After moving to Massachusetts 3 years ago I've never quite felt like I fit in, however one of the best hometown institutions makes you feel at home right away! Howard's Drive In is great! When the weather starts to warm up it's one of the first things we do! The menu is huge, so many options for meals from appetizers to seafood! The ice cream menu is awesome and has a ton of options! One of my favorite things though is how pet friendly it is! They even offer pup cups for your dog to enjoy!!! read more

Howards Drive In revisits the innocent days of a past era with its outdoor order window, picnic tables, barbecue chicken, lobster rolls and dinners, fried foods and large portions of excellent ice cream, floats and milkshakes at low prices. The lobster rolls, in particular, are worth the drive alone, featuring a tasty pound-and-a-half of this regional favorite. The Graham Central Stations ranks with the best ice cream we've ever tasted with its chocolate and graham cracker mix. It's really nice to see such an old-fashioned place like Howards thrive in this day of cookie cutter food places. Families, older couples, and virtually every other walk of life seem to happily mix at this gem from another era located in a beautiful New England town, West Brookfield, that seems wonderfully stuck in time. read more

FOR THE ICE CREAM ONLY - just be prepared to wait in a LONG line. Make sure you have friends to talk to or a cell phone. read more

So I've been back here a few times now and have to say the food is generally not that good. The ice cream is still great though.

Great ice cream, yummy food. When we went here it was super crowded with locals, which is a good sign. And despite the 50+ cars there, we got a parking spot and a picnic table to eat at, and only had to wait a little before getting our food. The hot dogs and hamburgers are a little small, but that's great for saving room for ice cream, and you can always order more (3 hot dogs for $2, or instead of a regular hamburger get a 1/4 pound burger or a "superburger"). read more

Been to this seasonal place 3 times and have to say the third time was the best. First time i found this place was coming back from my Quabbin Reservoir trip. The line was what caught my eye driving on Rt9 east. Every time i'm there i ordered the fried seafood plate (clams, shrimp, scallops, and fish on a bed of hand cut french fries with a side of cold slaw & couple a mini-small cups of tartar sauce ($20). Hmm so good! I heard their ice cream is good too but can never have the stomach to fit ice cream after my meal. read more

The smell & the crowd driving by drew me in to this local spot. Ordered fried clams & fries. While I waited, I got a baby-sized soft serve with cherry dip. HUGE portion & it was the perfect start to summer. Unfortunately, the breading on the clams was mealy & the whole thing was too chewy to be enjoyable. The fries were soggy & average; I've had worse but I've definitely had better. Ate a few of each before discarding the meal read more

I forgot how fabulous this place was! I used to come here many years ago as a child and had very fond memories. I was actually a little nervous as I was concerned it would not be as good as I remembered. My worries were quickly eliminated after the first bite. I ordered the scallop and haddock plate. You get tons of food for the money and the food tastes great! We brought our kids and they had many different offerings for them as well. We will definitely be returning soon! read more

I grew up going to howards so this may be a little biased. Good, low price drive in food. Great deals on ice cream (not made by howards). You can get a burger, fries, and coleslaw for around 5 bucks. They have a huge menu with everything from fried veggies to lobster rolls... Worth a stop if you find yourself in the area when the are open (closed for winter) read more

Huge amounts of ice cream for the price!!! Ask for a baby size, it's all you can manage to eat!

Love this place. Order the baby sized soft serve! It the size of a large anywhere else! Always good and busy!

Short: Food is decent. Ice cream is good. Ice cream prices are phenomenal. Long: This was my 3rd time getting food here. I've tried the chowder and really didn't like it, not because it was soupy or thick, the taste seemed too different. The fritters are okay, they use a batter with 7 spices (why mess with success?). Ribeye sandwich is good. Fries are definitely good. Prices on everything are good. I'll be back, but probably only for ice cream. read more

Old fashioned, go every summer....best clams and scallops around! A nice old school NON CHAIN drive-in place like back in the day. Staff is friendly. PS: Ice cream cones are HUGE and delicious! read more

Less of a crowd than Janine's. Good food but the fries have a lot to be desired. Very good prices.

bad food. Been sick from food in past. Ice cream not good either. Over priced greasy bad food

I have mixed feelings about Howards Drive in, I don't love it but I also don't hate it. I've heard tons of raves about this place and how good it is according to my parents and co-workers so I decided to take a 30 minute drive from Worcester to West Brookfield to try it out. We came here around lunch time and it was definitely an ugly day out - cold, rainy, and windy. Despite the weather, the parking lot was filling up QUICK. So imagine this place on a hot sunny day, it's probably 5 times more crowded! The service was fast, we ended up just ordering "The Captain - Howard's Famous Fisherman's Platter." The platter had Haddock, scallops, clams, jumbo shrimp, fries, and coleslaw. Everything was battered in flour and fried. It tasted like your typical fried seafood, personally it was on the plain side for me. At one point I ate a fried clam and it was full of sand inside. *star knocked off* The service was fast as mentioned but it felt like the cashier didn't seem interested or even cared. I always rate a place by their service and it's unfortunate that we had a crappy counter person out of the 3 girls that were cashiers. *another star knocked off* Besides I came here for the food and honestly the food is just there to fill you up. Nothing amazing or exciting to talk about. I didn't try their ice cream but i'm pretty sure that it's great. You really can't go wrong with ice cream. There's tons of seating behind the building with a huge canopy to cover you from the rain or sun. The food was cheap considering how big the plate was. It's a cute place to go on a lunch date. Secluded, quiet, and spacious. I'd probably come back if I was around the area and needed something to eat. But all in all, would I come again on a nice day? Ehhhhh... No. read more

I've grown up going to howards since I was little. Every year I look forward to going to howards when it opens. I'm a HUGE fan of the french fries and def the fishburger. This year I went when they opened again and found they have a new fishburger, the netbuster. The fish on the sandwhich, literally is so big it barely fits inside the bix white box. Delicious! And only about 7$ and comes with fries and cole slaw and a drink. I'm in love with this place. Especially baby sized ice cream that's the equivalent of an ex large anywhere else! Go!! read more

Best drive in ever. Yummy food and ice cream. Grew up going here and will never get old. I love the type of atmosphere it is. I get so excited when I see the open soon sign in spring! Can't wait til it's open! read more

This is a very bad place. as my mom says, avoid restaurants where you can't park, so I stopped (I don't always listen to my mom). the lobster rolls were too big and hard to eat. surprisingly hard to eat at the prices, which were below grocery store lobster meat prices. (Hey! buy the meat here, mark it up and sell to Shaws!). here they were about $26/pound and LM seems to run in the $30's in boston. the servers were just friendly high school girls (HSGs). you had to wait while they prepared it fresh. a good place to stop after the Bear Book place. read more

My husband & I recently went to Howard's Drive In and I must say that it is the worst seafood place we have ever been to. The seafood was fresh but the batter was very bland. The stomachs were huge and they didn't even taste like fried clams. My husband brought them back and complained. He was given a fresh plateful but they were not any better. The fries weren't very good either - they were very greasy. My husband & I both ended up with stomachaches from the little bit we ate. We certainly won't be back!! read more

Never get more than a small ice cream - because the sizes are HUGE! I also recommend the french fries! My only complaint is sometimes the ice cream toppings somehow get mixed together, so I'll end up with some toppings I didn't ask for... read more

i was there this summer nothing has change staff is rude and stuffy. there customer look at you like you stole the mustard .unreal food is ok. save you money drive down the road too the clam box better food and the staff are very friendly and customers don,t starring at you like to stole something. never again last review for this place not worth it read more

Visited mid afternoon...young guy took our order and was very helpful...the other 3 standing within 3 feet never looked up from their phone. I would pay them to clean as it looked like it needed it - when it's not busy instead of playing. The food for the price was fair but greasy. The French fries were dripping in grease. I seldom give a negative review. Perhaps they got their 4 star for ice cream which is not homemade. read more

Ice cream is very good as are the fried clams and burgers. Some of the food is bland and needs seasoning though.

We love the burgers and onion rings here. The fish sandwich = a whole fish! the prices are terrific. A terrific place to go for a family picnic or to just carry out to home. read more

This is the second time we've tried Howards, the first time a couple of years ago. It was really good the first time. This year, what happened?? Hubby and I shared the large seafood platter. Jumbo shrimp, scallop pieces, 1 thin fish filet, and clam strips, french fries and soggy yucky cole slaw. Everything seemed to have had the same batter, except maybe the clam strips, something with cornmeal in it. It was tasteless. . I remember the first time we went, they were all big sea scallops. This time they were small, pieces, really, and the larger ones were good. The clams, I was so disappointed! They were just blah. No taste to them. Almost like prefrozen. As for the shrimp, they were a nice large size, but I just peeled the batter off to eat them. The french fries and soft drink were actually the best part of the meal. I believe the fries are cut right there, at least they taste and look like it. Service was good, friendly. Only one bathroom, fairly nice, but shared. With the large seafood platter and 2 med soft drinks, it was $30. It certainly was not a $15 meal for me or my husband. We won't be going back, unfortunately. read more

I just went to Howards. Got a whole clam dinner and Jr fisherman's platter. The batter was falling off and the fish was rubbery and dry.The whole clams came with hand cut under cooked fries and the Jr fisherman's platter came with store bought frozen fries, which were still frozen in the center.very noticeable difference in fries.never got tartar sauce or ketchup.the whole thing just sucked.i won't be back. read more

Excellent food and ice cream. Had the chili, hot dogs, burgers and yummy hand cut fries. Followed by a huge "baby sized" ice cream.

My boyfriend and I wanted to try Howard's on our way by. We pulled in, took one look at the window and the girls working in front, and drive away. They were all texting on their phones and were eating right up at the window. I work in food/customer service and would never be doing that stuff at the window. It is really disgusting. But perhaps I will return and try again to see if I can have a better experience. I'm giving 2 stars because I might return. read more

Growing up in the area Howards was "The" spot to go for reasonably priced, great sea food. I now live down south and always make it a point to go to Howards when I visit. Last year 05/2015 the food was outstanding. This year was terrible. the food is way over priced and disgusting. the fries soggy I threw most of them away, the cole slaw tasted like cabbage with mayonnaise, the oil used to fry the fish must have been old and didn't taste very fresh. The clam roll was served on a hot dog bun and I only received about 6 fried clams. They use to be served on a small sub roll. The clam roll sadly made me sick with stomach cramps and frequent and long trips to the bathroom. All of this cost me $35. definitely not worth it. read more

Heard Howard's is just way better/cheaper for fried seafood fare than Clambox down the street. Don't really agree. Often get Howard's soft serve (YUM! So worth it!) here but never food, but always smells SO good! First - geographically, we're totally landlocked by MA standards, so be real and don't expect Brown's or Woodard's, seagulls overhead, etc! Got combo plate: fried haddock and scallops (fries/slaw). Everything is technically takeout but they wrap for take home like I did. Total w/tax was just under $18 (not sure why? thought it was $14.95? Whatever!? I also tipped, and well, cuz it was crazy hot and always so busy. Been there!) Serving size average, maybe more scallops (little, sweeter, pricier ones - bay, right?) than usual. Less fries but usually there's so many; these were hand cut, skin-on, not frozen - YUM! Seafood kinda just slightly bland? Mild, I guess, but still good. So if I hadn't been driving by, I'd might prefer Clambox, price & seafood taste just the tiniest bit better. But if you want FREAKING fabulous fish and chips (only haddock, only fridays 'til 8) hit the Dashboard Diner down the road! read more

I used to go to this place every week. I recomend an order of fries and a couple of hot dogs. Talk about more bang for your buck!

Let me tell you this place is absolutely amazing. For me to say amazing when it comes to restaurants it better be darn good! If it were not for this place I think we all would be traveling to the Cape to get what Howards has. All the food is great. Order and sit out at the picnic tables. Cannot beat it. Love that it's off the beaten path because whatever way you go it's a beautiful scenic ride. read more

I go to Howard's many times throughout their season because they have amazing ice cream with big portions and a small price. Their meals are good, too. I always enjoy their burgers (I'm not really into seafood) but my family says that the rest of the food on the menu is good too. read more

I think people love a place because they give you large portions. But what if the foods stinks? I had lunch here once and will not be back. I ordered buffalo boneless chicken wings platter. Got the platter and you can tell they are frozen chicken, just like what I could buy at BJ's. But the bad quality ones where the meat is all mixed up. The chicken was really hot and the fries where not so I ate some of the fries first. Then I took a few bites of chicken and noticed the middle was still raw! cut a few more open and then were all raw in the middle. After already taking a few bites i started to not feel so well. I brought the plate back up and they said they could finish cooking them. I said no thank you I would like my money back and she said well you ate some fries!! really, you severved me RAW chicken and you are going to give me a hard time. So I said not I want my money back so the girls turns around and yells , this guy wants his money back but he eat some fries. Someone yelled okay. People go for the ice cream, again cause they give you alot but it not home made, its just Hersey's. Never will be back read more

Do not waste your money . I have lived in town for 9 years . I tried Howards when I first moved here . Got a fish and Chip and it was just ok. After all this time seeing the place busy all summer , I thought I would give them another try. End of summer craving for full belly clams . They were the worst clams I have ever , ever had. First of all , I asked for whole belly . They mix in a bunch of clam strips with the order . Mind you the dinner was $14.95 . I asked for whole belly and that's what I expect . What there were of whole bellies were tough , tasteless and just all out , nasty. They advertise fresh seafood ? These clams tasted like they came from the freezer even though they were fresh . They were cooked in old oil and the french fries were also tasteless . Looked homemade although could be a Sysco Food supply product . The tarter sauce tasted like an awful processed product . Coleslaw , eh . The only positive experience was the woman who took my order. She was friendly , smiling and polite. I will never go back to Howards again, except to confront the owner personally even though I feel as though they could care less. It is obvious that it is all about the money they make , which is a hefty amount from the traffic that goes by there. Location, location, location is everything. I am positive there are more people as myself who were disappointed but passing through and will not bother saying anything negative but will not return. As I said , I will never go back again. I could have bought some beautiful fresh seafood from G&L seafood in Sturbridge to feed my whole family with the money I spent on one dinner at Howards. Do not , I repeat , do not waste your hard earned money . The workers are working very hard for their minimum wage and like us , making the owners very wealthy . Sad , very sad . read more