A popular seafood restaurant in Rockport. The wait was expected to be 45 minutes at 6:30 pm on Friday, so to catch the Commuter Rail, we had to takeout and eat on the train. Lazy Lobster Casserole: 4oz of lobster meat, baked with butter and breadcrumbs, quite satisfying. The lobster meat was firm and delicious, the butter was fragrant, but the breadcrumbs were too burnt, and the seasoning was a bit too salty. Fried Calamari: Just average fried calamari, too much batter. We should have ordered fried scallops, but my dad wanted calamari... Baked Potato: Another average baked potato. We discovered they served it with butter afterward Coleslaw: Not very good. The sweetness was generally right, but it lacked a clear, bright flavor. Side Salad: Sweet and sour, very refreshing! read more

The Fish Shack Restaurant - Fried Calamari - Seafood Near Me - Rockport, Massachusetts

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Came on a Tuesday around 11:45am and managed to get the last table by the window with a view of the water! Not even fifteen minutes later, the space filled up with people asking for window tables. Street parking right outside was easy since it was a weekday pre-lunch rush, but I wouldn't bet on it during busier times. We ordered a bowl of clam chowder to share, the fried haddock basket with a side of slaw, and the fish tacos with a side of fries. The one unfortunate thing was that our fries had a strand of hair embedded inside, but they were able to replace it for us. Otherwise a pretty decent meal to start off our day strolling around the neighborhood. read more

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Sometimes as a local you forget what you have for a good solid meal close by. That brought us to the fish shack in dock square, fresh fish done right with no frills,just great options for a New England lunch. Usually a wait in high season but don't let that stop you if you're playing tourist in Rockport some day! read more

Visiting the last stop on the commuter train from Boston, we wanted to have a nice dinner and chose this place. The bar had open seats and a Vanderbilt football game on, so there we sat. The bartender was very friendly and took great care of us. The food was really good, especially the buffalo shrimp with blue cheese dressing for dipping. The dinning room looked like it had a great view of the harbor, if sitting at the bar isn't your thing. There were a couple of other well-reviewed restaurants in Rockport, so getting a good meal shouldn't be difficult. The Fish Shack made it very easy. read more

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Great experience!! Especially for a tourist spot. generous good food. Good service with a smile.

The service was the primary reason for the low score. Appetizer was brought with entree and overall experience was just average. The shrimp scampi was drowning in a pool of liquid and the other sandwich entree could have been hotter. Not the worst place I've been but definitely needs to up their game . read more

It's our first time visiting the Rockport beach. This is a very cute small town, about one hour away from Boston. We are here early morning and needed to find a place for lunch. Overall, amazing view of the ocean and great seafood! I am surprised that we really enjoyed the fried clams. Huge portions of all plates! Really love the local vibe of the place and excellent spot for the ocean view. The waiter was great too. read more

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The table views are beautiful! Large open space. Big bar. I had the clam chowder and haddock sandwich. Both solid. My wife had the haddock and potato with green beans. She is GF DF. They were accommodating but not many options if you have food allergies. Not even vegan butter. Service was decent. Friendly but a bit understaffed. Not unusual especially at the start of the season. Good beer and drink selection. Overall I can def recommend. read more

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Great service and great food. Kids enjoyed their Lobstah!!! Will be back in the future. The place is well kept and the views of the water are fabulous. This place was recommend by our hotel, I am glad we listened. read more

I had scallops which were lightly breaded and regrettable. My wife had shrimp scampi, and it was excellent and gave her a lot of shrimp. The sides were green beans and corn on the cob which was awesome. Can't say enough good things about this place!!! We were going to the place at the end or maybe a place on the right but a red haired kid at a bicycle shop recommended it - we went with it and it was awesome!!! read more

What a great way to end our night! Chowder, crab cakes, lobster, and sautéed shrimp - couldn't ask for better food! Brian, the bartender, was friendly and helpful! He made the atmosphere fun. Will definitely be back when we come through Rockport again! read more

The Fish Shack Restaurant - Clam chowder and crab cakes - Seafood Near Me - Rockport, Massachusetts

Service great friendly atmosphere. The bartenders are great!! I highly recommend the shrimp Tacos. read more

Great service and selection. Able to get a table quickly even when busy. Fun view of the harbor.

I'm losing my mind over the lobster scampi. It was so delicious. My husband got the lobster Mac n cheese which was also amazing. Our server was so friendly & on it. She was busy and never showed it. We sat near a window but there wasn't a bad seat in the house. The large windows gave everyone a beautiful view. read more

The Fish Shack Restaurant - Lobster scampi - Seafood Near Me - Rockport, Massachusetts

It all began with a meter spot right in front of the beach! :) After spending a beautiful day at Front Beach in Rockport and being able to swim, we walked to Bear Skin Neck and then stopped into The Fish Shack for a cocktail and fried clams. Charlie (short for Charlene) made me a tasty cosmo with tequila instead of vodka, and Michael had a local IPA. The fried clams were plentiful and plump. The batter was light. The coleslaw is also delicious and not too mayonaisie. read more

Nice place with a great view. The fried clams were delicious. The Lobster Salad was MEH. TOO much lettuce and little else and the lobster looked like they scraped it off the bottom of the container, small pieces. read more

The food and service was great and the view was spectacular. We went three times while we were in Rockport. Had a great time all three times. read more

Great backup when the popular lobster roll spot up the street on Bearskin neck is packed. Always plenty of seating, food is delicious and they don't rob you blind with the prices. read more

Excellent food and service! The variety was great. Great views! Had seafood, clam chowder, and a chicken meal. read more

Wouldn't recommend this spot to my worst enemy. Fried everything. Felt queasy after consuming the crab cakes here which were also fried(?????). Tasted like crispy cat food. If this is your only option, go to the grocery store instead. This is the most horrible place I've eaten in at least a year read more

The ambience is made for people who love a water view. If you can get a table near the water that is. Go early in the day and enjoy the fish sandwich. My favorite .Love the fish sandwich so I don't even look at the menu anymore. read more

NOW A TOURIST TRAP RIP OFF WITH LOUSY FOOD This place changed from excellent to terrible We first had the CLAM CHOWDER - Chowder with nearly no clams !! Wife had the CHICKEN DINNER with a VERY SMALL PIECE OF FLAVORLESS CHICKEN. I had the LAZY LOBSTER dinner - It contained shredded pieces of lobster that was 60% bread crumbs - Not one piece of a LOBSTER - ALL SHREDS - Might have had about 3 ounces of shredded crappy lobster The best part of the meal was the rice !! AVOID THIS PLACE !!!!!!!!! read more

The view is extremely beautiful and the staff is really nice. We had a 30 minute wait at around 3pm. The staff collects your phone number and texts you when the table is ready do you do not need to wait in the restaurant. The food was ok. The fried scallops were not crunchy. It felt like we were just eating plain scallops. The baked haddock was not bad but a bit plain. The clam chowder was delicious. You could see chunks of fresh veggies in there and felt very homemade. read more

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Average everything. Lobster roll was good but the clam chowder was average. Stuffed clams were average. Servers were nice though. View is nice. Priced for the location not the quality of food. read more

The Fish Shack Restaurant - View from the window tables - Seafood Near Me - Rockport, Massachusetts

The place was packed for a cool Sunday at 2:30 in March. Most of Rockport is still closed until spring but there were a good amount of tourists walking around. It's very casual inside and some seating has ocean views. We sat at the bar (no views). Service was spotty. The bartender came over as soon as we sat but we hadn't seen any drink or food menus so we were not ready to order. He was also leaving the bar to wait tables so apparently they were shorthanded. My date had the coconut shrimp with fries and coleslaw. He said the shrimp were very good but the fries were frozen battered which are awful. Would have made a huge impact to have fresh hand cut fries. I had the baked scallop special. There were alot of fresh plump scallops prepared well with alot of buttery ritz crumbs. I ordered 2 sides that were both up charged: a small garden salad was $3 and onion rings were $5. I can't understand why the up charges were so high, onions are not expensive or difficult to prepare! They were average/good but I wouldn't pay this again for onion rings. The salad was also not worth $3 extra. Prices were fair, scallops were $29 but after the additional charges ended up at $37. The drinks were a little expensive at $15 for a martini that was average and didn't fill the glass. There are some very good dining options in Rockport. While I would possibly go back here I might try elsewhere next time. read more

The Fish Shack Restaurant - Half a martini for $15 - Seafood Near Me - Rockport, Massachusetts

We had to wait an hour so try to get there early! We started with iced tea and clam chowder. Then ate the fisherman Rueben. I would definitely eat here if I was back in town but would try something new read more

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We stopped here for lunch on the recommendation of some lobstermen who docked while we were breathing sea air. It's a fun local place, lots of wood and with a New England fishing town vibe. My friend Shelley and I split a haddock Reuben, something that we as New Yorkers had never seen. We weren't entirely sure that it wouldn't be some sort of Frankenstein sandwich abomination, but it was fish, soooo. We were pleasantly surprised. It was GOOD! The fries and coleslaw were also very good. Service was cheerful and friendly. Only a screaming baby at the next table prevented this from being a lovely lunch. Bad Mommy had a double portion of coleslaw (for her lunch!) and agreed that it was very good. read more

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The food was wonderful and I met some very nice people as a bonus. Nice casual environment.

we had a beautiful sunset as we sat and watched. Our food was amazing and our waitress was great. Such a wonderful restaurant. highly recommend. read more

On a cold fall day, I stopped in, my first visit to Rockport in 20 years. I took a seat at the bar and ordered a local IPA. It was the 1620 from Ipswich, absolutely fantastic to the point that I ordered a second. I figured I would just get some seafood, only an appetizer. I saw the fried clams and asked for an order. The menu said they were market price, I guess I should have asked. They cost 29 freaking dollars! Yes I got a large plate, but for that price, I expect a lot more than just clams. read more

Haven't been in a long time after having some haddock that was not fresh or tasty Bummer for a seafood community

I have been going to this place for years, the food is always fresh, delightful, service is fast and workers are very polite. I love their fish sandwich, which I was getting it for over thirty years and it's always great! read more

Came here on a hot Monday afternoon around 1 and it was packed and so busy! We ordered and got our drinks and then food sooooo fast. Tbh it seemed like all the food was precooked and just reheated. So results were good tasting food, but still the texture of being reheated. Coconut shrimp had super thick batter and small shrimp, good but too battery and a bit overdone and dark. Coleslaw was delicious but super mayo drenched! It's drippy but good flavors (I'm not a big fan of mayo so I won't be biased) The lobsters had the hardest shell that my dad even cut his finger trying to help me crack it open. It didn't come precracked so I even had to ask the waitress to ask the kitchen to help me put cracks in it. Even the chef commented on how thick the shell was. Like I said, reheated because you can't steam a lobster in a few minutes. But it was very fresh. Strangely my fingers and nails were drenched in red coloring... this has never happened before when eating lobster... are you able to dye lobster shells? The grapefruit margarita was the best thing about the meal, refreshing, light and you can't taste the booze! Love! We felt rushed and they kept turning tables super quickly... they asked if we needed boxes when we were still half way eating and gave us the check soon again after. What if I wanted another drink? Do they even offer dessert? Staff was nice and friendly but it seemed super rushed, I get it though they wanted to turn tables and it was a summer lunch rush. I'd go if the weather was too hot to sit outside but I wouldn't recommend. Wish they had things like steamers or oysters, etc. the price seemed a bit steep for the experience as well. Getting a table by the window was nice though. Side note: restaurant, cutlery, bathroom, floors were clean, so two thumbs up! It is super crowded and you are sitting closely to other customers so if you're uncomfortable with that, this isn't the best place. Not bad but there are better places! read more

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Out and about last week, we needed a bite to eat. The Fish Shack is conveniently located at the beginning of Bear Skin Row. The ambiance is casual and almost divey, but we liked the no-nonsense atmosphere. Greeted right away and seated close to windows to overlook the water. Tap water was handed out, and uh, no thank you, none of us could drink it:( One person opted for a cup of clam chowder to start, which was decent consistency. However, it needed some more flavor to make it stand out. Two opted for the fisherman Rueban, and they both said it was very good and finished their plates. My aunt chose the fish tacos and said they were good. I had the fried shrimp tacos, and while they were stuffed full of shrimp, the shrimp was overcooked and not seasoned at all, sigh. Everyone enjoyed the fries, crispy, hot, and seasoned just right. We all opted for beers and cider; these prices were nice and cheap for the drinks, and I loved that they had canned cider as an option for me. Service was ok. Would I come back? Probably not. read more

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Food is hot and fresh. A bit of a wait but so worth it! Friendly staff and right on the water! Will come for the vibe again! read more

The Fish Shack Restaurant - Shrimp plate! $20 - Seafood Near Me - Rockport, Massachusetts

Great seafood and very good staff. The 1 star knock was for the wait time... very long wait and even longer than they told us. They did a very good job overall though, so not a huge deal. Would absolutely go back if/when I'm in the area again. read more

The Fish Shack Restaurant - Scallop Plate w/ fries - Seafood Near Me - Rockport, Massachusetts

LOVE Roy Moores. We have been coming here for decades. I cannot visit my family in Rockport without coming here for the fish n chips. The best I have ever had in my life. Fresh fish and lightly breaded. The fish rueben, scallops, clam chowder, and lobster mac are also must tries. This place gets super crowded and busy in the summer so stop by whenever you can!!l Their cocktail menu is constantly growing and very up to date with the trends which is fun when you're visiting a small town and that is hard to find. read more

The Fish Shack Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Rockport, Massachusetts

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We stopped by here for lunch during our day trip to Rockport. We were seated fairly quickly despite the full house. I was relieved to see a charging outlet near our table because my phone battery was running low due to the long ride over + sightseeing! I ordered the Calamari Plate ($17) but you have the option to get the basket-sized version of it as well for $14. The Plate consisted of a huge helping of breaded calamari, coleslaw, and tartar + cocktail sauces. I thought the calamari was just okay. They were nicely breaded, not too crispy + not too chewy, and tasted quite fresh. The portion was massive-- I couldn't finish it! However, the calamari definitely lacked flavor and was actually quite plain even though I used the two sauces. I would've appreciated some seasoning, herbs, spices, and some on there salt for sure. The service was very prompt and friendly. I liked being able to look out into the water for some nice sightseeing while dining! read more

Yay they're open! They have both indoor and outdoor seating but seating is much more limited. Plenty of hand sanitizer, all of staff wearing masks, and tables are well spaced apart from each other. We ordered the clam chowder, fried fish with coleslaw and a lobster roll. The clam chowder bowl is a generous serving, came out super fast, and was very yummy. We got the fried fish with coleslaw as well. Very light batter so it didn't feel too heavy. The lobster roll was yummy as well but for the price, the amount of lobster was definitely not worth it. Usually with the lobster rolls it's stuffed with lobster but ours definitely wasn't. I did like that the bread was grilled though! It was $22 so it was kind of disappointing, however, I would still definitely recommend stopping by if you were in the area. Fast service and friendly staff as well! read more

The Fish Shack Restaurant - Lobster roll - Seafood Near Me - Rockport, Massachusetts

My wife and I visited rockport for the first time in a decade. We decided to give the Fish Shack a try. She is the fish lover, and I'm the landlubber. The restaurant was clean, had a great view of rockport harbor. My wife had the fried haddock which she loved, I had a cheeseburger and didn't expect much being a fish joint. But in all honesty even the burger was excellent, and cooked as I ordered. The fries were perfectly cooked also, and the cole slaw was fresh made. We were one of the first people in upon opening, but within 15 minutes, the dining room was full. Prices were fair considering their location and what prices are in general. Service was excellent too. We both recommend, and would go back. read more