Local Review: Boathouse Restaurant and Marina Deck in Wildwood, New Jersey

As you enter Wildwood, New Jersey over the Rio Grande bridge you will see the Boathouse Restaurant and Marina Deck on your right hand side. It is one of the more popular restaurants in town. This is largely for the view as a I found out instead of the food. The Boathouse Restaurant and Marina Deck is located at 506 West Rio Grande Avenue in Wildwood, New Jersey. I'm not going to say that the food is horrible, but when you consider the prices that they charge you will find there are better options in town. If you want to enjoy the great view the Boathouse Restaurant and Marina Deck has though, I'd recommend arriving early between four and five in the afternoon for their early bird specials to save some money.

When you plan to go to the Boathouse Restaurant and Marina Deck in Wildwood, New Jersey you should leave plenty of time. Waits for a group of four after 6 pm can be easily over an hour and close to two hours for groups of five or more is not unusual. There is a bar area you can wait in, and they have very tasty drinks. As with the food though, the drinks are a little overpriced. Expect to pay $5-8 for a mixed drink on average at Boathouse Restaurant and Marina Deck in Wildwood, New Jersey.

Once you are seated at the Boathouse Restaurant and Marina Deck in Wildwood, New Jersey you will be presented with a rather large menu. I highly recommend asking for a copy while you are waiting to be seated so you can order as soon as your waitress arrives. Food on average takes close to half an hour to arrive after you order, so this is probably not the best restaurant choice for families with young children.

The Appetizers at Boathouse Restaurant and Marina Deck are nothing special in general. They are typical fried appetizers with chicken tenders, onion rings, and mozzarella sticks on the menu. If you want an appetizer I recommend the Cajun Popcorn Shrimp as it has a reasonable kick and is at least a little different than some of the typical appetizers populating the rest of the list.

Entrees at Boathouse Restaurant and Marina Deck in general are in the $15-25 range. The chicken entrees are the cheapest at $15-20 and I would recommend the Hawaiian Chicken as a choice. It is two pieces of grilled chicke with a very tasty sweet and soure pineapple glaze. The Chicken Parmigiana is not bad either, though the sauce is nothing special. Seafood runs between $17-20 on average. My favorite item is the Seafood Fra Diavolo as it has a great variety, and the spicy sauce is quite good. The dish includes shrimp, scallops, and langostino. I would not recommend the lobster dishes as they are overpriced, and rather small servings. The meat dishes and combination items tend to run from $20-30, and are nothing special. We have found the kitchen to inconsistent with preparing steaks how we order them.

Honestly, considering I can only recommend about four items out of a list of over 30 entrees, this is not a restaurant that is on my favorites in Wildwood, New Jersey. At one time it was, but that is no longer the case. If you would like to enjoy a romantic view of the water while you dine, I suggest arriving for the early bird special which occurs daily from 4 pm to 5 pm. There is a selection of about 15 items on the early bird menu, including the Hawaiian Chicken. These items during the early bird special are about 30 percent cheaper than they are later in the evening.