Baked Haddock, fish with. Squeeze of lemon and store bought italian bread crumbs throw in oven until dry and inedible. Side of icecream scoop rounded mashed potatoes. Real or powder? The chicken tenders and fries out of my freezer look more appealing. Strawberry daiquiri, nope too much syrup it was gross. I have eaten here everytime I have come to Hampton Beach, great location across from bandstand. NEVER AGAIN! read more

My first sit down meal since the covid shutdown and it was amazing . The Ribs and slaw are incredible. Can't wait to try the burgers they looked incredible. I really enjoyed everybody , awesome food , awesome service. I'm so excited about a great place to eat on the beach. The portions are huge and priced right. The new owners are doing a great job the chef . Check this place out , you won't be disappointed. Drive down to the beach , park behind the casino then walk thru the arcade and up the stairs to the Urchin ! You will be seated at the heart the beach across from the pavilion , ocean and street views! Happy hour is 11:00 to 4:00 , you won't find a better deal . Three dollar beers half price well drinks . The burgers are amazing , try a little tartar sauce on your fries my favorite. Best seat in the house for pavilion shows and the fireworks are directly across the the street, Cool place to hang out , love watching the cars people , and occasional roar of a loud engine , oh ya . read more

So, we were going to go to a show at the casino ballroom that night, I decided we needed some place to eat that was close by. This place one out because they described himself as having seafood in a great view. It wasn't busy and it was a Saturday night. We didn't have to wait but it was early. We sat where we are able to see a great view of the ocean, and placed our orders. Our margaritas were good. Not too strong, not too weak, one frozen one nut. We then order. We got mostly appetizer stuff to make meals. The pretzel sticks with the beer cheese? Pretty good but the cheese tasted more like they'll Vida then actually having a cheddar flavor. But it was creamy it's still OK. A little salty too. Got some calamari, got some shrimp cocktail, and got the small plate of fried clams. 5 ounces. It sounds a little more than it actually looks like. It was pretty small from us $18. I have to be honest. All in all, it was OK. Nothing to write home about. Clearly better places in the area for seafood, but it sufficed for what we needed for the day. read more

The best spinach & artichoke dip I've had the pleasure of tasting yet! The dip was loaded with big pieces of artichoke hearts and had just the right thickness - not runny, but not clumpy either. It comes in a sourdough bread bowl which was surprisingly fluffy on the inside with a perfectly crispy edge. The entire thing cost $10 and is an absolute steal for the quality and amount. I'd also recommend the steamers: juicy and sooo flavorful that you can easily toss the dipping sauces to the side. The steamed lobster's a good deal too at $17, but there's not all that much meat and you'll probably still be hungry if you have a big appetite. Our waitress was friendly and prompt and took good care of us throughout our meal. Oh and the view of Hampton Beach and the water was, of course, fantastic =D read more

See all

Judging by the menu and prices, I assumed this was a nicer place among Hampton beach restaurants. I couldn't have been more wrong. At the height of a pandemic, this restaurant still failed to meet even the bare minimum of requirements. Upon being seated the table had not been wiped down and there was a ball of hair that was the size of a golf ball on the floor next to the table. It was clear that regular sweeping and mopping did not occur at this restaurant. Against my better judgement, I remained at the table and placed my drink order. It took 15 minutes for the server to return with my drink order. The service was already matching the sanitation standards at the Purple Urchin. The food was up to scratch in presentation and taste, which is the only real positive I could take away. Other than that, this was a truly disappointing experience at a generally well-regarded eatery in Hampton. read more

Purple Urchin - Hairball in center of photo - American Near Me - Hampton, New Hampshire

See all

I don't ever leave reviews but I had to for this one. Probably the best restaurant in Hampton beach. Food was amazing and fresh. Quick service, great drinks and staff were super friendly. Especially KB she was awesome! Will be coming back. read more

Purple Urchin - Salmon - American Near Me - Hampton, New Hampshire

See all

Ok before I start I want to say that this was the first weekend open after the covid shut down so I wasn't expecting 5 starts. However, I wasn't expecting complete disgust either. The wait wasn't bad. It was about 15 mins and we were 2 adults and 3 children but the hostess was horrible and rude. (Should have been a warning right there) After seated for at least 15 mins, the waitress took our drink orders. 15 mins later we got our drinks. She then asked if we wanted appitizers. We ordered the steamers and the crab & articoke dip. Waited another 20 mins..... She came over and asked our dinner orders (still not apps yet). Waited another 30 mins.... ALL of the food came out a once. Let me break it down. Chicken and Waffles: Unbelievably nasty with a "stove top like" stuffing and salsa on it?? My 14 year old couldn't eat it. The chicken nachos: DRY DRY DRY and stale with very little chicken. My 10 year old couldn't eat it. The chicken caesar salad wrap: DRY as bone, stale bread and zero dressing. (How do you screw that up?) The crab/articoke dip: BURNT and stale chips On a good note: the lobster and steamers were good. My husband and son enjoyed them both. When I asked for the check, another 20 mins went by before I got it. $180.00 for a horrible meal and service. We spent over an 2 hours at this place. The waitress was rarely seen and when she was, she was very rude and it felt like she didn't want to be there. Later, I asked a Hampton Beach resident if they've ever eaten here and her response: "Worse restaurant on the beach, you should have ask me before dining there." NEVER AGAIN. Very disappointed. read more

Decided for another ride, this is becoming a habit on the weekends! Went to Hampton NH to check out the water and the boardwalk type of shopping. Beautiful but very hot day. Chose to eat here at the purple urchin, fun food options and a great view. Sat outside and ordered the lobster rangoons, and fried calamari to start. Both were great, the marinera for the calamari was rich and tomato forward - so fresh tasting, they were perfectly fried. The lobster rangoons actually had chunks in them! mmmm, thai sauce had a wonderful kick to it. We opted to share the paella and glad we did, it was a lot. This had a very deep rich broth, that on its own could be overwhelming but together with the rice and seafood it was delish. Too much rice to finish and because of the broth there really wasnt any crispy rice typical of a paella, but that didnt stop us. Nice refreshing drinks and Nicole our server was so nice and handled everything with such ease! read more

Purple Urchin - Seafood Paella! - American Near Me - Hampton, New Hampshire

See all

Over all it was okay. The bar vibe was good. Although, when I came they first reopened after Covid, the coconut shrimp and lobster roll was the best I have ever had (I grew up on Cape Cod. So I know a thing or two). The roll was over filling with lobster and had a great mayonnaise ratio. Then the shrimp had the best coconut mix and there was 5 of them!!! Such a great experience for my first time out after the shut down. Then we went today, a little over a year later. I could not wait to go... It was the worst lobster roll I have had. Also, the coconut shrimp went from 5 to 3, with none of the sauce they used to have. The lobster did not taste the same. It was much smaller and had a much higher mayonnaise ratio. We will not be back. read more

Long time customer......so disappointing....marginal food....poor service...filthy restrooms and zero service recovery.....Maura where did you go???? Purple Urchin has become a tourist trap...the only thing positive is the location....they can't screw that up. read more

The ambiance is amazing since you can look out on the boardwalk/at the water as you eat. The selection of food is great, as was the quality.

Nice upstairs dining above the Hampton Beach amphitheater and just great seafood with simple drink options but amazing view of the dusk skies! read more

It was disappointing. No steamers clams, and the fried oyster tasted like it was frozen. My dining companion warned that it has gone downhill but we went anyway. My friend had the fried shrimp which appeared to be fresh. read more

Grilled cheese wasn't grilled just a piece of craft cheese on bread. Ordered pasta instead and it had a hair in it in the first bite. Also smelled like fish strongly. read more

Highly recommend this place at night when concerts at the sea shell are happening. It's great food and you have a great seat to watch the concerts or the fireworks!!! read more

If I could rate this with no stars I would unfortunately. I am a food enthusiast who goes to a lot of restaurants and 9 times out of 10 I leave a phenomenal review. Today my family and friends decided to dine here since it was nice out and the food looked great. We sat down and the waitress took our drink order, brought them back quick. Took our food order, we waited over 40 minutes for our food mins you not appetizers just meals... and when we got it, one of our friends did not get there food. So we figured, maybe it's just taking a little bit longer. Another 20 minutes fo by, now where all about half way through our food and the waitress still has not come over. She finally does and asks how everything is and we asked her where our friends burger was? Mind you it was a cheeseburger with bacon.... She said it would be out shortly... another 20 minutes go by and nothing.... Finally I saw her and flagged her down and told her if we didn't have the burger in the next minute( since a burger doesn't take over a hour to make) that we didn't want it and to give us our check... she ended up 10 minutes later having someone else come out and give us the check. I will say this, I appreciate the second girl taking the burger off the tab, a beer and some of the sodas. That was all very nice of her. I thought it was super unprofessional that our waitress didn't acknowledge the burger never made it to the order, was not taking longer it just never got added, and was not up front with us about anything. The food was good but I definitely will not be coming back read more

I would have had a great time but the manger mike was really rude and unprofessional. He was a total vibe killer. I was at the bar enjoying myself with my friends making friendly small talk. We were having a good time spending our money enjoying ourselves and he was acting as if he was our parent. I am a grown woman who doesn't need anyone to tell me how to behave. I am very self aware and know how to conduct myself. I won't return thanks to you Michael. read more

The wait staff was ok, but all the rest.....uuugghhh! Expensive, loud, yucky people. The lobster Mac n cheese tasted like nuked velveta cheese and 1/2 a salt shaker.......absolutely disgusting!!!!!! read more

The bartender lacked knowledge of types of alcohol, and also seemed to be over-serving patrons. Lack of sanitation. Not to mention, she was clearly serving underaged customers without ID-ing them. The bartender was extremely disrespectful towards supporting staff. All of this happened in front of customers. This is an insult to the industry, it's off putting and frankly disgusting. ... On a positive note, the view was amazing and the music was wonderful. Service just needs an upgrade! read more

Well we were seated quickly so it started off good. Then we waited for a while for service. Ordered a mix drink. Side glass of water and I had a coke, lemon no ice. 10 minutes later waitress come by to say the drink will be out soon. 5 minutes later drinks arrived.. my Fiancée's drink was fine my simple coke was missing lemon and contained ice.. no glass of water. Another 10 minutes go by before she come by to take our order . Both ordered cheese burgers with bacon. My fiancée swapped out for sweet potato fries. 15 minutes go by waitress asks if we'd like another round. We both say yes and she brings back my coke. This time she remembered no ice and brought lemon. My fiancée's drink was no where to be found. 5 more minutes and our food comes out. Burgers were cooked well but my fiancée was given normal fries not sweet potato. The runner apologizes and head to the kitchen. So there we sit with our food. No ketchup. No utensils. No sweet potato fries and my fiancée is still without her drink or water. Took me another 5 minutes to be able to flag down our waitress. We get the ketchup and utensils sorted but are waiting on fries. We start eating and I'm finished with mine before her fries show up. She finally gets her sweet potato fries and has about 2 bites left when the waitress comes by to clear my plate ( finished 10 minutes ago) and proceeds to return with my fiancée missing cocktail ( still no water)! So now we are both done eating and she's got a full rum and coke in front of her which she ordered 45 minutes ago. All that pain in the ass crap and a $60 bill. Uggggg read more

So this place is always on our my wife and I's list to go to and get food at least once during our vacations. The food was always great, so three years ago the scallops over risotto was amazing, always was our go to for ordering, lately, not so good sadly. Good cook quality is much lower now than before, still a great place to eat. Just not as good as before, I'm sitting at the table now, just had seafood risotto and the part time waiter Nick, definitely made the four star review a thing, he doubled the score cause he was awesome and very happy and kind and just overall a great waiter. Which are hard to come by, I would definitely keep him around cause he's a positive part of this place. Hope to see him next year. read more

No idea why this place has only 3 stars. Bang bang shrimp and Lobster Rangoon alone account for 5 stars. Wait staff is really friendly and hospitality is front and center. Bartender makes a great dirty martini and the view of the ocean es muy bueno. Clean. Cool music and vibe. Great day at the beach. Go for it!! read more

you made me wait an hour an a half for my food to give me wings instead of chicken tenders also how do you cook your burgers the looked like hockey pucks. lastly we asked for mash potatoes not sweet potato fries and you also have no fries. read more

A neat place to stop for dinner and drinks in Hampton Beach. The Purple Urchin is located upstairs at the Hampton Beach Casino overlooking busy Ocean Blvd, the Seashell Stage, and the beachfront. The place has patio pub dining to the right and the regular dining room to the left. I visited both sides of the operation on different nights, which have screen windows to see and hear the action outside. On Friday night, we stopped at the patio bar for cocktails and appetizers while we watched the concert playing on the stage across the street. For apps, the Seared Ahi Tuna ($11.95) was very good and the Half Dozen Oysters ($14) were fresh and decent, but the Pan Roasted Mussels ($9.95) were okay, not the freshest. The service was pretty good with the food arriving quickly. Tonight (Saturday), I went back to the Purple Urchin solo (my buddy was in a deep sleep at the hotel) and had dinner in the dining room. The whole place was very busy so I grab a menu and sat up at the bar. The bartender was very busy mixing drinks, so it took about five minutes for him to take my order. I placed my dinner order and the bartender introduced himself as Dan and we shook hands. I ordered a Diet Coke ($2.25) and Ginger Seared Scallops ($18.95), which arrived fairly quickly. The tasty and generous dish had 5 jumbo seared scallops, fresh vegetables, orange Dijon cream sauce over a dense lobster risotto, a great choice. I listened to the free concert across the street as I enjoyed my dinner. The service was spot on with Dan checking up on me, using my first name and offered me a couple refills (complementary) on iced cold Diet Coke. I was very thirsty since it was very hot outside. Overall, I like the Purple Urchin since it offers good food & service and has a great location with great views in the heart of Hampton Beach. My buddy and I are probably heading back here again later tonight for drinks. NOTE: Open 11AM to 12AM (stop serving food at 10PM). read more

See all

Love this place! Food was fantastic. The survive was even better! I would recommend this place to everyone who asks!

Had the best time at the Purple Urchin the other night! Sat at the bar and had the best drinks and food all night. The tall, slender, dark haired bartender serving us was very attentive, made excellent cocktails, and was a hoot and a half! Truly a wonderful evening, will be back again! read more

Food 10 stars!!!! service 2! The waitress clearly was not well trained and was there for summer money (understandable), however, she lacked basic knowledge of service! She brought my drink and forgot to bring the straw, ok, bring it. BUT people.... during the pandemic why would you bring the straw with your bare hand without the wrap and put it right into my drink? I would suggest the administration to train the staff well even if they are there for short period of time! read more

This place is amazing. The new owners Ryan and Casey are so sweet and made my visit very enjoyable. I got the stuffed haddock and it was delicious, perfectly cooked and a big portion for the price! My husband got the steamers and he loved them. This place is definitely the best on the beach. read more

I love it here!! the service is always on point and the food is delicious, my favorite is the fried clams & calamari. Hands down my favorite place to eat on the strip read more

I endorse you to come here if you have a thing for........... 1.CHEW- EYYYYYYYY rubbery chicken 2.Bland oily over-fried calamari 2.Needing to ask your waiter three times just for some tartar sauce 3.Not having your water refilled on a hot sunny day Come come come! read more

The bartender was absolutely rude to my friends and I for no reason. We were being so nice and he was absolutely rude. Expects a tip when you can be rude at an expensive restaurant. Get better workers. I will pass this word. read more

On vacation with my family and stopped here to get some appetizers. I'm a sucker for mussels. Everything was pretty good minus our server. She was anything less than hospitable and every mussel but one was good. Unfortunately I knew something was wrong when I tasted it but I have an iron stomach. Or so I thought. 2 hours or so later I was definitely sick with food poisoning. Vomiting all night. I'm not saying this is something that happens all the time there but once is enough for me. read more

First time ever coming to Hampton! Decided visit this place! The food was so good! Our server Ava was super super nice! We definitely recommend and Ask for Ava!!!! read more

Purple Urchin - American Near Me - Hampton, New Hampshire

Bad food- save yourself time and money. Very expensive and it's one of the worst meals I've ever had! read more

The drinks were okay, small. I'd probably stick to beer next time. Servers were all super nice. Mussels were cooked in water, not broth and had 0 flavor. Coming from RI I know what a good mussel tastes like. The best part of the stuffed lobster was the French fries. Super crunchy and hot! The lobster was subpar. The stuffing had almost no flavor. Giving this place a 3 for the atmosphere, music, and employees. read more

Great views and an even better staff! They also are vegetarian/vegan friendly. 10/10 would recommend!

Short Version I would not recommend eating here if it were the only restaurant open on the strip. From the service, to the food, to the billing it was just an overall very poor experience. Eating out is meant to take the responsibility off of you and to enjoy a fresh meal. This place did the opposite. No level of service recovery could bring me back to give this place another chance. Long Version We were a larger party of 14 and naturally when we all go out to eat together, especially during these challenging times, we do not expect things to be perfect. This visit was exceptionally poor in just about all aspects. To paint a picture of what kind of restaurant this is; it's beach style serving a unique variety of foods from seafood, to pastas and burgers while overlooking the hatch-shell and the beach on the Hampton strip. We have frequented this location multiple years with minor issues, but this time it was exceptionally poor. My rating is based on 2 factors - overall service and food/drink quality. The service here really left a lot to be desired. Our waitress was fantastic for having a table of 14 alone, but where the issues arose was there were simply too many hands involved trying to help her, without any communication to her about what was done. We were seated; not given place settings or napkins, but were given two pitchers of water which for 14 people we went through without enough for everyone. The waitress took our drink orders and about 5-10 minutes later a gentleman, who identified himself as the owner came over to the table and said he was going to help her and take all of our orders. Someone in our party mentioned to him that we'd need separate checks as we were multiple families. He responded stating that "oh I will let the waitress handle all that." in a tone that asserted his dominance as the owner and gave the impression that he was "above that". We had asked him multiple questions about the menu such as "what is the market price of the lobster, what is the fish of the day and how many tenders come with the chicken tender basket?" All of which we were met with a polite "I don't know, but let me find out." I have no complaints on his response or tone here, but was quite surprised that as an owner he did not know any of these answers. Our drinks then began to arrive and this was a total mess as everyone, but our waitress was giving us our drinks. Multiple incorrect drinks came out and others were missed entirely. Our appetizers came out after our drinks and about 5 minutes later our meals came out. I'd say it was just enough time to finish our clam chowder cup and then the meals came. Speaking to the clam chowder, I was happy with its flavor and taste. My meal was the Fish Sandwich (the catch of the day). I had asked for it without any sauces, just the fish the cheese and the bread, but it came with the sauce on it which was too spicy rendering it uneatable. Another individual in our group had their meal forgotten and another who could not eat hers as it came out not as planned. Traditionally we would have asked for an alternative, but service was hard to come by and tending to the forgotten meal that it was not worth trying to get someone to help because at this point we just wanted to leave. Where things really went sideways was with the check. We asked the waitress about breaking up the check and mentioned to her the owner said it was something she'd handle. She had no idea so had not planned accordingly. We then told her all of what each person got. She went back to divide them and about 30-45 minutes later she returned and the majority of them were wrong. Our bill had 3 extra drinks costing $25 more then planned on it. We then went to the booth where she was entering the information and most were able to rectify our bill. Ours was not and we ended up overpaying, but at that point we had been there enduring over 2 1/2 hours of poor service that we just decided to pay and leave as it was not worth the hassle. As we were leaving, the owner offered a couple people in our party a shot on the house and a few took him up on that. There was no true form of service recovery from the owner at all, he never addressed the situation once to us. Final Thoughts We really felt bad for our waitress as she was really nice and was dealt a bad hand as too many were involved with her table without keeping her updated on what was what. Going out to eat is meant to relieve stress, not provoke it. This place was with the epitome of provoking stress. Highly recommend staying away. read more

Great service and food was very good. Seating provides a great view of the strip. You are able to see the ocean while you eat and have a few drinks. I had the Chicken Chipotle wrap with fries and it was awesome. I also had the Mango mixed drink (two of them) and it was a perfect night. Definitely would recommend this place to anyone looking for a nice sit down restaurant on the strip. read more

Awful. Don't go here. Terrible seating, service and food. We got an appetizer and that was enough to move on.

Great food, great staff and even better views of the ocean. The best place to go for the fireworks!