Food was... almost flavorless. We ordered fish and chips and had to salt the fish because it literally had zero seasoning. Ordered chicken sandwich that my daughter didn't eat, and the lobster roll which my son ate less than half of. $70 and we ate less than half. So disappointing. It definitely lives up to its Yelp reputation. Also, there really is no view of the water... maybe just like... a little but a good view of the train if that's your jam. Oh, and since we were hungry we grabbed ice cream and milkshakes on the way out. Threw them in the trash too. How you can mess up ice cream I do not understand. read more

Have been going there for almost 20 years, don't think we will be back. Over priced, things not available or accurate on menu, rude staff.

This was my first visit to Dad's I ordered a hamburger and fries. The hamburger was great! A real "Old fashioned " down to earth hamburger! Nothing fancy but obviously hand made and cooked to order. The fries were the perfect accompaniment. Dessert was a hot fudge sundae with a pile of whipped cream and a cherry. I am happy to say that Dad's is a great place to stop this summer for good eats at reasonable prices. read more

Lobster hippos and nukes Dad's has been around forever, or at least it seems that way. It was actually started in 1963 and has hasn't change all that much over the decades. The decks have expanded and they've cleaned up the interior a bit but it still has that pleasant seafood shack appearance. Dad's has burgers and dogs but people primarily come here for the seafood. Whole belly clams with the guts oozing out, lobster rolls, scallops, kraken and the huge seafood platters. The lobster rolls are always good and fresh but they could be a bit larger. The portions of all the items have shrunk over the years but that's true for every seafood place. The atmosphere is very casual and you can eat at one of the picnic tables inside or better yet take your food outside and get the sea breezes and watch the trains go by right across the street. And for something a bit different while you're eating, there are views of the Millstone Nuclear Power Plant only a short distance away. Dad's has been around for a long time and many people in the area grew up eating at Dad's. It might be a bit cleaner and neater now but it still has the same feel to it. In fact they still have the cool hippo and elephant trash cans inside and kids still seem just as fascinated by them as they were decades ago. Nice to see that some things don't change. read more

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Ordered a cheeseburger and fries. The fries were decent but the burger must have been previously cooked and then just warmed up on grill. After I placed my order my food was done in under 5 minutes. My order consisted of a grilled chicken sandwich, cheeseburger fries and coleslaw. No once did I smell a burger being cooked on the grill and the burger was dried out and brown inside. I did take it back and got my money back but when I was back inside another person ordered burger. I saw the cook take something out of a container and place on grill like the already cooked burger that they are just reheating. If you are marking a burger fresh you would smell it and it would be juicy. Definitely not the case. Skippers down the road was definitely fresh and you can see them making everything when ordered. read more

Great food and friendly service! The place is spacious and clean. Would definitely be back!

Good fried stuff! The trains go by frequently. You can eat inside or out, but its not air conditioned. Order at the counter, take your stuff to your picnic table and when your done, stuff your garbage down a zoo animals throat. Dads been here a reeeaaal long time, its like....frozen in time, but that works for me. read more

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It's not often you're seafood restaurant experience comes with stunning direct water views of a nuclear power plant, but that's included in the Dad's Experience. Don't hate, it's keeping the lights in and powering the stoves that cool the food lol I passed on the bay scallops they were serving because I prefer the larger sea scallops. Instead had chilli dog and the Cod Sandwich. The chilli dog was served with the proper amount if chilli and tasted about as good as it gets. I had to use a bit of restraint to not order the chilli cheese fries. Potato chips and a homemade coleslaw were paired with the cod sandwich, which was fried in a light batter. I thought it quite tasty. Bun could have been toasted more because it became soggy half way thru eating it. This is a nice family style seafood restaurant, and the prices are about equal to all the other seafood shacks that dot the Connecticut shore. Dad's has an extensive ice-cream selection too do save room for dessert. read more

Dad’s Restaurant - chilli dog - Seafood Near Me - Niantic, Connecticut

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If you like Fish-N-Chips this is the place to go along the CT coast line. Lot of lightly battered fish and at a very reasonable price. I've be going there for years. read more

Evidently, as a friend says, a "douchy Connecticut thing to do" is to go golfing, then stop in at Dad's. We didn't golf but we stopped in for some sustenance after a long night of being awake and drinking. Hot lobster roll with butter? Okay. for $32, you can have two of those with a side of fries. Food was good, and it was nice that they brought out a huge water bowl for my dog. read more

This is #126 of the many clam shacks dotting the Connecticut shoreline. It's OK. What makes it stand apart from the others is that it has large indoor and outdoor wood decks. The view is OK but you'll have to look over Route 156 and the railroad tracks to see the ocean. I suppose that's better than nothing. If you want a dockside view that is closer to the water, go to The Dock about a mile away on the other side of the Niantic River bridge. It's a clam shack too. This is one of the bigger clam shacks in the state and great for people watching. They do a good job at handling families and big parties. Plus the teenagers working behind the counter genuinely seem to be in a good mood. Skip the ice cream. The last time I got the soft serve ice cream it was mostly ice. I never saw ice cream melt so fast and it wasn't even a hot day. By the way, Dad's Restaurant is closed during the winter months. Rumor has it Mom and Dad and the kids vacation down south at that time. read more

The service was horrendous. We were finally served our food after a long wait. We were missing several items that were ordered and waitress never came back to check on us or to ask how things were. When asked to speak to the manager, conveniently our waitress was it. She questioned which items were missing and said she would check on them. Also said she would take off the items from our bill, but that still left one of our children without her lunch. She was unapologetic and quite harsh. I would not recommend this place to friends and family. I will not be coming back anytime soon. read more

Dad's is great. We had fried whole belly and clam strips, chowder, and slaw. The staff were friendly and the food was ready very quickly. Very good clams. The slaw was spicy with perhaps a bit of horseradish. The chowder had lots of clams but little flavor. If you want a super chowder, go somewhere else. I'd never eaten outside here because it's always been way too hot. Today it was cool so we sat outside. Beautiful view and the train went by three times. Lots of seagulls high overhead. So, so many electrical an telephone wires! I wouldn't want to be nearby during a violent storm. The sound system is quite tinny and frazzled my eardrums but at least it wasn't too loud. As has always been, diners feed the hippo or elephant at the end, which never gets old. read more

Can't speak for anything but the fried seafood. This is notably poor. If you still decide to go there, check your food before you leave with take-out. They gave me the wrong food, and when I called to request that they adjust my total (they gave me a side dish and some fried fish while I had ordered lobster and a scallop dinner), they took my info and have yet to credit or contact me. I'm not normally a "one star person", but this one was earned. read more

Just arrived in town and looking for a great seafood place. Food was excellent. All deep fried though. The price was a bit of a shocker for the amount of food I received. Over all good. But I'll try another places before I give them another try. read more

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We went here for Father's day and arrived to pleasant staff and a warm atmosphere. The tables were not clean. Ordered 3 items off the menu and 45 minutes later no food. For deep fried food this was a bit too long to wait. People that ordered after me received their "lukewarm," and cold food. Luckily they have beer so that made the father happy. read more

I'm giving this restaurant two stars because the food was delicious, but the service was horrible. We sat down and the waitress was so rude, she rushed us to order our food, I asked what kind of alcohol flavors they have in a certain type of beer and she gave me attitude. The waitress then came back and rudely asked if we were ready, she never introduced herself, she took our order and then when the food was ready she brought it to the wrong table. Five minutes later she then realized that our food was on the wrong table, grabbed the tray and placed it on our table, didn't even say sorry. While we were eating, we received our check. I didn't even ask for the check but apparently they were in a rush. We wanted to buy more food but apparently we couldn't. Not once did the waitress come and check up on us, we had to get up and ask the front counter for things. read more

Dad's has become the typical fried food on the water place that the tourists love. Unfortunately, that means that the quality of food has gone down while the price has gone up. My son and I stopped here for dinner and were sorely disappointed. His 'cod nugget' was little more than a typical fish stick and my fish and chips was cold and not at all crispy. The breading fell right off the fish in clumps. The half teaspoon of tartar sauce certainly wasn't enough for two pieces of fish, and the coleslaw tasted metallic. It really is unfortunate that the food quality is bad because the view is beautiful and they really do have the best parking lot in the area. read more

Dad’s Restaurant - The "seafood" gumbo ... plenty of green and black okra, maybe three sad canned tiny shrimp. - Seafood Near Me - Niantic, Connecticut

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Stopped at Dads today for a couple of hot dogs. They were BOILED and were in plain rolls (not toasted). The skin on the hotdogs was so tough, they were hard to eat. Can't speak for the rest of the items on the menu, but this item was absolutely horrible. Won't be back. read more

stay clear! clip joint , who serves canned clam chowder at the ocean..?????? who serves gritty cornmeal on clams? who wants to drain there bank account on one meal? if you answered yes then this is your place! read more

First time trying dads. Good location near the water. I had the fish dinner which was much larger than I expected. Tasted great cooked how I like it. The cole slaw was perfect. They have an awesome selection of ice cream, I had the blueberry crumble. I would go back just for that flavor. Staff was friendly and quick. read more

This is your typical~close to the shore~fried seafood stop. We ordered the fried clams strips and french fries. The size was reasonable, however I thought the prices were a little high. The service was friendly. I enjoyed sitting outside while eating. (and feeling guilty for eating all this fried food! ) If your in the area and are in the mood for this type of grub, stop by. I wouldn't make a special trip for it. read more

My husband and I have been here a few times, this last time will be our last. We ordered a grill cheese, 2 bowls of chowder and an order of onion rings and one soda. When the chowder was delivered, I told them we ordered bowls, not cups, that's how small it was, also not homema, for a seaside place, barely anything in it. This cost us $27, I have no problem paying good money for good food, not worth it read more

We ordered for pick up. The fried scallops and fish dinner were more than lacking. The breading is overwhelmingly bland, and the tartar sauce is excessively lemon-y. Very disappointed, considering the quality you can get at Skipper's, right down the street. read more

One Million Stars. 354,267 stars for how sweet the staff is. They were some of the happiest people I've ever met and even brought my dog water and offered her a hot dog. Then they played with her. 236,356 stars for the fresh cod fish dinner, beer battered and fried to perfection 684,365 stars for the best effing lobster roll I have ever had in my life ever forever always + infinity. Seriously, it was so good we ordered a second one. The toast, the lobster, and the butter changed my life. It is THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD. -274,988 stars for only being open April - Labor Day. This is horribly upsetting because I don't know how I can make it through the winter without another Lobster Roll. read more

Worse than awful. Very overpriced. The fish, onion rings and fries have absolutely no flavor, doubt they even put salt on them. Coleslaw tasted like last weeks lawn clippings and the tartar sauce tasted expired. Insult fathers everywhere. Only gave it one star because I couldn't give it zero. Never going to eat here again. read more

I was craving a lobster roll, so we stopped in here. I cannot begin to tell how disappointed I was. I asked the woman working the counter how big the lobster roll was, since they noticed they also had a "giant" lobster roll. She told me that it was a quarter pound of meat on a six-inch sub roll. Dear Dad's: a six inch sub roll and a four inch hotdog bun are not the same thing. An untoasted, unbuttered, no-lettuce hotdog bun, no less. Credit where credit is due, the lobster was okay - big, plentiful pieces, and probably approaching a quarter pound (certainly closer than the bun approached a roll.) Unseasoned in any way, though, and with that unpleasant fishy smell of the cheap frozen stuff. I was not impressed, and I would not return. read more

So many great memories with the family at Dad's. For years I have been stopping into Dad's for all the excellent fried seafood and lobster rolls. I still frequent Dad's during the summer every chance I can. We make our frequent trips down as I think I am addicted to their lobster rolls and fried whole belly clams. But those are not the only good items they offer, their fried seafood platter is BANGING! My fiancee and I usually split the platter as it is HUGE. Comes with a ton of fried claims, cod fillet, shrimp, scallops, onion rolls and french fries. After putting down half a seafood platter and a beer or two, you basically have to roll me out of there. If I'm not gorging myself on the platter, we usually get the lobster roll. The lobster roll is really one of the best I have had on the CT shoreline. Not much more to say about the roll other than WOW! I have never had a bad experience here with the staff, and I have been here countless times. They are usually young, high-school or college students working for the summer and are always smiling and more than willing to get you whatever you need. The setting here is pretty decent. the only down fall is the nuclear plant visible across the water. Other than that, the indoor seating area is typical of a summer clam shack and the outdoor seating is wonderful on a nice summer day. All-in-all WICKED GOOD fried seafood restaurant and I would highly suggest anyone to stop in from memorial day to labor day (their open season) and enjoy what Dad's has to offer! read more

Had high hopes when coming here and ordering my food and boy was I disappointed, before even placing my order some snotty waitresses shoo'd me out the door because I was apparently looking at the menu in the dining area instead of the one in the take out area. Sorry that I was in the way of your 5 customers already sitting down at their tables. Then we received our food except they didn't bring our drinks which we told her when she came out and she said she would get them, 5 minutes later we're still waiting on our drinks. The drinks were fountain sodas, nothing extravagant, so we went back into the interior to again ask for our drinks which someone finally got for us. Then upon returning home this is what I opened my box and saw, the saddest excuse of a lobster roll and the smallest order of fries imaginable. I am never coming back here again. My girlfriend ordered clam strips with fries, the clam strips were decent, though it came with onion rings, the onions were essentially raw, and the tartar sauce was disgusting. Also the coleslaw tasted like it was made with skunk cabbage instead regular cabbage. read more

Dad’s Restaurant - Hot Lobster Roll with for an additional dollar fries instead of chips. - Seafood Near Me - Niantic, Connecticut

Had dinner before heading out on the water to watch the fireworks for Sailfest. I like Dad's. It doesn't have the "churn through those tourists" feel that most shoreline seafood places have. Staff is super friendly. I had a Lobster roll. It was great. (Are lobster rolls ever not great?). One of my friends order scallops but didn't want them fried (don't blame him) so Dad's was happy to accommodate and grilled them instead. read more

Kinda on the pricey side. But it's actually fresh seafood order the shrimp dinner came with fries and onion rings which was fresh and crispy. Fries not so much read more

Dad’s Restaurant - Yum - Seafood Near Me - Niantic, Connecticut

Meh, a bit overpriced, lobster roll was very small..... Lobser to and malt, $26....a bit much.

Dad's has the BEST lobster roll! The lobster tastes so fresh and you get a generous portion of meat in your roll. I grew up in Niantic eating at Dad's and even though I live an hour away now, I always come down over the summer to go to the beach and eat here. read more

Dad’s Restaurant - THE BEST lobster roll! - Seafood Near Me - Niantic, Connecticut

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When my wife and I were visiting her old home state she took me to the shore. She has been telling me about a place that her father used to bring her family to called Dad's. We found it and indeed they have the "Best whole belly clams" you will ever have. Growing up in the Florida keys I am used to fresh fish but we do not do whole belly clams. I ordered the sea food platter and an extra order of clans for 4 of us to share. There was plenty. This is a great place and I will look forward to another trip to the shore to find this place. read more

Not horrible. Not good. Not going back. I had the lobster roll, and I swear it wasn't even served on a bun. It was like they wrapped a piece of toast around the meat. The lobster was good, but I do wish it was already tossed in butter. The rest of my crew had various fish plates, and it was all just meh. Pretty bland, no real flavor, nothing positive to remember that makes me want to eat there again or recommend it to others. read more

The staff was 4 stars. Unfortunately the food wasn't. The fried seafood - fish, bay scallops, shrimp, and whole clams were bland. Calamari was like rubber bands. My son who loves Philly Cheese Steaks said his was tasteless and he didn't finish a quarter of it. Not all was bad. Their milk shakes are really very good. My kids will have me stop again just for them. read more

Cute,casual and delicious food! My first visit and staff was accommodating when I asked for a substitution..kitchen seemed to have a communication issue but front Staff were quick to make things right. read more

Dad’s Restaurant - Seafood platter! - Seafood Near Me - Niantic, Connecticut

Dad's is an institution. A somewhat dirty, highly overpriced institution, but one none the less. Growing up as a kid in the area when you don't know the difference, Dad's is THE PLACE to be in the summer, paying those absurd prices along with the beach tourists. Please oh please get me some fried clam strips and onion rings Mom! Now that I know better, you can definitely get better clam shack type food (and sometimes for cheaper) at other places in the area. Even so, I can't say that Dad's doesn't throw down some mean fried seafood platters. read more

We go to Dads often and really enjoy it. Nice setting and atmosphere. Love the outdoor seating. We've tried many things on the menu but our favorites are the crab cake sandwich, tuna sandwich and clam chowder. Sometimes we go just for the chowder alone. Service can be spotty. They seem to get overwhelmed at busier times and are a little disorganized. However, overall they do a good job and the food is great. read more

Not what it used to be. I have been going to Dad's since I was a kid, and it has such happy memories. Perfect location to enjoy the sound, watch the trains and enjoy good food. Went back recently - so disappointed. The service was fine but for having just opened for the season - it was horribly unclean. The inside fans all had about 3" worth of thick grey dust, mildew on the beams and on many interior and exterior surfaces. Makes you wonder what the back looks like where your food is prepared. I hope they read this and consider cleaning up. read more

Dad’s Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Niantic, Connecticut