Hearth 'n Kettle Yarmouth — Restaurant in Yarmouth

I went to the Hearth and Kettle last night for my birthday with my family. There were only three of us so we weren’t really too demanding in the size of our party. Our waitress began as attentive although she seemed very soft spoken, which we didn’t mind because she was a great waitress! The food however was disgusting. Two members of my ‘party’ ordered the prime rib, which we made sure was available through the menus guides (it says not served before 4. It was 6:00.) and our waitress said there was no prime rib tonight. We asked if they were out and she just said no prime rib. It seemed very strange to us but they reordered anyway, one ordering the chicken parmigiana and the other the broiled scallops. I myself ordered the seafood medley, something I have had before at another hearth and kettle. When our food was brought out to us we were underwhelmed to say the least. The chicken parm looked completely inedible, the bread was burnt and the ‘chicken’ was not recognizable. The member of my party made a face and the very rude food runner basically snapped at her that she would bring out more bread to her (she never did). The chicken parm was given a shot and was found to have over cooked pasta, unappetizing sauce and hard, dry ‘chicken’. It was very, very disappointing. After encouraging the Member of my party to reorder, she decided to get the steak tips. When they came out, it just so happened that would be an awful decision too. The poor plating wasn’t a big deal, the kitchen was busy, but the taste and smell of the food in front of us at that table was inexcusable. My family member tried the steak and immediately started laughing in despair and spit it into a napkin. I decided to give it a try, just in case she was being dramatic and to this exact moment I really wish I hadn’t. She described it as tasting like breakfast sausage. I would describe it as dirty feet with pepper on them. I too, spit it into a napkin. Then the smell hit us. I know this sounds dramatic but it actually managed to trigger my gag reflex and we had to push it away so I wouldn’t be too lost on my casserole. Speaking of my seafood medley, I enjoyed it. Mostly. I went to bite into a shrimp and found the tail still on it. I understand sometimes cooks forget but the tail was on all three of the fairly small shrimp and I would think if you’re cooking something in a casserole dish you’d take it off. By then we had mostly lost our appetite, had the food boxed up so our waitress didn’t feel bad and left. On the ride home my family members finally figured out what the smell was from working in a kitchen a long time ago. The smell was that of rotten meat. When we got home we promptly threw the box out and tried to forget the awful experience we just had. Go there at your own...

I want to start this review off with- we vacation to the cape every summer. Every summer, our first stop is the HnK. We absolutely love & rave about it. I’ve NEVER had a bad meal here, UNTIL June of this year.

We came for our typical first day of vacation, meal. There was 5 adults & 2 children. We were seated right away, which was fantastic. Our waitress was AMAZING. I wish I could remember her name. She was incredibly kind to my overly energetic 4 year old. She cracked jokes with our family, brought our food out promptly & made sure we had refills on our drinks.

Time for the food… it was horrible. Not the normal HnK fare. Faaaar from it. We had 2 non fish meals, then 3 fish meals. Two were salmon, the salmon was inedible. Overcooked, under seasoned. Terrible. (No we did not send it back. Our mistake probably). The other was the baked scrod. Two tiny pieces with some sort of odd thanksgiving stuffing, far cry from the typical that was always nice & rolled, with a lovely sauce drenched struffing, moist. You can tell it was fresh. These three fish meals were clearly frozen & probably microwaved.

The non fish meals, the people said were fine & my son enjoyed his meal which was simple pasta & butter.

They had 0 lobster products that they advertised on their menu which was also a let down.

The point of this review is, if you’re the regular HnK lover like we were, I’d second guess...

This is one of the very few places we feel comfortable eating in person during the COVID pandemic. Large, spacious interior.

Insanely good pancakes (spring for the real syrup). They're just the right size, fluffy, and buttery. If you're more of a french toast person you have a choice of Texas Toast of Brioche—both are incredible—light and not soggy in the least. Omelets are very tasty. My favorite is the egg white omelet with avocado and pesto (and I am NOT an egg white person). If you're a hash brown person, make sure you treat yourself and ask for the crispy hash browns—perfectly crispy with a wisp of onion.

And of course, wonderfully strong coffee.

The staff is incredibly friendly and attentive. Our favorite place to sit is in the booths and tables by the duck pond—it's a soothing, calm, and cozy way to eat breakfast.

Young people... I'm gonna level with you right now... this place is not hip in the least, but that almost makes it THAT much better. It's stealthy great food in a classic Cape restaurant.

Do not let pancakes THIS good go undiscovered and uneaten. It would be an absolute tragedy and your mouth will be so disappointed in you if it ever finds out you've denied it this taste sensation.

If you're budget-minded, they have a really generous rewards program which is a delightful perk.

Go and make sure you tip your...