This was our first time here we were very impressed by the atmosphere and the great service. The food was just amazing. I definitely recommend this awesome place. read more

CRAVE: Kitchen - Wine - Tap - Excellent fresh oysters. - Wine Bars Near Me - Amesbury, Massachusetts

Visiting friends in Newton, NH. Wandered over to Crave on the recommendation of a couple local folks we met at Silvaticus Brewing. Unsure of the menu, the hostess greeted us warmly and got our attention with "Welcome! It's dollar oyster night!" made even better when we learned the oysters were from Duxbury. We opted for a dozen oysters and sampled some small plates: fried green olives and tuna tartare nachos were fun and flavorful. It's a terrific menu with lots of options and reasonable pricing. Beautiful bar area with high ceilings and darker wood and just the right lighting. Our server was happy and terrific.We will be back for sure! read more

Great place. interested vibe - the building is an old rail station and has a huge bar. Ample parking. Interesting cocktail selections. A nice selection of small, medium and large plates. We sat at the bar and the bartender was helpful in making suggestions and accommodating our requests. We'll be back! read more

My family and I stumbled upon CRAVE Friday night while looking for a good dinner spot to meet at that was a convenient drive from Tewksbury MA, Hampton NH, and Durham NH. This place was perfect. They have a great drink menu, including delicious IPAs, (pineapple jalapeño IPA!!), and a PICKLE WHISKEY COCKTAIL!! It sounds strange but I'm telling you, if you love pickles and whiskey, this is the drink for you! We started with a bunch of the shared plates like mini meatballs, fried brussel sprouts, wings, and calamari (the sauce is to die for). A bunch of the group got the burgers, which they loved, and I got the meatloaf and mashed potatoes which was amazing. Great portion sizes too! Lastly, the service was INCREDIBLE, most of us agreeing that our waitress provided the best service we've ever had at a restaurant. She was kind, quick, answered all our questions and had the best sense of humor. I wish we got her name so she can know how much we appreciated it! read more

CRAVE: Kitchen - Wine - Tap - The Pickled Whiskey cocktail! (I got it with Jameson). Pickle lovers, you MUST try - Wine Bars Near Me - Amesbury, Massachusetts

Before we get to how good the food is, lets talk about how friendly the staff is! This restaurant has a fantastic atmosphere! We started with the Tuna tar tar nachos, which was spectacular. Our salads were great. Its so nice to get a well made Cezar salad. We had fish tacos, and the scallops. Well balanced flavors with a unique twist. It is so nice to discover a new restaurant that blows your socks off. This is just such a place. YUM (looking forward to going back soon to try the burger - it looks amazing!) read more

Great food and awesome wine selections! Friendly service too. We were lucky to stumble across such a gem without a reservation and even went back a second time we enjoyed it so much! read more

This is a great place to go for a fancy, pricey dinner. Nice atmosphere in an old train station, attentive staff and great food. I have never had a bad meal from here! This place is a guilty pleasure when we have a night off from our toddler. I am only taking a star away because their drink menu is lacking. I have gotten bad drinks off of their menu and it just seems like they should be able to pull drinks off as well as they do food. read more

They did a beautiful job designing this place. We were in the bistro section since the dining room was full. The long bar is beautiful. I would like to see some vegetarian apps and entrees. After reading raves about the chef I found that disappointing. Please add some? We tried to order the tuna nachos but they were sold out. The haddock sandwich was excellent and we were happy we could substitute salad for the fries. Although the fries were very good! Someone else had their chicken and mozzarella special sandwich and loved it. One other suggestion...more wines by the glass please if you are going to call yourself a wine bar. Maybe offer flights? All in all a very good experience and we'll be back! read more

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Dark little speakeasy atmosphere. But great food especially the mussels nice spice and sweetness. Some of the best I've every had. read more

Place was good. Never been before and made Friday reservations for two couples out without kids. Dining area was a little tight and noisy but not terrible by any means. It's on the noisy side because it's not too large and had a good amount of folks there as you'd expect on a Friday night. We spoke louder and were fine. Salmon nachos were good but were maybe 9-12 tortilla chips on a small plate. When they advertise it as a small bite or plate, it is. Same for the bbq brussel sprouts. Very good, but each of the four of us got maybe 2 each. Dining options were larger fare and very good. Veggie burger looked more appealing than the regular burger so I got it and it didn't disappoint. Fries were a slight bit cool, but tasted great. Good spot overall and we would go again. read more

Always love it here! Great cocktails, amazing food, and the servers are always very attentive. Super cozy spot for a date night! read more

CRAVE: Kitchen - Wine - Tap - Wine Bars Near Me - Amesbury, Massachusetts

Wine by the glass selection is limited but the wines they have are good. I didn't eat but food coming out of kitchen looked and smelled good. Staff was nice but not very attentive or efficient. Came when bar wasn't busy but it took at least 10 mins before someone asked what I wanted. Overall, it's a great place but the bar staff needs to have better time mgmt skills. read more

Came during one of their "happy hour" priced appetizers. I got a martini and it was deliciously made. We ordered several apps including tuna nachos, and thai mussels. Both were SO good!! We really enjoyed the atmosphere and the service was awesome. We will definitely return! read more

In my opinion this is the best restaurant in Amesbury. They have a really good cocktail menu with drinks that you would not find at other bars or restaurants. My top 2 items on the menu would be the wings and the mussels. The wings have a great sauce on them that are a bit like a barbecue sauce and buffalo sauce. The sauce lacks the overpower sweetness of some bbq and cayanne of a buffalo sauce. The mussels are in a really good coconut curry broth. As suggested by the bartender, ask for extra bread to soak up as much of the broth as you can. Service is always really good. If you can I would recommend sitting at the back bar, the guy that always bartends in the back is great. read more

Loved this place! Staff is friendly, live music and food was great! Nice little find in this adorable town as we are new to the area.

This place has excellent service, food, and drinks. My wife loves the Mezcal margarita. The tuna tar tar nachos are top notch. I'm a fan of the choice rotating taps and salads. read more

Would loved to have given CRAVE five stars. It is reasonably priced and takes reservations. The service, ambience, food, drinks and parking is great except that... it's NOISY as can be. It's just plain loud in CRAVE. Everything is wood, metal or glass so There is nothing to break up everyone's chatter. It was very difficult to hear our server or talk with the people at our table. In spite of that, would go back to CRAVE again and again because it really is a nice spot - even in a crowded market with lots of other options. All the food we (4) had was delicious and attractive. Great steak tartare, Mexican street corn, fish tocos and the steak tips were some of the best I have had. Just wish they could hang some cloth (curtains, flags, whatever) to tone down the sound level. read more

Excellent meal and atmosphere. We went recently on a Tuesday and ate in the bar area. The apps were excellent, crispy tomatoes, delicious shrimp cocktail, mussels. Main courses were a great salad with steak cooked perfectly, fish tacos, and a burger with parmesan fries. The atmosphere is great and the server was on top of everything and friendly. We were really impressed. read more

How does a place get a five star rating from me? First - it helps if there are plenty of free places to park nearby - it's not that a place doesn't get a five star without parking, but it sure helps out. Second - have enough choices on the menu, but not so many choices that it takes forever for other people to make up their minds. I'm quick and again - this isn't the only way to a five star, but it sure helps out. Third - accept cash or credit cards and please don't make me have to take out a loan to pay for the meal - give me options with varying amounts of money! This is almost a necessity if you want a five star rating as I don't believe any place should just be for the rich. Though this isn't a sure way to a five star, it sure does help! Fourth - make the place clean EVERYWHERE and THIS IS A MUST! IF it' isn't a clean place I will never come back and I will most likely leave! Yes this is the only way to get a five star from me - well wait - unless the food is so incredibly good I can over look everything! Fifth - yes you have it - the food needs to be really super good to get a five star out of me. Though bad service will typically knock a rating down - the food is why I am there - everything else just makes it easier to get more stars! That's how I do things - GREAT FOOD almost always gets a high rating - add too it some decent service, selection, price, ability to park close, and all of that in a clean environment - and you've got yourself a solid 5 star review! All 13 of us enjoyed every selection we made - not a single complaint! Plus this place has a lot of character and any place that can get 13 people's food all served at about the same time (2 minutes) knows their stuff. I'd certainly come back and I would strongly suggest you give this place a try! I am certain that if there are low ratings for this place - it's either a competitor or someone that simply doesn't understand much about a review! read more

My wife Jenni and I just enjoyed our anniversary dinner at Crave. Chris our server was great! Food was great! It's a little noisy but rustic charm. We will definitely go back again! read more

Attentive service , perfect greasy oysters , enjoyed the street corn and the lobstah roll. Outstanding and unique gin selections

What can I say, since its opened Crave has been pretty much our local Goto dinner place in town, and its even better now that they have expanded into the 'bar' side. I'm glad they have the same menu on both sides of the house, the seperate gastropub menu as not our favorite, and the small size of the dining room made it harder to get in. Things seem to flow much better now! The food, is terrific. Its what I'd call contemporay american food, Burgers, seafood, steak. The menu is small, but rotates seasonally. I enjoy the seaonsal salads as well. The Crave burger, is really to die for, an almost perfect bacon cheese burger. The garlic frites are pretty good, though I often get a side salad instead. Crave seems to specialize in wiskey drinks, but as a rum guy, I really enjoy their spiced mai tai. Having a full bar, there are lots of options. Service and quality has been consistantly good, and Sean and his staff really seem to want to keep things fresh. Between the rotatign menu, and the theme nights such as Taco Tuesday (again tacos, delicous) I've never been dissapointed going to crave, and ofter stop in on nights I'm on my own for dinner, to grab a burger to tacos at the bar. read more

Quality food, great menu and super bar service. The Crave burger is best around...call ahead ;)

We went last night for the first time since the new owner took over. WOW!! We were really impressed! Service was top notch and the owner greeted guests as if they we old friends. He treated his staff with a lot of respect, which means he's genuine. We didn't arrive until 7:30 on a Thursday night, and it was pretty packed. We bellied up to the bar and by the time we left, it was still pretty busy. A very good sign (especially in the middle of winter). For entrees we had the bourbon glazed buffalo wings. My husband is a purest and a self proclaimed wings expert. He was slightly hesitant but saw a couple go hand to hand combat with their appetizer and was sold! He absolutely loved them and actually said, 'we don't have to drive 45 minutes for good wings anymore!'. I had the bolognese that was good. My only complaint was that the noodles were over done so no chance of bringing any leftovers home or I would have had mess on my hands, trying to reheat it. Easily rectified by asking for al dente next time. And here's the shocker....I can count on one hand the number of times we've ordered a dessert in a testaurant. If I'd looked at the dessert menu and had to decide, I probably would have skipped it (I normally wouldn't even bother looking). Well the bartender walked us through each one and she was so excited about them so we knew we couldn't miss out. We went with the raspberry cheesecake and it was seriously delicious. Keep up the good work!! And we'll see you again next week (if not sooner)!! read more

Food was very good. Nice atmosphere. Usually won't order fries unless they are hand cut but their frozen fries were actually pretty good. Wish they had a bigger beer selection but would definitely go back. read more

Taste of Boston in the 'burbs for sure. This place is amazing. Fantastic atmosphere, great selection of drinks (try a Margarita here you will NOT be sorry!), amazing food, and friendly staff and even the other customers here are fun and pleasant. The meal starts with a very tasty popover. I'm not the biggest fan of popovers but here I was! Slather on the Cinnomon butter - just go for it. For an appetizer we ordered the Crispy tomatoes and mozzarella. I will go back here just for this appetizer. Crazy delicious. For dinner I had the sea scollops- they were cooked perfectly with mashed potato and on a bed of corn (that reminded me of a tasty corn chowder). Scallops were good but i think my date ordered better. He had beef tenderloin which was so amazing and tasty I will order it next time. The meat was cooked to perfection and was one of the best pieces of beef I've tried in a while. The amount of food was not huge, it was perfectly portioned. I would have loved to have tried dessert but I ate one too many popovers..maybe next time. I'll be back for sure. read more

Overall a great dinner. Pros: Nice cocktails Lovely waitstaff Attentive owner (Sean) and service Diverse menu Reasonably priced High quality ingredients and preparation Delicious food! Comped us a round of drinks (unsolicited) due to dish that needed to go back for some additional heat. Warm atmosphere. Cons: No reservations for small parties. Bar could be expanded along right wall for more than 6 seats and to take the standing area away from the high traffic path to kitchen and restrooms. They left 3 tables for 4 vacant, rather than seating twosomes there. Loose the TV over the bar. No one cares and cheapens the overall experience across the dining room (pet peeve) Looking forward to returning. read more

This is a hidden gem in Amesbury - now that it's changed owners and completely renovated on the inside, this restaurant will not disappoint. Menu is not overwhelming and you can tell great care was taken to create fun, delicious dishes. Great wine and beer selection, cozy bar, nice comfy tables, and cozy atmosphere. Prices are good for the quality of food - really really good food, might I add. I had a fried oyster po'boy and my wife had a delicious burger. Every meal starts off with warm popovers and cinnamon butter. You won't regret going. read more

Wow! We're at the beach on vacation and wanted to getaway from the touristy restaurants. We got tip on Crave and decided to try it out. Holy smokes what an awesome selection. We started with a Long Strong lemonade which was tasty and refreshing. Next was the deconstructed lobster rangoon which was really delicious. We both had the seared scallops. It came with cream corn, asparagus and fingerling potatoes. Holy sh@t was it awesome! Silver dollar sized perfectly pan seared and delicious with a bit of the creamed corn. We ended the meal sharing the banana foster cheesecake. THE best meal we have had this year. Service was very good with a casual atmosphere. You have to go for the scallops! read more

So we finally visited the new gastropub at Crave. Meh. And meh. Very disappointed with the set up. Firstly, the scaled down "casual" menu is far too limited in size and variety to appeal to not only individuals with dietary reatrictions, but also the average patron. We were told the kitchen couldn't handle a larger menu....that's a shame with all those seats. We started with some salads and ordered some protein on top. There was way too much dressing to the point that they should have been called soupy salad...blech. The protein portion was absolutley miniscule....and there was a half loaf of French bread homemade croutons....which was ridiculous. Worst part.....one was $17 and the other $24. We had to leave and go elsewhere for dinner. Not sure they know what they want to be yet. It would make a great place to gather and watch a game, but while there is a beautiful antique wall unit with a huge mirror that has been converted to the liquor display, there are only two tv's, one in each corner. Not conducive to meeting up with your friends for a game. There's so much potential there but the horribly small and uncreative menu will not have us coming back to the gastropub side again. read more

I should mention that my parents are regulars at this restaurant. Yes, the owner knows them by name and spent about 10 minutes chatting them up when my brother and I took them out for their anniversary over the summer. He is a super nice guy, clearly cares about the quality of his restaurant from all angles, and was totally self-aware (didn't linger at our table, yet made my parents feel like old friends and my brother and I feel welcomed.) You could feel the pride he takes in his work from the atmosphere, service, food and community. Unfortunately, the Sunday night we went was the day before the restaurant was due to close for a vacation, so they were out of some ingredients, which didn't bother me too much because it just proved that everything they use in the restaurant is fresh. I ended up getting their blue cheese beef tenderloin, and was not disappointed. I also stole one of my dad's fried oysters which were amazing! Their wine selection was fairly broad, but obviously well-thought out and paired with the foods they were serving for the season. We ended up getting a rose, which they kept in its own wine-shaped cooler on the table ( a little hokey and cumbersome for my taste, but it did its job well.) I adore the atmosphere here. I would love to come back in the wintertime to sit in the large booth next to the fireplace. The restaurant is small, and I'm guessing even when it's packed in there, the noise level is pretty mild. I appreciate that they rotate their menu based on seasonal and local offerings, and look forward to returning at some point this winter! read more

Great new spot. Their weekly dinner specials are a steal! Hope the wait staff become More refined and trained. Interesting and delicious menu. read more

The menu looks interesting. The restaurant seems nice. But I'll likely never know what the food tastes like, because the service was non-existent. With half the restaurant empty, they appeared to have exactly one front-of-house employee to wait tables, take reservations, run the bar, and seat people. Half the empty tables hadn't been bussed, and although we were seated and given menus, she never came back to take our order, and didn't seem to care when we got up to leave. read more

This place was great! The service was excellent and food was unbelievable! We got the mussels in curry broth, scallop entree and haddock sandwich- it was all amazing- Very fresh seafood! Only drawback I would note is that draft beers were very overpriced- $7! But overall a great experience - will be back! read more

CRAVE: Kitchen - Wine - Tap - The scallop entree- delicious! - Wine Bars Near Me - Amesbury, Massachusetts

Went to celebrate my birthday with my family so there was 5 of us and we all look forward to going back. From start to finish, crave and everyone we encountered went above and beyond to make our experience special. Sean the owner was greeting everyone as they walked in the door with a smile and showing everyone he was genuinely happy they were there. Watching him, he treated everyone like family, new comers, regulars, all like VIP!! Sarah our server was very pleasant and knowledgeable. She described the apps with such excitement that we ordered all suggested and more! Excellent!! Didn't have much room but still had entrees to come. Everyone enjoyed everything. Which is hard in a party when everyone is good cooks. I even took my food home. Crave will become a staple in our dinner plans. Highly recommend trying it out. Worth every penny. read more

I visited Crave with my husband for lunch after reading the wonderful reviews, however, I felt the food was just somewhat average. I ordered the fish tacos which came with two tacos which had very little flavor and they use cod fish, not halibut. My husband ordered the fish and chips which came in a tin bucket with the fish and chips mixed on top of each other. Again cod was used and the batter that was used really had no crunch factor. For $19.00 I would expect more. I looked at the rest of the menu and found the food items to be a bit pricey for an area such as Amesbury. I mean this isn't Boston. I won't be back. Sorry folks. read more

I want to like this place but I've had a few disappointing meals here. The menu is so different and sounds so yummy but the end result just tends to be mediocre. Today was no different. Although the server was super nice the restaurant was obviously understaffed ( no fault of the server) and we waited a very long time for our meals which were sitting on the kitchen counter. My meal was luke warm and the fries were soggy. I'm not sure if I'll try this place again unfortunately. read more

Every once in a while you wander into a local charming dining experience and encounter the "triple crown" in a restaurant . Comfortable and warm atmosphere.... Genuine and knowledgable staff and owner and , of course, food that not only meets expectations but has You wanting to return soon and try another dish that you crossed paths with. The name of this establishment is CRAVE and I firmly suggest you make a reservation and head off to downtown Amesbury MA . The biggest surprise just may be that your meal is about 50% in cost to what it would likely be in the city or even nearby Newburyport Bon Apetit read more

If you find yourself in Amesbury, you must try CRAVE! We came here on a Tuesday night and I was pretty steady, which is always nice to see. We started out with the fried calamari which was amazing! The sweet and sour chili sauce put the calamari on another level. For the main course I had the balsamic Portobello mushroom sandwich with the garlic fries. The sandwich was prepared well and the fries were delicious. My boyfriend had the steak frites, which he was raving about. Our server was very attentive and explained the menu very well. Oh and the lemon hummus that's served with the pita bread is also fantastic. We will definitely be back! read more

Two thumbs up for the new menu - loving the apps, tacos and meatloaf. Still my favorite place in Amesbury.