Wales Tail Clam Shack delivers a fantastic East Coast clam shack experience, hitting all the right notes for delicious seafood. Our dinner was a triumph of flavors, starting with wonderful hush puppies infused with crab meat and a truly excellent clam chowder. My wife's fried fish was perfectly cooked and complemented by wonderful-tasting onion rings. You absolutely *must* try their Lobster Rolls - they're a signature dish for a reason! Located right on the pier by the big boats, this spot offers not just great food but also a palpable connection to New Bedford's rich maritime past, a city that once stood as the whaling capital of the world. The atmosphere here is an absolute highlight, earning a perfect 10/10 with its fun red-checkered floors and red tables, big yellow umbrellas, and the energetic bustle of the working waterfront. While the service, rated 7/10, was adequate, the overall experience more than compensates. Parking is easy to find, though be prepared for a 30-minute wait, which is a testament to its popularity. This establishment caters to adults, as there are no provisions for children or highchairs. I will be back! read more

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Nice staff but the clam strips were disappointing; mostly breading and deep-fried in old grease.

Delicious food and left with a happy tummy. We ordered: lobster roll, clam chowder, fried scallop basket, fish n chips, and their clam cakes. Lobster roll was stuffed generously, fried scallop was super tender and fried perfectly. Fish n chips basket was yummy and fresh. Clam chowder had a good amount of clam for its serving. Will have to pass on the clam cakes as they tasted overly chewy and overly fried. read more

Whale’s Tail Clam Bar - Seafood Near Me - New Bedford, Massachusetts

Came here on a coolish day, so there wasn't much of a line or wait, but you could see where there was a line queue on a nice day. It could be quite the wait. You have two choices with the fried food either beer, battered or lightly breaded we chose breaded, which was an excellent choice The fisherman's platter was enough to share. It came with two small coleslaw's and two tartar sauces fried fish was light, flaky, and fresh. The scallops were cooked perfectly. There's only outdoor seating here on picnic tables and it seems tobe pet friendly They had a nice selection of beers. somewhere between seven and nine dollars a can, local breweries. I like that they support local! I would definitely go back read more

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Fun spot with great tacos. Drinks were a little inconsistent. Good margaritas, but the sangria and rum punch were off and unpleasant

Very good seafood!! Fresh, not over breaded and delicious!! Highly recommend. Came on a rainy day enjoyed watching the harbor. Worth a visit. read more

Kinda noisy if you're looking for peace and quiet - the place was full of people who were having a good time. The seafood stew was excellent, portions sizes were good and our waiter was fantastic. Our friends who didn't like seafood had excellent waygu burgers. I would definitely go back the next time I'm in the area. read more

Honestly the best hidden gem! You would imagine how good the food is here! Always 5 star and consistent! The location doesn't hurt either with a beautiful view of the waterfront. Service is fast and always checking in! Highly recommend the chicken sandwich! read more

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Order at the windows and sit on picnic tables by the water, enjoy some of the freshest seafood around! I've had a lot of fried seafood in my life, but honestly this was some of the best I've had! My friend and I split a seafood platter - lightly battered and it was overflowing and just perfect! read more

Stopped here on a beautiful day for lunch. Such a cute spot. Lobster roll was excellent and very fairly priced. Fried clams were good but a little sandy. Would've given 5 stars without the sand. Will definitely go back. read more

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Life is short F......it up ! Family, Flavor, Friends. Great lil place in the docks. We started w the clam chowder- very savory and flavorful must get. Next fisherman's plater got the beer batter ver. Pretty standard make sure to ask for the spicy tangy sauce. Next was the carprise chicken sandwich then the lobster roll - they serve it cold or hot. We opted for cold. The roll was buttered and savory and has a good texture. The portion was lil small other wise 5 read more

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If you're looking for an elevated New England clam shack experience, this is it. We shared a buttered lobster roll & fried scallop platter - both were outstanding. The lobster roll was generous chunks lightly buttered & its toasted (good quality) roll was an important add on detail. The scallops were perfectly fried in a not greasy batter- really yummy & the fries, so often an afterthought in these types of clam shacks, were crisp, fresh & hot. Outstanding! Even their lemonade (which tasted fresh squeezed, even if not) was excellent. Window Service is great - friendly, prompt. The outdoor picnic tables are plentiful, clean, offer shade-- and are dog friendly, an especially welcome perk for us that day as our dog was with us. She enjoyed an after lunch stroll around the working dock, too. read more

Best part of this little place is the staff and location. Ordering was easy with great interaction. The food may be hit or miss, though, and NOT worth the price we spent 90 dollars for 2 people. We had 1 bowl and 1 cup of chowda, great seasoning, and portion size. 100% recommended. For our meals, we had a tuna poke salad and fish and chips. The salad was good but missing salad, veggies, and rice (never had it myself, but the boss has). The fish and chip, only 1 piece of fish and supposed beer batter, style. Think the fish was slightly under cooked, guess we will see in a little bit, and the fries were great. Finishing the meal, we shared a key lime pie. Awesome ending, great texture of thrlenfilling and amazing pie crust. One drink each, beer for me and lemonade of some sort for the boss. As previously stated, stays and location is perfect. They just need to work on food quality and portions for the amount they charge. Not sure if we will be back to this spot. read more

Fantastic! First visit of the season and a perfect day to sit outside. The best brown butter lobster roll, amazing clam cakes (and I'm a clam cake critic) and perfect fried clams - whole belly is the only way to go. Clam cakes have a salt and vinegar shake on them - mind blown.... It was Mother's Day and extremely busy but the staff were amazing, friendly, helpful and efficient! read more

Can't beat the location and vibe. Best fried shrimp I've ever had. Fish and chips excellent. New England summer in a box, basically.. Can't wait to come back. read more

Love this place ! Excellent quality and your orders are always on time ! This is my seafood takeout place !!!

Adorable clam shack with a great location and menu. We loved the selection of drinks, especially the lemonades (lavender, blueberry, classic) it was Mother's Day and very crowded. The line was long and took awhile to get up to the window to order but was expected. Staff is excellent, very friendly and knowledgeable. We ordered 2 tuna poke bowls and a fish and chips. Food came out after almost an hour (they said 30 minutes but it was a "holiday) Opened supposed poke bowl to find a nicely seasoned but relatively small amount of tuna on top of seaweed salad with about 8 tortilla chips. No vegetables, fruit, rice as one would expect for a poke bowl. Please change the name to tuna tartare or tuna wontons. Fish and chips were good, fresh but fries need to be cooked a bit more. We'd try it again on a non-holiday. read more

We have visited twice in two years. Service is impeccable. The setting, on the harbor is magical. There is plenty of seating. There is a need to clean tables more. We self served by cleaning our table, We ordered a "colossal" lobster roll (42.00 with tax). It was about 8 ounces of meat. We ordered it with brown butter. The standard rolls was buttered and toasted. The meat came in chunks. Sadly, the meat was incredibly chewy and not too flavorful. The hand cut fries were delicious. I am unsure but believe they are frozen. read more

The food was incredible! Great meal for a sunny day at the best price point. The staff was amazing for a quick service restaurant, and the manager checked in with us which was great. Love the ambiance with great music and perfect coastal flair. Will definitely be back! read more

The food is great and so are the drinks. An awesome summer vibe. Order the lavender lemonade with a shot of tequila, trust me.

Ordered from Grub Hub- to be delivered 1.5 miles away. Order was pending for some time; I considered canceling. Once approved, it was ready and delivered quickly. I'm not a huge French fry fan but I have to admit- they were the best I've had in a very long while. But let's be honest- I didn't order this for the fries. The clam roll was very disappointing. I had to check the order to make sure I ordered whole belly and not just the strips. And there was seriously just 6 or so clams- it covered one row, all the rest was lettuce. I've never had such a pathetic and stingy clam roll. I know previous summers they offered a better clam roll- I've had a number of them. Just super disappointed. I have friends coming in from the south who are wanting NE seafood... but I'm rethinking bringing them here. Was it a one off, or is this their current standard? read more

Whale’s Tail Clam Bar - That was it- my measly 6 clams and a whole lot of lettuce to accompany the fries - Seafood Near Me - New Bedford, Massachusetts

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Super fresh seafood! Cooked the scallops perfectly! French fries were perfectly crispy as well. Cool place to eat surrounded by water and fishing boats. Service was excellent. read more

Beautiful atmosphere. Friendly service. Lobster roll was fantastic. The clams were fantastic. Of course a bit pricey but it's the same as every other restaurant on the water and you get what you pay for. So I'll happily pay a few extra dollars to get a quality lobster roll then the crappy ones you get it other restaurants that come in frozen. Beautiful area just to sit and relax. read more

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We really enjoyed our lunch here, despite it being a weirdly cold and rainy June day when we showed up. Service is chaotic but friendly, which is pretty much what you'd expect from a clam shack staffed by a bunch of enthusiastic high school kids -- you may have to make special requests for things like ketchup or a spoon. My clam chowder was exactly what I wanted, and my husband was happy with the big, juicy fried scallops. Plus, this place is seriously good-looking: perfect vibes for a summer day, and one of the liveliest places we saw in New Bedford. Definitely a place to stop if you're in town. read more

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The chicken strips are unbelievable. Fish very good of course but the chicken strips... wow. Maybe the best I've ever had.

Was alright, but certainly not great. A kind of small lobster roll that really wasn't sweet meat, and the scallop dinner that was a good sized portion, but they tasted almost dirty. I mean that In the flavor taste, there was certainly no sand or anything like that, just a kind of dirty flavor. The beer was good, but it was also $6 for a beer that costs maybe $3 at the store. I know they need to make a profit, but I also know the stores are too that sell them for $3. I wish them the best I really do, but they need a little more fire to be running a place like this, here in New Bedford, the TRUE scallop capitol of the world. read more

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So this was very affordable particularly right near the water. My only complaint out of everything for all 5 of us was the roasted potatoes tasted reheated. That was a big disappointment to me otherwise everything was amazing! We were all full and happy! read more

Whale’s Tail Clam Bar - Roasted potatoes NY strip and Squash - Seafood Near Me - New Bedford, Massachusetts

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10/10 was quick service tasted delicious great vibe. More lowkey which is nice. Will definitely be back read more

Whale’s Tail Clam Bar - Clam strips basket and traditional lobster roll - Seafood Near Me - New Bedford, Massachusetts

The food is made to order and worth the wait. The chowder is always great!! We have tried many chowders in the area but this chowder is the best hands down. I could have a gallon of this chowder! It was that great! read more

Do not go ...we stopped for a meal before getting on ferry. They charged us twice...once at the window and then the waitress came out and said didn't go through. Manager on duty (8/19/24) confirmed it did go through and took our information for a refund but said he didn't have time to do it. Said it would post in 2 days. Never got our money back. Beware the scam. They know you can't wait and complain if you have to get on the ferry read more

Had to get fried clams at the little clam bar. We came upon this cute stop on our way to find a quick dinner. Everything is fried fresh so it takes a little bit of time, but it's so worth it. I wish I could have tried more items as I ate my way through the east coast. But I highly recommend the quick stop for a small snack on your way or a full meal for the family. read more

The food is so fresh and the environment makes you feel like happy. Great food, great drinks and awesome environment! Plus there's a creamery next door. What a great spot! read more

So my son ordered the lobster roll. He likes it n said it's tasty. However, he got bad stomachache afterwards n eventually throw everything up. Food are fresh I can tell. But I've to give 1 star as either the lobster roll is dirty or undercooked... read more

This place is fantastic! We came here on a warm June night for a laid back experience. We have been to the Black Whale numerous times and it always delivers. The Tail did as well. We split the fisherman's platter and a couple rounds of beer. Clam chowder was delish (I have had it ALL over New England and the Whale/Cisco has the best chowder I've ever had Ps). Nice atmosphere on the docks, nice to have the option for cocktails and beer. Great time. Kid friendly. As fresh as it gets. read more

Super amazing clam chowder. Best I've had in a while. I also got their clam roll and it was delish and the bun was buttered and toasty. The boom boom sauce is sweet and spicy-- totally recommend. They also have Maine root sodas! Great fries. More affordable than other places in the area, but still a tad pricey, but I guess it's just the location. Super cute tables outside by the water. Great views and environment. Will come again if I'm in New Bedford. read more

called in order no one to direct call ins and prepaid to front of order line. No signage. 28 bucks foradozenclams tasted old not fresh lobster roll ok short on mayo and seasoning champagne price for beer results Won't go again. Seafood but in Fairhaven much better and cost less. Tourist trap read more

Very busy long long wait! Ordered caprese chicken and it was ok, clam plate was disappointing literally had 7 clams in it, lots of fries though. Don't think I will be back! read more

We go every weekend and some times twice. The workers are all extremely friendly and the cook knows exactly how not to over fry the scallops or clam cakes. The clam cakes and chowder and lobster roll with warm butter and scallops would be my favorite four top dishes. You will not be sorry! You will be hooked just like us and go their every weekend! I almost don't want to give this secret away because then it will get too busy. Lol. But you will not regret the wait because they cook to order. My food is always hot and staff is so friendly! read more

Casual dining, no reservations needed. The line to order moves fast and their alcoholic beverage menu has a large offering. 10/10 lobster rolls. read more

Best fried belly clams for more than a hundred miles around. I love fried fresh clams, no "strip clams". I'm on a road trip with my wife making a big circle from Philly to Groton to Newport to New Bedford back to Stockbridge and home. There are No fried belly clams until you get to Newport (since Legal Seafood went under). And in Newport they are over breaded and overcooked. Eatable but barely. Whales Tail Clam Bar is a great reason to come to New Bedford's waterfront. Presentation is basic but the fried clams and Tatar sauce are Amazing !! Do not miss this little gem read more