Brax Landing Restaurant — Restaurant in Harwich

9/28/24—-Happy first week of autumn- Picture a great sunny day as we cruise toward Cape Cod, no traffic in sight, and the Cape Cod air filling the car with promise. We were invited to my husband’s cousin’s house for some mouth-watering brick oven pizza. But since we were in the area, my husband decided it was a perfect time to swing by and visit an old friend of his. She lived close enough, and he figured, “Why not?”

So, we made our first stop. His friend was as lively as ever and had her heart set on eating lunch with a view of the ocean. The perfect Cape Cod experience, right? Well, little did we know, it was just the beginning of what would become a comedy of errors.

We were all hungry—my husband, his friend, and me—so when she offered to drive us to the restaurant, we eagerly piled into the car. That’s when things took a turn. As soon as we arrived, she issued her first command: “Get out of the car and put our name on the list,” she told my husband, sounding every bit like a general. Dutifully, he complied while she hunted for a parking spot.

By the time she and I joined him, there he was, sitting at the table with the menus already in hand. He was efficient, ready to eat and get back on track. But no—our friend had other ideas. In true dramatic fashion, she pointed to another table and declared, “Get up, we’re not sitting here.”

Out of sheer politeness, my husband stood, though the bewildered look on his face spoke volumes. We followed her to another table as she muttered something about where she "wanted" to sit. The waitress approached, ready to take our order, but no—there was still more drama to unfold.

"Did you see the hostess?" the waitress asked.

Without missing a beat, our friend replied, "I’m a long-time customer here," as if that excused her from the restaurant’s seating process.

By then, I had given up trying to make sense of it. I grabbed a book about Cape Cod from a nearby shelf and buried my head in it. The whole scene was becoming too much to bear, and it didn’t stop there. The manager soon came over, diplomatically trying to smooth things out, but our friend wasn’t backing down. An argument followed, though my husband and I sat there like spectators at a bizarre show. It seemed like we were on the verge of being thrown out, but by some miracle, we weren’t.

After what felt like an eternity of unnecessary drama, we ended up... right back at the original table my husband had chosen. The irony wasn’t lost on us, but by this point, I’d lost my appetite. My husband, on the other hand, needed to eat because of his medication, so he ordered oysters, which he said were quite good. Our friend happily ate her panini, blissfully unaware that her antics had dampened the mood but I could sense that the word had spread among the waitstaff about the little drama that had unfolded earlier. I used ti work at a five star hotel so I know 😉

We love her dearly—don’t get me wrong—but wow, what an ordeal. As my husband politely apologized to the manager later, we agreed that next time, we’d be the ones choosing where to eat. No more surprises. No more unnecessary drama.

kudos to the restaurant staff for handling it with grace! I want to say a big “thank you” to the restaurant team for being so courteous, even after the whole scene. Your professionalism didn’t go unnoticed, and we truly appreciated the way you kept everything running smoothly despite the hiccup!

The Lesson: When in doubt, take control of the situation before it controls you.

There’s an old saying that rings true here: “Too many cooks spoil the broth.” Sometimes, in life—and certainly at restaurants—it’s better to have a clear plan rather than letting someone else stir the pot. Had we just taken the reins from the start, we could’ve enjoyed that peaceful ocean view and lunch without the unnecessary spectacle. Next time,...

At least the view is nice but wow what horrendous service and disgusting food. Brax used to be our first stop on the cape every year. It’s been a few years since we had been in, but it was such a disappointment, we’ll never return. Upon arriving the hostess offered a table outside but it was quite cool and we had our toddler so we asked for a table inside. The hostess then tried to pressure us to go outside, emphasizing that she felt it was so nice outside. We reiterated it would be uncomfortable for our child and would like to be seated inside. She then said she could give us a table inside but it would be larger than our party(there were four of us and it was a 6top). It seemed odd, but they offered so we took it. We had mentioned on arrival that we needed a high chair which we then had to find the hostess after being brought to our table to ask for one a second time. A waitress came by, an older woman, and she hardly said a word to us. We didn’t think too much of it at first, assuming she was just a bit busy in the moment, but her attitude continued throughout the meal as we watched her be incredibly personable with every other table around us. She was extremely rude just tossing the check on the table and snatching it away without a word once we provided our payment. The food: I got a burger, asked for it medium rare and it came out charred on the outside and practically raw on the inside. Not much flavor at all. My husband got a special, broiled seafood platter. The seafood was meh and the sides (rice and veggies) were undercooked and completely unseasoned. My daughter’s pasta and sauce was pretty basic. Hard to screw that up. And MIL had the salmon which looked about as seasoned as the veggies for my husband. I can’t even begin to understand what warranted such horrendous service, aside from us sitting at the 6 top that was offered to us. I would never expect them to offer it to a party that was smaller than the table, but they did so of course we took it. If the waitress was mad about that, taking it out on the customers was not the right way to handle that. It’s her hostess’s fault for offering it. I’ve never seen such petty behavior from a server. Thankfully the food was so disgusting that we would never come back again anyway so it’s no loss anymore. But how sad that they’ve fallen this far. 5-6 years ago this was a great spot, but now I recommend going literally...

We decided to venture away from our usual spots on our trip to the Cape last week and we are so glad we tried something new because Brax Landing was such an incredible find! I’m only sorry it’s taken us so long to get here but we’re already thinking about what we’re going to order next time.

They have an extensive drink menu and I loved having so many options of frozen cocktails. I got the Jackal which could have been a little stronger in my opinion, but it was still great. The clam chowder had me questioning my manners as I contemplated licking the cup clean. Next time, I’m ordering a bowl and savoring each spoonful. It was very creamy and had the perfect amount of potatoes and clams. I had decided to take a break from seafood and ordered the steak tips. WOW. They came with a horseradish sauce that was very good and the portion was very generous. The veggies were cooked perfectly and were also a great size. French fries were also a step-up from your typical restaurant fries, and I had no problems finishing the plate off. My mom ordered the broiled scallops and I got a little nervous she too was going to try to lick the plate. She said the crumb topping had the best flavor of any she’s ever had, she too loved her veggies and the mashed potatoes were the best she’s had at a restaurant.

Overall, the food was fantastic and it was our best meal of the week. My only complaint was we had to ask for water a few times and we never got the butter was had asked for but I think we’re all on the same page that the staff at restaurants need a little extra love and patience right now so that did not hinder our love of the experience. Brax is open year-round, so I hope they get all the love during...