A+++ lobster roll. Big chunks of lobster with mayo on a crunchy bun. Clam chowder is also one of the best I had!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chowder, Lobster Roll and Onion Rings
Jessica Grant
Great view and excellent chowder, fried fish, and fried shrimp! Our waitress was friendly and checked in with us regularly to make sure we were happy with everything. Be warned... the cocktails are delicious but reaaalllly strong!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Shrimp, Chowder
Michael Powers
Cozy restaurant. This is one of two places I eat whole belly clams. Never disappointed.During the day, view the water while dining on delicious seafood.Recommend day or night.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dustin Oxford
The bartender was extremely rude and the entire restaurant/ bar smelled like raw sewage. I will never come back to this establishment.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Kala Colin
I'm from Alabama and stopped here while on vacation. This was some of the best seafood that I've had and the view was fantastic.
Joe D.
After all these years still has the best fish and chips the lunch time menu is still 15.00 , great service, and view the coleslaw is great too no mayo no vinegar, friendly place too !
Donna S
Maybe they just don't like "outsiders", but I truly have nothing positive to say. Service without a smile was neglectful, with mistakes. Chowder was flavorless unless you like milk soup. Stuffed shrimp was also flavorless, not stuffed, just sitting in a pile of odd tasting breadcrumbs. And their pride & joy, lobsters from their own boat? Over-boiled, not steamed as indicated. It had very visible black holes on the tail & claws, which tainted the meat. The excuse was that you can't tell if they're gonna be good; but you can, if there are visible hints. No pride in serving it whatsoever. When I showed her, she offered lobster meat so I didn't have to wait for another to be cooked. Great solution, except it was ice cold. If I wanted cold lobster, I would not have ordered a steamed fresh one. Horrible waste of money.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
S Smart
Great views, inside/out, good seafood staples, great Bloody Marys. More of a locals' joint, it can get crowded, with long wait times. Also note, they used to close for 2 hrs between lunch & dinner. Idk now. Call ahead!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
j C
Swampscott needs this place totally mediocre Good smashburger chowder is disgusting but good luck to swampscott they need this
Great Bartenders! each time we came here we had awesome experiences. The people are worth a visit and the food and drinks are an addition to a great time! If you're lucky enough to score a place at the bar, just know you'll get the New England Hospitality!
Jodi Thieking
Waitress was excellent!!Lobster excellentManagement and all other staff totally incompetent.local drunks made dining experience miserable. Many guests departed with strong comments.The drunk man was combative starting a fight with our 83 year old aunt. Management did not intervene. Unreal experience.DO NOT RECOMMEND
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Whole Steamed Lobster
kenny carneal
Got the fish and chips. Fish was extremely bland unfortunately.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Locutus
Wheelchair accessibility: Its too small for one
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Fries, Fried Oysters
Lindsay J.
My mom and I wanted to stop somewhere local after some intense Christmas shopping ...surprisingly never been to The Barnacle, despite the fact that we've lived in the area since 2001, and we wanted steamers... Sadly, there weren't any steamers, but the food we received made up for that small disappointment! The restaurant is small and beachy-- but not by any means a dive bar like scene. We got there around 9PM as the kitchen was closing, but the chef said no problem. He whipped us up some lobster bisque, the fried fisherman's platter, and mussels. Everything was so delicious! The lobster bisque was perfection. The mussels were clean, sweet, and delicious (not to mention the enormous portion we received ), and the fisherman's platter was light and yummy-- not covered in grease like some places. Our server, Noah, was so sweet and gave us great service. The bartender was equally as great, and made an off the menu martini (that was incredible) for me. Altogether, we thoroughly enjoyed The Barnacle and will definitely be back soon! Thank you Barnacle crew
A+++ lobster roll. Big chunks of lobster with mayo on a crunchy bun. Clam chowder is also one of the best I had!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chowder, Lobster Roll and Onion Rings
Great view and excellent chowder, fried fish, and fried shrimp! Our waitress was friendly and checked in with us regularly to make sure we were happy with everything. Be warned... the cocktails are delicious but reaaalllly strong!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Shrimp, Chowder
Cozy restaurant. This is one of two places I eat whole belly clams. Never disappointed.During the day, view the water while dining on delicious seafood.Recommend day or night.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The bartender was extremely rude and the entire restaurant/ bar smelled like raw sewage. I will never come back to this establishment.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
I'm from Alabama and stopped here while on vacation. This was some of the best seafood that I've had and the view was fantastic.
After all these years still has the best fish and chips the lunch time menu is still 15.00 , great service, and view the coleslaw is great too no mayo no vinegar, friendly place too !
Maybe they just don't like "outsiders", but I truly have nothing positive to say. Service without a smile was neglectful, with mistakes. Chowder was flavorless unless you like milk soup. Stuffed shrimp was also flavorless, not stuffed, just sitting in a pile of odd tasting breadcrumbs. And their pride & joy, lobsters from their own boat? Over-boiled, not steamed as indicated. It had very visible black holes on the tail & claws, which tainted the meat. The excuse was that you can't tell if they're gonna be good; but you can, if there are visible hints. No pride in serving it whatsoever. When I showed her, she offered lobster meat so I didn't have to wait for another to be cooked. Great solution, except it was ice cold. If I wanted cold lobster, I would not have ordered a steamed fresh one. Horrible waste of money.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Great views, inside/out, good seafood staples, great Bloody Marys. More of a locals' joint, it can get crowded, with long wait times. Also note, they used to close for 2 hrs between lunch & dinner. Idk now. Call ahead!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Swampscott needs this place totally mediocre Good smashburger chowder is disgusting but good luck to swampscott they need this
Would not recommend
Restaurantji Recommends
Great Bartenders! each time we came here we had awesome experiences. The people are worth a visit and the food and drinks are an addition to a great time! If you're lucky enough to score a place at the bar, just know you'll get the New England Hospitality!
Waitress was excellent!!Lobster excellentManagement and all other staff totally incompetent.local drunks made dining experience miserable. Many guests departed with strong comments.The drunk man was combative starting a fight with our 83 year old aunt. Management did not intervene. Unreal experience.DO NOT RECOMMEND
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Whole Steamed Lobster
Got the fish and chips. Fish was extremely bland unfortunately.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Wheelchair accessibility: Its too small for one
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Fries, Fried Oysters
My mom and I wanted to stop somewhere local after some intense Christmas shopping ...surprisingly never been to The Barnacle, despite the fact that we've lived in the area since 2001, and we wanted steamers... Sadly, there weren't any steamers, but the food we received made up for that small disappointment! The restaurant is small and beachy-- but not by any means a dive bar like scene. We got there around 9PM as the kitchen was closing, but the chef said no problem. He whipped us up some lobster bisque, the fried fisherman's platter, and mussels. Everything was so delicious! The lobster bisque was perfection. The mussels were clean, sweet, and delicious (not to mention the enormous portion we received ), and the fisherman's platter was light and yummy-- not covered in grease like some places. Our server, Noah, was so sweet and gave us great service. The bartender was equally as great, and made an off the menu martini (that was incredible) for me. Altogether, we thoroughly enjoyed The Barnacle and will definitely be back soon! Thank you Barnacle crew