7th Wave Restaurant — Restaurant in Rockport

We had dinner tonight at 7th Wave in Rockport, drawn in by the beautiful ocean view and what we hoped would be a charming seaside experience. Instead, we were hit with what felt like 7 waves of disappointment.

Let’s start with the wine. We ordered a glass of rosé and a glass of Pinot Grigio, and both were awful. They tasted like old boxed wine that had been left open too long. When we politely asked to send them back, the waiter told us we had to pay full price because we had “taken a sip.” (Yes, that’s how tasting works, sir.) He insisted the wine came from fresh bottles and then dropped off the bill like that settled it.

A few minutes later, another woman came over and asked to taste the wine herself. She tried both glasses and confirmed what we already knew: my “rosé” was literally not rosé, and the Pinot Grigio was opened during the Fourth of July (over a week old!). That’s not aged wine, that’s just sad wine. She offered to let us try something else, but at that point, we were spiritually and emotionally finished.

The food? IT SOMEHOW GOT WORSE.

My date ordered the lobster roll with dreams of buttery, fresh New England seafood bliss. What she got tasted like it had been defrosted in a microwave. Zero flavor. Completely lifeless.

As a vegan, I asked if they had anything I could eat, and they offered a custom chickpea curry. Honestly, it sounded promising. And when it came out, it looked decent—the rice and curry were actually fine. But then... why did the chef decide to top it with spring mix salad and cold, raw broccoli? It was like someone got confused mid-recipe and just gave up. For $30, can we at least cook the broccoli?

The final vibe: overpriced, confused, stale wine, weird curry decisions, and a poor lobster suffered and died for my date’s deep...

We recently visited 7th Wave Restaurant at the end of summer with friends visiting from out of the country. We were seated at a table on the second floor, which wasn’t particularly busy at the time. After about five minutes of being seated, we placed our orders and noticed three empty tables with a seaside view on the same floor. We politely asked our server if we could move to one of those tables, given that nothing had been served yet. He told us he needed to check with the host first.

A few minutes later, he returned and informed us that we were not allowed to move. Confused, I inquired why, especially since the tables were still unoccupied and didn’t appear to be reserved. The server explained that the host had decided we couldn't switch tables after being seated. Frankly, I found this to be an incredibly disappointing and baffling approach to customer service.

While the restaurant does boast a nice view, the ambiance is marred by cheap tables and plastic chairs that detract from the experience. As for the food, it left much to be desired. I ordered the steak tips, requesting them medium, but they arrived undercooked and nearly raw inside. Even worse, the broccoli served with it appeared to have remnants of other food on it, as if it had been taken from another plate. Needless to say, I didn't eat it.

The "Big Grilled Cheese" was misleadingly named, as it was the same size as the kids' grilled cheese, just served with more fries and on a larger plate. It was also dry and not well-prepared. The clam chowder was just average—nothing special.

Overall, I cannot recommend 7th Wave Restaurant. There are many other dining options on Bearskin Neck in Rockport that offer better food, a more pleasant dining experience, and most importantly, value customer...

UPDATED REVIEW: thanks for reopening the upper deck…this is why we have returned recently with a large group of friends. Unfortunately, even with the beautiful views we will not be returning. We have given this establishment SO MANY tries and each time we are disappointed. The menu hasn’t changed much in years with limited options. Clam chowder was good but lukewarm which ruined it. Caesar salad had supermarket bought dressing (waiter offered this info!) and the fish and chips literally tasted like frozen fish. That’s a big NO NO in a seafood town. They served it with a side of tartar sauce literally in a plastic peel off…pic to prove. C’mon simple thing to make homemade!Swordfish sooo fishy and the curried shrimp was mediocre. The fried shrimp “platter” had 5 (yes 5!) shrimp on the plate with cold fries?? First time ever seeing this at any restaurant in vicinity. Oi…Sorry but management needs to step in and step up here. Saving grace will always be the views on the top deck though.

PLEASE REOPEN THE UPPER DECK!!!! Many locals have been waiting a LONG TIME for this because it is one of the ONLY locations in Rockport with this magnificent view and why many of us go there!! Shame! Please either open it or pass the restaurant along to someone who will do so and realizes that the ambiance is just as important as the food!! Which by the way is quite mediocre...