Monique W.

If you're on the Ct shoreline and craving fresh, fried seafood, you have to visit Shanks. At the last moment we realized that we had not specified that I am gluten intolerant... my husband ran down from our table to let them know. They could not have been more kind, more accommodating to my allergies. I was SO excited to finally be able to have gluten free clam strips... and BOY DID THEY DELIVER. The clams were perfectly fried, not chewy at all. My husband had the combo platter and DANG. There was some kind of magic between the sea and the fryer because *chefs kiss* The seating overlooks the harbor, making it the perfect date night spot to watch the sunset (or boaters! Haha)

Ashley F.

Our family dined at Shanks on a Monday evening, the service was great from when we arrived, ordered, food brought to us and the waitress who checked in as we grabbed our table on the upper deck. Everyone was friendly and helpful! The views were great, plenty of parking, and a casual dining environment. The food was fresh and delicious. We enjoyed the shanks platter, and a bowl of clam chowder. It was so great to have gluten free fried seafood, and the chowder was very good. We can't wait to return!

Alexandra C.

Alright, Shanks, you've got my summer heart. Stopped by this beachside gem in Clinton, and let me just say: it's the kind of spot that feels like vacation, even if you're only there for lunch. I had every intention of ordering the lobster nachos (because hello?!), but the portion looked massive. I will definitely be coming back for that with a friend. I pivoted and grabbed a lobster roll instead, which came with crunchy house made chips and coleslaw. The chips were so yummy and crispy and salty, I almost finished them before I had my first bite of the lobster roll. Even the water they brought over was crisp and cold, which I truly appreciated on a warm afternoon. Also, I tried the clam chowder, because if you're by the water in New England, it's practically a requirement. Clammy, creamy, and comforting...just how it should be. Again, almost finished and filled up before my first bite of the lobster roll! I felt satisfied with the smaller, 4oz roll. The roll was perfectly toasted and there was just enough butter to moisten up the plump lobster. I'm drooling just writing this. It started off pretty quiet, but the crowd picked up once the live music kicked off. The vibe was exactly what you'd want: easy, breezy, and full of locals who clearly knew this was the spot. The bathrooms outside are a new addition from the last few years. Very clean and practical. I just love the vibe of this place. Food? Delicious. Service? Wicked awesome. Cleanliness? Impeccable. Don't forget to add that the food came out in under 20 minutes. Already planning my return to try the ahi tuna sandwich and finally conquer those lobster nachos. And yes, it's BYOB, so bring a cooler and bring some wine. Then claim a picnic table, and make an afternoon of it!

Allison C.

We've been long overdue for a trip back to Shanks! We visited on what was probably one of the hottest days of the year, but the breeze was so nice from the water that it didn't even phase us. They had live music, so it was a nice vibe that night. We appreciated that the staff brought the food up to us, and it all came out quickly. I wasn't expecting so many unique options like the crab Rangoon flatbread or lobster nachos, but they were great!! Definitely keeping this spot in mind for future waterfront meals.

Jaimie D.

Listen . This is not " dinning ". It is not a rester-aunt with a bar and alcohol . It is picnic tables under a tent at a marina that you have to share with strangers . They had a guitar player and a singer that was great . I had to pay extra for the 8oz lobster roll and fries and they were Great ! My hubs got the fried shrimp that were tiny and looked like Swanson shrimp dinner . Tasteless and bland . Being able to BYOB is great . I will go back for another lobster roll .

Rachel S.

First off very nice view right on the water. Nice large tent/shaded area for seating. As well as seating in the back. This was possibly my 2nd time ever eating lobster but they give a fair amount and it was nice and tender. I got the lobster nachos and while the lobster seemed good I think the nacho part of it could've been better. I think instead of chopped up avocado it would've been better as a guacamole, the mango salsa was really just chopped up mango with cilantro, could benefit adding some red onion and making it more like a salsa. Also think it should've had some sort of sauce to drizzle on the nachos to make it come together better. The cheese was stuck together shredded cheese partly melted partly not. I think melted butter is an interested side to pour on nachos. They do have corn hole off to the side. Also plus is u can BYOB. I did enjoy their sweet tea free refills. Oh and the market nacho price was $36

Alicia N.

It's feeling a lot like Summer !! Beautiful weather, Seafood, great view! It's perfect! Shanks had a wide variety of choices on the menu to Pick from! Many of the items were able to be made Gluten Free. Just check before they have GF buns. When I went they had GF buns and GF wraps. Service was great . They had menu staff working there , all helpful. We ordered the Shanks Combo and I split it with my dad. It def was big enough for 2. The menu had burgers, sandwiches, salads, apps and more!

Phoebe R.

Order downstairs at the boat and then sit upstairs for the view and everything music or downstairs at the covered picnic tables with room for kids and dogs. I wish I'd balanced the fried portion of our meal with a salad. I wasn't expecting the lobster nachos to be served on fried tortilla chips.

Evleen G.

We came in after stumbling across an Instagram video of different food on the menu. The lobster nachos stuck out in the video and they looked absolutely delicious. Also the setting and cooking and serving food out of a boat seemed really cool. We went for Saturday evening dinner. The service was great. Everyone was polite, friendly and respectful. The food was so good. I got the lobster nachos and there was so much lobster on top so you definitely get your money's worth. All of the food was cooked perfectly. You could tell it was fresh and of good quality. We will definitely be coming back to try other items! The elote corn was delicious too. Make sure you bring a cooler since it's a BYOB

robin a.

Ordering is fantastic- great customer service! Sitting outside at the picnic tables near the water the was great. Our wait was about 45 minutes, but we were warned about the wait time. We had a fish sandwich with house made chips and fish tacos. Absolutely tasteless. The chips were old and over fried/ burnt. The fish sandwich had a great piece of fish on it. No lettuce or anything else on it. The taco was beautiful, but the mango salsa on top had no flavor. So disappointing.

Dan R.

"Wooden ships on the water, very free and easy Easy, you know the way it's supposed to be" (Crosby, Stills, Nash) When you place your order at Shanks, you'll probably notice that you're ordering on a ship. You're not tripping, the owners bought a boat, a decommissioned 42-foot lobster boat, transported it from New Haven to Clinton, built out a commercial kitchen, tacked it onto a building and made Shanks a very cool restaurant experience for your dining pleasure. They have three dining rooms -outdoors under a tent, outdoors on a roof patio, and indoors in a dining room. We ordered from two smiling high school age young men that were very professional. We each went for a small lobster roll with chips. Lobster rolls are offered in three sizes - $29 for 4 ounces, $37 for 6 ounces, and $48 for 8 ounces. As the first young man was ringing us up, the seconds one jumped to make our beverages. In fact, the thing that stood out to us was the staff as a whole - a big group of smiling courteous young men and women with great personalities. I saw one young lady bring over a bowl of water for a customer's dog on her own, and thought that was pretty awesome. She also checked in on us during our lunch and that's always a plus in my book. After we ordered, we took a seat under the tent and placed a small wooden buoy on our table -a signal for the server to bring our order, and when that order came out we were very happy with what appeared to be a heaping mound of 100% claw meat on our sandwiches. The rolls are served hot with melted butter "Connecticut Style" as opposed to cold with mayo "Massachusetts Style". They were served with a lemon wedge, container of melted butter, and a big portion of homemade potato chips. There's a side table by the tent with a ketchup dispenser, and "to go" boxes for any leftovers, that's something I rarely see. We certainly didn't have any left over lobster, but we did take home a good amount of chips for tomorrow, There are so many lobster and seafood shacks on the CT shore and we've been to half a dozen of them. But, I don't think any of them gave us a better overall consumer experience than Shanks did. Well done!

Heather W.

Looks like a great assortment of food! Soggy lobster rolls due to expediter delivering it sloshing the butter cup to spill all over the bottom of recycled paper plates. Butter cup congealed and HUGE amount of salt stuck on bottom. Chips browned to the point of burning; a couple actually undone and chewy. "Service" practically non-existent but they charge you a s3 pp BYOB fee Because everything was so haphazardly basic, feeling price gouged re the lobster rolls. I seriously doubt they weigh them, as we had two of the"same' which were markedly different. Music blaring upstairs. Lots of screaming children running around downstairs under the tent. There are no real bathrooms here either. You order at a counter after walking through gravel walkway, less smooth than the driveway next to it

Allie K.

Update: Shanks now has dedicated GF Fryers, making GF fried seafood much safer! They said the fries are also all put in the GF fryer.