We were in town visiting from Virginia and were dying to try a big basket of fried clams. The food here was absolutely delicious. The staff was very friendly and the ambiance was great. Hope to make it back here one day again! read more

Brown's Clam Shanty - Fried clam and shrimp combo basket. - Seafood Near Me - Wells, Maine

A very cute seafood restaurant where you can eat inside with table service or outside on their nice picnic benches where you order at the window and they bring it to your table outside. The prices were reasonable and they serve Coca-Cola not Pepsi, which is my preference. They also have wine and a large selection of beer. The bathrooms are clean. We ordered at the window. They gave us a number and we went to sit at the picnic tables. The food arrived quickly and it was delicious. The coleslaw was the best my husband had ever had. He said I am gluten intolerant and they were able to give me a fish taco on a better lettuce that was delicious. I'm glad we stopped here and I highly recommend it to you as well. read more

Who goes to a seafood restaurant and orders anything but seafood? ‍ I was in a picking mood and decided on their chicken tenders and onion rings. I shared my dinner with my 5 year old who ate most of the tenders and then asked for more. The tenders were just how I like them! The onion rings and cole slaw were really good too. read more

Brown's Clam Shanty - Chicken tenders and onion rings - Seafood Near Me - Wells, Maine

Stopped in for lunch on Friday 8/29/25 with my gf when we arrived in Maine for the start of our weekend trip to celebrate her birthday & Labor day. As soon as we sat down we both the loved the decor & total vibe of this little clam shanty! We both ordered the clam chowder which came out piping hot ( just the way we requested ), the chowder was creamy but not overly thick, had lots of clams and small potatoes, the taste was excellent, we both ordered bowls but both agreed we could have eaten more and made a meal just out of Brown's delicious clam chowder itself. We both chose to get the fried haddock sandwich (both requested cheese be added ), gf got sweet potato fries and I was good with the included chips, the sweet potato fries were cooked perfectly , nice and crispy but not burnt. The sandwiches were on a nice toasted fresh roll, haddock was lightly battered and fresh, the shredded lettuce and pickle slices that accompanied the sandwichs were equally fresh and delicious. Our server was super nice , she let my gf pick which flavor of the Two chicks drink she got and she gave me a free re-fill on my raspberry ice tea which went down nice & easy as I was very thirsty after our hour & half drive up from MA. We both agreed that we will definitely make Brown's a repeated stop each time we are in the area! Thank you Brown's Clam Shanty for a great lunch and an excellent start to our vacation weekend! read more

Food was great! Staff needed attitude adjustment. Never felt so unwelcome in a restaurant before There were only 3 tables of customers including us and the waitress acted like she was bothered we all were there. When I asked for a side of mustard, she said " oh you want that too" Why did she need to act that way read more

Brown's Clam Shanty - Lobster dinner - Seafood Near Me - Wells, Maine

I went to several places for seafood during my trip to Maine, and this was my favorite. There was no line. The clam chowder was amazing -- the perfect consistency, a lot of clams, not too many potatoes, flavorful, the fisherman's platter was perfect to share with a friend. This was a great fund while driving to South Portland from York. Food arrived quickly. There is indoor and outdoor seating. I would love to come back, and I highly recommend stopping here. We sat outside, and it was great weather for it. read more

This place rocks. It looks like nothing much from the outside. It's on route one in Wells, My husband loves North Shore roast beef so we came because we saw a sign for it and it was incredible. I got the grilled haddock tacos, which were outrageous and a cup of clam chowder, which was to die for This is a great place, not expensive, and has delectable food. Oh, I forgot. We also got the onion rings, which has the light batter and they were delectable. read more

Brown's Clam Shanty - North Shore three-way roast beef with onion rings - Seafood Near Me - Wells, Maine

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'NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR DRINK' And they mean it. 2 adult workers chastised our teens for bringing their water bottles from the car. Not a cooler of beers, or bottles of coke. Tap water. So then they came to me and pointed out their signage. Yes I saw it but it's a stupid rule to raise their revenue. If I could have given our food back and gotten a refund I would have. Trying to tell me this is a common rule. No it's not. Burgers were decent. Crab cake was a joke of imitation crab meat. They should be ashamed. read more

Always had great experience They take pets outside. Food always delicious with great friendly helpers serving you food No frills but very very acceptable food Plenty parking Try Browns Auto for service right next door. Great friendly experienced mechanics read more

The calamari, New England clam chowder, and fried clam strips were delicious. The waitress was very friendly and courteous ,the food was served quick and was really good. Great location if you're staying in the area. read more

Ordered the lobster croissant. Not a whole lot of lobster for market price. Options for butter or mayo were jive but the butter was not hot, luke warm. Great place to watch a game with all the TVs staff was pleasant. read more

We ordered cups of New England clam chowder at the counter and requested glasses of ice water. We were told they only offer bottle water and were informed that we could not drink our own on the premises so I ordered one bottle to share. The promised cups were not included when the chowder was delivered to our outside table. The chowder was hot, but there was little in the way of either bivalves or potatoes. We choose not to return. read more

Brown's Clam Shanty - New England clam chowder - Seafood Near Me - Wells, Maine

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DO NOT RECOMMEND!!! Go to Spinnakers right down the street. I never write reviews, but the interaction with the owner was absolutely the worst service experience. If he cared at all about service he would go to take an anger management class. My son has a sesame allergy and I ordered him a Honey BBQ chicken wrap. The staff person went to ask about the allergy and the owner angrily yells at me "there are sesame seeds everywhere." The miserable man clearly was upset with me for even asking. Regardless of allergies, he is obviously not following any cleanliness expectations. Who doesn't clean their work station? Even bagel shops can contain sesame seeds. God only knows what else is "everywhere" and other food and beverage policies he is not following. Can only imagine how disgusting the kitchen is after such a comment. Also, I have never seen a wrap with sesame seeds. Nevertheless, we left and went to Spinnakers which had great service and great food. In reading other reviews, it's clear I am not the only who had this type of experience. His angry demeanor and his rudeness towards customers goes years back. read more

We have been coming to wells for years now. Our first stop is/was always Jakes, which became spinnakers. This year it wasn't open so we tried brown's, and I'm very glad. The clams were cooked and seasoned perfectly, the fries were good not too crispy, but I always forget Maine and Massachusetts have different ideas of clam cakes, but it was still pretty tasty, just not what I expected. read more

Brown's Clam Shanty - Fried clams and clam cake. - Seafood Near Me - Wells, Maine

Solid food, a full bar, friendly staff, great prices, clean and bright atmosphere- this place has it all! Highly, highly recommended!

Delicious! Large portions, fresh and hot. The chowders are thick and creamy. The French fries are crispy. Nice beer selection. Indoor and outdoor seating or take out. read more

Brown's Clam Shanty - Lobster roll and clam chowder special and a coffee hazelnut frappe - Seafood Near Me - Wells, Maine

Our third lobster roll in the three days that we were in Maine this week. It finished third in this "three-horse race." It was over-priced for its under-performance. Bland. Insufficient dressing (mayonnaise). Chewier texture. Over-priced. On the main road (no pun intended) through through town, a textbook "tourist trap." I had the fried clams. I enjoyed them, but I have not had them before, so I do not know how they compare to others. (This is why I gave the three stars.) read more

Brown's Clam Shanty - a hot dog and a fork - Seafood Near Me - Wells, Maine

The people here are terrific and so friendly. But the food we had was not great. I had clam chowder, which was flavorless. My husband had the lobster roll. He didn't like the bun but said the lobster was great. It is a very doggy friendly place! read more

Do not waste your time or money. After a long day at the beach we decided to stop here for something to eat. My 10& 8 yr old boys were "starving" from the beach. We stood looking at the menu as the boys had their chips. After ordering $100 of food this asshole tells us twice that outside food and drink is not accepted. How greedy can you be? 2 bags of chips? Do you not have children? Do you not understand how hard it is to bring kids out to eat? Last thing parents need is a melt down. God forbid they have a bag of chips. Worst part was the food wasn't even good! Prob why they don't want you to bring outside food and drink that would obviously be better!! Do not waste your time or money with this place. It is so cheap the stools don't even match at the tables. read more

On Tuesday, June 18th, my wife and I stopped by your location for lunch. Our server, Nina, was very attentive, greeted us right away and took our orders, making sure to suggest some favorite items from the menu. I ordered the Haddock and my wife ordered the fried shrimp basket. Throughout our meal Nina was regularly checking on us without being overbearing, always polite and helpful. I left a bigger tip than I normally do, and we made sure to thank Nina for a lovely dining experience. It was on the way home that my wife suggested posting an online review for the restaurant, so I have. read more

I stopped as other places closed on Monday. Went in and saw sign for 2 combo basket or dinner plate. Said 19.99 for dinner so sounded good. Charged 34.55with tax. I was puzzled... Ben saw another hand written sign saying dinner plate for clams or scallops 31.99? Why not fix or adjust 1st sign? Plate came out ... not many scallops or clams... Ton of fries , 3/5 left to feed the birds. Tarter sauce not even made by them... Kens steakhouse small containers. Cole slaw fresh and good but lacked pepper or flavor. Few scallops and whole belly clams were very good and not greasy batter. Would have given 4 stars... felt a littler fleeced for35 bucks. Ok ie price of seafood has increased ... 26.99 was price I estimate as I ate all weekend in Portland ... read more

Had the 3 way super beef it was piled high with beef cheese and James river's BBQ sauce . Owner and staff are very accommodating to your needs . Try this hidden gem it's great. Post road in wells read more

3.5 stars for food and 5 stars for service After spending a beautiful birthday weekend in Maine we ran across this place to taste yet another version of NE staple lobstah rolls and clam chowdah. Our last stop before hitting the road. Service was impeccable, the ladies were so very helpful and accommodating to us from the moment we arrived until we left. The food was pretty good, not the best that I have tasted but good to say the least. Had the warm lobster roll w butter and some REALLY GOOD clam chowder! The admirals seafood feast was good which included fried full bellies clams haddock shrimp and fresh onion rings. We were stuffed! Would I come back again-probably not, not because I didn't like the place , only bc there are lobster shacks all over that place that I need to try! But I would definitely recommend this place for some decent food read more

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There's so many places to eat in this town! Ambiance is not there... came on a cold day... everyone in the place wearing jackets who work there because it's freezing. Thus cold for the customers!! Lobster roll fair... Cole slaw not wonderful... fries frozen nothing great.... Had the chowder and tasted EXACTLY like Campbell's Chunky which is good but it sure wasn't like the real scratch we got at other places. All on disposable plates/forks etc. I say skip it. read more

Although the food was pretty good the service was awful.We were greeted by a woman who clearly woke up on the wrong side of the bed and really did nothing to warrant another visit here.Got part of our order wrong and could have not cared less about making it right Plenty of other places to go thankfully I'm the guy that gave her a tip even though she did not deserve it. I have done her job and it's challenging to say the least...but I also understand that customers keep the doors open.If she is not an owner...fire her. One of the worst servers I have ever dealt with. read more

I swell road-side find on Route 1 near Wells. Hub and I were looking specifically for a road-side seafood shack on our trip to Old Orchard Beach recently. We happened upon Brown's Clam Shanty, and we were extremely satisfied with this find. First of all, it was a gorgeous summer day, so the outdoor patio seating was a welcome option (there is also indoor seating.) We each had the menu special of a cup of clam chowder and a lobster roll for $19.95. It was an excellent value. The chowder was creamy and delicious, with a pretty even clam to potato ratio, while the lobster roll was plentiful and chockfull of claw meat--delish! The staff we dealt with was professional and friendly. The dining area was clean and inviting, and there was plenty of parking. Brown's Clam Shanty is a solid bet for a swell seafood shack dining option! Will return. read more

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Stopped here on the way to walk the Ogunquit Marginal Way. Had the special which was a lobster roll and a cup of chowder. Both were very good but not the best I've ever had. The lobster is supposed to be warm (if you get it with butter not mayo) but it was kinda cold. The chowder was a solid New England chowdah. Nothing to complain about but nothing out of the ordinary for this area. The whole thing was a bit pricey at $20 but again that's typical for this touristy area. I prefer to go to less touristy areas and get the same or better for less money though. read more

Brown's Clam Shanty - Seafood Near Me - Wells, Maine

The service was exceptional. We had fried clam strips, clam chowder, lobster roll and fried haddock. All was properly done and all had excellent taste. Highly recommend. read more

So far my fav lobster roll (warm butter yum!) than Barnacle Billy's and they had a special going on with clam chowder that was delish. Plenty of food in whole belly clam dinner. Good stop!! read more

Lobster Rolls and Clam Chowder, $32pp is not a cheap date but was delicious and I would strongly recommend drawn butter over Mayo!

Disappointing experience. Seemed they were out of many dishes on a Friday night, including steamers. Ordered the lazy lobster, lobster roll, chowder and whole belly clams. The lazy lobster was not a whole lobster de-shelled but seemed to be the claws of many lobsters (no tails). The lobster roll (warm butter version) came with a bag of chips and 2 pickle slices and was just ok. The whole belly clams ($30+) were soggy and came with 2 small Ken's steak house tartar sauce containers. The soup was just ok. Lemonade was bright pink and didn't look homemade. Wouldn't rush back. read more

Good Burger a little burnt, but everything else was good. Service could be better took a while just to get my food. But I didn't expect a fast service, because I did order 2 lobster rolls, one with butter and another with mayonnaise. Good Soda! read more

On the "Good-Meh-Suck" scale, this was a "Meh-minus". Small portion sized lobster roll plus small side of chowder. It took a very long time for this simple order when it was not exactly busy. Would I go back? Maybe but I would look elsewhere first. Good luck and be safe out there. read more

Haddock was great and potion was large. Fries were also perfectly done. Just what we wanted on our Sunday drive

My wife had the crab roll special with clam chowder. The crab was blended like tuna salad and flavorless. Very unusual and cannot recommend that dish. My fried haddock was very good however, as were the fries. Nice outside seating with shelter from the rain. read more

VERY disappointing! Stopped in to check out the new bar/lounge, waited forever for the server to acknowledge that i was in the building. I decided to order the clam basket when I finally got my drink. When my food arrived I thought there was a mistake and I somehow got clam strips. After closer inspection I noticed that there were a few tiny bellies mixed in among the burnt batter and clam strips. I've lived in New England for decades and this is the sorriest excuse for fried clams I have ever been served. Just bought a property in Wells, won't be returning to Brown's read more

Well for 40.00 for one clam /scallop plate and cup of chowder we were swindled! Probably 8 clams and chopped up to 1/2 inch piece of scallops to obviously spread out their fish plates to less for more $$ . Don't waste your money! Not even home made tarter for that price two little kens steak house tarter s., but for the few pieces of fish that was plenty read more

Ordered a fishermen's feast, taste was very good but if you want a feast it was anything but that, very small portions

How do you open at 11:00 am on a Sunday and run out of soup by 12:30 and tell customers "No we won't be making more". Must be nice owning a business and not needing customers. Skip this place go down the road to another place. read more

Brown's gives Bob's a run for its money in fried clams. Excellent batter super crispy delicious tartar. If you're looking for more crunch in your whole belly clams with fat juicy clams this is your spot. The fried scallops and fish were equally good. The lobster roll was a bit dried out this time we went at opening so maybe they were not quite ready. Fast friendly service and an excellent rendition of fried clams. I continue my quest for the best fried clams in New England. read more

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