Clam Shack — Restaurant in Salem

5 stars and many thumbs up for the EXCELLENT seafood we had the afternoon we visited. We now live in Missouri having moved there from San Diego, so we know good seafood, really fresh and delicious seafood.

We found this place via their online reviews, so after we took the Trolley tour (which was excellent btw) we drove back for lunch.

It was mildly busy and the young man that helped us at the register was knowledgeable and very friendly. It is not a cheap place, let's get that straight, not super $$$ but if you're looking for a $3 fish sandwich, go to McD's. Here you will find freshly prepared seafood which will not be served within 3 minutes.

Our food came out piping hot, fresh and as many folks have said, waaaaay too many fries, but we took one for the team and ate them anyway. :-) The batter the seafood comes covered in is light and just lightly oily. I mean come on, it's fried after all. What you DON'T taste is old oil or any off/weird off flavors. It tastes as though everything is top of the line and good quality.

We had a lobster roll, (A+++) which was bursting with incredible chunks of killer lobster and JUST a simple dressing of mayo and salt. Sometimes you will get a lobster and the dressing has all kinds of filler in it, like celery, onion etc. Not this roll, this was in the top 2 lobster rolls I've ever eaten in my life.

We also had scallops and I swear to God, my eyes teared up they were so good. (A+++) Succulent, almost sweet, fresh and big, really big. We also had fried clams which were bomb. com. The coleslaw was a perfect side, not too sweet, mayo based.

You can sit in their patio area or walk over to a bench and look at the water. Later on that week we had almost the same meal in Maine in a sit down restaurant, and it paled in comparison to this meal from a humble little seafood stand.

Keep up the great work folks, we hope to be...

Wonderful place. Owner is a real gem who cares about quality and value. Ordered my clams on the crispy side and they were simply sublime. Lobster roll on brioche is fantastic. The clam chowder, which is delicious has no pork, a rare treat as I rarely get to order it. All homemade including the tarter sauce and coleslaw, both amazing. Not many places make tarter sauce or coleslaw anymore so you can see what I mean about the family pride that guides this place including the twice a day seafood delivery and frequent cooking oil changes. A find! Also classic rock at reasonable volume to go with the great al fresco setting. Thanks for an epic lunch. I'll be back! Update July 2018: Back 10 months later, Angelo and family continue to impress. Service amazing. Food is consistently fantastic! I could dine here weekly, glad I live 4 hours away. For New England Seafood lovers this is truly gourmet. A Must-as I said last year, I'll be back! Update July 2019 Angelo and his wonderful staff keep me coming back year after year. A Must when visiting Salem in season. Thanks Angelo and bless you. Sublime! Update September 2022 This place is consistently fantastic. The only other restaurant that meets my exacting standards is the world famous Joe's Stone Crab in Miami Beach. You may ask how I can compare these two estabisments but I can. In their lane Clam Shack is that same kind of iconic place for the best of the best. I always get the clams, etc. but lately adding the scallops, which are devine. Thanks Angelo! Update August 2024 I have been to several incredible restaurants just in the last year, including Tuscany, and Lyon France, including the great Bocuse Brasserie Sud. Believe it or not I still rate the Clam Shack as one of the great gourmand experiences, anywhere! In its lane, New England seafood, this place reigns supreme....

I visited the Clam Shack for the first time today! We tried to visit last year, but we went after it was already closed for the season (early fall).

The clam shack is a fitting name for this place. It’s a mostly fried seafood menu, with a couple of other offerings for kids and people who prefer something else.

The food came out hot and was fried correctly... it tasted okay. I feel like everything on the menu is frozen and comes in boxes, and is just fried to order. No hand breading, battering, or fresh seafood here. That part was disappointing.

We ordered a shrimp basket, chowder, and clam cakes, and an order of fries.. The food looked ok, and was hot... but...

the “clam cakes” were not clam cakes... they were some sort of fried discs that looked like a frozen chicken patty or something and tasted like a bready fish stick...(2 clam discs for $6.00?!) ...and the chowder was 100% from a can! Aren’t we in New England? C’mon Clam Shack!

The order came in bags that had vent holes to keep the fried food crispy, which was awesome! We also had a visit from a bold seagull, who was plotting to make a move on the food, or at least trying to score a dropped French fry.

The Clam Shack gets 5 stars for the location, which is in a nice little seaside park... and 5 stars for the staff.. who did a good job; the service was good.

The clam shack gets 3 stars for the disappointing frozen seafood which was mediocre at best... I wonder is something changed from all the other reviews of this place??

Not sure if I’m going back to the clam shack.. maybe if I’m in the area I’ll give it...