C-Stones Tavern — Restaurant in Wareham

Unfortunately, the experience here was rather bland, from the food to the atmosphere. The service was great, the staff seem very friendly and were definitely on the ball with all of our needs at the table! We all appreciated that very much and with the older crowd that seems to flock here, I'm sure they have their work cut out for them. Two thumbs up for the wait staff. In terms of atmosphere... This restaurant needs a major interior design overhaul. There's a tube TV with Keno on it, the lighting is rather harsh yet somehow also dark and uncomfortably direct rather than being diffused (resulting in a bright center of each room with dark corners and edges), the equipment and cash registers look like they must be from the 90's and must be a nightmare for the wait staff to use, and the overall layout of the building - having two separated dining rooms and one whole room with a bar and high tops - is confusing and difficult to navigate for anyone that has never been there before such as myself. It has "bad Feng Shui," as some would say. As for the food, unfortunately it was rather bland - nothing seemed to be seasoned well, if at all, and the only flavors going on for the seafood were salt and butter. The chicken fingers were quite dry and the breading was cardboard-y as though they were frozen chicken tenders that were baked in a toaster oven. Same deal for the fries unfortunately, rather dry and flavorless. The sweet and sour sauce packets were my saving grace for that. The crowd here seemed to consist entirely of people over 60 years old, so perhaps my 22 years old self isn't the intended audience for this place, but regardless, the experience was rather lackluster in terms of food unfortunately, and we won't be rushing back here any time soon because of that... The table unanimously seemed to feel as though the quality of the food wasn't worth the money. We mean no ill will by saying all of this... Just wanted to recount my experience in detail. Best wishes to everyone at the restaurant, and to those that do enjoy coming...

I've always enjoyed dining in at Vel's. The food consistently arrives promptly and is delicious, with perfectly sized portions. The scallops during dine-in are large, juicy, and generously served. However, my recent experiences with pickup orders have been disappointing. For instance, the scallops I received were tiny, almost the size of popcorn shrimp, compared to the hearty ones served in-house which are about five times larger. Similarly, the boneless fried chicken I ordered was thinly sliced and lacked crispiness, tasting more like it was fried in fish batter.

It's frustrating that the quality between dine-in and pickup orders varies so significantly. Today, feeling under the weather, I hoped for a comforting meal from Vel's, but the pickup order seemed hastily put together, as if they were trying to clear out less desirable portions at the same price point. This isn't the first time I've encountered this issue, and it may be my last time ordering pickup from here.

I wish I could have returned the food for a refund. As a loyal customer, I feel undervalued when the quality of pickup orders doesn't match what's served in the restaurant. I urge you to try ordering pickup yourself and form your own opinion. Despite this, I must commend Vel's for their exceptional seafood dishes during dine-in visits—the seafood platter and scallop dinner are truly outstanding. I only hope they can extend the same level of care to their pickup orders in the future.

If invited back to try another pickup order I would surely form a new opinion and review on the new changes I...

This restaurant had been a lifelong favorite of mine, passed down through generations of family. My mother was brought here by her parents as a child, and my parents went on many dates here as teenagers. As a child my mother, myself and my little sister would come here with my nana often. Before my auntie went into hospice and ultimately succumbed to her battle with cancer, this is the place she chose for our last big family dinner. I was a child who was sickly often, and each time I was discharged from Tobey hospital my mom would always stop on the way home to get me some turkey rice soup; it never failed to help me feel better. I have to admit, I’ve sent my husband a number of times to retrieve it for me as an adult when i was under the weather as well lol. I chose to have my graduation dinner here. My best friend spent many afternoons here with me, hanging out at the bar with our favorite bartender who never hesitated to make us feel right at home. I have had countless dates here with my husband and I felt honored to be served one last time before they switch over and start a new adventure. Over the years the staff here are people I have come to know and love dearly, and I just would like every to know how much I truly appreciate all of the amazing meals, hospitality, and love that I have received from this establishment my entire life. Here’s to your next big adventure and I look forward to returning to try some new recipes (along with those staple favorites of course lol) and see...