The Boathouse Charlestown

Someone from this business manages this listing.

1,042 reviews

#3 of 10 Restaurants in Charlestown££ - £££, Bar, International, European

+44 1726 63322+ Add website

Hours

Sun

10:00 - 23:59

Mon

10:00 - 23:59

Tue

10:00 - 23:59

Wed

10:00 - 23:59

Thu

10:00 - 23:59

Fri

10:00 - 23:59

Sat

10:00 - 23:59

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What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

1,042 reviews

#3 of 10 Restaurants in Charlestown

Travellers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

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CUISINES

Bar, International, European, British

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Drinks

features

Location and contact

Charlestown Road, Charlestown, St Austell PL25 3NJ England

+44 1726 63322

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Does this restaurant offer highchairs for toddlers?

Yes

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Details

Manage this business?

CUISINES

Bar, International, European, British

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Drinks

FEATURES

Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Highchairs Available, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Live Music, Gift Cards Available

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4.5

1,042 reviews

Excellent

646

Very good

226

Average

Poor

Terrible

ChairmanBill

Old Sodbury197 contributions

Excellent

Feb 2020 • couples

Called in during the afternoon. The owner was on the phone, but immediately ended the call to attend to our needs - we wanted to book a table for the evening. He advised us that he was full, but had, that minute, received a cancellation. The Boathouse is a cross between a bar, a bistro and a restaurant. Lively and welcoming with nice decor. We had the most beautifully presented and tasty meal, accompanied by an excellent selection of quality wines that were very reasonably priced. The hangar steak was sublime and my wife's sea bream was declared divine. I always have to ask for ice cream to be added to my Eton mess, as I believe it's not complete without it. Imagine my delight when the Cornish mess on the dessert menu automatically came with ice cream. A great chef and an owner who understands the catering business and how to please customers. I wish him much success.

Written 22 February 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ladyluck14k

Derry125 contributions

Excellent Cornish Cream Tea

Jul 2020 • couples

After walking the length of Charlestown looking for a proper Cornish Cream tea, often being abruptly told "we dont do cream teas!" In other establishments we discovered this little gem further up the road and were greeted by a lovely girl who said no problem! Take a seat and we will bring your cream tea over! The place is beautiful and has a gorgeous garden to sit in. We sat in the garden and the lovely girl brought us our cream teas. I had the best cappuccino made with soy milk ive had in a long time and my husband had what he said was a proper pot of tea. The cream was of course proper Cornish clotted and came with a beautiful jar of jam to go on a delicious warm scone, pure perfection in beautiful surroundings and only came to £10 for 2 cream teas, extremely reasonable for Charlestown! Highly recommend the place, and will definitely be back next time im down.

Written 17 July 2020

PMB54

Street111 contributions

Impromptu lunch

Sept 2020 • couples

Called in on the off chance and we were lucky enough to get a table. Attentive service and a good menu at a reasonable price. Seafood lingui and teriyaki belly pork both excellent accompanied by a reasonably priced bottle of sauvignon blanc. Would definitely visit again but would suggest booking so as to be not disappointed.

Written 2 September 2020

Shaun S

Woking8 contributions

The Boathouse

Sept 2020 • couples

I only feel the need to review very bad or good experiences when eating out. Today's meal at the boathouse falls within the former catagory for sure. The service initially was good, but a trip to the toilets below should have sent me packing before ordering anything; the kitchen staff were shouting and swearing at the top of their voices even with seeing me passing the kitchen door, none were wearing gloves or ppe, one belched as loudly as he could with customers nearby, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. My food arrived very quickly, the potatoes and parsnips were reasonable. The vegetarian roast was stone cold and soaking wet, the Yorkshire pud overcooked and the cauliflower cheese tasted of oil, not cheese. I was going to send meal back, but could not get any service until nearly 15 mins after my partner finished her meal, which was a chargriled chicken and not roast as was ordered. Additionally, it was very dry and half was left uneaten. After finally getting service some 15 mins after she finished, the server was polite and apologetic. But the experience wasn't over as an unwell feeling soon crept up on me and I was rushing to the loos to vomit the few mouthfuls I had consumed immediately on return to the camp site. My partner also mentioned the kitchen staff were acting very unprofessionally when she passed on her way to the customer toilets also. And remarked we should have gone elsewhere had she seen that before ordering. Very much a place to avoid in the future.

Written 13 September 2020

glih409

Hi There - firstly we would just like to apologise that you feel you had such a negative experience with us. Im sorry that you feel the kitchen staff werent behaving appropriately, its unfortunate that the space downstairs is the way it is with customers using the bathrooms having to pass the kitchen. We have had our busiest summer ever working with absolute mimimal staff - occasionally tensions rise under these conditions but I apologise that you overheard whatever you did. PPE is not mandatory in the kitchen, just as it isnt for front of house staff but I assure you that all staff members are following strict hygeine practices. Hands and washed and sanitised after and between all food handling, and the kitchen in cleaned and sanitised regularly in accordance with HACCP and FSA (food standards agency) guidelines. As for you meal, im so sorry that you didnt enjoy it - we sold a large number of veggie roasts on Sunday and didn't recieve any other negative comments - in fact quite the opposite. I think its fair for me to point out that the cost of your meal was removed from your bill which you have failed to mention in your review.. It's a real shame when any customers go away and write such negative criticism on the internet - if you had told us about all of these concerns on the day then we may have been able to deal with this more effectively. We were busy on the day and i apologise that you felt you couldnt get any service but had you come to find one of us then i assure you we would have made the time to ensure that you were happy. Sorry again that you didn't enjoy your visit to us - if you have any further comments please feel free to contact me directly on theboathousecharlestown@gmail.com. Kind regards.

Written 15 September 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Baustin91

Charlestown2 contributions

Rude ‘Slick Rick’

Oct 2020 • couples

As we walked in it seemed as though the owner wasn’t sure which table we were supposed to be on. As it was, he placed us next to the ‘Exit’ door, where there was a constant draft. My girlfriend enjoyed her burger but my pizza was too tough to cut through and had perfectly sliced chicken from a packet. As I asked for the bill after being offered no more drinks (which we could of had a plenty, despite the dire food and service) the manager proceeded to swipe my card with his card machine without saying a word or showing me the amount on the card reader. I then confronted the manager about this terrible service to which he apologised and then ‘winked’ at me. Would not recommend. The longstore steakhouse next door is exceptional so I recommend anyone spends their money their instead.

Written 15 October 2020

mogwi01270

Crewe113 contributions

great atmosphere, food and staff

Jan 2020 • none

We went here for their version of the Sunday roast - my wife had the slow cooked beef feather blade and i had the slow cooked belly pork. In both cases it was cooked to a tee and melted in the mouth. Only minor thought was that my wife's 'yorkshire' pudding was more like a muffin but nothing insurmountable or really complain able. Service was great fast initially even though it 3/4 full to take drinks order, then food order and meal arrived in timely fashion. Both staff checked we were happy with what we'd got and not in pushy fashion. We'd return there

Written 21 January 2020

Nikki W

Beaconsfield127 contributions

Food was ok, not memorable

Aug 2020 • family

Food was ok, gastro pub, really could be anywhere. Some of our party really liked their food others felt it was over priced for what they had. Meeting coronavirus requirements in spacing and wiping tables but not chairs. Multiple people rather than only one serving a table. There is nothing wrong with this restaurant at all so don’t misconstrue my rating however for me it wasn’t memorable. (Apart from the comment below) if someone asked me for a recommendation in Cornwall this wouldn’t be one that would pop to the top of my list if you care about really good food. When we asked the owner said they weren’t participating in the Eat our to help scheme as they don’t need to and too much effort to register and wait the he said 6 weeks, but it’s actually 5 days, to receive the refund from the government.... helping customers wasn’t a factor so if you want to support businesses to get back on their feet they’re happy for you to go somewhere else.

Written 8 August 2020

em12334

Truro124 contributions

Lovely lunch!

Feb 2020 • friends

Visited Charlestown with some friends who always recommend this place. Now I see why! Food was delicious and had generous portion sizes, especially for the price (was pricey but worth it) I had a goats cheese and fig toast and it was more than enough. Drinks weren’t bad price, what you’d think for an independent. Staff are friendly and the atmosphere is good. Only criticism is the toilet was abit dirty, didn’t look like it had been checked as tissue was on the floor. And it’s right next to the kitchen which is abit off putting.

Written 26 February 2020

JoC

Truro10 contributions

80 percent good

Feb 2020 • none

Most of the food was very good, but I ordered a burger which was raw in the middle. It was acceptable so I did not complain. There is parking outside which is a bonus in Charlestown as all other parking places are pay and display. The seats are very hard. I am thin and so had to get a cushion. The service was very good and with a smile.

Written 23 February 2020

seaside600

Lincolnshire48 contributions

Great atmosphere and lovely food

Sept 2021 • family

We prebooked on the website for a Sunday evening, they were very busy so I’m glad we booked. The waitresses were very attentive and helpful and great to chat to. The service was very fast, food was piping hot, really big portions and good value for money. Lovely little place, would definitely return.

Written 28 September 2021

joe_90000

Dublin21 contributions

Amazing food & service

Jul 2021 • none

We had a beautiful family meal at The Boat House on our first night in St Austell. Shared a couple of starters, da bara bakery breads (need to find out where they are located, to die for!) accompanied with olives, hummus & balsamic along with a delicious garlic bread & cheese, kids were fighting for the last slice. We all had different mains, I opted for the buttermilk fried chicken burger, came with a delicious guacamole, cheddar, a scrumptious homemade slaw and straw fries, outstanding. My son went for the burger, I was a little envious, defo a homemade pattie, it was huge and had a lovely swiss cheese and bacon, he devoured it in minutes. My wife had the veg burger, curried chickpea, spinach & pea pattie, an onion bhaji, riata, mango at just under £12 with straw chips, arguably under-priced, she absolutely loved it, fab to see a restaurant that cares so much for vegetarians. My daughter had the large calamari with massive home-made chunky chips accompanied with a beautiful, sweet chilli sauce. Needless to say we were very satisfied and very full. In the end we shared an ice cream, slated caramel and vanilla, never tasted a bit, by all accounts it was fabulous!! I was too late!!! My wife and had coffee, proper Italian roast. Service was extremely attentive and friendly, never rushed, we felt very welcome & cared for. Will be back before we go home. A large menu but so well executed, 5 stars all round.

Written 18 July 2021

Tasha

20 contributions

Enjoyable Friday evening.

Feb 2020 • couples

Booking is a must. Great atmosphere as soon as we walked in. The bar was busy and the tables full. Wide range of options for food, with a mediterean inspired menu. Veggie sharing platter was shred between the two of us as a starter. Generous portions and lots of complimentary flavours. For mains we had Pork Belly and a Chicken burger. Presented well, good combinations of flavours and different textures such as the apple jelly in the pork. We really enjoyed our evening meal here with attentive staff in an informal and relaxed setting.

Written 21 February 2020

tomandtrudy

St Austell56 contributions

Excellent takeaway

Jun 2020 • couples

Previously been to the Boathouse several times pre Covid so as soon as they advertised a takeaway service we decided to give it a try. We downloaded the menu and ordered by phone, picking a suitable time slot. The food was ready exactly at the promised time. We had a pizza and a curry. Both were great, but the curry was fabulous.

Written 16 June 2020

Dogface123

Stamford120 contributions

Average and a bit quick

Aug 2020 • couples

We went here as we were stopping in Charlestown. The atmosphere was quite nice but we found the place to be a little bit fast food like with a limited menu. We both had the fish cake with chips which we thought was quite expensive given what it was.

Written 29 August 2020

Gabrielle

London20 contributions

Our favourite place in Charlestown.

Jul 2020 • family

Our favourite place in Charlestown. We visited the Boat House twice during our week long holiday. It was a gorgeous place with fantastic food. In particular we were really impressed with the kids meals which were outstanding - proper stone baked pizzas and amazing mini fish and chips. They had recently opened after lockdown and had done a brilliant job getting everything properly distanced.

Written 18 July 2020

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