Good food and nice staff. Would recommend the wings, the club sandwich, and the fried. Kids love it an they've got a lot of options. Been 4-5 times and every time the wait staff is attentive and super nice. I like nice! read more

The restaurant is cozy but very welcoming and clean. Parking is limited but u can go on their website for public parking recommendations incase their lot is full. The staff are wll friendly, food and service are both great. We definitely enjoyed are evening dinner here and would highly recommend you give them a try as their seafood was very fresh and everything we had were very tasty. There are waterfront views of the nearby dock which we were happy about being seated next to. read more

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This was a great place for dinner! Great location, newly opened with the appropriate nautical theme. Looking to get my annual lobster roll, I was impressed with theirs! I got mine hot with butter and the portion was nice! Coleslaw and fries came with it. Hubs had the Sicilian haddock-- cooked perfect, nice blend of flavors. Staff was very friendly and helpful. They were also incredibly patient dealing with the table of drunk ladies in our section. We will definitely return next summer! read more

The Shipyard Tavern - Lobster roll - Desserts Near Me - Essex, Massachusetts

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Great food, consistent, generous portions. But.... The upholstery on the benches are extremely dirty. Be aware if you're wearing white pants! Fabric upholstery doesn't work in commercial application. PS Sweep the floors!! read more

Solid restaurant on the water! There's a cute outdoor patio behind the restaurant (it wasn't too buggy, had good views of boats). The interior had good seating options too - a big bar, high tops, booths, etc. Decor felt updated and clean. Food - good portions for everything! Highlights included steamers (a special on the menu, counted 40 of them!), onion rings, and spicy shrimp (love the sauce, not too spicy either!). Servers were friendly. We didn't have to wait to be seated which was a plus! Parking can be tough. Their lot was full, so we had to park near a field as recommended on the restaurant website - it was about a 5 minute walk down a busy road and the parking signage wasn't the clearest on what was residential vs public parking, which was frustrating. read more

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Came here after Apple picking and had a lovely lunch. Good sized menu, lots of options, I went with the smash burger and my husband got the fisherman's platter. Portions are HUGE, you will leave with leftovers. Drinks are also quite strong so if you're a lightweight like me beware. My kids loved their food as well, I tried some bites and their food was excellent. Restaurant has lovely views, its own parking lot as well. Bathrooms very clean and I loved the decor. Our server was super friendly and very sweet to our two little boys which is always a plus. A great lunch stop! read more

The Shipyard Tavern - Apple juices by the water - Desserts Near Me - Essex, Massachusetts

My husband and I just returned from eating dinner here. And it was fantastic! I had a tequila cosmo prepared by Dean, who was an exceptional bartender. Michael had an IPA on tap. We shared the fried oyster entree with onion rings/French fries, and coleslaw. It was plentiful, and the batter was light and crispy. It was priced at $32, which is the going rate. We sat at the bar as usual, and there was a good energy and nice patrons to talk to. We will be back. read more

This has become a favorite of ours. Warm atmosphere and delicious food. Generous portions... most times we take extra food home.

We went to the Shipyard Tavern for the first time for our anniversary lunch. Knowing the greatness of each of the local establishments owned by Corey Matthew's, we knew it would be amazing. It did not disappoint . We had the stuffed clams (best i have EVER had), a bucket of mussels and each had a clam chowder. Totally satisfied without overstuffing ourselves. We will be back for more!!!! Liz and Jack Meere read more

The Shipyard Tavern - Old Fashioned and Titos on the rocks - Desserts Near Me - Essex, Massachusetts

This place is Awesome. My wife ordered the appetizer Fried Clams, best anywhere. Portion size was big. Price was great for the size. But the tartar sauce was fantastic (took extra home). I had the Seafood Cameron Alex, very good. Handicapped accessible. Parking can be tight. VG service, clean, water views. Outside seating (small) Salt and pepper shakers are terrible (only complaint). Too bad they did not move to the old Tom Shea's. When we walked out my Wife asked to come back for her Birthday. read more

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A group of us were at lunch the other day at the tavern when the fire alarm went off in the kitchen. We did not know at the time that it was a false alarm, but nonetheless, we had to evacuate until the fire department gave it. they all clear. The staff handled it beautifully and even though some of them had to stand outside in the pouring rain and wind, they were cheerfully taking our orders as soon as we got back inside. The food was yummy and the atmosphere was great. Can't say enough for this place! read more

Very good service, generous portion sizes, good quality. Nice view of the harbor. Very polite staff. read more

Very inconsistent ( worst thing for a restaurant) if you like music blasting in the background this place is for you. they do give you a lot of food and service is friendly I'll stick to the Blue Marlin always excellent read more

I went here with my girlfriends a month or two ago and we had a good time. It started off rocky -- you are hit with an interesting smell when you walk in. We approached a young man who was the receptionist I think, and he was not that warm. He seemed to be unsure about where to seat us. It was like we got a tour of the whole restaurant before he sat us in the back dining area. I could tell by the other waitresses body language that they are uncomfortable by him and we saw him get a lot of eye rolls when he was seating other customers. It was entertaining for us to see but I empathize with the workers. Our dining experience turned around once we were warmly greeted by our waitress. She was warm, bubbly, and very professional. I believe her name was Maury - curly hair and infectious smile. I got the steak tips and ordered them medium rare. When Maury came and checked on us a couple minutes after delivering our food, she took one look at the middle of my steak and insisted on getting me a new portion. It was more on the medium well to well done side of things but I did not mind. However, she insisted and brought me a new plate with steak that was cooked to my liking. The first plate of steak tips I received was good and I was not going to send it back as they still had a great flavor. Maury simply noticed and took action. Well done! Great service! If we do go back, I would request Maury again and recommend anyone trying this spot to do so as well! She turned our dining experience around. read more

Today was our 2/nd visit here with friends because the 1/st visit was great. Our server was 3 days into his new job and somehow missed 2 meals & a soup.... When he discovered his error he did his best to get it corrected. The manager came by and apologized for the mistake. We told her we are easy going folks and we know "stuff happens". So 3 folks ate and we waited a bit for our lunches. Not the end of the world. Now on to the food: The OG Boathouse Spicy Chicken Sandwich looked amazing and Tom couldn't finish it or the tater tots. The grilled ham & cheese also looked so good. 3 of us had burgers smash & bleu cheese which were very big, well made and so tasty. Yes! I know...We were at a seafood restaurant and had non-seafood lunches. :) Our 1/st visit was seafood with a great sword fish meal and a fried clam/shrimp dinner. Hands down the best fried clams on the north shore. They brought us a delicious desert and tried to compensate for the order mishap... but it was fine. I'd highly recommend trying the Shipyard Tavern as well as their other restaurants Blue Marlin, Boat House & Chute Bridge Tavern. read more

love this newer place. Good food no surprises, great drinks and lovely outside area on the water

Found this restaurant yesterday. What a gem! The hostess was very friendly, our waitress was fun, knowledgeable about the menu, and gave us tips about the area. The restaurant is clean and inviting. ( The only problem I see is the parking but this will not distract from my 5 stars). I had the best clam strips I have ever had, huge portion. The batter is light and delish. I also had out of this world onion rings. My margarita was perfect too. My husband a casserole with scallops, fish, and shrimp and he loved it. This will be our new stop on the way home from Gloucester! read more

Excellent food, service and overall wonderful! Would go back in a heartbeat! The view of the water was quite beautiful!

Excellent food and service... we shared Seafood Cameron Alex and black/blue burger, which really hit the spot. Burger was a little on the well-done side for our liking, but that was a minor issue and the experience was great overall. Can't wait to return and try out more menu selections. read more

Fried clams were perfectly deep fried and a generous portion the wait staff was attentive polite and friendly can't wait to return

My husband and I had our first meal at the Shipyard Tavern yesterday, and it won't be our last! Our meal was delicious, from the clam chowder and onion soup, to the huge "side" Caesar salad (honestly, it was a enormous and very good, and I'm glad my husband was there to split it with me). Our server, Chris, was not only good at his job, his wit and somewhat comedic approach had me in stitches a couple of times. We really enjoyed him, and it made our dining experience that much nicer. Overlooking the Essex River and watching the Mallards paddle around was an added pleasure. We highly recommend the Shipyard and look forward to going again! read more

the staff was blah at best. the blond long hair girl at the desk was much better than the 2 servers. The guy could have told us that there was deck seating. The dark hair woman server was just too fake and not sincere. bathroom was red & white checks it was too GLARINGLY harsh it hurt my eyes an eye sore! fish & chips tasted too bland/ old fries were too thin like McDonalds slaw was ok drink was ok parking not so good The water view was good which is the only reason I gave it so many stars It used to be so much better read more

This beautiful restaurant was rebuilt after a major winter storm flooded and gutted the space. The owners did a great job creating full glass windows with cozy seating overlooking the Essex River. As a local and frequent diner of their sister properties, The Blue Marlin and BoatHouse, my standards are high. I chose the Shipyard Tavern becuase I knew the food would be great. OK -real review- we were cold-the floor was drafty -our feet were cold. My husband asked the host to turn up the heat and he did. Much better-My only criticism on the menu is they do not offer a fried seafood combination. To me that is a Fisherman's Platter-Haddock, shrimp, clams, scallops, fries, slaw and onion rings. I had to ask the chef via our waitress if that was an option. He said yes and it was amazing. Not sure that needs to be an ask- read more

Great service and fantastic views of the water . The menu is very good for bar food- which is where we ate. Pretty busy and does not take reservations read more

Food was fabulous; service was friendly, helpful and attentive; and the restaurant was clean and bright with lots of windows onto a beautiful river view. We had the fried clams and deviled egg appetizers; and salad with salmon and Sicilian haddock for dinner. Everything was delicious! Definitely will visit again! read more

Friendly service with great views of Essex Bay. Menu offers a variety of options including seafood and burgers. Similar to the menus found at their other North Shore restaurants like the Blue Marlin or Boat House. read more

We were excited to try this restaurant as we are fans of The BoatHouse. We walked in and was warmly welcomed and sat at a table near the windows. The waitress came over after a few minutes and we ordered drinks...they were good but wish the sangria was a bit sweeter. We ordered the food and it took a little bit to come out. This is where it was disappointing. The mashed potatoes were gummy, and the side veggie was not the one I was told it was going to be. The seafood dish was alright, the Cameron Alex, it was cooked well but the cheese sauce was runny. My husband liked the fish and chips. Overall a mid experience and we won't rush back. read more

At the time of this review, this restaurant was only a month or so into business and we went twice during a two week period because we are so blown away by the food! We tried many different dishes, including the steak tips, swordfish, tacos, steak, and much more in every dish was excellent. I particularly loved the swordfish. Clam chowder was also very good! Nice clean facility and good staff. Highly recommend. read more

Meh. We want to love it. Ambiance is good. Our service at a table near the bar was terrible tonight. I ordered a fish entree and asked if it was possible to order without olives (if not, I would have ordered something else no problem) - the server said it could be done. Entree came out with olives (and with salad at the same time..not ideal). I inquired and she said oh I must've been wrong. Didn't attempt to fix it. Didn't ask if ok. I didn't want to make a big deal of it, but I couldn't finish it. Didn't like at all. She never checked on us and was slow to refill drinks. Maybe just an inexperienced server but absolutely no follow up or attempt at customer service My friend had a salad. Was fine. Lots of little flies flying around. Napkins under our table- seemed dirty. Overall no customer service at all from our server. The food is - very OK. Maybe it depends on what you order. There is a wide variety, but the quality is...fine. I'd like to love it more. Hostess was good. Nice views. Will give it one more chance and see if it was just a bad day. Bar seemed to maybe have been the better move so will try that next time. read more