This is one of melbournes best secrets.
Scones and tea, overlooking the river , mid week. I’ve love this place for years.
Mid week is best, sunny by the fires.
Perfect country getaway in the city
We fell in love with the place the first time we visited, and hubby describes it as "quintessentially Aussie". We have visited the Boathouse several times since, usually with out-of-town relatives and friends. The boathouse overlooks the Yarra River, and there are rowing boats, kayaks and canoes for hire to explore the Yarra River. The casual outdoor setting is great for those with restless and energetic children, and there are even 40-cent-kiddy-rides with the option of riding a horse, a giraffe, a zebra or a car! There's plenty of food on the menu to suit all tastebuds and appetites. Orders are placed at the tearoom, and then a buzzer is given to notify that the food is ready for pick up. There is a long wait for the food, and the price is relatively high compared to the cafes on Station Street in Fairfield, but we love the beautiful scenery and the food is delicious, so we don't mind the wait and cost too much for an occasional treat.
A quiet cafe hidden behind Fairfield Park dr. You wouldn't expect to see such a beautiful scene of nature; a combination of boats, canoes, ducks and the Fairfield Pipe bridge. Waiter service was slightly absent on a quiet Wednesday morning, and a buzzer system in placed. There are numerous seatings available all around the cafe, with different elevations from the Yarra river.
Both the Boatman's breakfast and the Eggs Atlantic were presented beautifully, with coffee coming out at the same time. Although having to get our own cutlery, napkins and carry our trays down the steps to our table, the scenery makes up for the troubles. Parking was easy to find, and the surroundings allows for a romantic walk after brunch. Also a bonus for dog lovers, bike riders and canoers. The large selection of items on the menu is fantastic for a large group sitting. Despite the high price compared to other comparable cafes, I believe this place will always still be in the competition. Keep it up guys!
(Disclaimer: True rating is 3.5 however on Zomato this is closer to a 4).The heritage-listed Boathouse sits alongside the Yarra River, with plenty of outdoor seating to fit everyone. It’s a very relaxing setting – perfect for families or couples. The vintage decor and antique signage all scream early 1900s. And what better way to get into the mood of daintiness and sophistication than ordering some of their famous Devonshire scones?
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Went for a walk along the Yarra with a late lunch stop at the boathouse. We were happy they were still serving food at around 3pm. With the very average score on zomato, we didn’t expect much. Obviously the surroundings are beautiful. This place is massive and it was easy to find a table wherever we wanted. There were lots of dogs and baby’s :)
You have to go up to the counter to order, luckily it wasn’t very busy when I went up. We had a berry smoothie, portion of chips and the free range chicken salad. And yes, ad everyone says, it was expensive. I think it was about $45 for these three things. You have to wait at the counter for your drinks, I grabbed some water while I was waiting. Smoothie was delicious, pretty sweet because lots of maple syrup. But a plastic straw 😭 why? I even saw they have paper straws, no idea why they put a plastic one. You get a beeper for the food. By the time I had brought the smoothie to the table the beeper went. Chips and chicken salad were yummy. Generous portion of chips, we needed a bit more sauce than supplied but took some tomato sauce.
Yes, you pay for the location and as someone wrote, probably wouldn’t go (again) if it wasn’t at such a beautiful location, but, it ís! I still would agree with most people that it’s overpriced, especially because there is no table service. But the food was lovely and it is so nice to sit on the deck watch nature around you!
Came here for breakfast for the first time, I must say a lovely view of the Yarra river! I couldn’t help but notice how old the place is but once I ate the food I realised why this place is still open. I recommend the eggs Florentine, yum!
Stunning location! The perfect way to spend an afternoon - we hired a Kayak for an hour (circa $24) and enjoyed the peace & quiet that the Yarra offers. The Boatman’s breakfast was a winner, so much crispy bacon on the plate! The vanilla slice and scones were a bit of a must also, fresh whilst light and fluffy. Despite being busy, service was prompt and there were plenty of waterside tables available.
Visited here for a Baby Shower High Tea. Beautiful location (we were located on the deck by the river). Everything was delicious. The avocado and bacon finger sandwiches, chicken finger sandwiches, scones, trifle, mini quiches and mini lemon meringues. No complaints about anything and would definitely recommend.
Sophie Isabella Travers
+3.5
Really great food, however you’re paying for it!!! Free range chicken salad was lovely and flavoursome, and especially nice looking over the Yarra with a beautiful view!!!!
Loved it! Amazing that a place like this exists so close to the city. Feels like you're anywhere but Melbourne. The chicken and cous cous salad was divine.
Went there yesterday for lunch and it took a while to order the food and for the food to be ready. However, the views and general atmosphere of the place were so lovely that I didn't actually mind waiting. The food itself was ok. Nothing spectacular but not horrible. It's more a place you'd go to just enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon with a tea and scone. We will definitely go back.
This seems to be rated fairly abysmally but I quite enjoyed my experience despite the sweltering heat and lack of ventilation indoors. We ended up moving outside and soaking up our beautiful zen surroundings. Charming, picturesque and over 100 years old you are not necessarily coming here for the food however it's a solid offering. I had a chicken salad for $25 which I thought was reasonable. Probably a slight view surcharge in there. Tried some of my friends pizza, dips and bread and chips which were all delicious. You can row a boat, feed the ducks or indulge in freshly made cakes- what a perfectly lovely spot well worth visiting
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
I visited here today with some friend and our children, as we had generally heard good things about the Boathouse and surrounding parks. However, after reading the reviews on here I was not very optimistic about visiting. So taking some advice from other reviews here, we did avoid the busier times.
However, maybe because our expectations were low, we had a generally good experience. It was busy-ish, but staff friendly enough and took our orders very efficiently. The food was ready pretty quickly , and was generally very tasty.
I had the house salad (beetroot, feta, walnuts and pumpkin). No real complaints about it, it was made using fresh ingredients, was a very generous serving (though you'd want it to be for the price!) and was tasty. The only minor issue was they had gone a little heavy on the dressing, but otherwise was good. My wife had the vegetarian pizza; which itself, while nothing to write home about, was good, with a delicate spongy wood-fired crust.
Our friends were in general pleased with their meal, though they did get a minor aspect of it wrong, but was no big issue.
Would go again, beautiful setting on the Yarra with food generally very acceptable. What let the place down was the price. It's pretty pricey, though the meal portion sizes are generous. They make the most of having a captive audience there I guess.
Byron's Vanilla Slice Blog
+4
What more could you ask for on a sunny Sunday Autumn afternoon? A vanilla slice, a coffee and the Yarra River at your doorstep. Having never visited Fairfield Park before the setting for our afternoon tea was very old-worldly and picturesque. If you took away the setting and the sun I may have been a bit more harsh on my marks for their homebaked vanilla slice, with the beast setting me back $8.50. It was large and indeed baked on site and extremely fresh; similar in stature and proportions to the famous Sorrento slab. This slice was tasty, but not mind-blowing. The pastry was thin, crisp and simple to penetrate with my cake fork. The custard was more like sweetened, lightly vanilla scented whipped cream - tasty don't get me wrong. The addition of the whipped thickened cream on the side was unnecessary and typically Aussie. If you are going to do such a thing, make sure its clotted!
Went for our Nephew's wedding last Friday night. Buffet was very very good. Salmon looked and tasted wonderful. Calamari was salty and tender. The young bar and wait staff worked hard all night and were very friendly and helpful. Good leadership.
Overall we had a wonderful night and highly recommend it.
We had the most amazing christmas party for 50 people. The balcony views of the river are priceless, almost forget that it is so close to the city, feels like the country. The appetisers were delicious, the wines were great, staff advised from Margaret River WA. I highly recommend you have a function here. Just take a look at the fish!
Gorgeous setting. The view over the water and the peaceful atmosphere is lovely. Food was good. The problem is the way you order and collect food. The queue for ordering food or drinks is long and slow, so you can't easily grab drinks throughout and after your meal. Then when your food is ready, you have to go collect it and carry it down heaps of stairs - this isn't safe or fun! Food was relatively good value for money - except for the expensive scones. I had a good time with the view and atmosphere and company, but the experience is definitely tainted by the ordering and collecting food process.
Amazing location.... Blew us away with the view and firepit, lots of room too, def will take our guests here who visit Melbourne. Food was def expensive and not amazeballs, but you have to expect some additional cost for the location. It might not be super kid friendly, but our baby and toddler love it, just save some food to feed the ducks after!
Quaint little cafe that have high tea. Too many places have high teas that do not know how to make a scone, but the scones here were perfect! Warm, fluffy yet doughy, it's one of the best I've had in Melbourne. The pavlova was also yumtastic. The wait staff were pleasant and always on hand if we needed anything. It was a typical rainy Melbourne day so we couldn't enjoy the river scenery, but I'm told there's a stunning view in Summer time of the river by the cafe.
Great Boathouse!. After reading recent reviews i was a bit sceptical going in with my friends, but pleasantly surprised. The way I put it is its boathouse not restaurant. They've obviously got different types of boats you can hire and row about in the river, which was enjoyed by us all. You can get the Devonshire Tea which had two of the best tasting scones I've ever tried (apparently they are better on the weekends). Pretty standard coffee, but good smoothies and other stuff. Good variety of food, with plenty seafoody options. Ordering and receiving is a bit weird, but you can get the hang off it if you do it again. It is a relaxed BIG place with trees, boats and a river and I like it!!
Enjoyed. Had a beautiful meal ( prawn and calamari salad), at a beautiful setting, on a beautiful day in Melbourne
Yum Yum Yum. Best Prawn & Calamari salad ever!!!!! The Prawn & Chorizo pizza looked good - will have that next time :)
I had one of the best lunch ever..the food was really nice, the staffs were so polite! Definitely going back again!
Oasis. I can't help but pity the very needie foodies that can't appreciate a beautiful oasis in our city. If only they could take something for what iit is - the boathouse doesn't offer table service, doesn't pander to your every need, get over it. It offers a retreat from the city. I sat there all day on the deck chairs watching the world go by whilst enjoying what the boathouse offers. Definitely worth going unless you want table service!!!
Serene place. This place is perfect to come to on a sunny day. The scones are delicious. Being there is very serene. You can just sit back watch people on the boats and the kids feeding the ducks. Love it!!
Can't wait to go back.
Celebrated a big birthday there. Very friendly helpful staff. Made the day very easy to enjoy.
Relax by the river. I can't help but notice that all the negative reviews on here are from very high maintenance people. If you want 5-star cuisine and service then go to a 5-star restaurant.
The Fairfield boathouse is quain and serves treaditional afternoon-tea-style fare; the devonshire tea is fantastic! Yes, you find you own seating and line up for food but it's not the ritz and if it was it would detract from the natural and rustic aesthetic of the river.
You can hire a kayak and take yourself around or go for a hike/ride along the bike track. Fantastic for a warm chilled out day :)
A welcome introduction. After recent visits to the boathouse on weekends requiring the mandatory line up in massive queues to pick up food I was pleasantly surprised that they have introduced a buzzer system for food pick-up.
A definite improvement giving me more time to enjoy the beautiful location.
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes