McLoone’s Boathouse
“But, who doesn't love a free mimosa at brunch…? : P
We took a walk around the lake afterward and there is even a play area for kids!”
“After dinner you can walk off down to the reservoir and take a nice stroll around the water.”
“Nice restaurant, very cozy with fireplaces, friendly staff, price range 20-50 per meal, tasty food.”
McLoone’s Boathouse
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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Had a very pleasant time last night, nice place! Location is great, on a small lake. Service was very good, our waiter was friendly and kept close tabs on our party, 7 of us. Started with a few dizen Blue point oysters. For dinner I went with the pork chop, very good! And I was glad they had Simi Alexander Valley Cabernet!
I agree with what others have said. This place is all about the view not the food. It's a shame you can't eat the view!! The food should be much better given the price.
Atmosphere – great! Sit outside if you can.
We had…..
Ahi tuna appetizer – no flavor
Fried shrimp – salty
Mango lump crab cake – ok
Pork chop – ok
Scallops with risotto – decent
Come with your own group and enjoy the company and the view. Don't come expecting great food. Disappointing!
My girlfriends and I had dinner at McLoones last night. I have been to the location in Hoboken for a shower, but, never for dinner.
We arrived and were promptly seated outside. The outside is actually really nice. They have some couches, high tops as well as regular tables. You look out to the park and the lake, really quaint.
We started with some drinks! The red and white sangria, delicious, a tad sweet, but, sangria is usually sweet. For apps we ordered the wings, crab and avocado tower, and the buffalo chicken wontons. The wings were good, the wontons, super dry, and the crab and avocado, was ok. I personally thought that the crab was bland and tasted like it was straight outta the can. Had a metal taste to it, and, when I hear tower, I think tower! Not so much! It was served in a bowl, in a ring mold. Odd.
For dinner, I ordered the crab cakes. They were ok. I thought they were a little dry and, for the price that I paid, I should not have had to pick out shells! Mashed potatoes, needed seasoning and when I think mashed potatoes, I think creamy, these were hard.
The atmosphere is nice, the food, has potential but could use some work.
The food is pretty good here. What makes it less than pleasant for me is the perpetually piss poor service. Every time I have been here something goes South and the servers are nowhere to be found. I know its a big place but bad service cannot be ignored. The place is often filled with screaming kids even if you have a late dinner which when combined with the inadequate service makes me not want to return. I don't know if the County owns it but i s run like the DMV. Not impressed and not going back unless someone has a party there and I have to go.
You know, I thought this place might get better over time, as I wrote my review shortly after they opened. SO WRONG. It's still a mess. Servers are clueless and the service itself is poor. Whether I am at the bar or outside at a table (because I don't come here and eat anymore), there is typically always something wrong with our order. Went for drinks and a friend ordered gluten free lobster pasta and the server wasn't sure he ordered the gluten free one, so they had to send it back. The bartenders take forever to acknowledge you, no matter how few customers there are. Table maintenance is atrocious. I sat at a table the other night with so many plates and food from a previous party and the server just moved it to another table full of dishes, though he left the half chewed (by someone else!) edamame on the table for way too long; it was gross. One saving grace is their buffalo chicken wontons. Actually pretty tasty. The only thing that I like about this place is the outdoor space. Fire pits, resin wicker lounge chairs and a great view of the reservoir; it's great, and one of the only places like it in or around town. It's a shame this gorgeous outdoor space was wasted on such a poorly run establishment.
This place is HUGE. My review is rated so highly because it's got such a nice view and the service was great. I had made reservations on opentable, but when we got here there was a bit of a wait for outdoor sitting so we left our phone number and decided to go on a walk along the river that is right behind this beautiful restaurant.
The walk was really enjoyable and this is def now on my list of places to run along. There is a whole loop around the river. Anyway after we got a text we walked back to the hostess and we sat with a view of the beautiful sunset.
We ordered calamari and a salad to share. The calamari was ok but def too breaded and fried to the point where you couldn't even taste what you were eating. The salad was awesome. The waitress was nice enough to ask that our salad be split in two diff plates which was very neat of her. All in all we enjoyed our dinner here and of course the views.
The place itself is very grandiose. I def recommend checking it out. The parking lot was huge and yet full of cars. It's obvious that this spot gets frequented by many and I def see why.
Solid food in a stunningly beautiful setting!
The building is gorgeous, and the location cannot be beat, right on the South Mountain Reservoir.
The food was solid, nothing all that special, and kind of pricy for what you get, but the ambiance was great and the beer was cold. I left very happy.
We ordered the Buffalo Wontons to start. I was not that impressed with these. They were a bit soggy, could have been crisped up a bit more. The buffalo sauce was pretty basic, nothing interesting or exciting about it.
For entrees, I ordered the crab cakes, and my family members ordered chicken risotto and the hannah salad. The crab cakes were good, although definitely not worth $29.95 for two cakes, some mashed potatoes and asparagus…actually the asparagus was the best part, it was really tasty! The Chicken risotto was very nicely prepared, just the right tenderness of risotto and the chicken was very flavorful. The salad was overdressed and soggy, but had nice flavor.
All-in-all, I would rate them 5 stars on ambiance, 3 on food quality to value ratio, and 4 on service. In my mind, that equals 3.5 stars. I would come back to hang out at the bar, eat some snacks or raw bar. I would come back if I was meeting a group here who wanted to come, but probably would not choose to come for dinner on my own.
Sadly this place is the definition of disappointment. Considering all of their locations, it's clear that the owners of this chain have figured out a business model that works for them: Find a strategic location with a beautiful view, so that you can charge way too much for sub-par food and lackluster service. I have been here a few times and today marks my "three strikes and your out" policy. I don't care how nice the view, it's not worth having my food pass through me within 45 minutes.
Here is a summary of the experience:
Wait approximately 15 minutes after placing my order for my drink to be delivered, and my glass of wine arrives in a filthy glass. I wait another 10 minutes for a replacement.
My $20 dollar crab and avocado appetizer arrives. The avocado and mango are fresh as can be, but I realize quickly how much my definition of "lump crab" differs from this place. I would equate this to more like shredded crab meat from a can. It was mushy and shredded into tiny little slivers that could barely be scooped up with the other ingredients. The flavor was mild and not in a good way. It barely had any taste.
My friend had one cocktail, which in her opinion was pretty good. This was accompanied with a basic salad with balsamic, nuts, and cheese.
Total bill was over $60 dollars for mediocre (at best) food and poor service, but hey WHAT A VIEW.