This is hands down my favorite place in Andover. I have been going there for a couple of years, about once a month, and never been disappointed. Their daily crudo is always exceptional, so are the daily soups (I crave the cheddar soup that they took off the menu a while back). The charcuterie board is another great choice. The ambiance is laid back but chic, the service is impeccable, discreet and efficient. I can't wait to go back.
GREAT oysters at a good price during oyster happy hour. Fresh, nice and cold, delicious and big. Good sauces. Appetizers are expensive, yes, but really good. The arancini were non traditional and smallish but AMAZING.Smoked old fashioned ?Very nice ambience especially before Christmas.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elisabeth Mitchell
Blown away! I haven’t had a meal in a long time up in the “burbs” that has blown me away and this place did that. Artfully crafted starters and mains- flavors were spot on and seasoning was perfect.The crudo we had was refreshing and flavorful. Mushroom risotto balls were cooked to perfection, and the surprising sweetness and saltiness on them was delicious! The halibut was cooked to perfection and melted in my mouth.We will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alexa Stewart
A gem! We keep coming back. Small plates are to die for. Elevates the downtown Andover dining options. Don’t hesitate! (Also, I don’t eat seafood!!)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
William “Rhino Reviews” Clark
First time at Elm Square Oyster. Had a table available in the bar which seemed to be the place to be. Bar area was packed.Started with couple signature drinks. I had a snowbird, it was very tasty if you like grapefruit.Server was excellent even though it was very busy. He recommended a few oysters and off we went. Very well shucked keeping the brine in the shell and they had the usual cocktail sauce and mignonette but there was an additional sauce - spicy with maybe some Sriracha, honestly saved it for my burger/fries, it was that good.Crab dip and chips were ok. Drip was good but I don't love it when places serve the chips "well done".We then had a mushroom toast and burger. The sauce on the mushroom toast was amazing. Burger was solid and definitely a good portion.All in all. Definitely will return. Great vibe, good food, excellent service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
India Gray
We’ve been coming here for years. Never had a bad meal! Roxy the owner is so inviting , staff is wonderful, Colin ( bartender) is a gem. Try it anytime you want a good meal!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jonathan Leung
Great food and drinks. Drinks are especially reasonably priced compared to other places in the area.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alana Worthman
We just celebrated our wedding anniversary here and everything was spectacular. My husband can be a picky eater and I work as a chef and we both were incredibly impressed with the food and service. We particularly enjoyed the smoked halibut beignets and the sticky toffee pudding was a perfect way to end an already amazing meal. We will definitely be back.*We also said we were coming with a baby and they seated us next to the fish tank for her entertainment!
The food was awesome! Completely scratch kitchen. We had the dinner for two and it was perfectly cooked. For starters, we had the (heavenly) deviled eggs and herb fries, The cocktails were absolutely perfect and the wait staff went out of their way to make sure we had everything we needed. The owner, Rosanne, actually took time to come and chat with us for a wee bit... Overall, what a great experience. We'll be back for sure!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sticky Toffee Pudding
Riel Arcoite Jr
We were recommended Elm Square Oyster Co., so we gave them a try. Upon arrival and unaware of the lack of parking, we had to street park a block away. After entering, we were asked if we had a reservation, we did not, but luckily they were able to seat us. They brought us to our corner table in the back room. We were given water by the hostess and she said your waiter will be here shortly. So there we sat for roughly 20 mins until he showed up to take our drink order. After taking our order it took another 20+ mins to receive them. He asked if we wanted to try any oysters, we informed him we didn't have the Oyster menu, so he said I'll go grab you one. Another 20 mins later he returned and asked us if we knew what we wanted? I replied, the Oyster menu! He apologized and ran off to get it. When he returned, we gave our complete order. Now we have been here an hour and have no food. The Oysters finally showed up, and I must say were the smallest Oysters I've ever had in my life.Our first plate arrived, and it was given to my girlfriend saying it was her bisque. 10 mins later Another waiter shows up and said that was for another table, but she had started eating it so they left it. Then our waiter returned and said that was for another table but it's the same thing I had ordered, and her bisque was on the way along with my son's burger. They slid the plate to me, and at this time I'm mortified. There were 3 scallops and 3 tiny tiny pieces of pork belly in a bed of cream corn for $48. ?I ate the entire plate before my girlfriend and our son's food had come out. The burger looked good, She said her bisque was good, we also got crispy clams that weren't all that crispy at all. And what little was on my plate did actually taste good.As far as food, it tasted good. However, they dropped the ball with service, leaving us in a corner with little to no customer service for far to long, bringing the wrong plate to the wrong table at the wrong time, most plates were extremely over priced for what you got. The staff looked chaotic and confused. At this point, I'm slightly aggravated so we asked for the check. We left there almost 2 hours after arriving and I was starving. I'm still undecided whether or not to give them another chance, but it's not looking good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Mrs.Jeffrey L.
Atmosphere was nice, busy evening vibe. It was clean, from flatware to bathrrom, which is huge for me! I had a dirty martini -delicious flavor but not gorgeous because it was scant and had lots of ice shards floating around in it. I tried the cauliflour sandwhich which looked cool, had a yummy dressing but had a very heavy batter so I really couldn't eat the fries and bun too. It was a good idea but just too much bread, fried, batter on one plate. Beer on tap I got a local IPA which was great. Went with a small group. Waiter agreed to provide seperate checks. Every check was wrong. Lesson learned. They also screwed up one person's order who ordered the same thing I ordered so i was served about 10 minutes later than everyone else. Since I had no food and was starving I ended up ordering a beer.
Jenny R
Everything was great and the staff was amazing making sure we were comfortable, Im from NYC and I will definitely be back as soon as I can.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Diana Nguyen
Had the oysters, deviled eggs, and the fried clams. The oysters came with an amazing house made hot sauce - I could eat this with EVERYTHING. Deviled eggs were heavenly and the fried clams were awesome. Will definitely be back for dinner as everything looks great.Parking in the back is available after 6 for restaurants around the area.
Sit at the bar with Colin - he’s the best!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is hands down my favorite place in Andover. I have been going there for a couple of years, about once a month, and never been disappointed. Their daily crudo is always exceptional, so are the daily soups (I crave the cheddar soup that they took off the menu a while back). The charcuterie board is another great choice. The ambiance is laid back but chic, the service is impeccable, discreet and efficient. I can't wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Charcuterie, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Soup, Daily Crudo, Ricotta Cavatelli
The best combination of a scratch kitchen, a welcoming staff, a terrific bar and a relaxed atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sandwiches, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Deviled Eggs, Ricotta Cavatelli, Seared Halibut, Mushroom Toast
GREAT oysters at a good price during oyster happy hour. Fresh, nice and cold, delicious and big. Good sauces. Appetizers are expensive, yes, but really good. The arancini were non traditional and smallish but AMAZING.Smoked old fashioned ?Very nice ambience especially before Christmas.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Blown away! I haven’t had a meal in a long time up in the “burbs” that has blown me away and this place did that. Artfully crafted starters and mains- flavors were spot on and seasoning was perfect.The crudo we had was refreshing and flavorful. Mushroom risotto balls were cooked to perfection, and the surprising sweetness and saltiness on them was delicious! The halibut was cooked to perfection and melted in my mouth.We will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A gem! We keep coming back. Small plates are to die for. Elevates the downtown Andover dining options. Don’t hesitate! (Also, I don’t eat seafood!!)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
First time at Elm Square Oyster. Had a table available in the bar which seemed to be the place to be. Bar area was packed.Started with couple signature drinks. I had a snowbird, it was very tasty if you like grapefruit.Server was excellent even though it was very busy. He recommended a few oysters and off we went. Very well shucked keeping the brine in the shell and they had the usual cocktail sauce and mignonette but there was an additional sauce - spicy with maybe some Sriracha, honestly saved it for my burger/fries, it was that good.Crab dip and chips were ok. Drip was good but I don't love it when places serve the chips "well done".We then had a mushroom toast and burger. The sauce on the mushroom toast was amazing. Burger was solid and definitely a good portion.All in all. Definitely will return. Great vibe, good food, excellent service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We’ve been coming here for years. Never had a bad meal! Roxy the owner is so inviting , staff is wonderful, Colin ( bartender) is a gem. Try it anytime you want a good meal!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food and drinks. Drinks are especially reasonably priced compared to other places in the area.
Food: 5
Service: 5
We just celebrated our wedding anniversary here and everything was spectacular. My husband can be a picky eater and I work as a chef and we both were incredibly impressed with the food and service. We particularly enjoyed the smoked halibut beignets and the sticky toffee pudding was a perfect way to end an already amazing meal. We will definitely be back.*We also said we were coming with a baby and they seated us next to the fish tank for her entertainment!
Restaurantji Recommends
The food was awesome! Completely scratch kitchen. We had the dinner for two and it was perfectly cooked. For starters, we had the (heavenly) deviled eggs and herb fries, The cocktails were absolutely perfect and the wait staff went out of their way to make sure we had everything we needed. The owner, Rosanne, actually took time to come and chat with us for a wee bit... Overall, what a great experience. We'll be back for sure!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sticky Toffee Pudding
We were recommended Elm Square Oyster Co., so we gave them a try. Upon arrival and unaware of the lack of parking, we had to street park a block away. After entering, we were asked if we had a reservation, we did not, but luckily they were able to seat us. They brought us to our corner table in the back room. We were given water by the hostess and she said your waiter will be here shortly. So there we sat for roughly 20 mins until he showed up to take our drink order. After taking our order it took another 20+ mins to receive them. He asked if we wanted to try any oysters, we informed him we didn't have the Oyster menu, so he said I'll go grab you one. Another 20 mins later he returned and asked us if we knew what we wanted? I replied, the Oyster menu! He apologized and ran off to get it. When he returned, we gave our complete order. Now we have been here an hour and have no food. The Oysters finally showed up, and I must say were the smallest Oysters I've ever had in my life.Our first plate arrived, and it was given to my girlfriend saying it was her bisque. 10 mins later Another waiter shows up and said that was for another table, but she had started eating it so they left it. Then our waiter returned and said that was for another table but it's the same thing I had ordered, and her bisque was on the way along with my son's burger. They slid the plate to me, and at this time I'm mortified. There were 3 scallops and 3 tiny tiny pieces of pork belly in a bed of cream corn for $48. ?I ate the entire plate before my girlfriend and our son's food had come out. The burger looked good, She said her bisque was good, we also got crispy clams that weren't all that crispy at all. And what little was on my plate did actually taste good.As far as food, it tasted good. However, they dropped the ball with service, leaving us in a corner with little to no customer service for far to long, bringing the wrong plate to the wrong table at the wrong time, most plates were extremely over priced for what you got. The staff looked chaotic and confused. At this point, I'm slightly aggravated so we asked for the check. We left there almost 2 hours after arriving and I was starving. I'm still undecided whether or not to give them another chance, but it's not looking good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Atmosphere was nice, busy evening vibe. It was clean, from flatware to bathrrom, which is huge for me! I had a dirty martini -delicious flavor but not gorgeous because it was scant and had lots of ice shards floating around in it. I tried the cauliflour sandwhich which looked cool, had a yummy dressing but had a very heavy batter so I really couldn't eat the fries and bun too. It was a good idea but just too much bread, fried, batter on one plate. Beer on tap I got a local IPA which was great. Went with a small group. Waiter agreed to provide seperate checks. Every check was wrong. Lesson learned. They also screwed up one person's order who ordered the same thing I ordered so i was served about 10 minutes later than everyone else. Since I had no food and was starving I ended up ordering a beer.
Everything was great and the staff was amazing making sure we were comfortable, Im from NYC and I will definitely be back as soon as I can.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had the oysters, deviled eggs, and the fried clams. The oysters came with an amazing house made hot sauce - I could eat this with EVERYTHING. Deviled eggs were heavenly and the fried clams were awesome. Will definitely be back for dinner as everything looks great.Parking in the back is available after 6 for restaurants around the area.