I have been going to Donahue's Clam Castle for years now. It isn't owned by the same man anymore though. The new food is just HORRIBLE! The three of us ordered the very popular and excellent Golden Fried Seafood Combo. The name of that item has been changed. We thought well, okay, as long as it was the same.

It was not.

Then, we noticed the price has jumped by $19.00!!! Originally, the meal was $25.00 and that price jumped to $30.00 during the pandemic. We all understood and willingly paid it because the food was so good. So, we reluctantly paid the new price of $49.00 (almost DOUBLE from what we paid 3 years ago) and waited for our food to be brought out to the car. The new, young owner came to the car and apologized for any confusion.

We usually bring the food to the nearby beach and eat it while looking out over Long Island Sound.

We all opened our containers and just stared at the food, hoping it was at least as good as it was before. IT WAS NOT!

The onions rings were overly oily and terribly greasy and were placed on the French fries that not only smaller than they used to be but, there weren't very many of them and what there was were oily and greasy.

Everything that made the original meal so good was gone. The scallops were tiny. The used to be huge and excellent.

The original French fries were coated with the best coating in Connecticut ---- hands down! The same excellent coating was used on the clams, scallops, and shrimp. The fries used to be crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The way fries are supposed to be. THEY WERE EXCELLENT!

The clams used to be big, expertly coated and cooked, and were delicious. The new ones are small and terribly greasy. The new coating is horrible. The only part of the meal that seemed to be the same is the piece of cod fish but, even that has changed. When we cut into it, we all noticed that the meat was strangely falling apart into dicey pieces that were hard to eat.

I think that the new owner who bought the place thought he could just cheapen the menu, raise the prices and, no one would notice or care ---- thinking that he would become rich overnight.

Well, I've got news for him. Most of Donahue's clientele are return customers. Most ate there because the food was the best and was reasonably priced. In the Summer, sometimes people waited two hours for their food because the food was worth it. No one complained.

All of that will change. I predict that unless the original menu is returned and the prices lowered, the restaurant will go out of business within 5 years.

What a shame. One of the best shoreline seafood restaurants went from being number one to being in last place for quality and pricing.

Not only will we not be returning but, my company won't be returning and won't be going there next month to celebrate a family member's birthday as had been planned.

The new owner managed to lose three loyal customers and 4 potential new customers after being in business for just two days. Good job!