The steak was cooked perfectly. The baked scallops were amazing. I loved that the salad bar had Parmesan that you shaved yourself. I'd definitely recommend this place to anybody looking for good food and great service read more

Ate here a few years ago, didn't love it. Decided to come back last weekend and it was much better. I got the baked stuffed shrimp. The stuffing was good and flavorful. I got a side of rice pilaf which had veggies in it which was a nice touch. My partner enjoyed his rack of lamb. My favorite part is always the salad bar with bread and cheese. Pretty good wine selection and we decided to split a bottle of Montepulciano. Would come back soon! read more

Very good prime rib. Sweet potato fries were also very good. I would definitely stop here again if in the area read more

Went for Mother's day. The service was friendly but slow. Salad bar was good. Got the scallops and prime rib surf and turf. The scallops were bland but not bad. The prime rib was tiny. What there was of it was fair. Not good. Not bad. The one thing that'll keep me from going back is the noise. As mentioned in other reviews, it was hard to have a conversation at the table over it. In my opinion Jimmy's is a much better option if you're looking in the same area. read more

I'm shocked at the bad reviews! I've never had a bad meal here! Super fresh salad bar and delicious prime rib and drinks!!! Love the free pub cheese. You don't see old school restaurants like this very often anymore. Maybe it's different on the weekend, but we love our Monday/Tuesday date night here at the bar!! I love our bartender too!! She's super nice and makes a lovely cocktail! read more

The Hardcover Restaurant - Salad bar - Steakhouses Near Me - Danvers, Massachusetts

Food was good. Service was fine. The room was crowded and maskless: ,,,,scary. The dining room was crowded with little space to move between tables. I would not have stayed except I arranged get together for three couples. Now I am monitoring myself and friends. Hopefully, we will be fine. read more

Dinner at Hardcover tonight, small celebration of 65th birthday.Food and service mediocre. Not the Hardcover I remember.Rice tasted like warmed over for hours,prime Rib thin sliced and chewy. Not worth the $37.50 price. Salad Bar very basic which they tout as fabulous. read more

Good old school restaurant. Service was great. Food was pretty good. My steak was a little more well cooked than I would have liked that's why 4 not 5 stars but I was starving and it still tasted delicious. Phenomenal salad bar. I would definitely return. read more

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Nice looking restaurant on the outside... Dark, outdated and very very musty smelling... Like a basement. Probably from all the old books on the shelves. The steak a friend ordered was very tough and dry. My prime rib was not very hot. The steak knives were quite dull making it difficult to cut meat. For the price, this should have been a top notch experience... It was way too expensive for a barely 'ok' dinner. I can still smell that musty odor. read more

Came for dinner 3/12, ordered a steak medium, it came out very, very rare. It happens, so I sent it back, comes out again not medium, still rare. The waitress even said it Is not right even before i said it. She took it back, they bring out the same steak a third time, not only was it still not right but the same piece of meat on the grill 3 different times is going to be shoe leather. I was shocked that a place supposedly known for steak would try cooking the same steak 3 times. read more

Salad bar is still great!!!! Bread, cheese homemade tasting dressings.....heaven. I usually get the baked haddock and it's always good, at times has been great. The atmosphere really desperately needs updating. It's dark and gloomy and just outdated. Also there is a man who I'm unsure if he is the manager or host but he's usually at the front as you walk in. He's less than warm and borders on sarcastic and snippy. Not sure what his deal is but all the other employees seem very friendly and give out welcoming smiles. Hopefully that man reads this and understands this is not to criticize but to wake you up to the fact that a simple smile when greeting customers is the first step to an enjoyable dinner out. ****so after writing this I read some other reviewers comments. Seems I'm not the first to notice the hosts attitude is less than welcoming. Wake up Hardcover!!! Do you want this individual representing your restaurant? read more

Excellent customer service and food! I got the sirloin and it was cooked perfectly and it was super tender! They also have a great salad bar! read more

We made a reservation there for a birthday and did not like it at all. Waited for an absent host for over 10 minutes. He finally came without any apologies but with a lot of attitude. The place itself is too dated, too noisy, food is sub par, to say the least. Waitress was friendly but very forgetful and kept forgetting to bring things even after a few reminders. We regretted that we chose this place for a birthday dinner. Won't be back ever again. read more

Early dinner on Friday evening. Service outstanding! Very good salad bar, excellent martinis Steaks very good, also good value. Continued consistency the hallmark of a good restaurant. Highly recommend! read more

Okay food but the prices are ridiculous salad bar was just okay birthdays are still half priced

Had a fantastic filet mignon here tonight. The service was great as well! Will be back read more

My favorite restaurant! Timeless, great quality food and consistent, superior service! One of the few places you can enjoy a fresh salad bar and the onion soup is the best anywhere! I recommend having one of their steaks cajun style! read more

We decided to go to The Hardcover for dinner the other night. The food was good but not great. Overall the food was cooked to our liking. The restaurant needs a serious overhaul as it is very dated and old. The concerning part was at the end of the night when we got our bill and about to pay it when we noticed we were being charged for 3 extra drinks. 4 of us had one drink each and did not order a second. Not sure how a mistake could be made where we order 4 drinks and it mistakenly becomes 7 drinks at an up charge of almost $30. Not sure it was an honest mistake. Probably won't be back. read more

Years ago this was the place to go. Recently my husband and I both got the baked stuffed shrimp. What a disappointment. The shrimp was soft, blending in with the breadcrumbs which obviously weren't freshly added. Seemed like something bought in a supermarket freezer. We should have sent them back but we were in a hurry. The salad bar was good , not the awesome bar that it used to be. I can't speak for the rest of the food just the nasty stuffed shrimp. Not the same quality that it used to be known for. read more

Yesterday 6 of us had our dinner there. 5 of the 6 had the prime top sirloin. All 5 had somewhat of a workout cutting and eating this meat. Not terribly tough but definitely not tender. Would not get it again. Salad and dessert both were great. The shrimp I was told was very good. read more

Kathy and I really love this restaurant. Can't wait for the COVID-19 to be over to get back to enjoying eating out here again without some worries. Maybe we'll see you soon with relaxed Regulations read more

A family favorite for generations, we celebrate many of our milestones with The Hardcover. They've got service and quality food down to a science in a cozy and inviting atmosphere perfect for a nice evening out with the family or a cozy dinner for two. The menu is sure to accommodate any palate and appetite! Don't miss the dessert menu! read more

Went here recently for the first time in 12+ years. It's impressive how long they have stayed in business and the place was very busy for mid-week. It hasn't changed one bit; decor, tables, chairs etc all very dated and aging- grungy. The servers (and hostess) were efficient but extremely unfriendly and borderline rude. (clearly not happy in their work) That in itself would keep us from going back; zero tolerance for rude service - we are polite and friendly patrons, save the rudeness for those who are not. The menu was unremarkable and boring. I will note that a few in our party enjoyed their meals - Hubs and I have a bit higher bar and found the food mediocre at best. If you want a (over-priced) sirloin or baked haddock, with an all you can eat salad bar, then it's probably a good place to go. read more

I truly hate writing this review right now. My fiancé and I would basically make up an occasion to eat at hardcover. Tonight was my birthday dinner and we ate while watching 2 mice run around in the first right dining room. The food was still unbelievable but the justification of rodents in the restaurant by the manager was not satisfactory. This is my favorite restaurant never did I expect to experience this. If this is as normal as the staff acted it was I need to find myself a new favorite restaurant! read more

Baked HaddockBaked Scallops. Salad bar is great. Always nice to sit by fire. Friendly staff. Very good service

Are you a senior citizen? Are you forced to be on a strict no salt diet? Then look no further. The food is so bland and flavorless your cardiologist would be proud. Who knows you might even get a free subscription to AARP dining here. read more

I LOVE this place. Yes - it's old school. Yes - it appears pricey. Yes - the food isn't creative. It's really fresh food, cooked really well, in a traditional way that showcases the natural flavors. In the end what more do you want? It's "old American" with enough time lapsed to understand what the bad ideas of that generation were. No overcooking or over saucing. When I describe this place I tell people it's where you might go for a special occasion in 1964. The place where seafood comes heavily buttered and lightly breaded, steaks large and juicy including fantastic prime rib. I always get a baked potato. And the salad bar is the sweetener on the whole deal. Very fresh, unique with the cheese round. It's a different feel to a fancy steakhouse. More like Lincoln's library. It's not to everyone's tastes I'm sure, but I happen to love it. That look 10-20 years ago seemed tired and boring. Well maintained as it is, today it's so a-typical to modern restaurants (which ALL have the same look) that feels unique and has a lot of charm. Pricey - yes. I look for value. I expect to pay more for high quality, fresh food and am happy to do so. The waiter we had was knowledgeable and approachable. All staff friendly. Thank you! read more

Good food, nice salad bar. I've been sitting here 1 1/2 hrs and haven't seen hide or hare of my entree. I've read the reviews about poor service and I've been here before but now I'm experiencing it. read more

If I could give a zero for customer service I would. My family and I were visiting from out of state. We just got done touring Salem and wanting a quiet hot meal. We walk in and immediately realized we were under dressed as we were in Beanies, sweater and flannels. We decided to still have dinner as we were already there and the restraint looked really good. Immediately hostess was staring at us like we did not belong. We sat down at our table and waitress was rude, looked us up and down profiling us as if we were poor and should not be here. They asked if it was someone's birthday and would give us a discount. Never asked to refill drinks or check on us at all. Our waitress disappeared in which had a Monroe piercing and brown/black hair in a bun. We then had a random waitress come give us food and bill. I had gone to the restroom and came out to find out the older waitress with short blonde hair asked my family if I was coming back. We instantly knew we were being profiled just because we had flannels and a sweater on. Also we are from Arizona so the temp was cold to us. I have never felt so disrespected in my life. Granted we aren't "poor" and live a really good life. Food was good but highly recommend to teach staff not to judge a book by its cover and make people feel like they are below the ground you walk on. If we come here again, will NEVER recommend this place. read more

The outside of the restaurant is a bit deceiving, looks very fancy, but when you go inside it's very outdated, felt very overdressed, feels very old with old books, outdated everything. The food & service was great. We celebrated our anniversary there because it was the closest to try the beef Wellington. The escargot was great. read more

The Hardcover Restaurant - Steakhouses Near Me - Danvers, Massachusetts

once again, we had an excellent experience. It was my wife's birthday and as usual we went to the Hardcover. Food was excellent, but what made our evening was Lisa, the bartender. She was very friendly and attentive to our needs as well as taking care of others at the bar. She is a credit to the Hardcover family and she is one of the reasons we visit the Hardcover. Enjoy your time and sit at the bar if you can....it's fun. Thanks , Lisa!!!! read more

You know that segment on ESPN C'MON MAN.. Well this goes out to the Hardcover Restaurant which my Fiancee and I went to this past weekend. I have been going to the Hardcover for years with nothing but good to say about it. Until now. The place was packed when we arrived at 630pm. Put our name in with one of the 3 working the podium, 1/2 hour wait.. not too bad. Go to the lounge for waiting drinks. I look around and say to myself."My God, when is this place gonna remodel!!!" Its the same since its opened. The plastic plants have an inch of dust on the rafters, The books on the shelf too. Drab interior needing a good paint job. The carpets should have been ripped up years ago. The bar is WAY too small and the set up sucks. But the drinks are OK that we received. All right! After having some community crackers and cheese, praying everyone washed their hands before they dug in them, our table is ready! No table cloths on the tables..Hmmm...Same old wooden slab tables and the old wooden ass numbing chairs that should be ditched. The dinning area is worn! The area carpets are filthy old. Our server was pleasant when she arrived. I ordered stuffed shrimp with the sirloin steak, my Fiancee orders the filet mignon. Salad Bar time. Salad bar is fresh but things are all over the place due to people that toss food everywhere. Lettuce mixed in with beets, chickpeas mixed in the dressing, dressings mixed in the other dressings. If you been to the Hardcover or Depot you know the deal! Salad was decent for the both of us. Meals come next. First thing I notice is the steaks are PUNY! I'm like, really! Paying about $40.00 a plate ..Where's the beef??!! Ordered the rice pilaf with the meals, Looked like Sub-gum fried rice with the chunks of peppers and onions in it. Rice sucked! Near East rice doctored up..Cheap ass stuff, dry too. Steak was like a gum ball, Ate it in about two bites. My girl's Filet was decent but tiny. She said it tasted good. My shrimp was ok nothing special. I buttered the crap out of it. The highlight of the meal was desert my Fiancee ordered. The white chocolate Creme brulee and my Depot coffee which was fantastic. I used the Men's room in the dinning area before we left.. What a sty! Wow. Used toilet paper all over he floor. The floor was soaked in you know what. The urinal you have to stand sideways in stunk. 1970's biscuit tile gross. Old ass sink, no stopper. You think the cheap ass owners could give you decent towels to wipe your hands..NO.. instead they have a Dyson POS hand dryer that works like crap! So sorry to say I will not be coming back to the Hardcover ever again. I really enjoyed the Hardcover over many years of going.. but after this visit.. C'MON MAN! read more

I attended a baby shower here last week and had an awesome time. Service was good for the most part but the food was great. Their haddock was lightly breaded and buttered... the salad bar also seemed like a hit too. The inside reminded me a little bit of a haunted mayflower ship but I would 10/10 return. read more

The Hardcover use to be the best of the best in the area. Where people had to wear dress pants and a nice button up shirt to even walk through the doors. It had class. The class is now gone. I haven't been in 15 years so I sure did expect a change and boy did I see it. Before entering the restaurant I noticed right next to the main door entrance was a trash barrel, unpotted plants, and trash on the mulch. An uncoiled hose that looks like someone watered a flower and was much to lazy to cook it back up. It was a disgrace. I see better entrances at Denny's. We went to the bar first to wait for a table, a bar that has a menu with delicious sounding good on it. We of course didn't order because we were getting a main table. In the menu I read about a sandwich they recommend. When we got to our main table, which was only about a 10-15 minute wait at the most I was told the bar menu and restaurant menu is separate. Which was disappointing. We ended up getting some apps like Calamari. I love friend calamari. They were good here as well. I would say the calamari was a 7.5 out of 10 and they're sauce they serve with it was great as well. Now the bad. I ordered baked scallops for my entree. Which came with rice pilaf. First of all the rice was undercooked. So I received crunchy rice. It also was not rice pilaf, it was some rice blend. It wasn't bad, but I love rice pilaf and that's what I wanted. So I didn't eat my crunchy rice. The scallops were rubbery and didn't have a good taste. They were FAR too buttery which is all I tasted. Our family had a lot of left overs the next day. The salad was delicious, although it's a salad bar so technically I made it myself. In closing. You use to pay the big bucks for the atmosphere. A quiet, contemporary room to have a romantic meal. It's nothing like that. Patrons can wear sweatpants with holes, and they do. It's not quiet anymore and the service is not nearly what it use to be. Quite honestly I was not impressed and I will not be going back anytime soon. TGI Fridays is right next door and I would have gotten a better meal, better atmosphere and a cheaper price tag. Also, that night after the Hardcover disappointment, we went to get ice cream at Sonic. I got a brownie thing and it ended the night very well. To the staff or owners of The Hardcover: My parents love this place. At around 50 years old they are your target patrons. I think unless you turn it around now and fix your issues, in 10-15 years you will be offering Two for One Specials and serving dinner at 4PM while offering a low fat and low sodium menu. read more

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I came here for Easter dinner with my parents and family. Right off the bat, the hostess was rude because she was all frazzeled with the place being busy. It seems that this company which also runs the Beverly Depot, gets their hostesses from office HR departments. They seem to be the most miseable women, condacending, and just plain mean. So we sit down, and thankfully all of our servers were very nice. So I go to the salad bar, and there is the 400 lb man holding up the line, like filling his plate like a horse. The line was about 25 people long. Then he proceeds to cut about 23 pices of bread and stacks them in his plate. He really didn't need to eat all that. Finally I get to make my salad, and than I ate about 2/3 of it and found 3 starnds of long hair on the last pieces left. I was grossed out, and stopped eating my salad. Dinner comes, and it was a huge let down. I got rack of lamb, and it was like smallest I have ever seen. It wasn't cooked to my ordering either. I asked medium rare and got it it well done. I ordered the stuffed potato and it looks like it had been heated and reheated 14 times in a row. The thing was all dried up and the skin was like dried oak leaves. My parents got prime rib and it looks horrid, like it was cut up a week ago and left on a counter and microwaved. Utterly bogus. The one bright side was the servers were super nice, and the drinks were good as well. I know holidays are tough, but this dinner was unacceptable, and most likely I won't return. This dinner was worth far less than the $200+ is cost. read more

In old elegant restaurant. Food is still superb and what a salad bar. Fresh and delicious just what do you want for a slightly upscale dinner. Glad I rediscovered it after so many years‼ Great place to bring family, out of towners, old friends, loved ones it always makes a good appearance. Been there five times so far this year and I have never been disappointed. read more

I've been to the Hardcover probably a dozen times, but only on two occasions was it my decision to go. The others were usually along the lines of rehearsal dinners or another group-like setting. I really haven't been a fan of this place, mostly based on the service I received my second time there. I'm just gonna give a quick break down and be done with this one. I had made a 7pm reservation for me and my girlfriend's anniversary dinner. Since we both work insane hours, we rarely get a chance to go out. We arrived at 6:45, the hostess said they were a little backed up and it would be about a half-an-hour. I wasn't trilled, I mean what's the point of a reservation if I could have walked in without one and gotten the same 30min wait? But I didn't let that get to me... went to the bar and ordered a round of drinks. At 7:30 I was told 15 more minutes... 8:00 I was given "another 20 minutes." I had also been noticing parties that showed up after us getting sat while we were standing in a crowded bar area, no longer even in the mood to drink. We finally sat down at 9:00pm! 2 hours after our reservation... we were offered dessert "on the house for the trouble." Now I'm a lot more forgiving, having worked in a restaurant at one point in my life... but having a little bit of knowledge in the business, I also know what's acceptable and what's not. I'll still show up if invited to a group get together here... but I highly doubt I'll personally being choosing The Hardcover for dinner again. read more

I went here for a private function and I have to say, our group was treated like gold. There were about 60 of us in a private room and we had at least 5 dedicated servers. No one waited for anything. Drinks were constantly being refilled, empties were being taken away, it was fantastic. Definitely top-notch. The salad bar and fresh bread were great. The entries were prepared well. The only complaint I have is that my boyfriend's sirloin was much better than mine. I think I just had a bad piece and it wasn't even that bad. I just don't like when he gets served better food than me, I'm a jealous person. read more

This was quite an uncomfortable and unpleasant dining experience. First, i requested a table but because I was dining alone, the host escorted me back to the bar because "single people sit here because there's a tv so it's not as boring." I really don't like sitting at the bar but I was hungry and figured the service would probably be faster anyway. It took longer than it should have for the bartender to greet me, I get the sense that this is a "townie" bar and she was too busy conversing with the regulars on the other side to bother approaching me in a timely manner. Then when she did come over, I ordered a glass of wine and provided my ID, which she scrutinized and refused to believe was real at first. I get it, I look young and I have an out of state ID. But this woman made me feel like a side show freak. After she grilled me about my date of birth and finally decided to believe i was over 21 (despite reiterating she was "freaked out" by my true age) I wanted to walk out but had already placed an order so I felt stuck. Lost my appetite. I could also tell she was whispering/gossiping about me to her little friend across the bar. It took a lot of restraint not to just leave. The food took way too long to come out, and (unsurprisingly after that wait) the sirloin that I had ordered rare came cooked medium. The veggies were unseasoned, rubbery and cold. I didn't complain because at that point, i just wanted to get the hell out of the restaurant. She didn't come by to check how things were until I had finished eating anyway. Absolutely would never come back here. I'm glad I live in Texas now where restaurants understand how to treat customers and how to cook a steak. read more

This place pretty much takes the cake (or steak) for fine(r) dining on Rt. 1 Danvers, Saugus area. Front desk service was very nice (I made a reservation for myself and my girlfriend) when we walked in. They directed us (by a server) to the bar area and asked us if we wanted drinks while we waited. Neither of us drank so we sat and had conversation with the other people in the seating "pit" area they had near the bar. Music was very relaxing and made for a good mood. Everyone seemed pretty laid back and pleased with the service. Within 15 minutes our table was ready and we were directed to the seating area by another very pleasant server/hostess (can't remember). Plates already on the table with ice water, the salad bar was directly next to the table which was a major plus. Fresh greens and vegetables, bread, butter, every salad dressing you could want etc. etc. VERY IMPRESSED with the quality of salad bar they had here. Waitstaff were kind and informative. The gentleman that waited on us was over literally every 5 or 10 minutes to check up on us and see if we needed anything. The second the glass got a bit low on beverage we would have another at the table before we could think to order one. Like Chris C., I got (and now my favorite is) the Old Fashoned Sliced Sirloin. Fantasticly cooked to perfection and the sides were doubly as delicious. The portions were pretty big so I ended up taking some home as well. Can't remember what my girlfriend at the time got but I'm 100% sure she was very pleased with it. The bill was completely reasonable for the quality and quantity of food we got. With an appetizer and two entre's and dessert it came to around $100. Service was so good I tipped him a $20 for being so attentive, informative and inviting. 10/10 This place is spot on! read more