Our time here was mostly a waste. Walking in the crowd is almost exclusively 50+, giving one the impression they walked into a retirement home dinner service. The decor is tired, dark in a dingy way. The entire time things worked like a factory line- the place is huge and is clearly meant to churn out food, which it did, but at the cost of flavor, texture, or excitement. I got the stuffed chicken breast and my partner another chicken dish. Both were bland at best, and clearly overpriced. The presentation looked like a kindergarten art project- half a cherry tomato here, an orange there. The sauce looked and tasted like it had sat for days. Meanwhile, our server was nowhere to be found. Wait, actually he was, standing looking bored, holding conversations, and overall being about as attentive as a dead horse. When we told him the meal was below average, he quipped that "meat is their specialty". One would hope that, given the wide variety of menu items that some would at least be passable. All of this came with the insult of how expensive the meal itself was. Tired food, lacking service, and no sense of decor left us feeling frustrated and ready to try almost anything else. I can forgive a few shortcomings of any place, but we both felt that even a quick burger would have been better than what we had here. Maybe when are senile the food will taste better, as the place was packed for reasons we simply cannot comprehend. read more

I haven't been to Pate's in a while and there is a reason for that. The food is really "meh" and the service is pretty average. Think stale bread and crackers in cellophane when you dine here. While you can get a nice cut of beef it is pretty chewy and I would never wait to eat here. You have limited choices in Chatham for steak, spend a bit more and order at a better restaurant. While they offer seafood, don't go there...you definitely can do better almost anywhere in Chatham. This place is really dated both inside and out. It is awful inside; think 1950s! read more

If you want mediocre food and horrible service this is the place for you. The waiters ignore you even when you try to get their attention, our waters and drinks sat empty for the entire second half of our meal and when we finished we actually had to go find our waiter to get the check. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone or their grandmother, there are much better restaurants on the cape with better prices, go somewhere else. read more

Just wow. Amazing service, wait staff is incredible, and food is delicious. The nicest staff and the best food on Cape Cod. Plus if you're visiting you can get your souvenirs at Cuffy's next door. BTW their French Onion soup is amazing! read more

I would suggest that you review with your host how to smile and have kind words for your customers. We where a party of 8 on 10/10/2014. 6 arrived together. The host, who is very rude, refused to seat the six until the entire party was there. Really! You just lost the sale of 4 drinks! The waiter was not very friendly, dropped a knife on the pants of one person in our party and never offered to clean it or say sorry. He also bumped into one person every time he came to the table. He then got one order totally wrong and insisted we were wrong. No we were very right! I would tell anyone who asks DO NOT go to this restaurant. Food was just okay. I do not understand why anyone would recommend this place. read more

Blue hair. Check. Comfort cuisine. Check. Red pleather booths. Check. Big servings. Check. If you're in the mood for the above, don't miss Pates. Its an Old School Steakhouse and it delivers. Our server was outstanding. The steak was to die for and I don't think we blinked before water and wine were refilled. This is hard to match service in the Cape. As far as I'm concerned, Pate's brings it. When in the mood for Ye Good Ole Steakhouse, Sign Me Up. read more

Pates is old school dining but everything is delicious. The staff is very friendly and helpful. We have been many times and it is consistently good. read more

For our first night of vacation after a five hour drive we couldn't have gotten lickier than finding this authentic Cape steak and seafood restaurant. Excellwnt service with healthy portions cooked just right. We had the scallops in bacon as an appetizer which was delicious. My New York Sirloin was thick and perfectly grilled right on the dining floor behind our booth. An added treat. I didn't order it but the prime roast was himungous and if you dont order it by 8 your out of luck. A great way to start of our vacation read more

What a pleasant surprise! This restaurant was exactly what we were hoping for. After many nights of "bar food", we were looking for a place where our server didn't greet us with "what can I get you guys". Our waitress, Casey, was prompt, efficient and pleasant. The food couldn't be better and everyone throughly enjoyed their meals. We will definitely return! read more

Our last night in Cape Cod and we wanted a nice dinner. This place had a crowded parking lot so we thought we'd give it a try. The food was pricey and just okay. I ended up with an appetizer because the entrees I wanted, such as stuffed shrimp-had "a mixture of seafood" according to the waitress and that sounded like leftovers to me. I'm not a big steak lover so perhaps that is what you should order when going here. The place is loud and dark. After many visits to Mass., trying many different places, I am wondering if there are any fabulous restaurants like we have in NJ? read more

I have been going to Pate's for years, one of my favorite steak place on the cape. It is great for a special occasion, I like watching the cooks prepare the meals on the open grill. It is an expensive night out, but worth it. Nice wait staff. Older crowd usually so not a loud place. read more

Yes, it's very 70's looking. And there are a lot of older people eating there. But there are also plenty of younger people too, and it's definitely a place the locals go vs. more touristy, which is a plus in my book! We enjoyed the filet and fried seafood platter, and loved the bread. We will be back. read more

I have been going to Pates for many years. Recently I had a small complaint which I was surprised about and even wondered if I should report it. I did report it and Robert was so gracious and accommodating. The Best restaurant on the Cape!!! read more

Old-style 50's charm. Dark, clubby, leather and wood. A nice change from bright, loud, frenetic tourist-laden establishments. Sharon was great at the bar. Food was good, service excellent. read more

Pates Restaurant - Old-style 50's charm. - Seafood Near Me - Chatham, Massachusetts

We have been to Pate's Restaurant in the past. My wife and I stopped there recently again. Their prime rib is excellent as are their steaks. This time we both got the baked bay scallops in wine sauce. Exceptional! It was accompanied by a stuffed bake potato, one of their staples. Their Caesar salad is very good, but unhappily was not available because of the FDA recall on romaine lettuce. Our garden salad was fine, but we suggest you go for their Caesar salad which is a treat. Their wines by the glass selection was good. I zeroed in on the two pinot noirs, one from France and the other, California. The French one was excellent as was my wife's fume blanc. The pours were generous. We shared a snowball which is coconut covered vanilla ice cream with a chocolate sauce. A fine touch to the meal's finish. We were seated promptly and the host/waitress were attentive, courteous, and prompt. read more

Throwback to a 1970's stakehouse. Good cut of beef, well cooked but side dishes & presentation is mediocre at best. Over priced for what you get. read more

My husband and I were recently on vacation in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. We had an amazing dinner at Pate's Restaurant in Chatham and I had the best filet mignon and baked stuffed potato I have ever had! My husband ordered the swordfish and also agreed it was the best swordfish he has ever had! The service was great! Be sure to come early....they open for dinner at 5:30 PM and there will be a line of people waiting at the door when it opens! We will definitely be back! read more

Needs updating and not worth the money. The Brussel sprouts were boiled and pretty flavorless - for a steak house, not something I would expect. Overall, not worth the money and sub-par experience. read more

This place was just outstanding! The food was very delicious, (I recommend shrimp cocktail for an appetizer, with the Baked Chatham Haddock) and the service was fast and attentive. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted with enthusiasm and friendliness. The kitchen was also quick too! It took about 15 mins to get my meal of fish and for the rest of my five-person family! Also, the man who creates all of the drinks was very skilled too. I would most definitely recommend this place for a friend! This is now my go-to spot for when I go to Cape Cod! read more

The food is great there. The decor is old fashioned, but the servers are friendly. The chocolate lava cake is amazing!

Down at the cape for vacation 2 months ago, spent a day in Chatham. We found Pate's Restaurant on the way home. We read some reviews before we decided to go in and eat. Yes, it is kind of a dim ambiance, but we liked it and found it to be comfortable. We were seated immediately and the service was great. I can recommend the surf and turf; the sirloin was very tender and cooked just as I ordered. We did not get to have desert because the meals were so filling and we ate everything! read more

Felt like walking into a fifties time warp for both atmosphere and food. If what you are looking for is the "standard" American plate from that era, this may be your place. If you expect something a bit more modern, well presented, healthy, and in a less dreary atmosphere look elsewhere. read more

Suddenly its 2011 and you're having a great time down the cape. You open the doors to Pate's Restaurant and you might as well be meeting Mike and Carol Brady out for dinner. Very 1970's, Red lighting, red carpet, but not in a theme restaurant way, this place is authentic! The food and service were fantastic and its nice not to have to deal with the expensive menus and long waits that come with the Chatham center joints. Worth the checkout, try the Shrimp dish that prepares them 3 different ways, its delish!! read more

Pates is a Cape Cod institution. The core menu hasn't changed in 30 years and that is a blessing. Come here for generous glasses of wine, New York strip steak, stuffed baked potato, Caesar salad with anchovies, and lava cake. Doing it right will run about $50/person but the warm staff and consistently delicious food is worth every penny read more

Went to Pate's because we had purchased a voucher from Cape Cod Daily Deal. Very dark and dated inside the restaurant. Our waiter was brand new. Though helpful and attentive he was nervous and unfamiliar with the menu or the restaurant policies. My wife ordered Salmon and asked for it to be well done, but not burnt. She also asked if it came with vegetable as the menu listed only starch as options. Waiter said he could do vegetable. I ordered Chopped Sirloin Medium with baked potato. Took quite a while for our entrees even though it was not particularly busy. When the meals arrived it was immediately apparent that my chopped sirloin was about 10 minutes beyond medium with a congealed brown gravy that had 1 small slice of mushroom in it. The meat had the consistency of sawdust and was black. My wife's salmon was burned on one side. Baked Potatoes were extremely small and dry. Vegetable were a watery soggy mix. We never send food back as we have had some horrendous experiences in the past when doing so. When the check arrived we were charged $5 for the vegetables. When we asked why the additional charge we were told they were ala carte. I have eaten at Peter Luger's, The Palm, Ruth's Chris, Smith & Wollensky, Abe & Louies, and Berns Steakhouses. The prices at Pate's are similar but that is the only similarity. You can go to the 99 and get a better meal. We won't be back!! read more

This restaurant is virtually unchanged for the last 4 or 5 decades. My husband's family has maintained a summer home in Chatham for about 40 years and Pate's has been a favorite for them. Many people complain about the old, dark decor, and while under normal circumstances I might agree, this is one instance where he was glad to see something that remained unchanged. The owner knew by NAME a vast majority of his guests who were coming and going out of his restaurant. Try to find that level of service at one of the "hip" or "trendy" places (where people seem to content to wait for an hour or more!) with modern decor. As for the prices, they were right in line with everything else on the Cape-nothing is cheap here. If you are looking for cheap eats-PLEASE-go back to the city and order off the $1 menu at any of the chain fast food restaurants. We will certainly return and enjoy the warmth and hospitality that Pate's provides. (By contrast-we ate at 28 Atlantic and enjoyed that as well...but not ONE SINGLE employee knew any of the guests or patron by FIRST name). And guess what??? The clam chowder here is un-FRICKEN-believable! I generally don't like clam chowder (if I want to EAT sand, I'll go roll around on the beach for awhile) but Pate's is the BOMB. Creamy, sand-free and SCRUMPTIOUS! read more

As all the other Yelpers before me have stated this place is a total time warp, dark, woody, red carpets, average age of diners about 65+, font on menus some strange mix between calligraphy and comic sans that is almost illegible (especially considering most of their diners likely have cataracts). As for the food itself it was kind of... meh. The New York Strip kind of tasted like a "Wal*Mart" cut of beef, it was lacking flavour and texture. As for the other diners at my table that ordered either Surf & Turf or just seafood dishes the gist I got was meh all around. I Tasted my fiancé's haddock and scallops and they were edible but over cooked and rubbery. I felt like I wouldn't have been so bothered by this if the prices we're maybe a little lower and reflected the food served but I felt the overall experience was very bland to say the least. In a town with so many amazing restaurants, knowing I would only be there for one week I left there feeling very disappointed that I could have gone somewhere else and tried something else. Overall we did have a great time, the 70's decor made for some hilarious dinner conversation, our server was a really nice young man and there was an 80th birthday party going on in there with some rockin' grannies wearing some hilarious headwear so that was all good. I just can't say I'd ever go back. read more

Excellent food and a great atmosphere!! I had the best French onion soup I've ever tasted. Our waiter was attentive and entertaining, a perfect gentleman (thanks, Andrew!). A necessary stop for anyone visiting Chatham. read more

This place sucked! Overall experience was bad. Service and food was terrible. Very bland food. Save your money!!

My family has been coming here since before I was born, and the menu hasn't changed in 30 years...which is excellent, because it's great as is. I'm partial to the steak teriyaki with a baked stuff potato, but everything is amazing here! The service is usually awesome, too. I'm from NYC so I've had a lot of truly excellent food, but when I lived in Japan, it was a steak from Pates I dreamed about when I missed home. read more

Excellent bar/ restaurant with a great staff and great food. Everyone left feeling satisfied. Definitely going back!

Not worth your money! This is one of those places with high prices and subpar food located in a tourist area where they have a take it or leave it attitude. After finding other restaurants in the area with 1-2 hour wait times, we found this restaurant could accommodate our party of five right away. So we gave it a try. Now we know why this place had room when others were packed. Portions were small and very bland and not worth the prices this place charges. Do yourself a favor and spend your hard earned dollars elsewhere. read more

The waitress was very friendly and efficient which is the reason for the two stars. The food was a big disappointment...

My wife and I read the reviews for Pate's while staying in Chatham, and decided to go and check it out. Mistake. We were by far the youngest couple in the place, and it was dark wood everywhere! It feels like a ships hull with small red candles, and pink lights used in funeral homes. Service was ok and our waitress was nice, but the food was terrible. Steak was a hockey puck at best, and the stuffing used for the stuffed shrimp was all bread-dry and over-cooked. We knew we made a mistake once the food arrived, but decided to tough it out and finish our meal and leave. Should have chosen better, but did not want others to make the mistake. We trust Yelp for all of our travels, but this rating is un-deserved in our opinion. read more

Best dinner of the week's stay in Chatham. Food was great, service was very good. Baked haddock was delicious! Prime rib, lamb chops, stuffed baked chicken, were excellent. Seafood platter was average (deep fried). Desserts were good. read more

This place is right out of 1970s Cape Cod, complete with "captain's chair" decor and iceberg lettuce salad. The swordfish and salmon were average. The lobster ravioli was tough, with a sauce that resembled cheddar cheese soup from a can. The first of two bottles of wine we ordered was warmish. On a positive note, 6 oysters on the half-shell were only $10.50, compared to $2 to $3 each almost everywhere else on the Cape. read more

Wow - it's like the Brady Bunch's living room. The decor is old school and the guests were a lot older. The steak was very average. The menu is limited and not description - as someone with a food allergy, I was afraid to order as I was not sure the waiter really knew what was in each meal. The cocktails were tiny and watered down. We won't be back - much better options in Chatham. And, not cheap so search other options! read more

This is a old school steakhouse with a bit of a modern spin by having the grill section of the kitchen open. I love that idea! We tried 3 apps, oysters Rockefeller - nice oysters, plenty of spinach but was missing something... Escargot- server on mushrooms not in the shell but I like mushrooms, great flavor, I would ask for grilled or toasted bread the cold cubes of bread it was served with would have been much better to soak up that yummy garlic butter if they had some crunch... And crab cakes- not very good,don't get em! Not much crab at all and bland, needed 4x the crab and at least some old bay seasoning... Salads were good liked the cheese and bacon on top. What you come for though is steak. The NY strip was awesome as was the prime rib. The rib was on the bone slightly miss cut... But had great flavor and tenderness! Get to bake stuffed potato! Overall I really liked the classic old school vibe with servers having been trained in the traditional reserved method, high marks for keeping that alive! If you're looking for a great steak on cape this is the place to go! read more

We had a family dinner here at recommendation of a local but we will never go back or recommend this place to a friend. We ordered three different cuts of steaks, which came undercooked or overcooked. Worst of them was a new york strip that was ordered medium-rare and it came well-done. What a horrible thing to do a steak! I asked our server to notify the kitchen, and she was friendly but overworked and extremely busy. We never heard back from the kitchen, and the steak was on the bill at full price at the end of the meal. At $26 a piece, I would have expected a little more professionalism on the steaks. We didn't have any issues with the soups we ordered. Salads and breads were nothing better than something you'd find at a really cheap restaurant. And a glass of wine we ordered tasted vinegary, and probably had been open for several days, if not longer. Definitely not worth the money or time. read more

Mixed review. Don't mind the "retro" 1960s steak house atmosphere. I'm old enough to have grown up with that, appreciate that it's coming back into style, and there's always a place for a menu of simply prepared grilled beef and seafood (esp. if you are taking out your 80+ year-old parent). Kudos that Pate's has stayed in business long enough to ride that tide again and has gone to the effort and expense of replacing their carpeting and made other interior renovations, gotten a new sign and updated their website. However, a salad pre-plated and ice-cold from the refrigerator and a strip steak more "select" than choice or prime makes it feel they are trying to cut corners. And it always seems a little "sketchy" to regularly have deals on www.restaurant.com when most other area restaurants do not need that service to draw in customers. But it's not easy being in the restaurant business and we hope they have a great summer. read more