One of my favorite places when crossing over the Cape Cod Canal prior to a visit to the Cape. I can't say much about the food as I'm usually having with my first, or last beer on the Cape! They do have a kitchen and serve the usuals but the term 'dive bar' gets used a lot in write-ups about the place! Stop in and see my picture of the original owner I took probably about 20 years ago-it's posted right behind the bar! And if I'm there when you introduce yourself, I'll buy you a beer! I'm usually on a motorcycle! read more

Canal Cafe - Canal Cafe - Dive Bars Near Me - Sagamore, Massachusetts

One of our favorites! Great food, drinks and prices. Like walking in to cheers everyone knows your name.

Friendly people ... good food... always fun ... only place I will go to when I am single

Looks like a local favorite. Just a bit to loud for my old man personally. I got the fish and chips. It was excellent.

True Score: 4 Star Dive Bar Local "watering hole" in the neighborhood. Small but with adequate seating. very inviting to locals and tourists alike. the food is very good, fresh and a lot times local as well. I would suggest both eating in and takeout. I must say that this is not family friendly due to size of the restaurant. very quaint and cozy but my living room is larger. TIP: Amazing pizza Overall: If you like dive bars you'll like Canal Cafe, but if you like dive bars with bumper pool and great pizza and cool staff you'll like the Canal even better. Thanks read more

Yes, yes Captains favorite ride. Not because of the scenery on the way but because he knows the stuffed quahog is the best on the cape. I'm not a huge fan of the stuffed critters but I do adore their steak tips. Everyone is super colorful and friendly. After cruising by several times this summer he thought maybe we wouldn't see them open this season if ever at all. They are working on a limited menu and to be fair we did not order food this time. Stay tuned..... we'll be back! read more

Canal Cafe - Dive Bars Near Me - Sagamore, Massachusetts

My favorite local watering hole! Great food too! Limited seating but if you get there in the off times (before work gets out) you can find a seat. Service is good, excellent drinks too - old school vibe what you would expect from a local CC barroom - love this place! read more

BE VIGILANT!!!!! Found it sus that a large party of young adults was able to walk into the bar and be served in large quantities without being carded. This was our first time here, but unfortunately it ended up tracking. Confronted a regular for taking photos of our group without our consent and asked him to delete. Bartender didn't like that (her shirt said "B**ches be trippin" funnily enough) and proceeded to begin forcibly grabbing, pushing and shoving us out. Not to mention the language, but that also tracked. If getting carded would have saved our group from being harassed and having "not a creep" (their words) townies take photos of us without our consent, definitely would have rather showed my ID. (Isn't that a legal requirement?) read more

The Pub type food is great, especially the Captain's Club sandwich. No matter who your server is, you are in good hands. They have been here for a long time. The Canal spells comfort in a local bar that welcomes everyone. read more

If there's talk about good "bar style" pizza then Canal Cafe needs to be included in that conversation, I might say one of the best bar style pizza on Cape Cod. If you like dive bars you'll like Canal Cafe but if you like dive bars with above average food then buckle up pilgrim you've found the promise land. This is old school, original floor, Formica bar-counter gold. Just about everything I've eaten here is good but their pizza is delightful. Enjoy! read more

Small (very) local place, good food plenty of it. Friendly baristas! Worth the stop !!Black and Blue Burger,Stuffed Quahog

OK I don't know exactly where to begin, but you need to come here! First of all the local crowd is about as friendly as you can get! The owner is usually somewhere to be found and is a gracious host. It's definitely deceiving from the outside,one would not expect to get any food here Let alone some of the best pub Food you are going to find around! Burgers are outstanding, the pizza exceptional, the seafood fresh, and the daily special board always has something interesting and well prepared. So having said that, I never go to cape cod or leave with out stoping ! read more

This place rules. We were looking for a liquor store when we saw the neon beer signs and pulled in... realizing it wasn't a store we headed back up onto the main road. My co-pilot screamed "juke box!" We immediately popped it into reverse and parked. When we walked in the place was empty, all except the nice lady tending the bar & a man who was working between the bar and the kitchen. Both were pleasant and welcoming! This place has all the essentials: juke box that plays 4 songs for $1 (seemingly unheard of these days), bathrooms, bumper pool, a bar full of booze for mixed drinks, a variety of bottled brews and food! All drinks were decently priced and service was fast! We played sweet jams & bumper pool all night, the staff didn't mind our singing & seemed happy to have us. We are so glad we stumbled across this gem! We will definitely swing by there any time we are in the area. read more

Canal Cafe - a dark street at night - Dive Bars Near Me - Sagamore, Massachusetts

See all

I love a good dive bar. Where else on earth can you find real people? This place is awesome with great pricing. I came in for a job interview and a pizza. The crowd was lively and fun. I will be back to hang out again. read more

Canal Cafe - Job interview on the Cape! #CROSSINGBRIDGES #CAPECOD - Dive Bars Near Me - Sagamore, Massachusetts

See all

This might not be an establishment I would normally meander into, but it was recommended so we decided to give it a try. It's all about the food! Don't be deterred by the unremarkable outside. Most of the atmosphere is conveyed by the warm and friendly staff who welcome you and immediately make you feel like they are glad you are there. The very high quality and deliciousness of the food is the real shining star of this place--the same quality as a good restaurant! It IS a good restaurant! A short menu at the tables has standard bar fare - - appetizers, bar-style pizza, burgers, sandwiches, etc. However, the little blackboard on the wall that lists specials shows a different story - - Philly cheese egg rolls, fried scallop platter, black and blue burger with Cajun seasoning, and lots more! Our food was excellently prepared, it tasted great, portions were generous the prices pleased! The atmosphere--Inside the small place are a bar and several tables. The nautical theme comes across with paintings of a ship and a whaling expedition, and several models (?) of fish on the walls. There is also an electronic jukebox. I would say the atmosphere is traditional American biker bar. It is clean. You know, it was actually refreshing to be in a place that was just itself-not fancy, not screaming "look at me!" Just a comfortable place to be with great food! I recommend it ! read more

See all

terrible experiance. got shoved out of the bar by the bar tender for feeling uncomfortable while an older man was taking pictures of us. cat called all night. dont recommend for young woman. never carded. read more

Just a perfect little dive bar with great bar food especially the pizza, friendly service and customers are welcoming even to us NYers... stayed nearby for a week were back twice read more

Update: Apparently the great chef no longer works here so her amazing specials are not an option.

This place is great!! My wife and kids were super hungry and we were in heavy traffic from everyone going off Cape on a Sunday. The mood was getting heavy in the car. We pulled over and ate at the canal cafe and enjoyed an ambiance of "I want to go where everybody knows my name." Cheers! Thanks Canal cafe for the friendly ambiance, good food, clean establishment and a memory on our vacation off Cape! Cheers! read more

Best little place on the cape great food, super bartenders, great people. Yes it's a local crowd but the difference is as soon as you walk in they all make you feel welcome. When you leave your one of the locals. read more

Super local neighborhood place for real people. More of a guy's pit stop. Relaxing and uncomplicated. Simple menu and good food. Don't go enough. read more

Unfortunately, on this night, I was without HERSELF, leaving me to investigate on of the few places in Mass. that has a bumper pool table. Over the bridge I go, take the first exit and a hang a right/right and BANG! I'm there. Look for the Bud sign. Old school ? You ain't seen nothing old school until you've seen this place. The bar itself is tiny and there was no overhang for one's feet to tuck under. Normally a negative, but I didn't care one stinkin bit. I was greeted by the lovely and talented bartendress Tara, who might as well have been conducting her own opera. Never a wasted motion. The layout of the place is wonderfully efficient. A few high tables against the wall, a few TV's and the bar. That's it. People really do enjoy rubbing elbows in a bar and this place is solid proof. Before two seconds had passed, my newly found bar sponsor Brian had filled me in on the place and after a blink, I was into a sample of the kitchen's fare. Rissotto balls, with a light cheese sauce. Excellent. In a bar ? At the foot of the bridge ? Was I on some sort of reality show ? Nope. No camera crew came out of the kitchen. Didn't matter. Food was pretty outstanding. Everyone else eating seemed to have a smiling face. To accompany, there was a Red Cape Cod Ale on tap (as well as Bud), again served by the lovely and talented. I didn't leave empty handed thanks to some of the coolest T shirts in the world. Of course, I got a pink one for HERSELF, along with the promise of a return engagement. Out the door, the onramp for the bridge is right there and as I left, I wondered, why in the world would all those folks coming back from the Cape sit in traffic when they could stop and have an excellent bite and a brew ? Some wonders of life will never be answered. read more

Small good old fashioned "dive bar" (I mean that in a good way as there aren't too many around) Excellent food and pizza is the bar style pizza which was excellent! read more

My friend and I are on vacation on the cape and we were looking up nearby bars, so we decided to go to yelp and this place had great reviews. After spending some time in here, we realized that the food was amazing and everything is super cheap. I would recommend this place to anyone who wants yummy food and strong drinks! read more

Awesome place. Grazi is a great cook. The best quahogs around. Definitely recommend to everyone.

I really love this place and the fish and chips are to die for. Unfortunately, we went tonight as we usually do on Friday nights for fish and chips only to find that the operator didn't show up for work again, meaning that there was no cook. He was most likely on another drunken bender with no regard for his customers. When there is a cook the food is very good and the atmosphere and camaraderie something we greatly enjoy. It is such a shame that the drunken fool running the place is making customers look elsewhere when they would be quite happy if the cook would simply show up. read more