Bob’s Boathouse

Potentially the worst service, the worst food, the worst atmosphere… I will never be here again. That’s before I started reading about the owner and his inability to exercise a certain level of respect for his neighbors by having these bands play out back. Look, I’m young… and the people complaining about the noise are annoying to me. However, that just shows that the owner doesn’t know how to play ball. Also happen to know why he had to change his sign out front. Hint: someone didn’t pay someone.

Gave them some time to work out the kinks… But not a pleasurable night out on many fronts. Disappointing. Strike two!

We went for the Bottomless Brunch. What a Great value! The food was terrific (I got the scrambled eggs with fresh fruit And potatoes) with bloody Mary’s. There was a DJ playing great music, waterfront dining and such a unique atmosphere. Good vibes, entertainment, smiling faces… It was a party. I’ll def be back!

You can’t beat sitting on the porch overlooking the bayou and having a hamburger and a draft for $ 5.50 fron 2 – 5 pm. They serve breakfast from 7 am — 11 am. and are open until 2am.

We gave the place a good year to settle in after the initial flurry of negative reviews. We then gave them a shot for brunch on a slow Sunday before Christmas. First of all, I applaud business establishments that hire physically and mentally disabled individuals. It’s part of what makes Publix one of the best grocers in the nation. However, when you hire those individuals and put «Head Server» or «Manager» name tags on them, something is seriously wrong. Food was decent and came out quite quickly. Of course, a bit more time in the kitchen might have resulted in fully cooked eggs. We were happy to get our food quickly though because in the time it took we had the pleasure of inhaling second hand smoke from three consecutive employees taking their smoke break right next to our table on the patio. The service was so unbelievably bad however, that we wouldn’t even consider giving the place another shot when there were actually more than five other customers present. There are so many better establishments in town that there is just no excuse for wasting your time, money, and health here.

So we went as a group of 8 and everyone liked their meal. Mace provided excellent service too, as well as others checking in to see how everything was.
It was $ 1.99 taco night and $ 1.99 corona and cuba Linda’s and we started with an appetizer of tacos. Beers, Cuba Linda’s margaritas and martinis were served promptly with a complimentary appetizer.
Several guests ordered the tacos, 2 had grilled trout (delicious), quesadillas and a turkey panini.
We left trying to figure out what night we’d come again for a special drink or food. We went early (5pm) and were skeptical based on reviews. We will definitely be back.
Had to hold back a star as the ladies bathroom was very dirty, a real disappointment as someone had told us to check it out.

Maybe everone should give this another chance. We had lunch there yesterday. I had a great chopped salad and my husband the Grouper sandwich which ws the best in the area. Our Escargot was wonderful. Large in mushroom caps. not rubbery. Melted in your mouth. Will be going back and taking our guests. The staff was wonderful as was the food. Got a 5 star from us!!!

This place is cute inside but man the food is terrible service is terrible the staff is rude you get ignored and certainly not worth waiting for with lots of great places to get seafood and great breakfast here in Sarasota no need to spend your money here

You’re paying for the real estate, not the food.
I took my daughter for lunch. The $ 15 tab wasn’t bad I guess, but the burger was a frozen patty prior to cooking. It had that rubbery texture to the bite.
The ambience is nice enough — it’s modeled after a ship builder/​boat works kinda place. Not a bad place. 2 stars for my less than amazing plasti-​burger but I will try it again to get something else and see if that was a fluke.

I have been in the restaurant/​hospitality industry for 24 years. My 3^rd time at Bobs in 2 weeks (mom is a cheerleader and likes her coupons) Every step of service was wrong. It was thee worst dining experience I have EVER had. The quality of the food is airport standard and priced as like. Iceberg lettuce? from GFS? Just awful… Our server was clearly under the influence of «something» possibly the manager as well. It literally took us 40 minutes to get our bill and pay. This was Unprofessionalism at its finest. It really is a shame they havent shaped up the ship yet. So many small important details overlooked. I havent seen my brother in over 2 years and it made for a very akward and uncomfortable experience. Im sorry but it was just unacceptable. Thank God lil bro paid for the bill: /​«We are here to kiss your keel» …My keel

So far not to bad. I like the patio and out side bar. The food is good. but they seem to have a
hard time getting orders correct. They have great burgers. They should have a beer special. Hope to up date this with more good news after a few more visits.

Took the family to Bobs for dinner. Food was decent portion, good quality, nothing signature stands out, but WAYYY overpriced. We will not return.

I ate here 3 months ago and had French onion soup and grouper sandwich. I could not finish either one as they were terrible. I will not be back.

Bobs Boathouse has come a long way since first opening. The atmosphere and free entertainment is superb. The staff is here to make your stay memorable and enjoyable.

I went to Bob’s boathouse with my family because of having received gift cards. The outside appearance of the restaurant is fun and quirky but inside is jam packed with nautical junk and really stressed me out. I ordered a bottled beer and it took about a year for me to receive it. I easily could have gone to the store and back and gotten a 6 pack in the same amount of time.
Appetizers took even longer to receive. My uncle got his appetite AFTER he got his entrée, which also took an eternity. The food was decent, if you like no flavor, no seasoning, and cold food. Even though we didn’t actually pay for this meal, I still feel ripped off. I would suggest you give any gift cards for this «restaurant» that you receive to someone who truly needs food because this wasn’t even worth the drive there.

As the other reviews say not good, crappy menu very high prices for below average food 7.26 for a plane tossed salad a big bar with just old bar food

Went only for a couple drinks but will definitely head back for a meal. Staff was super friendly, especially our bartender Tiphanie. Décor is out of this world and hours are awesome! 8am happy hour?! Sign me up ;)

We had a great time there. We had dinner by the water, extensive menu from frog legs to a fried baloney sandwich. Bobs meatloaf is the best and there calamari was to die for. After dinner we sat outside and had a few drinks and enjoyed the music.

The Bartenders are great! If you want to go and have a drink at the bar, that’s fine.
The food was mediocre — nothing special — same stuff you can get anywhere else (better and for less) but the service was very very bad.
I think they just pulled some people off the streets and gave them a server job. Our server had no idea what was going on.
We gave him an order for drinks that took 20 minutes to get. our appetizers actually came out before the cocktails. It was early in the evening and they were out of a lot of things on the menu already.
For a place that serves seafood — they didn’t even have hot sauce. So if you have to go — sit at the bar and order and bring your own bottle of crystal…

When Bob and his people sat down around the conference table to plan his new restaurant, I wonder at the unfolding of events…
Bob wanted a nautical theme, because the land he acquired was on a creek — that’s where the «Boathouse» came from, naturally.
Bob’s lawyer suggested that the critical element of a boathouse would be boat paraphernalia — that’s how the décor was decided.
Bob’s marine mechanic Googled «boathouse food» and created the menu.
Bob’s accountant searched assiduously for the best servers and managers Craigslist can provide.
Lastly, Bob’s banker saw an arbitrage opportunity to unload the assets of:
~ a boat repair shop he was shepherding through bankruptcy (all the exterior junk. You’ll see.)
~ a hotel/​conference facility on his books in foreclosure (the second-​hand chairs.)
~ a lumber yard with excess stock (all the low-​grade wooden fixtures including mid-​air table storage.)
~ his buddy’s failed commercial clothing business (the kitschy staff get-​up. Bowties? Srsly?)
And the services of;
~ a carpentry business his brother-​in-​law owns (all the poorly nailed and screwed fittings.)
But, you say, this is an establishment serving food and beverages. Well, yes, that’s technically true. Food is served here. It’s fine. But you’ll never notice because you’ll be unable to overcome the feeling that you’re eating in the restaurant equivalent of an oceanic Goodwill store.
Bön voyage.