The Loeb Boathouse

After my first walk through Central Park, my sister and I had a lovely lunch. We each had a salad to start, and instead of bigger lunch, we chose to have a crab cake and split an order of fries. The salads were both excellent and the crab cakes were among the best we’ve ever had. The view is beautiful and the service was excellent. I can’t wait to try dinner on my next trip.

I went brunch time on Saturday June 18 around 11:30am and waited 10 min for a table for 3. During the wait we ordered a drink and took in the nice view. Is there anywhere else you can brunch in the city with such a view? The ambiance alone is worth making the trip here at least once. Right in Central Park located by the boathouse with views of a small lake with people having fun, rowing. Go on a beautiful day and sit outside on the patio.
The service was excellent. Menus given right away, waiter was well versed on the menu and specials, food served very shortly after ordering and water was always filled without even asking. What else do you really need?
The food itself I thought was good. I only tried the smoked fish platter and I loved it. Perfect brunch food. A platter of different smoked fish served with cream cheese bagel lettuce cucumber tomatoes red onion and capers. I ate everything and left full.
My only complaint is horrendous parking situation around Central Park. I had no idea it would be that bad as I don’t trek it to Manhattan often. Don’t drive here unless you don’t mind paying 50 for parking. Take a cab or subway it in.

Grab and go section was nice. Food was modestly priced and scenery was wonderful. The turkey burger and Greek salad were average (probably wouldn’t reorder them) but croissants and cappuccino were delicious!

Honestly, I don’t understand the negative reviews. My sister and I had brunch here on a Saturday morning. We didn’t have reservations, but there wasn’t wait. We sat out on the beautiful patio overlooking the lake. There was a lovely breeze that kept us cool even in the 80+ degree heat.
We shared the tuna ceviche appetizer. I would like to eat one of these every day. The ingredients are so fresh. There is just the right amount of acid and a little heat. Each bite was delicious.
I decided on the smoked salmon benedict and my sister ordered the challah french toast. All the serving sizes are generous. We both cleaned our plates and couldn’t find a thing that we disliked.
For coffee fanatics like myself, they also have an iced cappucino that I would highly recommend.
The service was attentive, quick and kind. The space was clean and airy. Our experience proved that there is quality going on in the kitchen as well.
Great spot!

This place is amazing.
My aunt took us here for lunch after strolling around Central Park.
The food was amazing. The view of the lake was splendid. An all-​around great time!
My aunt got the Crab Cakes and that sauce is to die for. My cousin got the Scallop Ceviche and that had nice flavor to it. My mom got the Steak and she enjoyed that. I got a poultry dish. Either Cornish Hen or Chicken. Not sure, but either way, it was delicious.
Sure, it’s pricey. You can’t beat the view, the service and the food.

Walked in on a Saturday evening, and was able to get a table for two with no problem. The servers brought our drinks quickly and theybasically forced (in a nice way) numerous servings of breads on us (complimentry).
Had grilled octupus salad and ceviche for apps which were both great!
Had Halibut special for dinner which was also incredible. It started raining and the servers didnt chase us out as we finished our desserts (ice cream was great, coffee was very average). Bill w/​tip was $ 200…(only 2 glasses of chardonnay)

I sat by the outdoor bar area overlooking the lake, watching the rowers and one lone gondola glide over the deep green water. I was surrounded by lush trees, I was served with a smile, and I was slowly sipping a spicy bloody mary. What more can one wish for? Pure bliss.

They could mail it in here, with all the CP people traffic and beautiful natural setting.
They don’t. The food and service were spectacular and while expensive for the fare, it is world class location. Nice job. We will be back.

Finally brunched here recently when the SO’s parents were visiting. Views of the pond are pretty and worth the extra $ 5 – 10 per dish you’ll be paying to share this moment with 600 of your closest tourist friends. If you’re thinking of boating, get yourself a dinghy and work those arms to earn your meal.
It was a schlep to cut through the 30,000 people participating in the Aids Walk, but we got there eventually (thanks, Google Maps, for making me a tourist in my own city every damn day).
Our wait wasn’t too bad at 10:30 am (maybe 15 – 20 minutes until our pager went off), though I suspect it gets a lot worse for lunch and dinner. The service was friendly though food took forever to bring out. If you look around, you’ll see why. It is just FULL. But it’s full of out-​of-​towners, so they’re for the most part well-​behaved and won’t disrupt your meal with strident nonsense conversations.
We got coffees and juices as it was well before noon on Sunday, and survived without booze. For foodstuffs, I had the Benedict with lox, which was well executed. Among the bevy of plates on our table, one boasted scrumptious-​looking French toast. Make that your second choice.

Food was average, but very pricey. And that’s not surprising because you’re paying for the location and views. My shrimp pasta was heavy on the sauce and the shrimp were completely dried out, almost to the point of being inedible, but I ate it because I was hungry. The menu was very limited. Not more than ten options total between appetizers and entrees. My red wine was too acidic and maybe had been sitting in an open bottle too long.
Views are definitely superior in the daytime — at nighttime, it’s just completely dark and you can’t see anything, so if you’re trying to impress your date, bring them for brunch/​lunch. Restaurant itself is classy, servers are very professional and courteous. They were kind enough to bring separate checks for every two people because we had a very large party. I wouldn’t discourage you from coming here if you really want to, as it is a cool location and fun to do once, but if you’re a discriminating foodie and want the most bang for your buck, then this may not be the place for you.

Waited over an hour for main course. Our waiter kept avoiding our table as he knew we would probably complain. Didn’t offer any more drinks in that period. I had to get the attention of the manager as she walked past, and told her that we were going to miss our flight if food didn’t arrive soon. She offered a free round of drinks which we obviously didn’t have time for. Seafood pasta was average at best. Crab cake was great.
I get that you are busy, but customer service is free.

DO NOT LISTEN TO THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS!
This is my second visit here — the first a cold wintry Christmas lunch with to die for warm apple cider!
This place is absolutely beautiful, the views are amazing (ahhhh sigh), the service was exceptional — our waiter was very professional, attentive and a little flirty … Which is fun for a girls lunch.
The food was delicious — the crab cakes are their dish so you must have them! My dessert while amazing was very chocolaty for my taste — but that was my problem in ordering!
If you go for brunch on the weekend — people this is NYC — you have to line up for almost everything in peak times. In regard to it being touristy — again — this in NYC — one of the most visited places in the world — so again yes there will be tourists — due to the picturesque location — people want to go here!!!
So sit back, enjoy your Bellini, the sunshine and the magnificent views. I will most definitely return — and you would be crazy not to go here at least once and enjoy all there is to enjoy about the beautiful Loeb Boathouse.

I have a soft spot for this place. I’ve only had the best of experiences coming here.
But with my emotional crap to the side, there is NO other place is NYC where you can have some tasty food and enjoy the glorious central park views. I typically come here for brunch and fortunately, have always been seated right away (which is hard to come by in NYC). They have large windows so no matter where you sit, you’ll have views of the lake. My huz absolutely loves their pork sausages, but I think there’s nothing more divine than their smoked fish platter.
This place is definitely worth coming to and gets my highest rank!

Classy, upscale restaurant on the banks of the Central Park lake.
— FOOD: The food is honestly the biggest weakness of this restaurant, because you can’t beat the location. I came with a group of colleagues here, and we all found the dishes to be less than expected, given the upscale décor and prices. I had the wasabi tofu, because even though I find wasabi repellant, it was just about the only vegetarian entrée. It was essentially just a large piece of mostly unseasoned tofu, so it left something to be desired. The desserts were good — we tend to order and share as a table — and our favorites were the blueberry crepes and banana tart.
— FOR THE VEGGIES: There are limited vegetarian options. I wouldn’t recommend the tofu, as noted above, and would likely try a salad if I were to return.
— SERVICE: Our service was attentive and quick, and very friendly.
— ATMOSPHERE: This is the best part — if nothing else, you should come to the boathouse for the view and the setting. It’s upscale and most guests are dressed in their Sunday best, but it is not overly formal. In other words, it’s a classy joint, great for professional outings, a special family meal, or a unique romantic occasion.

Timing wise, we couldn’t make our reservation here for Social Gourmand’s Columbia graduation celebration, but seven years later, we practically stumbled upon it during a snow-​admiration walk in Central Park.
The three hosts welcomed us, and pressed cups of warm cider into our frozen hands, but unfortunately the rest of the wait staff seemed less thrilled to be working there. Almost all of the two-​tops are across the aisle from the window seats, but we still could enjoy the iconic view. The element you won’t recognize from movies or pictures is the intense mildew odor. At some point, food smells masked it, but they really need to gut the place or work on the air filtration.
Overall, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food — my pot of herbal tea was made with a strainer of leaves, the bus/​bread boy came by a couple of times with a generous assortment (none of which was warm), and the presentation was lovely. The Grilled Portobello Salad contained so many bleu cheese chunks, that I used some as a bread spread — good deal at $ 14, but the Jumbo Crab Cake at $ 20 lacked in size for the East Coast. I liked the texture and sweetness the pumpkin added to the huge cuts of paccheri pasta in a braised short rib ragu.
They added on a 15% gratuity though the menu says that’s for parties of 6 or more. Nevertheless, the Boathouse could easily be a tourist trap, and we were so happy to find it a legitimate restaurant and wonderful NYC experience.

Crab cake. A must! It’s probably on my top 2 list for crab cakes and I don’t say that lightly. Delicious, filled with crab meat and mouth watering.
The pumpkin bread that they initially serve to you is also very good. It’s not too sweet and would be perfect with an afternoon coffee.
We tried their Mac n Cheese, which was also tasty. The amount of cheese they put in there is perfect.
As excited as we were after the appetizers, the actual meal we had for brunch was disappointing. The eggs Benedict lacked flavor, their «steak» was not the steak we were used to (Texas native) and the omelet lacked flavor as well.
Our appetizers really outshined our actual meals but definitely worth going back for! Not to mention, the view is amazing!

Came here for a Sunday brunch with a couple of friends. Love that this restaurant sits on the lake and has a water side view, along with a view of Central Park, although I wish the trees weren’t dead and bare naked. The most memorable thing about this restaurant were the crab cakes. That alone was 5 stars. It was pure perfection. The entire cake was filled with crab and had the most delicious sauce to accompany it. I would come here just for that alone. Brunch itself on the other hand was mediocre. Definitely not worth the amount of money that we paid. The omelette and eggs Benedict were pretty lackluster and had no flavor. The only thing that saved this place were mimosas and good company!

It’s all about the view/​atmosphere — but then we fully expected that going in but still wanted to tick it off. Glad we did it but probably won’t be back.
Went on a Sunday around 1pm and told 2 hour wait (for 2 people) which seemed a bit crazy but we decided to stick it out. We were then called after 10 minutes which was great but makes me wonder if the long wait time is scaremongering to drive people away or make it feel more exclusive. I mean, how can you get it that wrong?
Blood orange mimosa was just ok. The glass felt smaller than normal size and it was a bit over sweet for my taste. Switched to wine after that which was also just ok. My eggs benefit were also… just ok. My husband actually loved his chicken dish, that was the one stand out thing. But in general it was as expected — highly average overpriced food in a pretty place. You’ll get much nicer brunch in other places — I would do that then come here for a drink in the outside area. The drinks are better there than in the restaurant as well!

I came here when my sister was visiting me from England. She had seen it in so many films and specifically asked if we could visit. I had reserved a table and on arrival We were seated immediately & one table back from the water so we were happy. We were given the drinks menu which included only wine by the bottle. I asked if they could do wine by the glass & was given the bar menu. Prices were reasonable considering the location.
Our drinks arrived– mine with a side of pink lipstick! I noticed immediately and requested a different glass.
The complimentary bread was delicious, I had the cranberry bread, I would have loved a second piece! For our main dishes, I ordered the steak with potatoes and carrots. I requested the steak medium, but it came out well done and kind of burnt, so was difficult to cut and was kind of chewy. There was also a lack of potato, with about 2 wedge size pieces on the plate. I was really disappointed! The presentation wasn’t great either, it came out on a plate filled with fat and meat juices. My sister ordered the twin burgers and seemed happy enough, although she requested the burgers be cooked rare and they were also well done, medium at best. From my view they didn’t look like the best burger buns either.
For dessert we asked our server for a bit more information on all the dishes as the descriptions were fairly brief. He couldn’t really provide much info and when I asked about the peanut butter dessert he said it is just like a snickers bar? Regardless, I did order the peanut butter tart for dessert and it was really good, the best part of the meal.
I’m a bit disappointed with our over all experience, I had higher expectations. Service was fairly MIA throughout the meal, apart from water which was constantly replenished. The views of course were amazing, but the food just isn’t up to par in my opinion. Maybe for such a beautiful and popular setting they don’t feel like the food is as important? Or maybe they think everyone is a tourist and won’t return anyway.

A beautiful activity to try while in New York !
Now that the temperature is cooling down its a perfect time to grab your lover/​friend/​mom/​dad/​grandma/​grandpa/​whoever and take a ride on the boats. It’s cheaper than you’d expect for NYC and the scenery is breath taking.
The line moved quickly as we waited to get on a boat. The assistance pushed us off after we showed our ticket. The fist couple of minutes are chaotic — bumper boats. But other than that you’re free rowing!
My boyfriend and I rowed towards a concert that was playing on land and just chilled from the boat. There was also tiny turtles that would peak their heads up every so often. (i know, you think how could anything live in that nasty water)
For children they give life jackets but for adults you’re not obligated to wear it .
I believed the boathouse is open till October and I recommend you visit now since the weather won’t get you all sweaty as you sit drifting away.
This was a perfect spot for a picture too! So if you’re looking for a nice photo this is the place to go !
Put it on your bucket list nyc!

Ce restaurant est idéalement situé près du point d’eau de Central Park et dispose d’un snack mais aussi d’un restaurant «plus chic». Nous avons testé le restaurant, et je le recommande vivement pour un repas en amoureux: le cadre est idéal, le personnel est accueillant et très attentionné. La nourriture est très bonne, et même si je né dirais pas qu’il s’agit du meilleur restaurant que j’ai jamais fait d’un point de vue culinaire, il est clair que le cadre enchanteur fait beaucoup et cela reste donc pour moi un très très bon souvenir… Bref, il s’agit du plus bel endroit où manger en amoureux dans NY à mon sens.

Experiência incrível, atendimento exelente a comida muito boa!

Wir waren Ende Juni zum Dinner dort, ich hatte vorher im Internet reserviert. Ein absolutes Muß, denn das Boathouse ist im Sommer immer knallevoll. Unbedingt einen Sitzplatz auf der (überdachten) Terrasse buchen! Der Blick auf den See ist traumhaft! Der Service ist sehr zuvorkommend und kompetent und auch schnell.
Das Essen erhält von mir die Schulnote 1 minus. Grundgenial zum Dessert ist die Käseplatte und das gemischte Eis.
Die 3 Sterne erhält dieses Restaurant von mir nur mit viel Mühe und einem zugedrückten Auge, denn es hat einen ganz, ganz, ganz großen Nachteil :
Es ist unglaublich laut, die gewölbte Überdachung wirkt auf den Schall wie ein Brennglas. Bisher das lauteste Restaurant in meinem ganzen Leben!!!

Cette notation s’adresse non pas au restaurant assis car nous n’avons pas pu réserver une table et a notre arrivée pourtant vers 12h00, il y avait déjà plus d’une heure d’attente. Cette notation s’adresse au snack situé a l’intérieur de l’établissement mais juste derrière la salle qui donne sur le lac. Frites basiques, quelques sandwich sans aucun intérêt et surtout une salade vraiment immonde pour un établissement de ce type. L’endroit est de surcroît hyper bruyant avec du passage non stop, les tables non nettoyée… Bref a éviter absolument même un jour de semaine.
En revanche, je n’ai pas testé la fameuse salle assise et placée en bord de lac. C’est peut être très bien… Cependant, je né comprends pas bien le concept et surtout le contraste saisissant entre un restaurant qui se veut classe et romantique d’un côté et né cafétéria digne d’un hall de gare de l’autre… Tout se beau monde se côtoie dans le hall d’accueil et partage les même toilettes…

Lundi 13 août 2012,
Dernier jour de mon tout premier séjour à New York, nous avons 40 minutes de retard pour notre réservation au Lakeside Restaurant, situé au coeur de Central Park, donnant sur le lac.
Accueil sans remontrance. On nous demande de patienter. Moins de 10 minutes plus tard, nous voici placés au bord de la terrasse, à côté l’eau. Le lake, ses tortues, la verdure et au loin la cime des building. Je suis déjà conquis.
Les gens qui viennent là et qui né finissent pas au bord de la terrasse sont vraiment déçus, cela se lit sur leur visage.
J’opte, tout comme mon copain, pour une assiette Lobster Roll and potatoes hot dog bun, des morceaux de homard dans un petit pain, avec de la garniture et des chips de légumes en accompagnement (28 $). Afin de se désaltérer en cette chaude journée, des verres de Sauvignon californien.
J’avais déjà pu voir un plat au même prix au Blue Fin (sur Time Square), mais là une légère différence, l’assiette semble mieux garnie. Les morceaux de homard né sont pas ridicules. A une autre table à côté, des américaines ont mis plus d’une heure pour terminer la leur… Forcément, elles semblaient complètement alcoolisées ;)
Pour le dessert, j’ai un trou de mémoiré… Surement qu’il n’était pas si fabuleux que ça.
Le service était très bien, pas d’attente pour le service, très professionnel.
Je né suis peut être pas objectif, je suis tombé sous le charme du cadre, ayant un peu de mal avec les milieux urbains denses. Mais j’ai encore le souvenir et le goût dans la bouche du plat, cela né trompe pas. J’oserai même dire que ce moment fait partie de l’un de mes meilleurs souvenirs de New York.

Schönes Ziel nach einem Spaziergang durch den Central Park.
Mann kann hier auch nur einen Drink an der Bar nehmen oder im etwas überteuerten Restaurant mit Blick auf den See speisen.
Schöner Platz, vor allem im Sommer lädt eine große Terrasse mit Blick auf den See zum verweilen ein.
An schönen Tagen ist eine kleine Bar an der Seite des Hauses geöffnet an der mann sich unkompliziert ein Bier, Wein oder Kaffee holen kann um sich damit irgendwo niederzulassen.