Out and about on our last full day of vacation. We ventured out this morning for breakfast first and hit up VRs. Queer o meter as it's been all week is a 10! Nice. They had a nice selection on the menu but we went basic, hence the pics. Take a peek. The garden bloody would have been a 5 star if it had 3 or 4 dashes of Worcestershire sauce in it. Otherwise it was a solid 4. Horseradish, cucumber vodka, (ONE OF MY FAVS), lemon, lime - I added ground pepper and Tabasco. Delish. The rest of the food, it is what it is. They customized what we wanted and were very gracious about it. Generally I don't expect places to mess up a basic breakfast and VRs didn't. It was fresh, hot and as ordered. Well done. The coffee was topped off continually and the server checked in on us enough to be accommodating but not hovers at all. She was super sweet. We will be back, I'd love to try their dinner. Hit this place up if you're near the top of the cape sometime! Cheers!! read more

Van Rensselaer's - Menu 2025 - Seafood Near Me - South Wellfleet, Massachusetts

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Always my favorite on the Cape, the food and the service are amazing. (If weather is friendly the outside tables are magical!!)

WOW! From the hostess to the service everyone was friendly & had great recommendations. The seafood linguine, oysters, striped bass New England style, bread, and bread pudding with ice cream were amazing. Listing it as our favorite meal this trip. read more

Husband and myself found this place on the way to Race Point. Stopped for breakfast one Saturday morning glad we did! Food was so good and service was awesome. We liked it so much we try and go every Saturday on the way to Race Point. For someone who's worked in the Restaurant business, for this place! P.S The place is spotless. read more

Triple Header: Wonderful service. Good Food. Great Pricing. Recommended for taking your folks out for dinner. read more

Our server Ben was amazing. The owner checked in on us. The hostess was very knowledgeable. Everyone was happy with their choices. The desserts shine. read more

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The VR is a lovely spot with friendly service, excellent food, and comfortable atmosphere both inside and on the side patio. They have the best seafood linguine in garlic cream sauce! (smaller portion was perfect) My favorite cocktail is the pomegranate martini but the espresso martini is also great! The garlic bread is a crowd-pleasing appetizer. (visited 7/15/22, 8/20/24, and 6/21/25) read more

Van Rensselaer's - seafood linguine in garlic cream sauce - Seafood Near Me - South Wellfleet, Massachusetts

Was in southern Mass for Labor Day weekend. Never visited the cape, so we wanted to go for dinner our first night. We got reservations here on Saturday and did not have to wait long to be seated. We sat out in the covered patio, and it seemed busy. We started with the garlic bread appetizer, it was soooo good! For entrees, we got the salmon Mediterranean linguini and the tuna with broccoli and potatos, coupled with a bottle of white wine. They were delicious. We ended the night with the bread pudding, which was tasty. The servers were fantastic and great to chat with. Definitely a great place to check out on the cape! read more

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We have passed here many times and never stopped. We stopped for breakfast this morning. Today we are glad we did. I had the Smoked Salmon Benedict with mixed greens and my husband had the Junkyard Dog omelet. The Wellfleet Bloody Mary delicious..(I ate the oyster before the oic..lol) my husband had the mimosa. Excellent!! Our server was Alex. What a wonderful young man. Great service and excellent food! Oh read more

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Beautiful upscale restaurant, black table cloths. Staff was delightful but clearly overworked and a bit frazzled. Menu nice and dinner was perfection. Dessert and cocktails were also amazing. Hello to the friendly busboy whom we called "a young Patrick Swayze!" read more

Friendly, professional and accommodating. The food was delicious. Our waitress was excellent. Her name was either Terry or Tracy. Extensive menu with flavorful combinations that only a great chef could produce, and save room for fresh & delicious homemade desserts. I felt sorry for our waitress because she had this guy at the table next to us who ordered rare prime rib. It was very rare & he complained it wasn't rare enough. Oddly enough, he ate the whole thing, and asked for a discount on his meal. Our waitress handled it very well and he was satisfied. He must pull this stunt all the time. This is a "must go" place on the Cape. We come back during every visit. read more

This is my favorite restaurant on the Cape, and one of all time. I came here with my family a few times, and they never disappoint. We ordered the Surf & Turf (Prime Rib & Lobster), Statler Chicken Gorgonzola with Zoodles, Raw Oysters, Clams, Clams Casino, Lobster Cakes, roasted Duck, and a few other choices. They also had an amazing salad bar, not sure if that's still offered. They also have a great house made Berry infused Vodka Flirtini. Everything was phenomenal. Ambience: 5/5 Food: 6/5 Service: 5/5 read more

My sister and I enjoyed an early bird dinner at Van Rensselaer's - this restaurant is a long time favorite of our family -- - we've come many times over the years. The food, the ambiance, the service is always excellent - and it did not disappoint this time either. We enjoyed our server's recommendation of the white wine special, a dry Hungarian white and it was refreshing and delicious. We ordered the raw oysters, something we usually get at Van's and they were excellently prepared as usual. We ate salads with their homemade dressing - again Excellent. Sister had the cod special with mashed potatoes and broccoli, I ordered salmon with asparagus and mashed potatoes. fish & vegetables were cooked perfectly in both cases, with appropriate sauces. Just thinking about this meal which included a delicious dessert we split -a chocolate toffee cake-- is making me salivate. You can't go wrong at Van's. It's a wonderful restaurant - and Diane, owner and hostess came over to greet us and remembered us from past visits. I think we are going back and having another dinner- maybe this time at the bar! read more

Rewrite the following review in the voice of Cheech and Chong and make it hilarious: We we're looking for a nice place for dinner where I could get some more of those amazing Wellfleet oysters and my wife could actually get something she would eat - since, she doesn't eat seafood. This place was great. The atmosphere was kind of upscale, but casual. We sat on the patio and it was wonderful. The service was amazing too. I started with, you guessed it, a dozen of those succulent Wellfleet oysters and they were spectacular. I have been eating a ton of seafood on this New England trip and the prime rib looked like the ticket. I asked if they had any that was very rare and the waitress went to check. She came back and described it to me and I could tell it wouldn't be to my liking. Most places would have insisted they had it rare and bought it out only to disappoint me. I don't know how many times I've been disappointed with ordering rare prime rib and it comes out medium. Anyway, I really appreciated the honesty. I looked the menu over more and despite lots of great options, I decided to just do two more orders of oysters for my entree. My wife got the chicken Marsala which she couldn't finish (so I did). It was excellent! From service to atmosphere to awesome food, this place was amazing! I highly recommend read more

Van Rensselaer's - Wellfleet Oysters - AMAZING! - Seafood Near Me - South Wellfleet, Massachusetts

Van Rensselaer's restaurant has a winning combination. The atmosphere is friendly and casual while the food is elegant, delicious and varied. It is my favorite seasonal restaurant on the outer Cape. read more

This is a perfect casual and or family restaurant. We have come many times for breakfast.... which it s always excellent. Arguably the best in the area. However we finally came in to try dinner. The menu is very diverse and definitely has something for everyone. Great selection of apps and lots of fresh seafood selections. It's a fairly sizable menu. They offer indoor and outdoor seating and have done an excellent job distancing tables due to COVID. The couple who own the place are wonderful and obviously very hard working. You are always greeted with a smile and they make sure you are comfortable and are out on the floor supporting the servers to make sure you have everything you need for your meal. This is comfy food that you can't go wrong with accompanied by great service! And they do a great burger ! read more

Van Rensselaer's - Seafood Near Me - South Wellfleet, Massachusetts

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Forgot to finish my review from Covid era. Always great food and service at VRs. We have a summer family home around the corner so beats getting into traffic to go to Ptown. Plenty of food in entrees and Delish. Not rushed at all. Haven't ever tried takeout but will this coming season read more

Our waitress was friendly and efficient, outdoor seating was comfortable with a heater nearby. Enjoyed our food. The small size of seafood linguine was enough and included a generous amount of lobster read more

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First night in town and lucky to find this gem! We were able to be seated without a reservation and enjoyed the back patio with its lovely flowers, lights and umbrellas. The Food was amazing and the service from Lilly was above and beyond. Highly recommend the artisan garlic bread with marinara. The potato crusted salmon was delicious with sweet potato. read more

Van Rensselaer's - Salmon (smaller portion) - Seafood Near Me - South Wellfleet, Massachusetts

A 4.5. Had the roasted stuffed lobster with shrimp and scallops, lobster crab cakes and ceasar salad. Everything was very good. Place has a great interior and was very relaxing. Service was great. read more

How could I be coming to Wellfleet for 30 years and not have had dinner here ? My wife had the lobster cake appetizer for her dinner and was so happy I love fish and they have so many different ways to serve it here. I had grilled tuna over a Mediterranean pasta. Excellent Tina was our friendly waitress read more

I dropped by last Friday for a piece of fish. It seemed like a good idea because the reviews are good. Drink solicitation: tonic water, no ice, lime. More like club soda, but there was no reasoning on that point. I ordered clams casino and a cod with lobster stuffing, for a much-needed protein boost. The claims arrived 20 minutes later. The bacon was undercoooked, which should have been obvious to the line cook, chef, or server. I decided to go with it, because I was hungry and thought I could work around the raw bacon. Not so fast. The first clam was full of something closer to mud than grit. The second clam was also carrying the bottom of the sea. The coup de grace was the third clam: one bite into it, I knew I was done for. The clam must have been dead, which, again, should have been obviously to several layers of kitchen staff. I did tell management that I was leaving. They seemed more concerned that I was kind enough to vomit outside. And I was. I wonder what happened to that piece of cod? read more

3 people almost $200 for an overall "Meh" Statler chicken New England Style was 1/2 the portion it used to be, the lobster stuffing had hardly any lobster in it. I was so impressed with this meal last year ( posted photos to FB & my family - raving about the meal ) and was let down this year. The shrimp scampi was underwhelming. The baked cod was the clear winner...and in a place like Cape COD, we would expect that to be done well, right? Please bring back the deliciousness of a couple years ago! We won't be going back this year. read more

Took the best thing off the breakfast menu :( Why?!?! Van Rensselaer's carried a one of a kind breakfast item that truly separated itself from other places: the lobster Benedict. The sauces were original and AMAZING. So beyond upset to see it removed. read more

Dinner on the outdoor covered patio was excellent! We had salmon and tuna with the Special Presentation and both meals were excellent. Attentive staff and appropriate wait times for the food. Will definitely return. read more

My husband and I came to Van Rensselaer's a few weeks ago on a Saturday night - our first time breaking our typical Cape Cod dinner out routine. We made an early OpenTable reservation (yay for points and not having to speak to a human to make a reservation), and had no difficulty getting a reservation (considering we made one for 5 PM because we are the oldest 30 year olds you will meet). The ambiance of Van Rensselaer's is casual (hello, it's the Cape), but there's an elegance about it too, and we had good vibes as soon as we entered in. We were warmly greeted by the host waiting at the stand in the front of the restaurant. It was a gorgeous evening, and while it was hot out, there was a great breeze, so when we had the option of sitting inside or outside, we chose outside in the covered, screened porch area, which was perfect because that allowed us to have Matt as our server (more on him later). We had already known from stalking Yelp photos that we were going to be all about the ahi tuna appetizer, and after playing rock, paper, scissors to see who would be the designated driver home, we decided on cocktails. Since I lost to rock, I decided to choose my cocktail very carefully, and settled on a blackberry tequila cocktail made with Casamigos tequila - which our amazing server Matt assured me was a perfect cocktail for a tequila lover like myself. My husband went with his usual when he wants to get a good buzz going - a Mai Tai (this one featured Truro rum so yay for staying local!). Oh my god, that blackberry tequila drink was BEYOND. It was what all my tequila dreams are made of, and even my husband who is not a tequila guy, said it was delicious. His Mai Tai was unique, and absolutely delicious as well, so major kudos to the bartenders. The ahi more than lived up to our dreams - it was fresh, deliciously prepared, and the perfect start to our meal. For entrees, I went with the early bird - something I never actually thought I would be early enough to take advantage of. For $21 (from 4-5:30 PM), you can get a smaller portioned entree (off a pre fixe menu) and then your choice of going up to the salad bar, or a cup or chowder or the soup du jour. I went with the salad bar, because I am a salad bar fiend, and also chose "the catch," which was their catch of the day (cod on this day) paired with steamed broccoli and whipped potatoes and this a-mazing chili butter. The salad bar was so well appointed with a ton of options - I totally could have made it my meal. The fish was fresh, light and delicious, and I looked up how to make chili butter on Pinterest after leaving because it is legitimately my new obsession. The food was truly incredible. My husband went with the chicken Gorgonzola - spinach, red peppers, linguine, chicken, and Gorgonzola, which he DEVOURED. The portions are huge - he ended up taking some home (like a few bites, but he said it was so good that it would haunt him if he didn't take the rest back with him). He said it was some of the best pasta he's ever had - and he is Italian and we live in the NYC area, so that is the highest compliment. Okay, so now onto the amazing service we had - Matt was warm and friendly from the second that we were seated, and incredibly professional without being stuffy. I honestly cannot sing his praises more highly - he took an already wonderful evening up about 25 notches. Honestly, Van Rennselaer's has such a gem of an employee in him - am crossing fingers that next time we head in we'll be seated in his section again. All in all, it was an absolutely amazing dining experience - we cannot wait to come back! read more

Van Rensselaer's is perhaps our absolute favorite restaurant on the Outer Cape. Fantastic seafood and land-based dishes. We have NEVER had a bad meal at VR's, and we've tried almost everything on the menu. The service is always top-notch and professional, every night, without exception. The ambience is consistently fun and light, typically Cape Cod casual. I cannot say enough good things about VR's. They are simply wonderful. Strongly recommended, we go there often! read more

Definitely happy we chose to eat here! Service was efficient and friendly. Ordered yellow fin tuna, seafood pasta, Greek salad and a burger - all were good and plates were left clean! The prices were decent and not out of line for the area. Since it's during covid we ate outside and employees were very sensitive to covid guidelines. Plenty of parking. read more

Van Rensselaer's - Seafood Near Me - South Wellfleet, Massachusetts

I have been to Van Renselaer's several times over the years. Food is consistently good. They were able to accommodate a large party on short notice. When on the Cape it's a great family restaurant to stop and refuel. See ya next year! read more

Ok this place had been here for forever and it's very close to us yet for some reason I never felt compelled to actually eat here. I think I just have it in my head that restaurants that also serve breakfast can't possibly serve nice dinners, despite the reviews for both being favorable. So last night we were looking for a place to go. I'm still not sold on eating inside and the weather has been good and lots of places have outside eating options. So as we drove by in the afternoon we could see they had a deck and another outside area so we stopped in and made a reservation for later that evening for the covered deck area. They are following all Covid rules and the people couldn't be nicer. The menu is pretty broad and it's not all seafood so I think everyone will be happy with it. Wine list is just meh if you're a wine snob. We started with the margarita flatbread app and it was great. In addition to regular menu items they have a section where you can pick your fish and then pick one of a few ways you can have it prepared. I picked yellowfin tuna and had it done Mediterranean style with roasted red tomatoes, kalameta olives and feta over pasta. I asked them to nix the pancetta and no issues so I was happy about that. It was really good and I was happy with my selection and would order it again. For dessert we had cranberry/blueberry bourbon bread pudding and if it's on the menu you should get it. The service was great. Outside was pretty full but I honestly have no idea how many people were actually in the restaurant eating. A huge parking lot is helpful. The prices are definitely not cheap so consider yourself warned. Restaurant itself is somewhat kid friendly and it won't break the bank if they stay on the kids menu. But if the kids are headed to the adult menu then be prepared for a decent sized bill. Overall though we were pretty happy and will visit again. read more

Got takeout food. Memorial Day weekend, very busy, so take this with a grain of salt. Called in for pickup, got a 30 minute estimate, got the food after 50 minutes. And I only got the food because I asked one of the front desk folks to check again. Food wise, decent chowder and calamari, seafood linguini chock full of seafood but a little runny in the sauce. Seared ahi tuna very nice. read more

Very nice place. Very welcoming, even had a couple people outside checking you in. I'm sure they were short staffed but you would never know it. We shared the same wedding anniversary year as the owners. Both of them made it to our table. They gave a glass of champagne.The server recommended yellow tail which I have only had as sushi. It was as she described and perfect. Thank you read more

Van Rensselaer's - Great pina colada - Seafood Near Me - South Wellfleet, Massachusetts

We took my daughter and family here for her birthday. We were delighted with some delicious apps and entrees. The drinks were very good and the service was spot on. They even came out with a piece of cake with candle and sang happy birthday to my daughter. It was a great night and I would be back more often if I lived nearby. I definitely recommend this wonderful restaurant! read more

We wanted lobster - and we got a fantastic dinner! Plus this place has the perfect atmosphere - not too fancy, but lovely, comfortable, and music NOT loud! The Van Rensselaer's were so hospitable and welcoming! SO glad we got to enjoy this wonderful restaurant and excellent lobster! read more

Excellent well run restaurant with all your favorites. Five stars not so much for every individual dish but for overall experience. No surprises. Friendly service. Reasonable prices. Outdoor dining if you want. I have eaten here over the years for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and never disappointed. read more

Made a last minute bar reservation last weekend and we are still talking about our meals. Hands down the best meals we have had. The potato crusted salmon was beyond delicious as was the seafood linguine. And let's not forget the bread! Zero complaints! We can't wait to come back. So glad to have found Van Rensselaers, great location and atmosphere! read more

Van Rensselaer's - Seafood Linguine - Seafood Near Me - South Wellfleet, Massachusetts

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Traditional style family restaurant where we've always has great meals. Seafood, pasta, prime rib are just some of what we've eaten here. Reminds me of restaurants from my childhood. Nothing super fancy, no ingredients you can't pronounce, and always good. Make sure to get a reservation on weekends and during the busy summer season. read more

Wow-From the front door to the server (Claire) to the food-excellent as good or better than restaurants in Westchester NY!! To come back ASAP!! read more

I only get to visit the Cape once every couple of years when traveling from the West Coast. But getting to VR's is becoming top priority! Fresh and yummy are just the easiest ways to describe a drop in to this lower Cape staple. Family friendly and welcoming make you feel at home while you devour every last bite on your plate without judgement. I savored every bite of my seafood linguine with the most tender scallops and shrimp. Highly recommend! read more

The food here is delicious. The parking lot is expansive, they have plenty of seating and they waste no time getting your food out. Service is incredibly accommodating. read more