Great fresh seafood. I enjoy the clam chowder and the gumbo very much. Usually a cup before the broiled scallops and cold crab salad. Been there many times. We will be back. read more

In a world where corporate-owned and franchised seafood restaurants are multiplying like.. guppies, it's getting harder to find a good, independently-owned seafood restaurant in the area. Denville Seafood / Codmother's Cafe on Broadway in downtown Denville stands out for all the right reasons -- with incredibly fresh and tasty locally-sourced fish, a welcoming midscale atmosphere, and staff that actually cares about the customers and food they're serving. Denville Seafood / Codmother's Cafe operates as a seafood market and restaurant. The market offers a variety of fresh seafood all of which is locally-sourced from the New Fulton Fish Market in NYC as well as seafood-based soups and salads prepared on-site to enjoy elsewhere. The other side of the shop offers a sit-down restaurant where the chef can prepare anything sold in the market in a variety of ways for diners to enjoy in the indoor or outdoor dining areas or to go. The menu is extensive and any of the fresh fish -- from bass to tuna -- or shellfish sold in the market are available in the restaurant in a wide variety of preparation styles -- baked, broiled, and fried with white wine-butter sauce, rosemary, lemon-caper, scampi, or teriyaki sauces. Dinner platters (which range from $28 to $45 as of December 2025) include coleslaw, steamed vegetables, and your choice of fries, rice, potatoes, pasta, or extra steamed vegetables. Your imagination is the only thing limiting the number of iterations available. For diners who don't enjoy seafood, Codmother's Cafe offers linguine with or without broccoli, chicken tenders, and the New Jersey-staple Chicken Parmigiana. The atmosphere in the dining room hits that perfect "midscale" sweet spot where it feels special enough for a nice night out, but still relaxed and welcoming for a casual meal with friends and family. The high-energy servers are clearly on top of their game and make the whole experience fun. We'll definitely be back. PRO TIP #1: Be flexible with your order. With all of the seafood sourced daily based on what's available at the New Fulton Fish Market and sold in both the market and restaurant, there's a real risk they might run out of something on the menu so make sure you have a back-up in case your initial craving is 86-ed for the day when you order. PRO TIP #2: Free street parking is available on Broadway and 1st Avenue as well as in the Denville municipal parking lots located on 1st Avenue and Bloomfield Avenue. read more

Denville Seafood - Seafood Markets Near Me - Denville, New Jersey

This is a great place to come if you want some fresh fish! Very cute and homey, with plenty of tables and booths. Part of the restaraunt is a fish counter where you can buy uncooked fish and the other part is a restaraunt. We split the Manhattan clam chowder and the sword fish special. I'm not a clam chowder person but my husband is and he likes it, warning it has bacon in it. The sword fish was excellent, huge big piece of succulent fish cooked to perfection on a bed of mixed root vegetables. The sauce was light and bright and a perfect pairing. The coleslaw was crispy and fresh and not too much mayo. Wait service was excellent and super friendly. Would definitely come back. read more

Denville Seafood - Manhattan Clam Chowder - Seafood Markets Near Me - Denville, New Jersey

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I had been ordering take out here for almost two years. It was our Friday treat and we never had anything less than a great meal. However, recently, in addition to our regular order ... shrimp lunch with French fries ... I ordered a quart of shrimp bisque for supper. As I paid for my order, I asked for a couple of small packs of oyster crackers. Before the counter person could comply, the owner, an older woman who, in all the time I have been patronizing the shop never once talked to me, even as I paid for my order, shouted ... yes shouted ... we don't give oyster crackers for cold take out! Now, I do not have a clue how much these small cracker packs cost but my guess is less than a dime. My order that day was about $40 and over the past two years, we have spent a similar amount EVERY Friday. Incompetent customer service like that tells me to take my business elsewhere. Since that encounter, I promised myself to never go back. The woman behind the counter has lost about $120 per month of my business because of a 20cent decision. Too bad for both of us because Joe, I think he's the co-owner, is a customer service expert. His partner, not do much. This is my decision, of course, and should not be a factor in anyone else's food choice, but I take the Yelp review role as a serious responsibility. Besides the taste of food, cleanliness, price, and service all require honesty ... read more

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The soups are good, and dishes have a clean minimal feel. You can pick up Fresh fish at all times. Service is just ok.

A great spot for lunch! I've only ever been for lunch as the dinner prices are a bit steep. Their lunch menu offers great prices and lots of options! I had the fried scallops which were perfectly cooked and crispy but I was a bit disappointed it only came with 4 scallops. The steak fries were crispy and soft inside! It was $19 which I thought was reasonable for seafood. My date had haddock with garlic butter linguini which he enjoyed. The sauce was very flavorful, I dipped my scallops in it and it was delicious on the scallops! Lunch price was $15 for a decent portion. Service was friendly and prompt. The ambiance is also nice and homey!Located in downtown Denville there is easy free parking on the street but I also saw they have a lot in the back read more

Denville Seafood - Lunch fried scallops & garlic butter haddock with linguini - Seafood Markets Near Me - Denville, New Jersey

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Called for take out. I had the phone on speaker. As I placed my order my husband was listening and commented how rude the woman was on the phone. It was the owner. She's notorious for being rude. But the food is great. But not this time. Remember Leo Getz quote from Lethal Weapon? They f*ck you at the drive thru! I ordered a lunch special. Fish on a bed of couscous with peas and mushrooms. Couscous is pasta. Pasta needs to be drained. My meal was a puddle. Yuck. No more take out from Denville Seafood! read more

Denville Seafood - The puddle of undrained couscous. - Seafood Markets Near Me - Denville, New Jersey

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Fresh, quality seafood. Good prices. Excellent Manhattan clam chowder. Friendly staff treat customers like they're family, too!

Came here for the first time for my mother's birthday lunch and it was great! When you walk in there is a small fish market (which I have yet to buy from) but to the right is the restaurant. The place is cute! The light blue walls and white trims really fit the seafood vibe. We were seated almost immediately and despite it being Good Friday, it was not super busy. We were attended to quickly and the server was just so sweet. For apps we ordered the Fried Soft Shell Crab special and the Jumbo Lump Crab Meat. My mother ordered the Lobster Salad Roll and I ordered a Broiled Chilean Sea Bass with broccoli. The food was excellent and came out in a timely manner. The portions are a bit small but for the lunch price and the variety of options, I think they were reasonable. We even ordered a cup of New England Clam Chowder and Lobster Bisque to go! I would absolutely continue coming here for lunch, but dinner might be a bit too pricey for me. Note: as noted on their website, the selection may be subject to changes in price based on supply. My mother wanted the regular lobster salad but the server told us there was an up charge for the lobster. Still, the lobster salad roll was delicious and I appreciated the server notifying us of the up charge. read more

Fresh / delicious as always! Would not buy oysters elsewhere. Owners are very personable and easy to talk to. read more

The seafood is fresh from ocean, and they have good variety of choices on the menu. The staff is friendly and service oriented.

Love the food so clean inside and out the staff is great !!! This is my go to place for seafood

DO NOT recommend working at this place to anyone you know. My sister worked at this place for about a year and she was verbally abused and harassed by the co-owner Mary, and her son Michael. They would consistently yell at her and belittle her, making her work experience impossible. She would come home upset and confused everyday from the way she was treated. They would yell at her aggressively every time she worked. Mary's son accused my sister of theft and would scream in her face, making her cry. Mary and Michael are extremely disrespectful and completely unprofessional. They are unsuitable for working in the food industry and will be reported to HR. She finally quit recently and I thought I would pass along this message for the well being and safety of your family members and loved ones. read more

My niece and I came here on a Saturday afternoon for lunch . There is a seafood market attached so you can see that everything is prepared right there and very fresh. We were seated right away and our waitress was very friendly and accommodating. Very difficult to choose as there are so many options. The prices were extremely reasonable. No alcohol is served. I decided to get stuffed flounder with crab . I got broccoli to go with it - it was very fresh. My only complaint was that the fish could have been hotter . The crabmeat filling although tasty wasn't hot at all . My niece got Scallops and they were delicious. It was clean and well lighted a nice little seafood spot ! read more

Denville Seafood - Broiled Sea Scallops - Seafood Markets Near Me - Denville, New Jersey

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Fast, efficient services. Excellent quality seafood. Ordered 2 seafood salads and fried smelts

Today I called Denville Seafood at 3:45 PM to check if they had soft shell crabs on the dinner menu. My husband has been craving soft shelled crabs for a while now. They did so I made 6:30 reservations and specifically requesting that one dinner portion of soft shell crabs be put aside for us. I was told that there would be no problem because our reservation was early and they had a lot of crabs in stock. When we placed our order we were told they only had one crab available which was not a full order. My husband was disappointed and I was furious. They were very rude and non-apologetic. In fact, they treated us horribly. The service was also horrendous as it was extremely slow. We will never go to Denville Seafood again. Very disappointing. Don't waste your money. read more

This was my favorite place for fresh and good sea food. Unfortunately it has really gone down hill and I will never go back. Fish was not fresh and porrly prepared. Short in help and servers were not at all trained so service was the worst. read more

The food and service are consistently excellent- no better or fresher seafood in Northern New Jersey. We have been coming regularly for many years and have never been disappointed either with eating in the restaurant or purchasing fresh fish to prepare at home. read more

Three stars for the crab cocktail and scallops. Service is slow, unwelcoming and just bleh. Their clientele are an older crowd, and it's a BYOB. My husband enjoyed his oyster's. The Tony's special (scallops shrimp and flounder in a butter sauce) was under seasoned and the fresh veggies was just a giant piece of broccoli. My husband had the seafood parmigiana and it was ok. Definitely underwhelming and not somewhere I plan on returning. read more

Denville Seafood - Tony 's Special - Seafood Markets Near Me - Denville, New Jersey

Nice seafood plate. Shrimp and scallops were nice. The flounder was over cooked on one side. Typical broiled seafood platter. Fries were good. read more

Denville Seafood - Broiled seafood - Seafood Markets Near Me - Denville, New Jersey

wonderful find! source for fresh raw fish & seafood! also eat lunch & dinner right there in enjoyable & ultraly clean dining rooms! lovely welcoming staff! phenomenal fresh deliciously prepared food! a real winner! read more

The food was amazing. We started with the mussels fra diavolo, and the steamed clams. The fra diavolo sauce is amazing. We had grilled shrimp over a mixed green salad, as well as Black Sea bass with delicious linguine, and broccoli, and sea bass with steamed potatoes and broccoli. Everything comes with small cup of Cole slaw. We have lived in Denville for over 25 years and this is the first time we have eaten inside the restaurant. I can't believe I have waited this long! But I can't with to return. read more

Never a bad meal here. My go to seafood lunch place. Great and courteous staff. Prices do increase which seems normal at any seafood restaurant read more

I've been on this planet for 43 years now and have realized it's hard to find seafood that you can trust. Denville Seafood has very fresh seafood that is hand picked picked a few times per week at the fish market. Tons of expertise, fair prices, and excellent choices. The only place I will pick up my seafood from now on is denville seafood read more

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We've been there many times and always return for the good food. However, the last two times we were there service was a mess. This last time we had a reservation for 7pm and we're seated around 8pm. There wasn't enough wait staff or a host/hostess. Once we sat it took another 20-30min to get our order in. I'm not sure we will comeback. read more

I called in an order of the Lobster Salad Platter, using their online menu. It was $22 (for lunch), and I figured I'd treat myself. I checked the price deliberately. My friend picked up the order, and they charged me $32 dollars!! I called right away and asked to speak to the manager. I was told "oh yeah, lobster went up in price." So they raised it by $10(!), but didn't seem to feel the need to change their menu. When I said I ordered it based on the price on their menu, they said there is some kind of disclaimer in the menu that says prices can change blah blah blah. There is NO such disclaimer in the salad page from which I ordered. So heads up folks - what you see with your own eyes may not be real at Codmothers. AND don't expect an apology or even someone showing concern when you call with questions. I guess the customer is always wrong. I'm done. read more

Excellent! Went on a Sat evening. Place was packed. I suggest making a reservation. Definitely worth the wait. They close at 8pm which is disappointing but all & all fish was fresh as can be. There is a seafood market in front also. This is BYOB. read more

Fantastic! First time and we loved it all. The Lobster cocktail was amazing. And wow the Chilean Sea Bass was huge and so flaky and tender. Can't wait to go back and try it all again. read more

Best seafood in the area! We get our fish for the holidays and we in the restaurant all the time! Always great!

I lately have been craving seafood. I work in Denville in a Healthcare center and I've driven by this restaurant/market. Yesterday I decided to try it out for lunch. I ordered the calamari lunch which was fried and came with fries. I pre-ordered and picked up after work. The price was actually pretty reasonable for lunch calamari. I meant to take picture of it but I figured I would wait until I got home. On my way home I popped a piece of the calamari in my mouth. O M G it was so good , so fresh by the time I got home I had finished it. The fries were steak fries and they were perfectly cooked. It came with a side of coleslaw and a lemon wedge. They were nice enough to put utensils,napkins, and ketchup in the bag. I definitely will go back. I promise you guys I will take a picture next time read more

Denville Seafood - I ate my food before I could remember to take a picture It was that good! - Seafood Markets Near Me - Denville, New Jersey

Fresh n Delicious! Service is always courteous and quick. We usually get takeout of fried oysters, scallops & haddock and enjoy it at the adjacent park or by the river. read more

the worst place for fresh clams. they do not soak enough to get rid of sand. all 3 diners in party ordered steamed clams that were inedible due to grit. then owner tried to instruct us that fresh clams have sand in them. I live in Florida & eat clams all the time NEVER experience sand read more

Service: The restaurant seemed understaffed - the waiter who served us had originally tried to seat us in another waiter's section but he didn't want another table. I don't think our waiter wanted us either because she took quite a while to bring water and glasses, take orders, etc. Our reservation was for 7:15 and we were the last table seated...and the last out, which was made clear when the bright lights came on around 9:15. The owner came out and apologized for this, said he didn't realize we were still there. Food: great menu selection! A list of each type of fish with a description of each on the inside front cover and then options for broiled or fried preparation. My shrimp cocktail was dry and rubbery, but the broiled haddock was delicious. Everyone else enjoyed their meals. read more

I liked my food, but no one else did. Plus, it was very expensive! I thought at least the portions would be decent, but there wasn't enough for leftovers, so no. read more

I left after waiting for 15 minutes to be seated especially when the hostess asked if anyone had a reservation. I do not recommend this establishment due to their apparent rudeness. read more

A favorite place here. Fresh seafood, prices to be expected, portions really grew from the last time here. Friendly efficient helpful service. Modern renovation. Nice and clean. Excellent. read more

Denville Seafood - Tony's Special, shrimp, scallops, flounder and fries. - Seafood Markets Near Me - Denville, New Jersey

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So rude. It was lunch and the waitress absolutely ignored us as we waited for a table. She walked by us multiple time and did not even establish eye contact. She could have at minimum gotten us seat as I was with my handicapped mother. Finally we just had to leave and she seemed like we were the one in the wrong. Food is amazing normal but this was unacceptable treatment. read more

I think this is a decent restaurant with good food, but service is a bit lacking as it took nearly 40 minutes to get our food. It's a small dining atmosphere where there aren't as many tables, so sometimes best to call ahead for a reservation or for wait times. Food selection prides itself on freshness, as when you walk in you pass the seafood counter where you can buy raw to go. I'm all for supporting local business so I'll chalk up thier poor service and slow food to an off day , and I'll give them a second chance. read more

Denville Seafood - mixed fried platter - Seafood Markets Near Me - Denville, New Jersey

Good seafood joint. I have only done take-out lunch here at work, but we get it somewhat often. Their lunch specials are pretty great. For $10-$15 you can some good seafood of choice and a side. Unfortunately I wish they gave a little bit more because none of us are full after eating a lunch portion unless you order a linguine dish. I know seafood is expensive but maybe they can just offer an extra side (rice or a carb). That's a cheap fix! The seafood is good, the sauces are really tasty and the service is pretty quick (for late lunch take-out). I've loved all the fish lunch specials I've gotten (fave is the shrimp scampi). The lobster bisque is pretty good and for $6 there's some good lobster pieces in there! read more

The food here is very good and our waiter today was very very friendly and working so hard. The gentleman who brought us to our table and took drink orders was also really personable and on point. One woman who works there (not sure if she's a waitress or just works the counter) was pretty gruff to us but she seemed to warm up at the end of our visit. Based on our host and waiter today, I'd say the service is very good. It's been a long time since I've been here and the interior has since had a facelift and looks great. I'd come back, but it may not be my first choice. I used to get raw oysters at Red Lobster (sadly RL doesn't offer this menu item anymore) twice the size and just as delicious. The salmon and Ipswich clams are truly incredible here though. The bread was fresh, too. I can't speak to the fish market aspect as I've not ordered from the counter or gotten takeout. read more

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