Boathouse Collective

For my birthday, my boyfriend surprised me with a dinner party at Boathouse! The term hidden gem is used quite a bit on Unilocal,but this place is the epitome of hidden gem as it is tucked in between industrial buildings in the last place I would look for a hipster, foodie experience. How fitting :)
However when you walk inside, you are immediately transported into the cutest little boathouse. There are surfboards along the wooden walls, a bar leads you into the quaint dining room where there is even a little stage corner for live music. If you’re into the hipster foodie scene, you will not be disappointed. It will be everything you want it to be as far as ambiance, plus amazing food!
There was about 15 of us seated at their one long table down the center of the restaurant. And apparently, with large parties, they ask you to pay per head and choose a menu ahead time which will be served family style. I adore meals like those. Even with a large party, they are so intimate :)
So here is a rundown of our delicious menu:
1. Poke lettuce wraps: I’m not necessarily a huge poke fan (am I even allowed to say that out loud?), but these were very well received!
2. Burrata: OH.MY.God! I want to say this was my favorite, but the rest of the meal was so amazing, I know I would be lying to you. And I don’t want to do that. With that being said it was unreal! The cheese was like buttah! And was served with the sexiest mushrooms… along with other excellent accouterments and rustic bread.
3. Shrimp and calamari: excellent shrimp in my opinion. Pretty good calamari
4. Pear and arugula salad with pickled onions: This was very very delicious! Loved the vinaigrette.
5. Fingerling potatoes: Yes! Just yes!
6. Hanger Steak: Perfectly cooked and and excellent accompaniment to the potatoes.
7. Chicken: I can’t remember what kind, but it was awesome! Especially the next day…
8. Pork loin: This was delicious. So tender and juicy! A must!
9. Salted Caramel Pana cotta with toasted marshmellows: It was served in this adorable little jar like a pot de crème. The custard was delightful and caramel so perfectly made. It was small but rich and a well crafted, tasty dessert.
I so enjoyed myself at my dinner party at the Boathouse. The staff were so accommodating and the service spot on! The drinks were also very delicious. Cute little craft numbers that cost an arm and a leg, but are ultimately the icing on the evening. Unfortunately, due to it being my birthday, I don’t have any pictures, so you’re just going to have to visit and see for yourself!

Made reservations online for a Thursday night at 7:15pm. I really like places that take online reservations, it makes it really easy to make any edits to the reservation. They send you a confirmation text about an hour before the reservation just to make sure that you’re still coming. I arrived a little early because I read some reviews that said parking can be a little hard to find, but I called the restaurant and they let me know that I can park at the adjacent lot (which is still part of their property).
The seating at the restaurant is communal, so I was seated at this long table right next to another party. Received complimentary «chips» (which were just tostadas) and a bean dip. The food here is new american, but some of the items on the menu seem to have an asian influence on it since I saw miso butter as a reoccuring ingredient in a few items.
My friend and I decided to share some appetizers/​sides and have a drink. We ordered the steak tataki, ahi poke, and the grom bowl. The menu seems to be a little different than the pictures on Unilocal and what’s on their website — but that might be because their items are seasonal and change upon availability. Everything we got was great. there was a nice sear to the steak tataki and the small salad it came with really complimented the seasonings in the steak. The ahi poke came out in a bowl with each ingredient separate from each other, so we just mixed everything up. It had ahi poke, lettuce, rice, guac, blueberries and this sauce which reminded me of spicy mayo. I was hesitant at first with trying a bite with the blueberries because it seemed strange to eat blueberries with fish but it added a nice sweetness to the dish. The grom bowl was a side portion of rice, miso butter, fried chicken, and some argula.
We also ordered the greyhound and a mojito and everything here was really flavorful and delicious. I’d definitely come back to try their entrees because I was eyeing the porterhouse and sweet potato with miso butter. We got great service, our server came by multiple times to check up on us and make sure we had everything we needed.
There was live music playing and part of the seating area was closed off for a private event but it was a very cool place to come have dinner or grab drinks. It’s a little loud because everyone’s there socializing, so I wouldn’t recommend it as a place to have an intimate dinner because of their communal seating arrangement.

This place is awesome!
What a great laid back venue in a burgeoning neighborhood. Chef Royer has managed to bring fine dining to a casual atmosphere that people like me want to hang out in. Each dish was an experience of delicately blended flavors working in unison to create an amazing meal.
The service was genuine, the vibe was hip, and to food was to die for.
I’m looking forward to visiting again when I can Ubër in and enjoy some of the scrumptious looking cocktails.

I had a good experience! I made a reservation via the Unilocal app for 8PM on a Friday night for 2. My friend and I waited 5 minutes to be seated outside. The tables outside are gigantic and are shared between multiple parties. I didn’t find this to be a problem, and was seated right next to my friend. They also synced the stereo outside to whatever music the live bands were playing inside, so you don’t have to feel like you are missing much by sitting outside! They also place a couple of heaters outside so you don’t freeze! A great place to spend a Friday night overall!
A rundown on what I had:
Calamari — I was expecting to have one of those fried squid pops, but I was surprised that the dish was just marinated boiled shrimp and squid. It was really tasty, and the shrimp & squid were moist and cooked just right (not dried out at all as one might typically receive at a mediocre seafood restaurant). The portion was pretty small though.
Boathouse sour — I wasn’t impressed… the cocktail was a $ 12 drink.
Butterscotch Panna cotta — Eeep, way way too sweet for my taste!

Boathouse Collective just became my favorite place.
I came here for dinner the other night and was so pleased with every dish that came out. The food is worthy of a 5-​star restaurant without the 5-​star restaurant price. We ordered:
Shrimp & Calamari
Chicken & Waffles
Kale Salad
Fingerlings
Rack of lamb
Every bite was divine. Not to mention the Moscow mule was made to perfection. We sat in the outside area — very serene and you’ll likely be sharing a table with strangers which adds to the ‘homey’ feel of this restaurant. It’s also dog friendly which I thought was so cool! Definitely coming back here!

So been here a few times now and thinking I“m overdue on my review here!
I’ve been really impressed with the food here — very fresh and unique combinations that work! My favs include the poke (blueberries and all!) and the steak tataki. I also really like the buratta although it’s more of a salad w buratta but it works well w the spicy arugula and mushrooms.
The cocktails are also pretty fabulous here as well — the mixers taste very fresh and drinks are bright and flavorful. Being a gin drinker, I fell in love with the «Easy Street» and highly recommend. :)
They have a great HH 5 – 6:30 Tues-​Sat where you can sample a lot of their top dishes for a fraction of the price. I highly suggest this for your first visit if you can.
One downside to BC is the parking can be a hassle as they dont’ have a private lot so your’e left w street parking (can get crowded) or taking your chances at the neighboring business after-​hours lots. If you can über or carpool I HIGHLY suggest it.

This is one of those places that are bound to get mixed reviews. Fitting the role of the latest hipster eccentric hot spot in Costa Mesa, complete with a campy vibe and decked out with kitschy décor and string lights, it’s sure to draw a curious crowd. And crowded it was when we went to dine here on a chilly Friday night. Some will love the attractive outdoor space and the live music, with flowing drinks and carefree dancing. Others will judge this place as gimmicky and pretentious, with as much authenticity as an Orange County hipster. Undoubtedly some will come with unrealistically high expectations. But if you can get past all the pretense, you will see that the chefs here are doing some bold things, and creating dishes that are not only interesting, but delicious.
We started with the kale salad, which came with a nicely poached runny egg that complimented the colorful, yet simply dressed greens well. Next up was the calamari & prawns, which was a simple preparation, but perfectly executed. The squid and prawns were grilled just to the point of tender, and had a subtle smokey flavor that was delicate but savory.
We ordered the crispy rice as an afterthought, but found it to be the most interesting thing we ate that night. I’m accustomed to eating yaki onigiri at yakitori joints, so I was expecting the great texture without a ton of flavor. This grilled rice ball was the most flavorful one I have ever tasted, and it left me guessing at ingredients with each bite. Who knew such a small dish could be so complex. The roasted half jidori chicken was juicy and delicious as well, and cooked the way I imagine a good roasted chicken should be.
The star of the night however was the 16 oz. pork porterhouse. A lot of New American eateries are offering this type of chop, but the version here was the best I’ve had all year. The beautifully charred top loin came thicker than a phone book, and the perfect tenderness eluded to a brining process that must have taken hours. It was seasoned adequately while still allowing us to enjoy the full flavor of the pork. The generous portion was certainly appreciated as well.
There were a lot of things going on when we visited this place that night. The crowded bar, the live music, the spontaneous dancing and the slightly slow service that comes with all of this. But despite the small distractions, the food and drinks were what stood out to us. And that itself is worth noting. The Boathouse Collective is not the type of restaurant that appeals to me on a lot of levels, but the food that they offer here certainly does. This was one of the best set of dishes I’ve had all year, and a meal that I’ll remember. So kudos.

A group of 30+ people celebrated a friend’s bday in their outdoor patio.
The atmosphere was great, a bit rustic with high tables and cozy with heat lamps all over on a chilly night.
The bday boy ordered several items for all to share:
*Poke, nicely marinated
*Chicken and waffles: chicken was very moist and the waffle was a bit too sweet but everyone raved about it!
*Steak: perfectly cooked medium rare with delicious chimichurri sauce
*Salad with slices of fruits
*Burrata cheese with salad and toast
*Sweet potato with jam?
Everything was pretty good, but what stood out the most was definitely the chicken and waffles!
We were able to listen to the live music from inside the restaurant but they also accommodated us with our music
I also ordered a grapefruit cocktail but it was a bit too bitter for my taste
The restaurant may feel a bit remote especially if you drive at night. They have valet parking for $ 5 but we found street parking nearby. Definitely worth a visit!

My friends had a reservation for 16 at 5pm. We were told we would have to leave by 7:30. They were not used to this, but I thought 2.5 hours was enough. In any case, they gave us a long table with comfy, modern lime green chairs inside. It was rather cold in there, but after having a basil greyhound from their happy hour menu, I was warmed up.
Their happy hour menu is one of the best I’ve seen — grilled cheese, poke, steak tataki (I got this and loved it!), fingerling potatoes, etc. They also had 4 drink options. Our waiters took care of us promptly.
The place did get packed and they had were booked through the night. The ambiance was nice despite the looking outside and seeing barbed wire.

This place needs to work on their communication skills, especially on a big night like New Years Eve.
I was browsing places to eat with some friends and stumbled upon this place on Unilocal.From pictures I saw a majority of outdoor seating so I called to see if they offered indoor options. Girl on the phone said yes, but that the inside was full for the night, but outside is still cozy enough with their heaters. Seems like we were both on the same page understanding that I was inquiring about «tonights» options, not just about a theoretical night. So I thought…
I meet up with everyone there and walk up to the hostess stand and get word that they’re «full» for the night and have been booked up for a while now. Apparently this was a special pre fix dinner night and reservations have been had way in advance. Would be nice if the chick two hours ago had the common sense to have filled me in instead of mislead me about outdoor options being available. What a waste of my drive, but at least I didn’t waste my money on them. That’s what you get when you hire high school girls with no prior work experience to run your place!