Marblehead Chowder House — Restaurant in Palmer Township

NEW REVIEW ~ 1/7/25, 2:45 PM

We ordered French Onion soup because Marblehead prepares it extremely well, plus salmon en croute. Typically by the time we finish the soup and house salad we do not have room for the entree; however, we take it home for the next evening's meal. We have discovered that this dish reheats well. Our waitress has served us on numerous occasions in the past. She practically knows our order in advance, although we occasionally surprise her. She is friendly and efficient, seamlessly managing at least half a dozen tables simultaneously.

7/4/24 luncheon meal at 2:45 PM

Instead of grilling in heat and humidity on Independence Day with the threat of t-storms, we opted for grilled salmon, a baked potato and a house salad plus a quart of lobster bisque to go at Marblehead. It was a prudent choice resulting in two delicious meals and two lobster bisque lunches between July 4th and July 7th ~ an excellent value for our dining experience. Marblehead has been our favorite restaurant for many years.

In 2023 we returned to dining at Marblehead instead of ordering take-out, although we almost always add a quart of lobster bisque to go. We now dine around 3 PM, the transition point between lunch and dinner. This usually avoids encountering peak traffic on I-78. Our most recent visit was on 5/30/23. We had the warm crab dip appetizer (a favorite), shrimp with crab fried rice and shrimp & chicken majesty. Everything was excellent. If you have not tried Marblehead, we highly recommend that you do so.

6/2/23

Since the start of the pandemic we have ordered almost weekly via curbside pickup. Recently we ordered the lobster pasta special with chef's vegetables. We also added a quart of lobster bisque (as we almost do), which was thick and flavorful. We always split the portions so we can enjoy the same meal a second night.

Marblehead is our favorite restaurant, and we go almost weekly during January and February to make the winter seem "shorter". The food and service are always excellent. We usually start with either lobster bisque or warm crab dip, followed with the house salad and house blue cheese dressing. If none of the specials is enticing enough, we have several favorites that are always reliable choices. Last night we enjoyed seafood au gratin from the...

This was my first visit to Marblehead Chowderhouse. I was very disappointed with the service that my friend and I received. After our food was served, our waiter never came back to see how things were. I needed extra napkins and tried getting his attention by calling his name and he didn't respond. Then again later I called his name to ask him for extra napkins and he finally came over. He never asked how things were and if we needed anything else. When my friend ordered dessert, she also said that she would like more coffee with it. She already had coffee but her cup was empty. He brought her the dessert but didn't get coffee for her. She had to remind him that she asked for more coffee. My water glass was empty most of the time throughout my meal, but he never came back to check on us or offer to refill my glass with water.

The table of 4 next to us apparently were regular customers. It was unbelievable the way that our waiter was at their table frequently and catered to them continuously, never looking to our table or coming over. Most of the time, our waiter only had 2 tables that he was serving. Additionally, the manager or owner went over to this table and a few others, socializing with them and checking on things. He never acknowledged that we were at the next table.

The most frustrating thing about this visit was that my friend ordered 6 raw oysters. Other servers mentioned to their customers about the "Buck a Shuck" promotion on this date. All oysters were $1 each (maximum of 6) with the purchase of an entree. My friend had the crab cake entree and 6 oysters. She was charged $2.95 for each oyster instead of $1 each. She wasn't aware that she was overcharged since we were not informed of the "Buck a Shuck" promotion. After we left, I asked her if she was charged $1 per oyster. She was not, but instead charged $2.95 per oyster. Our server should have informed us of the promotion and charged her $1 per oyster instead of...

So I hve to admit that when I found out about dining at an unknown "seafood" restaurant I was a bit hesitant. Especially a place that was so never heard of in NJ..So we arrive at our destination which was about 30 min away which was another concern...Anyways we walk in and the staff was very welcoming & attentive with smiles which I greatly appreciated because we were a party of 18 & of color...Get my point..So they kindly directed & asked if we're associated with the party of "So & So", by name which was another good thing...So we were guided to our large table where we sat accordingly to how the bill would be divided..Once seated we were given our menus & immediately start to ponder over what we think may be the best deal. Eventually our waitress comes out with the special of the day & we all seem to order something from that..Only wish they had given us two waiters because it did take awhile for her to reach the opposite end of the table and knowing that a large party will be arriving would have had the bread ready to ease our appetites so that we could order...I was starving......Eventually after we all had ordered the butter sitting on the table had a purpose..Bread finally arrived which we devoured...It was also very tasty. I had 3 of those biscuits and had to contain myself to not hve a 4th one.. Oh! we all had different orders, Some fish, shrimp, steak, But no one had any complaints... We especially loved the clam chowder soup & calamari. Also the lobster potpie & chicken potpies were delicious!!!! They taste & looked freshly made...Wish I had taken some home like my friend did. So at the end we all were very satisfied & look forward...