Anthony's Pier 4 Cafe — Restaurant in Swampscott

Went here for the first time through my wife's recommendation. We brought our son with us number one the service. The service was good, however the woman who was serving us seemed a little upset at times. I'm not sure why, but as the meals went on she ended up telling us that the restaurant would close in a year. It was kind of shocking that she already had a upset or kind of sad posture and when we heard this we weren't sure if she was like this because the restaurant was closing or if she was having a bad day, but it really transcended and changed the atmosphere for us and the experience number two the food. The food was perfect. The bread in the beginning is very warm, nicely toasted but not too much which I love and with the butter everything was really good. In fact, my son had to get more bread because of how delicious it was for starter. I got a fried calamari which was very good and a clam chowder. The fried calamari was nicely fried, although there was a very vinegary ingredient that I would skip next time. But overall the calamari was a four out of five for me. The clam chowder though was a 5 out of five perfectly cooked. All the flavors come together and dipping the bread in. This was phenomenal. My entree was a fisherman's pie. What a huge portion! So much to say about this exquisite delicious and very very fresh. The potatoes really add a twist. Not too much. Not too little. The creaminess of the meal was thick enough so it didn't feel watery but not too thick where it challenged the mashed potato on top. We skipped dessert as we were very full with our menu pics. Number 3 accessibility being completely blind. It was very accessible from the parking lot which was plenty of space to getting to our table number. Four atmosphere we went in on a Saturday evening and it was very, very slow. Almost all the seats were empty. Maybe speaks to the fact of why they are closing which is very unfortunate. I will try to visit here as much as I can before they close the lobsters in the water under the bridge when you walk inside the restaurant felt very classy. Very cool but again part of me felt it was a nearly dystopian restaurant. Amazing! Incredible food but very sad atmosphere. The server had a sad demeanor and posture. I think the person that made it feel most alive was the gentleman who received us at the front door who escorted us to our table. Everything was clean more than plenty of parking. The view from our table over the ocean was beautiful and very relaxed. A little pricey but definitely worth the portions and the flavors. I would...

I really wish I could write a 5 star review for this place! It has a great view on the water, the decor is great, they also use top-quality ingredients in the food. However, there are some drawbacks to this place. We dined here a couple weekends ago and here is our story...... We parked and the door was already being held for us which was a great welcome. The staff members were dressed well and gave us a table. Our host was very kind. We placed an order and were given some hors d'oeuvres in the meantime. These consisted of popovers and a mushroom dish. The popovers were good but not amazing. We cannot judge the mushroom dish as neither of us liked this sort of dish. we waited longer than average for our main course while our host made sure we were well-cared-for in our wait. I ordered the swordfish and my partner ordered a steak dish. My partner ordered her steak medium rare but it came out well-done. The host was very receptive to this and a manager came and offered to make it right. she agreed to medium rare roast beef which tasted great. My swordfish steak was also very nice. The host was very polite and apologetic and we assured him that we know he has no control over the kitchen. During this dining experience, we witnessed some patrons who were very rude to the staff. These patrons were angry about only one specials menu for the table. They were also rude about their table arrangement. This made us feel bad for our host who likely has to deal with this often. Unreasonable customers around me tend to be rough on my appetite and i would be happy of they were told off. As for the food, it was prime ingredients but nothing special was done with them. The meal did not justify the price. If a place like this is going to use the greatest ingredients , the dish must be amazing. I ate amazing cuts of meat but the preparation was an abuse to its dish. All in all, the front staff is great, the preparaion is good, the ingredients are great, the ambiance is great, and the managing expectations is okay. Did I like this place? yes! Will I go back?...

Wow, not a great experience. My family and I were talking about how this place could be the basis for a Steven King movie. All the employees look like they have been there forever. All just going through the motions. They clocked out but couldn't leave. The servers were wearing Captain's coats and there were no less than 3 "managers" milling around. None of them were doing anything and none of them seemed concerned with anything around them. The place was virtually empty, but they were unwilling to give us a table up front by the window and moved us to an "obstructed" view off to the side. Maybe the good tables were reserved for the rich widows that appeared to be their primary clientele.

Our server was very haphazard with the attention he paid to our table. Either hovering or nowhere to be found. Never offered to refill any of our beverages. He divulged that they won't offer bread until after the customer orders so they won't fill up on it and order less. When we asked about some of the lobster offerings, he told us that there were surcharges for lobster starting at $25 above the menu prices. Ok, whatever. We wanted lobster. It was nearly impossible to find out what actual pricing was for anything. He didn't know and neither did any of the "managers".

We ended up ordering the Lobster bake. He kept telling us how great it was. It ended up being a chicken lobster, tiny mussels, a few clams and an obscene amount of chorizo sausage.

They didn't even provide real drawn butter. It was the "butter flavoring" you put on popcorn at the movies. Gross. The sausage was dry, the lobster and everything else were overcooked.

The best thing we ate was the sorbet...

So, 2 stars for a nice obstructed view and good sorbet.

This is the worst $225.00 I've spent in a long time.

This place is way past its experation date. I really expected to see a picture of the fourth of July party with Jack Torrence. Or for someone to come tell me I've always been the...