Wilson Boat House

The outside patio was the draw that pulled me here, along with the prospect of a long drive with the top down on a beautiful day. The patio sits adjacent to a small boat harbor, with lots of sail boats and motor boats sitting in their slips to look at. A few shops are near by. I did not visit them. I did people watch. There were couples, families, kids in uniforms fresh from a soccer match with a parent in tow. I ordered a burger and a wedge salad. The burger was one of those bourbon glazed things, but I got no bourbon flavor. Tasted to me like pancake syrup. Not a fan. Sweet potato fries were good, but I am guessing they were not home made. The wedge salad was dressed with balsamic. Not a fan of that either. And there was too much. Give me the traditional presentations for traditional dishes. Wedge, blue cheese, bacon. Go here for the drive and the view.

We had 8pm reservations and were still not seated until almost 9pm. Our waiter was unfriendly. He either could not hear the order due to the loud music or just didn’t care and wouldn’t move in closer when asked. Did I say the music was loud? Great band, excellent vocals but how can dinner guests have a conversation? We nodded and gestured. All of this would have been forgiven had the food been good. I am not sure how they are able to charge those prices for what was served. It was a meal I could have had in a diner for a fraction of the price. I don’t like to leave bad reviews but was compelled in this case. What I chose to write were the main points in this abridged version of my review.

I’ve only been here for drinks and music so I can’t comment on the food yet but the venue is lovely. There is both an indoor and outdoor bar, as well as ample seating inside and out overlooking the harbor. The restaurant closes by 10 pm, but both bars are open later.
Mixed drinks were a pricey $ 6.50, but generous.
A local cover band NY Rockin Revue was playing a variety of pop and rock music.
Most people were in jeans but some wore dressier attire.
Fun evening.

Dinner was great! We ordered Calamari app. Tasted delicious. I enjoyed the salmon with mango salsa over coconut rice and asparagus. It was cooked to perfection!

OH WBH, you’ve let us down. I’ve experienced better … and it was here at WBH! This was one of our «go-​to» places for a long time and we were due for another visit. Maybe we just hit a bad day but almost everything missed the mark.
It started with the soup which was a seafood chowder. It was way too thick, almost pasty and not very good. Next, if you read any of my reviews you know I like a good beet salad. Well this one needed work. The greens, walnuts and dressing were good but the beets were lacking taste and were chunks. My suggestion … slice the beets and maybe grill them a little to release their sweetness to get some taste into them. The Sizzling Shrimp app was OK.
On to the entrees. The Salmon dish came with asparagus on top of coconut rice and was OK to Good. Lastly was the Sesame Tuna which you’ll see I reviewed here once before as VVG. This time not so good. The tuna was OK but the risotto cakes were dry and pasty. Such a let down from last time. Service started so good but fell off to none. After 20 min’s we had to ask for someone to find her. Disappointed, but will be back again. You’re on double secret probation though.
Sláinte

My inlaws had recommended Wilson Boat House to us as a nice spot for our date night. The Wednesday night before the 4^th of July, it was pretty empty, so we had our choice of tables. We chose to sit outside, overlooking the harbor. The atmosphere is pretty casual, at least outside, with paper napkins, vinyl tablecloths, and plastic chairs.
We started with the poblano dip, which was a thick cheese with tiny bits of poblano served in a crock with chunky pita rectangles. It was mostly cheese and only a hint of chile flavor. It was really designed to be shared by more than 2 people, since we left at least half of it in order to have room for the rest of our meal.
I had the beet salad. It was A-​OK with big chunks of red beets over mixed greens with blue cheese. I asked to leave off the candied walnuts, since I’m not a fan. Jimmy got the french onion soup, which was very nicely done — plenty of layers of flavor without too much salt.
For our mains, I had the seared tuna with shiitake risotto cake, while Jimmy had the haddock with banana peppers special. The seared tuna was a little too chunky and a little too warm. The risotto cake was a little too greasy, overwhelming the tasty mushroom flavor. The haddock was perfectly cooked, but would’ve been better without the flour and cheesy topping, just the tomatoes and banana peppers.
Service was great. Having noted that there were nuts in the salad dressing, she came to inform me after I’d requested no walnuts for the salad. She was attentive and helpful without being overbearing.
I’d go back for the french onion soup.

Average frozen tasting not creative food. Only thing interesting was the kimmelweck beef thingy. Being from the south didn’t know what it was and my wife said it was good. She’s a beef au jus fan, so there. Wait was nice and the place was pretty neat, kinda Dirty Dancing atmosphere.

Sat outside two nights ago here. Haven’t been here in a few years but the view was what brought me back. We started off with the calamari which came on mixed greens and served with a sweet chili sauce. very yummy. Then for my main dish I ordered the smoked Gouda fettuccine and it was to die for. It has asparagus and roasted red peppers in it and it was so delicious. Then split the chocolate peanut butter pie and it was honestly probably the best desert I’ve ever had ! It is a MUST get

Very disappointing. We went about seven years ago and had a similar experience. Service is good but the quality of the food is worse than bar grub at a much inflated price. It’s unfortunate because it’s about the only place on the water in Wilson. If you are in the area make the drive to Lewiston.

Right on Lake Ontario, so sitting outside or inside near a window is ideal. The old school fans on a pulley system make for a unique atmosphere.
The service was above par and the roast beef burger was the best I’ve ever had. (Even though it was the only one I’ve ever had.) I definitely recommend it. You will not be disappointed.

My family just returned from a wonderful family reunion/​birthday party at the Wilson Boat House. The food was fantastic, Chad the bartender kept the guests happy with wonderful cocktails, Linda our banquet hostess made sure the food was kept hot and the cake was cut timely. Mike the restaurant manager was wonderful to work with as I had to make arrangements for this party from Alabama. No detail was overlooked and the building itself is beautiful. Our guests were well cared for,

Our meals weren’t bad. I’d eat here again but wouldn’t go out of my way for it. Bread and olive oil dip was good but that’s good almost everywhere. The apps were the best part of our meal. The cheesy poblano pepper dip was delicious, very hot, different texture and I’m not sure if the «pita» dipping bread was burnt or what. Also very greasy but good to me nonetheless lol the sriracha BBQ chicken thighs tasted like BBQ wings, also not bad. The French onion soup was good but have had better. As far as entrees go we ordered the seafood pasta and smoked Gouda with fettuccine. The flavor was there, could have had more.
We were sat right away, it wasn’t too busy for a Saturday night. A band was warming up and got a little busier as we left. Good, timely service. All in all it was good. Not mind blowing, not terrible either. Great view of the harbor. The entire place is windows.

The food has really deteriorated. We had a scallop cake app that was pretty abysmal. Gluey white bread, not many scallops, and tasteless.
My friend’s Cesar salad was another disappointment, as were the roasted asparagus which were hard as tacks, and the oh-​so-​salty roasted veggies which were practically inedible.
The service is excellent, though.

The Wilson Boat house has absolutely breath taking views of the water and different views from different spots inside as well as outside to enjoy! We stopped by for a drink and some appetizers at the end of a Wine Tour (Note– the Niagara Wine Tours– this is a perfect place to end up!). The staff made us off the menu deep fried pickles– which was just so nice after a wine tour;-). Everything is clean and we love the specially cocktail menu and the friendly bartender and servers.

Cool atmosphere right in the marina. Food was really good and so was service. Pot roast sandwich on bar menu is great!

Yes, without a doubt, a beautiful location whether you eat inside or out, a great view of the boats on the water. We were on the patio — perfect day for it too. The meal had both terrific/​not so good points. Friend and I both had the seafood chowder, while she scarfed hers down, I had 3 tastes and left it. No taste of seafood, instead it tasted like cream of garlic bisque [ I’m Italian, but this was beyond palatable] and did the boat rock and someone drop the salt shaker in the pot? Whoa… BAD. If our lovely waitress, Linda wasn’t hustling her butt off, I would have asked her if the chef/​cook actually tasted his creation. Oh well, on to the entrée, and that made it all super worth the drive out and the awful appetizer. You MUST order the Pot Roast sandwich. Out of this world delicious in fact! Thickly cut, like 3″ thick, super tender only slightly fatty, heavenly tasting Angus beef. Served on a nice soft roll with sauteed onions and cheddar cheese, it was accompanied by a not overly strong ramekin of horseradish sauce [think «Horsey sauce”], potato chips, and a pickle spear. I will return here for that sandwich alone… if you’re a carnivore, you’ll love it. My cocktail was well done, however my crumble topped apple pie dessert was neither flavorful, nor memorable — my mistake to order it… but for that sandwich, the ambiance/​view, and service… again worth the trip. BTW, lots of good looking entrees went by our table… fish sandwich as well as the chicken salad served in a carved out pineapple. Plenty of nice choices on this menu.

Had reservations for 2 and when we walked in they asked if we wanted inside or outside seating. If your answer is outside, your reservation is gone and you have to get on the list to be seated. With the 45 minute outside wait we stayed in. The wines by the bottle were reasonably priced and featured local and national/​international brands. Our waitress Linda was a tad rough around the edges but was fine. I got the prime rib special (fri/​sat). It was somewhat dry which makes me wonder if they cook it Friday and keep it around for Saturday. It did not come with au jus or horseradish which I found quite odd. My wife got the asiago haddock and loved it. We shared the Black Forest cake for dessert. It was phenomenal. We would go back for the view alone. Prices were standard for the view and atmosphere.

After enjoying a perfect dinner, my date insisted that I give this restaurant 5 stars. So here it is.
First of all, location! There is nothing else up here in Wilson. The whole town, including this restaurant, shuts down after the second weekend in September because it gets too cold and there is nothing to do. This is all part of the charm. The restaurant is nestled between the Lake (with a perfect view to Toronto) and boat slips. It’s a cute little waterfront community, no question.
The service! Professional but very warm and welcoming, not stiff. We were greeted promptly by a friendly hostess who took us to a perfect table for two right by the window overlooking the dock and the boat slips. Actually, there doesn’t appear to be a bad seat in the house. The far wall is almost entirely windows with a high ceiling, providing a clear view of the gorgeous scenery.
Onto the food! Unfortunately we were already full on beer from a previous bar so we couldn’t partake in the appetizer or dessert menu. But we did treat ourselves to the delicious entrees. I had the tuna entrée. The tuna was perfectly seared and served with fried risotto balls which were slightly flavored with soy sauce — the perfect complement to the tuna. All the flavors on the plate seemed to be well thought out and worked perfectly. The presentation of the dish was beautiful.
My date had the thai primavera with shrimp. The flavors were incredible with a spicy kick.
If this restaurant wasn’t so far away from the City, I would be here more often. 5 stars!

Charming restaurant along the water. If you walk across the street and look across Lake Ontario, then you can actually see Toronto! It is clearly an old house that has been converted into a restaurant bar, but it exudes old world elegance in a way that few places do.
We didn’t eat, but sat for a while and had a drink overlooking the boats of the Tuscarora Yacht Club. This place is likely a ghost town during the harsh Buffalo winters, but I would say that this is one of the nicer places to have a drink in all of Buffalo.
The one problem is that it is like 45 min away from civilization. If you have the right company in the car, then the drive will go quickly. Definitely a great place to pass the afternoon or catch a sunset with someone special. Let this place be the ace up your sleeve for your next anniversary dinner. My advice: Just do it on a day with nice weather. Rearrange your special events accordingly.

Location. Location. Location. Wilson Boat House receives three stars primarily because of its location. Inside on this humid — but beautiful day — it was cool and comfy to enjoy a lunch date. The clean and updated interior boasts beautiful hardwood flooring and crisp white trim with a lovely view of the inlet off Lake Ontario. Tables were arranged to take advantage of the view with many window-​side spots.
The hostess escorted us –flip flops and beachy dress — to the last available table-​with-​a-​view. So often, it seems you’re first seated in less desirable spots, so it was appreciated to be seated with a view. It was just too dang hot to sit on the patio this day, although clearly others didn’t agree as they were enjoying a spot on the deck watching the boats dock.
We ordered one of the specialty drinks, the Wilson Sunset, a yummy light and dark rum concoction with cranberry and pineapple juice and a bottle of Heineken.
Lovey ordered the Mahi Mahi wrap with rice and black beans rolled into it and served with a side of homemade potato chips. He liked it all right, but wouldn’t order it again. The meal was not creatively presented, a white wrap on a white plate with golden potato chips. It’s mid-​summer and a little pile of fruit, like some blueberries and a strawberry or some green leaf lettuce and a tomato would have added immensely to the appeal.
I tried the beer battered Haddock sandwich with homemade potato chips. The roll was toasted (a bit too long, burn marks were not attractive) and a sorry piece of lettuce with a few slices of tough tomatoes garnished it. (I know. How can a tomato be tough?!) The haddock was in there somewhere. It was quite generously beer battered, really thick battered in fact. And there was some spicy dressing on the roll, it wasn’t bad. I did not eat much of the roll, it was humongous as rolls go. The chips were quite good.
The service was friendly and mostly attentive. The server was perhaps newer, unknowledgeable in the beer department and some of the menu offerings too. But she was very sweet, and every time we said thank you, she smiled and said «no problem» which is not the proper response, «you’re welcome» is. But she was trying hard to be a good server. The young men bussing tables were extremely hard working and intent on making the tables clean and tidy, no sloppiness at all.
Notes to management, have employees keep a spare set of pants/​shorts on hand (in their car, the back room, somewhere) as one of the servers had a horrendous trail of stains and spills — something particularly yucky — on both of her pant legs, front and back, sides, blotches from the knees down. She seemed unfazed by the ghastly mess. While accidents happen, that doesn’t promote a positive public image. Eew. And speaking of unpleasantness, sorry to point this out, but we were bothered by flies! House flies galore, really annoying while you’re eating. Maybe more screening would help. (We were recently at a place that had screening so discreet you hardly knew it was screened! Plus, it had magnets that kept it closed, very nice solution to a fly problem. Eew again.)
Wilson Boat House Restaurant was just okay. The atmosphere was every bit nautical and not cheesy. The food and attention to presentation could use some improvement. It rated three stars particularly for the view and the hard-​working employees.