. However, if you're up for a predinner cocktail, there's an outside bar as well as the inside one. Even if you're not a fish person, the tuna steak on Naan bread is amazing! I kept talking about it after my visit...I'm a big fan of gyros too--probably why I liked this dish soooo much. Boatwerks is a great place to enjoy a summer evening in or outside dining.

    (4)

  • Tony G.

    This place is great! Right on the water(Lake Macatawa). We had one of the best meals that we've had in a long time. Everything was cooked perfectly. Our server was really really nice, but the service was just ok - she may have had too many tables or something. I'd go back in a second!

    (5)

  • Timothy B.

    The view gets 4 starts, but the food is awful. And the menu is just too huge. It just takes way too long to read it, and it's trying to be too many things at once, and not doing any of them justice. Everything I've ever had here has been just pre-packaged flavorless stuff. I'm just going to roll the 2-3 times I've eaten here all together. Their seafood chowder, which promises to contain fresh fish and seafood, has SEA LEGS in it. Sea Legs! Ya know, the fake crab? Sea legs are not fresh fish. I know what fresh fish looks like. If you're going to use fake crab, at least use the flakes- much better than tubes of mushy fish trying to be crab legs. Please don't call it fresh fish and seafood in the chowder. Tastes more like most of it is made from a can, and then doused in cream with no seasoning. The tilapia fillet salad is the most tasteless thing by far. The tilapia tastes like it was pre-frozen with factory sprinkles of paprika, then heated up in a microwave. The romaine lettuce was dressed with what tasted like bottled italian dressing, and left whole. Very hard to eat. The only reason romaine lettuce should EVER be left whole like that is if you're grilling it. Oh, and the parm cheese on the salad really didn't belong, and neither did the store bought pieces of grape tomatoes. Bor-ing. (you're mere blocks away from a farmers market, and this is the best you can do?) Real (fresh) grilled salmon on chopped dressed greens with lots of herbs would have been a better idea. And homemade dressing. The chop salad was okay, but the chunks of cold chicken in it were gross. Tasted like it had been leftover in the fridge for a few days. If I wanted to eat leftovers, I would have eaten at home! The poppy seed dressing is way too sweet, tastes like it's from a bottle. Come on guys, making good and fresh homemade salad dressing is not that tough. Also I would not recommend the buffalo chicken pizza; it just tastes like overly-sweet (probably canned) bbq sauce. No Red Hot flavor at all, like the menu promised. The pizza itself was under-cooked, and only scant traces of blue cheese. Most of it was covered with a low-quality mozzarella cheese. I looked around and most of the food I saw just looked like reheated stuff, nothing made from scratch. The points they get are for the view, and the fact their servers are nice. Prices seem a little high for what you get, but maybe you're paying for the view. Might be a nice place for a snack and drinks, but I would not recommend lunch or dinner.

    (2)

  • Betsey A.

    This really is the only place in Holland to eat with a view. Their view is beautiful. However, I went for lunch today - 2 adults, 2 kids and a $55 bill (pre-tip) has me rethinking the view. We had no alcohol, 2 kids meals and my salad had a piece of green plastic in it that I chomped down on. I didn't act annoyed but reported it to the waiter who said he'd take it to the chefs attention right away. The bill came...no deduction and no mention about it from there on. Now granted, I didn't ask for anything (like not having to pay for the house salad) but isn't that a give-in?! With that said, the kids enjoyed their kids' shrimp meals and I enjoyed my black-bean burger. The kettle chips that came with the meal were good. My cousin's turkey sandwhich was also good, nothing special. The ONLY reason that I give it 3 stars is the ambiance. If it were based on food value versus price, I would have given it only 2 stars.

    (3)

  • Beth N.

    We love the atmosphere on the patio! Food is great too!

    (4)

  • Joanie B.

    This is my favorite restaurant in town. No, the food is not *foodie* heaven but it's not bland or awful by any stretch of the imagination. My biggest gripe has always been the inconsistent service, you know, like having to wait way too long for your coffee (refills too) when you're there for breakfast. Service has been improving and the new Fall menu items look good (pics posted on their fb page) - I haven't been in to try them yet. I love the Paella, breakfast is always excellent, great burgers, loaded Mac & Cheese, good fish, and the seafood sampler is a favorite. You can not beat the view and the restaurant has a nice waterfront vibe. It's where we take all of our visitors and they always want to go again.

    (4)

  • Robb C.

    Had the Hawaiian pizza. It was large enough but it seemed like it was not made carefully. The toppings did not extend to the edges. The atmosphere is very nice. The outside looks like it would be fantastic in warm weather. Too bad I was there when it was cold and breezy. I think the food lets down an otherwise great location and atmosphere.

    (3)

  • Elizabeth G.

    The service is always terrible every time I visit. The food is very very over priced for what you get and the taste is sub-par. Basically, you are paying for the view (which is lovely). The happy hour isn't bad in the summer when you can sit at the outside bar, but that's about it. Not a place I come to when I am in town.

    (2)

  • Jack H.

    Where to start, reservation was at 6:30, one person was a little late, ( had party of 11 ) drink orders where good and on time, so the waitress did not take meal orders until about 6:55, now the wait, from here on in it went in slow motion, did not get out of the restaurant until 9:30, 2 stars. Food, had the rib steak, very good ordered rare, came med-rare, still good, but not rare, my steak looked like the 14 oz as said in menu, person next to me commented how mine looked good size but his looked only about 10 oz, yes it was really small, so where other peoples, (8 ordered the rib) Do not like it that you can not have option of different potatoes, or veggies, (maybe for a price) also, for $22 it should come with salad, will not pay $5 for x-tra salad, 3 stars for me, if I was one of the other persons that got a small one it would be 1 star. Would I go back? Unless it was free, NEVER!

    (2)

  • Rich J.

    Gorgeous day and the patio is closed. Seem ill equipped to deal with average amount business. Nice setting but seems to be mediocre on service and not very well organized.

    (2)

  • Denise B.

    We had high hopes for lunch at Boatwerks - it was a beautiful, sunny summer day, and lunch on the waterfront under a table with an umbrella seemed like a great idea. My dad is obsessed with "nice spots" (by which he means an outdoor table with a nice view where he can linger) and makes this place a regular visit when he sees my elderly grandparents in Holland. Too bad a restaurant needs more than just a beautiful ocean view to be a good restaurant. blah. My main impression while I was here was "mediocre, mediocre, seriously mediocre!" Our server appeared to be trying, but she was clearly inexperienced and didn't really seem to know what she was doing. I ordered I lunch-sized veggie pasta dish with some chicken for my entree. It was really bland, but I forced myself to eat all of it, knowing it'd be my last chance for food in several hours. When the server came over, she looked at me, the empty plate, and gasped "wow, you're the first person I've ever seen finish that ENTIRE dish!" Great lady, way to make me feel like a massive glutton. At that point she tried to backpedal with comments that my portion was smaller than normal, but it was too-oooo late. I suspect most people hadn't finished it because it didn't taste very good! I saw a cousin of mine later that day who informed me that Boatwerks is notorious to all youngish job-seekers in the Holland area for treating servers terribly, so generally anyone who actually sticks with working there isn't very good and can't find a job elsewhere. Makes a lot of sense! Come here and have a drink if you're really craving the view, but personally I'd stick to a better restaurant a bit more inland.

    (2)

  • Ben K.

    The space is fantastic, and the location right on the water front is great too. Unfortunately the food is pretty average despite a fairly high price tag. I had the rainbow trout and my fiancee had the baked tilapia. Both were decent, but a little overcooked, and served with identical sides of rice and undercooked vegetables that I admittedly finished off, but that were fairly bland and devoid of seasoning. Not that I regret coming here, but I will probably stick with New Holland Brewing Co on future pass-throughs.

    (3)

  • Kathryn B.

    We were looking for lunch on the water and this place makes that mark, excellent view from the patio. However, the food was just okay. We ordered a wedge salad, do not recommend!, a chop salad, which was average, and the beef sliders, average at best. The service was good, our waitress was very nice. Might be a good place to grab happy hour for a drink by the lake.

    (3)

  • Abby A.

    What a great experience! Loved the servers! Loved the food! Loved the atmosphere! Can't wait to go back!

    (5)

  • Adrian M.

    Great views! Food pretty okay too

    (5)

  • Patrick I.

    Locals avoid this place for a reason and its really a shame. It has a beautiful view and a wonderful patio area but the staff and food are both memorable in a bad way. Living in holland, whenever guests are in town they want to eat on the water. After eating here a dozen times I've finally got fed up enough to write a review due to such bad service. Here are three incidents that I can remember off the top of my head. 1.) Ordering a round of beers and the beer was warm. The server says its because the compressor wasn't working. No apology, no offer to replace it with a cold bottled beer, nothing. And for that matter, why weren't we told in the first place when we ordered? He didn't care. Of course when we got the bill he took the beers off to make it look like he did us a favor and pad his tip. 2.) More than a couple happy hours I've sat around with an empty glass for 10 minutes or more even though I'm giving eye contact to the bartender. They need to learn some speed skills. 3.) One time around 4pm, I had an early dinner with family that was in town. The place was dead with maybe one other table but our salads and soups still took an hour. I think the server was high because he kept coming over to give me more lemonade even though my glass was previously full. I'm not lying when I say I had 3 pint glasses full of lemonade in front of me but no food an hour after sitting down. As for the food, its mediocre with only a few things worth ordering for the price. The pizza, seafood chowder, and perch are all safe. Outside of that be prepared to be underwhelmed. The staff turnover seems high. The manager is nowhere to be seen and apparently doesn't care at all. I bet the owners are taking a bath for putting so much money into an amazing building on a beautiful spot of real estate. I hope they lose it all so the place gets sold to someone who cares.

    (2)

  • Tony P.

    ...Great food ,great view of Lake Mac, but a bit pricy..

    (4)

  • Jose G.

    I've been here probably 4-6 times in the past year or so, mostly because others in the party want to go there. I've only been there between the hours of 5-9 p.m., so I can't really say much about their lunch or late night atmosphere. Having said that, here's my scoop on the place: Reasons TO GO: Their patio on a warm day is FANTASTIC! They have a lot of tables right on the water with a great view. Most of the tables have umbrellas too, so on a hot day you can still have some protection. If you sit inside, especially on a hot day, bring a jacket or sweater! They keep the AC cranked! You will freeze. The runners that bring the food out and refill water have usually been very friendly (yes, there's a reason I listed this... keep reading). My reasons that I wouldn't recommend this place: Depending on the way the wind's blowing, there might be a few wafts of dead fish coming from the shore/water. The food here for me is average, and bland. I've yet to order anything that wasn't bland, even the chips and salsa. I've had ketchup that's had more spice. The sandwiches and salads I've had here are presented very nicely, but I'm usually disappointed with the lack of flavor. Each server I've had here comes across as very robotic, scripted, and uninterested. I've yet to be served by someone who I felt was genuine and enjoyed working there. I felt like I was being a bother if I asked for something, whether it was another napkin, another beer, or my check. So, there you have it. Nice view from their patio, very average and plain food, and 'eh' service.

    (2)

  • Tom Z.

    Ate dinner at the bar (2 hours wait otherwise) on Saturday, July 2010 and followed up with lunch on Sunday. Working backwards, my wife and I ordered fried perch. It showed up with cole slaw on the bun and no lettuce, tomato or onion. After 5 minutes of trying to flag down our invisible server running around all the aisles and poking my head into staff areas in a restaurant that had less than 10 people in it I finally ran her down and she assured me those condiments 'would be included' (she didn't even know our lunch had been delivered by someone else and was sitting there getting cold). She remained invisible so I had to go to the hostess to get our condiments delivered. The dingy waitness showed up about 10 minutes later unaware of anything that had occured to us. We killed the dead time by killing flies. The place was dead and beat. The dinner the previous evening occured at the bar due to a 2 hour wait for an overcrowded table in the masses. We initially enjoyed the environment due to the livliness of the many customers. We ordered our dinner - had some drinks and sat their with growing hunger as we noticed others at the bar that had rather nice looking bread and butter provided to them that had ordered dinner. We finally asked the bartender if we could have some bread (something we shouldn't have had to ask for), his response was one of surpise and 'he'd see what he could do'. Another 10 minutes pass and he comes to tell us the 'kitchen is out of bread'. (despite later arriving bar customers chewing on theirs). He asks us if we want chips. What a joke. Food was marginal at best, took over 30 minutes to flag down ANYONE at the bar to get our bill paid (we paid someone else).

    (1)

  • Paul N.

    BLONDE BLANDE HOLLANDE The view is swell. The ingredients are fresh. The menu has nice ideas. But the most of the food is timid and bland. Lunch today: Rolls - dry and tasteless. Pea soup was well executed and not greasy - the high point of the meal. Grilled Ceasar Salad was a little disappointing - almost no char on the grilled romaine, and why do folks think that Ceasar Salad dressing is just tangy mayonaise - give me at least a tiny taint of anchovies in the dressing please. I felt I was truly in the land of the blond-dutch: even the dishwasher in the kitchen was white.

    (3)

  • Jeff C.

    Probably good for drinks. The view is nice but the food isn't good. Clam chowder and southwest corn chowder were both good. From there it was downhill fast. We both had the "famous" lake perch sandwich. Lots of breading, not much fish. Should be called the "infamous" lake perch sandwich. We also tried the chips & guacamole. The salsa was basically Chi Chis salsa and the guacamole tasted exactly like Costco's. I like Costco's guacamole; just not when I'm paying restaurant prices for it. Overall, have some drinks and enjoy the view. Skip the food.

    (2)

  • Carter C.

    Go buy a boat so you can dock it up right next to the outdoor bar! You could wear loafers without socks and pop your collar. I might go full on preppy just for the experience... Can't beat an early evening drink at an outdoor bar right on the water! I'm impressed with the location. Beer seemed pretty good - I hear they have bloody marys...will update this review once I've had one. Loss of points for ho hum food. What's with this town and basic American food? Burgers, sandwiches, classic main dishes and appetizers. I don't even need to get into it, you know what the menu is already. Somebody open a restaurant with lots of fresh ingredients and I will be your first regular customer.

    (3)

  • Ryan S.

    One of my favorite spots to take a break and sit outside and have the breeze hit you as the boats pass by. Had Stevie M. as our waiter and he was entertaining and gave excellent service...

    (5)

  • Myron K.

    Bland Food/Unsanitary - hair in seafood chowder, which was on my bill until I brought it to the attention of our waitress (less a star), dirty silverware (less a star), "signature" Mac n cheese was soupy and tasteless (less a star), tasteless fried perch (less a star), bad service (less a star), great dinner view (half), desserts were great (half) - Overall: too pricy for the quality of food. One star is out of charity!!

    (1)

  • Donna S.

    My Sister and I went here for her Birthday dinner and we were both extremely pleased with our meal and the service. I had the Tilapia baked with crab and asiago cheese, served with couscous and steamed asparagus.. absolutely delightful! My Sister had the Chicken oscar with angel hair pasta and steamed asparagus and equally pleased. The service was awesome and our waiter had a marvelous personality.. his recommendation of watermelon lemonade was the perfect splash of refreshment for the 90+ degree day! Definitely recommended!

    (4)

  • Jay W.

    Boy were we disappointed after recs from locals in town. Service was great, but everything else fell short. We should have suspected something, since @ 12 PM on a hopping Saturday in Holland with a MI football game on TV, there were about 15 people in the place and 10 cars in the lot. That should have been a clue for us to keep driving. I'm sure this place gets packed at times, but I can't imagine why. The food was expensive. I ordered a their special burger, with smoked ham and bacon, cooked medium. It came out overcooked and dry. Server said they are fresh burgers, but BOY to me it looked preformed. Too uniform a patty. I should have sent it back but I didn't. MY FAULT there. We were in a hurry to hit the road. The smoked ham was really salty. In their defense - the bacon was good. But my wife's yellowfin tuna was dry too. Only thing worse than overcooked burger is overcooked tuna steak. And $10 burger doesn't come with fries, only chips? Fries cost extra? Tiny menu too. At least at lunch. Yes it's right on Macatawa. Decent views, though you see the "industrial" use of the lake because it's right by the gravel piles I understand are brought in by barge/frieghter and trucked off for road work around western MI. Anyway the views to the north and west are great, to the east... not quite as picturesque. Still cool, but not as beautiful as the west end of the lake.

    (2)

  • Delilah D.

    Great location, sub-par food. After a bad experience last summer, my intention was to never return. But on a nice spring/summer Sunday, I had the urge to sit outside and eat... so we decided to give Boatwerks another chance. My lunch date ordered a burger, and I decided on an herb-encrusted fish dinner. His burger featured a barbeque sauce, bacon, and fried onion strawws, and was served with kettle chips. Mine was described as herb-encrusted red snapper, with veggie couscous and fresh asparagus. Our food finally arrived, and the burger looked great. The fish dinner, not so great. I was told the burger tasted good, so I can't give the place just one star. BUT my dish was so bland and tasteless; I can't imagine how it could have been much worse. Fist off, the fish looked like it had been boiled or poached (which the menu did not specify) and it was coated with a thick layer of green herbs, which seemed to be oregano and parsley? They were just wet herbs on plain fish. Totally overpowered the fish. Disgusting! And don't get me going on the couscous- it tasted like it had been made from a box mix a week ago. Honestly, it contained what looked (and tasted like) freeze-dried pieces of veggies, and tasted like dust. No spice, except what probably came in the packet inside the box... which I suspect was dry chicken bouillon. I have had couscous many times, I don't understand how this can be messed up, it's very easy to cook. The highlight of the dish was the asparagus, which was cooked correctly and slightly grilled on the edges, but again- no spice at all- would it kill them to use a hint of garlic or salt or something? Because I was starving, I salt and peppered everything to make it edible, and scraped some of the green mess off from the fish. My advice to this place is to simplify the menu (it's way too large, pehaps trying to do too many things and not doing all of them well), and use some more creativity and freshness (and flavor) in the food. This place is on the pricey side, so beware you are paying for the view and the privilage of their location. If you stick to drinks and appetizers you will probably be satisfied.

    (2)

  • Sean M.

    I have been here a few times, being local. The location on the water in the summer is a plus! The food is good, but the wait staff is not very efficient and we have had different servers each time. If you want to sit outside in season you will have to wait and not just for an open table. The bus service is slower than the wait staff. My suggestion is to go during off peak hours so that the service issue will be at a minimum and you can enjoy the view and food.

    (3)

  • Mike S.

    The service and food have improved greatly in the last six months. Now i love this beautiful place.

    (4)

  • Liza V.

    I guess it depends on when you go, but my husband and I had a fabulous dinner here. Love it on holidays when the staff gets creative on menu, drinks, specials. The patio obviously is just amazing and a fabulous spot to enjoy a gorgeous day. Not too pricey for being a unique location.

    (5)

  • Lindsay D.

    The location is FANTASTIC. Its exactly what Holland needed. That said, I wish they would do a serious menu/chef overhaul. The food tastes very average and bland despite the high price. I'm pretty sure a majority of the meals or meal components just come right from the Sysco or some other food service distributor. Nothing taste homemade or from scratch. That said, the menu is TOO big. Make it much smaller and focus on what you can cook really well. It will result in more people writing reviews about how great the food is.... A couple other small gripes. The "no substitution" rule is BS in today's environment. I didn't want cheese on my salad b/c I was looking to eat a healthy salad. I was told they couldn't take the cheese off. Well, what if I had a dairy allergy? Lastly, they had some stupid "happy hour" rule where you had to sit at the bar in order to partake. That just seems ridiculous to me and resulted in the bartender being slammed and the rest of the waitress's being bored b/c no one wanted to sit in their sections. (We were outside and it was gorgeous, btw). I really hope Boatwerks managements will consider a couple simple tweaks. I think it would result in a lot of happy customers.

    (2)

  • Rob H.

    As mentioned before, the location and view is fantastic. We sat outside for dinner. I had a great bloody mary and an average meal. We ordered an appetizer at the same time as our entree. We should have said we weren't ready and held off on the entree. Within minutes of our app hitting the table, here came our entrees. Cool evening + stiff breeze + everything arriving at once = cold food. Service was good. Our server couldn't help the fact that the kitchen was cranking out food with no sense of timing.

    (3)

  • Matt N.

    Nice location right on Lake Macatawa. Service was a bit slow and food quality was average at best.

    (3)

  • Hannah H.

    You can't beat the location - right on the water...I had travelled to Holland for a long weekend getaway and the front desk at the nearby CityFlats hotel had recommended the place for its atmosphere and great food. Well, they got the atmosphere part right. The food was fine - portions are huge and the fish & chips I ordered were just okay. The onion rings were worth a repeat order. Our waiter was very attentive but felt like he was the only one on duty while others congregated at the bar and talked to oneanother. Poor guy - I made sure we tipped him well.

    (3)

  • drew y.

    Best brunch I've ever had. I've only been there for brunch, but I love having the opportunity to go back. Their brunch menu was surprisingly diverse and delicious. They've had your typical American fare, but also some fusionyAsian cuisine, that was quite delicious. I'm hoping to take my mom there on mother's day!

    (5)

  • Debra V.

    My husband and I had enjoyed a drink in this very pretty bar, the view is fantastic! However, when we made reservations for a meal, and took another couple we were so dissatisfied. The food is very ordinary, burgers could have been cooked the day before. Everything was cold. The menu is very uninspired, presentation of food is terrible, no garnishes, cold stale buns and bread. Fries very cold. Service was just OK. I absolutely would not recommend this restaurant.

    (1)

  • Catherine P.

    I really liked this place...was up in MI visiting with my sister. It's right on Lake Macatawa. At night, the lake is lit up with lights from homes...very pretty. It's a large, new-ish building. We sat towards the back by the large bar. It's nicely decorated thoughout. They have lots of fancy martinis (that aren't really martinis at all, but just served in the martini glass, but you know what I mean). The calamari appetizer was really tasty with 3 dipping sauces, but it's not a very large portion. Their bread has sesame seeds on the crust..yummy! For my entree, I had fish & chips. Tasted good to me...I was pretty full from the aforementioned bread. :) This place has a good vibe and ambience...nice choice for a date, I would think.

    (4)

  • K M.

    Been here twice, both times same experience. Sat at the bar, ordered drinks, enjoyed them, left. Boatwerks is located on the edge of the downtown area of Holland and gets quite the crowd. Not sure what to make of the crowd except they range from the severly underdressed to the strangely overdressed. Mostly it's affluent families gathering for a night out. Either way, we like the bar that overlooks the water view. Husband always gets the same - Belvedere Dirty Martini straight up with Blue Cheese stuffed olives. I try to change it up and order something new each time. This last time I ordered a mojito. Which was served with the warning "let me know how that tastes, I haven't made one in a long time" Which to me means that I undoubtedly deserve an immediate discount for my beverage. However one was not offered and the taste was not that great. We've never had the food but it looks tasty. Good place for families, older people dates (you know "older but desperately seeking younger", and groups.

    (3)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :11:00 am - 10

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : No
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Dinner
    Parking : Private Lot
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Full Bar
    Outdoor Seating : Yes
    Wi-Fi : Free
    Has TV : Yes
    Dogs Allowed : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : Yes

Boatwerks Waterfront Restaurant

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