Founder Michael Klassen dreamt his whole life of owning and operating a restaurant. A carpenter by trade Michael knew when opportunity knocked he could literally build from the ground up. In 2010 Michael leased the run-down un-serviced building and adjacent property where the restaurant now stands and in 2012 began the transformation into Kenora’s only waterfront eatery. Today, beautifully designed and constructed, the Boathouse Restaurant stands on the very shores of the lake that inspired its creation. Its crafty woodwork and point-on finishing details make it one of the most attractive public venues in the area.

The summer of 2014 proved records can be broken as water levels on Lake of the Woods rose to its highest levels in 56 years. Standing on the shore of the lake, the Boathouse fell victim to the high water and ultimately flooded out. In December 2014 the building was demolished and reconstruction began. The new restaurant was built six feet higher than the original, with a larger and more functional kitchen and bigger outdoor patio. Re-opening took place one year plus two days after the flood closed the restaurant the previous summer.