Riverside dining and bar on the bank of the River Avon
Nestled on the banks of the River Avon, just a short stroll from Stratford’s town centre, The Boat House is a vibrant, independently owned bistro and bar. Housed in a beautifully restored 18th-century working boathouse, our venue blends history and character with relaxed, contemporary style—think reclaimed wood, bespoke furnishings, and a nod to the building’s heritage at every turn.
About
A little about us...
From the first-floor dining balcony, take in sweeping river views stretching from the iconic Grade I listed Saxon Clopton Bridge to the historic Tramway bridge, with the Royal Shakespeare Theatre as a backdrop. It’s the perfect setting for watching the world drift by over a leisurely lunch, a casual coffee, or a memorable dinner with friends.
Our well-stocked bar boasts local Purity and Carlsberg draught beers and lagers, a handpicked wine and spirits list, craft beers and ciders, and a wide selection of soft drinks—perfect for sipping at our signature zinc-topped bar or in the riverside garden.
From early morning coffees to laid-back lunches, standout Sunday roasts to classic bar snacks and our much-loved fish specials, our menu champions fresh, locally sourced ingredients and bold British and European flavours. Everything is freshly prepared by our enthusiastic kitchen team.
Whether you’re popping in for a quick bite or settling in for the evening, our friendly, experienced team looks forward to welcoming you to The Boat House—Stratford’s best spot for riverside dining and unwinding.
Book Online
Book your table online with our easy-to-use booking system.
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Treat someone special with a Stratford Boathouse gift voucher – perfect for any occasion.
Buy NowRecipes
Boathouse Favourites
Grilled Sardines with fennel salsa verde & tomato
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Slow Cooked Beef Cheek
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At The Boathouse we are dedicated to sustainable practice and ensure that locally sourced produce is sourced where possible. Our fish and seafood is sustainably and ethically sourced and we are committed to low food miles. Our house drinks are carbon neutral and we serve only the most delicious fairtrade tea and coffee. The Boathouse itself is fitted with low energy equipment and exercises a split waste recycling system. All of our suppliers are chosen with sustainability in mind and we avoid single use plastic where possible.
Well behaved dogs are welcome in our bar where you can have a ‘glass or two with your cockerpoo’. We also have a few bar tables where you can have a ‘meal for 4’ with your labrador’. It is advisable to book as we don’t allow dogs in our main restaurant area.....not everybody loves them as much as we do!
Children are welcome to come and enjoy our small, regularly changing kids menu and our chefs will be more than happy to split portions of the adult menu. Due to fire restrictions, we can only allow a couple of pushchairs/prams inside the building but our helpful staff will try their best to find somewhere to park them outside if needed. We have 2 high chairs for small children, please let us know when booking so we can reserve one for you. Our toilets are small, for that reason we unfortunately do not have dedicated baby changing facilities.
We are based on the first floor of a working 18th century boathouse so, unfortunately, we do not have dedicated disabled access but our entrance staircase is not too steep and is wide with a sturdy handrail.
Did we mention we are situated in a working boathouse? Our wonderful downstairs neighbours, Avon Boating, have been operating out of this location for over 100 years and continue to delight river goers with their fleet of Edwardian vessels as well as canoes, motor boats and river cruises! Open between March and October, spending some time on the river could be the perfect way to work up an appetite or get you in the mood for a drink at the bar. For more information, visit https://www.avon-boating.co.uk.
The Boathouse is not just a place for great food, we also welcome you to come and join us for a drink at our unique Zinc bar! You do not have to be dining with us to enjoy our dedicated bar area and garden. With a well stocked bar of draught beers and lagers you will find the names you know and love alongside a selection of craft beers and more unusual offerings. If you prefer grape over grain, you may wish to peruse our wine list of hand picked selections featuring some stunning options from near and far. Feeling Fancy? We have perfected our Tom Cruise impressions to offer you an exciting menu of classic and signature cocktails including alcohol free options to complement our soft drinks selection. Cheers! Salud! Santé! Prost! Skål!
The Boathouse has been a notable feature of the Avon river bank for centuries, having witnessed countless river festivals, regattas, uncountable river goers as well as having had several inhabitants in the building itself!
Relatively little is known about the origins of the boathouse, perhaps due to its humble beginnings as a warehouse. Built on the south side of the River Avon, The Swans Nest Boathouse was likely constructed towards the end of the 1700’s or early 1800’s although an exact date is somewhat lost to the archives.
The Boathouse has a very small car park for patrons to use between 6pm and 2am but we are very popular so this is normally full very quickly.
Do not despair though! 30 meters away is the Swans Nest Pay and display car park which has 26 spaces. If like the King you don't carry cash, you can use the Ringgo app using code 17777. If you are using Sat Nav, pop in the postcode CV37 7LS and you’ll be taken straight there!
If this car park is full or you fancy a walk (it’s only about 100 meters from The Boathouse) The Recreation Ground car park has 378 spaces and is also on Ringgo under the code 17776.
Now that you have parked you may ask yourself, how do we get in?! Being an 18th Century working boathouse the entrance is not where you would expect (or I suppose it is - if you're on a boat!). We have a dedicated entranceway to the right hand side of the building if you are facing towards the river. If you have wet feet you have walked too far!
