Clambake Restaurant
350 Pine Point Rd, Scarborough, ME, 04074
Clambake Restaurant Menu
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Address :
350 Pine Point Rd
Scarborough, ME, 04074 - Phone (207) 883-4871
- Website https://www.theclambake.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 8:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Touristy
Noise Level : Loud
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : No
Caters : Yes
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Heather G.
The Clambake is an unmitigated disaster when it comes to efficient flow of service. Process: 1. Wait in a wind-ey line full of tourists, reach the counter for your turn, shout out an order, get a number 2. Wander down the high-school-memory-inducing halls to find a seat down one of the corridors in one of the many room-offshoots 3. Loudspeaker calls out numbers periodically (you can imagine the noise pollution that goes on here), and you rush up to get your tray, returning to your seat with a greasy pile of deep fried fish parts, gobs of tartar sauce, and wet naps galore. The entire experience is a ruckus, and not for the faint-of-heart or high-of-blood-pressure...so those pregnant or nursing, or with a serious risk of heart attack, stroke, or liver damage may want to consult a physician before beginning dinner. Now, onto the food: Those tourists coming to look for the "authentic Maine seafood experience" - save your money. This isn't it. This stuff is battered and deep fried to the point of nonrecognition. For those who claim to "hate seafood" and so instead contemplate ordering the chicken fingers when they eat here- don't bother. It all tastes the same - like some sort of white-fleshy-meat, deep fried and carrying the faint hint of a seafood smell. You can't avoid it. Now, for those who want to have a REALLY casual meal, eat something greasy and sinful, and then go out back to feed the seagulls and take in the salty ocean air, this is your place. Though, I still cannot understand why people like to feed seagulls. (or pigeons for that matter). They just become a nuisance if you attract them with food. But hey, I guess *that* actually IS part of the Maine-coastal experience. I wouldn't necessarily stay away from this place, but I would say that you should probably come here if you're craving crunchy, greasy fry, not if you're craving a nice coastal seafood meal the way Maine-ahs do it.
(2)Karen R.
The Clambake has a huge menu, a salad bar and tons of seating. I've never had anything here that I didn't like. I usually get the fried scallops and they always taste fresh. They also have a cute little gift shop attached.
(4)Katie L.
We always stop here on our way in to OOB for a late dinner. I always get the fried scallops and I am never disappointed. Thick, sweet scallops that are piled high with French fries. I swear to heaven, there is nothing better than the seafood here in Maine, especially at the clambake. Also, this restaurant doesn't cook with salt. The meals and the fries come out unsalted and you have to salt them yourself, which is great for those who cannot eat it. Usually, I put just a pinch on my fries and let the rich potato taste dominate. There is nothing better. The clambake has an extensive menu. While it is kind of expensive, you get what you pay for and with the casual ambiance, it's a great beach side joint to grab some fresh, sweet seafood and feel the vibes of the ocean. You will not be disappointed!
(5)Marty P.
With summer approaching, I recently treated myself to three fish and chip lunches, one each at The Clambake, Bailey's Seafood, and Ken's Place, all on Pine Point Road in Scarborough. Or at least I tried to do so...more on that later. Also, I decided to do takeout, with the intention of 'dining' in my car each time. I am posting my review under The Clambake heading as I found this to be the best of the three, and I'll tell you why. My criteria for a fish and chips meal comes down to three basic things: Taste...how well is the fish and coating, fries, and cole slaw (if included) seasoned. Temperature...are the hot things hot and crispy. Value...is it worth the price. Bailey's: I started this epicurean (such a fancy word) journey at Bailey's on a Thursday afternoon. Scanning the menu I didn't see fish and chips as such, only a haddock dinner for about $18.95. Too much for a lunch but upon inquiring I was told that there was a fish and chips option for, I believe it was $8.95. By the way, anyone expecting fish and chips to mean cod and fries (the English way) should expect the milder haddock to be served instead at these places. Bailey's takeout was served in a styrofoam like container, making it easy to carry and open. I asked for ketchup and tartar sauces, went out to my car and had lunch. Probably eight or nine good sized pieces of fish. No complaints about the value. Hot and crispy! Not too greasy, but unfortunately totally bland. The fish breading was in desperate need of seasoning. The fries were also unseasoned but they were ok...looked liked fresh peeled fries but not sure they were. No cole slaw included here. Overall, a 3 star experience because of a lack of taste. Come on Bailey's put some seasoning in your fish coating. The Clambake: Also a mid-week lunch. The spacious ordering and pick-up areas were pretty devoid of customers on this particular afternoon. Again, fish was served in pieces with crinkle cut fries and a very good kind of tangy slaw. About $8.95. This combination is on their regular plate menu. I filled a couple of small cups with ketchup and tartar sauce (maybe available when picking up your orders at the counter if you ask), and proceeded to my car. Takeout was served on a cardboard tray, wrapped in a paper bag. Kind of difficult to handle in the car but I only lost one piece of fish and one fry. Hot, crispy, not too greasy at all, and seasoned pretty well. I have had excellent fried shrimp a few times at The Clambake in previous years, but for some reason I was surprised at how satisfyingly tasty this lunch was. I know there have been some off reviews, but I was quite happy. So, this was a 4 star experience. Ken's Place: Visited in mid-May at noon on a Saturday. Busy but quick ordering from a very pleasant young lady behind the counter. Not seeing fish and chips on the menu, I asked and was told that the closest semblance to such was their haddock dinner. For a resounding $16.95. Well, what's a comparison shopper, uh...eater to do? I swallowed hard and ordered said dinner. Ken's haddock is served in a large single piece with ok fries and a good cole slaw. With many takeout windows, the food order doesn't sit around before it's served up. The takeout haddock dinner was delivered on a three section plastic/coated type plate, on a tray and in two paper bags, one in each direction so that there was no chance of spillage. Smart move. I asked for ketchup and their homemade tartar sauce and was literally given a dozen of each. Now, in my humble opinion, there's a lot of waste in that. I wound up using two of each. But then again, I didn't finish it all and the reason was quite unfortunate. The first thing I noticed was how wet or greasy the paper bags were (couldn't tell which). Out to my car and found that because the plate was one of those three section lunch plates, the large piece of fish sort of hung over one of the ridges rather than laying flat. Very small point here but actually kind of inconvenient. In fact, a small section of the fish broke off and fell apart. Ok, fish was hot, fries were hot, cole slaw was good. However...TOTALLY tasteless. More so than Bailey's. How can this be??? But a much more egregious problem was that the fish and fries were swimming in a pool of that liquid which soaked through the paper bags. I played along and dipped my pinky into it. Water? Oil? Both? I think it was water but can be convinced otherwise I guess. Made the fish and fries soggy and ultimately inedible. What is going on Ken's? Later that evening, I told my significant other of my experience, and she told me that her mother ordered great looking fried clams there last year but was struck by how tasteless they were. I hate to do this but...1 1/2 stars. The radio commercials tout the freshness of the fish. No doubt! But geez, big disappointment! So...The Clambake for the win, Bailey's in second, and Ken's Place bringing up the rear in this tasting.
(4)Courtney C.
The Clambake Restaurant offers reasonably priced seafood in a prime location for summer beach goers. The food has always been well cooked. My family has come many times over the years, first as tourists and more recently this past Mothers Day as locals (We vacationed in OOB every summer for years until we moved to this area about 7 years ago). This was my first visit back since moving to southern Maine. Having lived in the area now for many years, the Clambake has lost some of its appeal to my family. We decided to stop in this Mothers Day because of the nostalgia we feel for the place. The view from our table was great. The food was good (I had the chicken dinner and my mom had lobster stew and a lobster roll) She loved her food, mine was your average chicken breast and stuffing. What I didn't care for is the setup of the restaurant. You walk in the door and wait in an amusement park ride style line until you get up to the register and place your order. At that time, you can choose a fountain drink (they forgot to give us ours, we had to come back and ask for them- we were given a slight attitude from the young girl who had forgotten to give them to us- she held up a finger in my face and told me to "wait my turn'", the man standing behind her saw this and quickly came over to ask me what we needed and promptly brought us our cokes from the fountain machine. After you place your order, you find a place to sit and wait for your number to be called over the intercom. Once your number is called, you find the counter where your food is waiting for you to pick it up. Our table found it quite annoying that literally every 3 seconds you hear a three digit number being read over the loud intercom. There is a bar, but the place does not really radiate the "sit down and relax and have a drink" type of atmosphere with the intercom blasting numbers every couple of seconds. I can understand why the restaurant has to be set up this way, I overheard that it seats 800 or so people. It's meant to be a quick service stop so they don't need to hire wait staff. I guess this is why it is appealing to tourists who are on a quick stop to get some seafood on their way to the beach, and not so appealing to locals who know better spots to sit and have a relaxing seafood meal.
(3)Jeannine P.
Been coming for over 10 years ever trip to Maine. The only down fall. They got rid of the salad bar and all the fixings where you pick up your food
(5)Alise K.
I've lived in this area for 14 summers and always wondered why the clambake is always packed. We tried it recently and I'm still wondering why people flock here like seagulls going after a pier fry..... I don't think any locals frequent here. The place is full of tourists. We tried fried clams, steak, clam cakes and lobster stew. All not great. The lobster stew was milk and lobster, that's it. No flavor. Self service , The food line was sooooo long!
(2)Cavan M.
This place is well run and while very busy has the process down to a T. The portion were large and fish was excellent so keep portion size in mind when ordering. We sat out in the back area overlooking the saltwater marsh. Totally enjoyed the visit and it lives up to expectations. Just knocked one star off for constant calling out of customers numbers. A necessary part of their process but it take away from the enjoyment.
(4)Ruth B.
Huge portions of fresh fried seafood. Definitely a Maine Experience. Large seafood platter comfortably feeds two. Sea scallops (vs the small bay scallops) were particularly tender, moist and tasty.
(4)Paula G.
Really enjoyed this HUGE, no frills, wait in line, order, wait for number to be called yummy restaurant! This place is super busy but don't let the long line waiting to order fool you- the line moves fast (getting your order takes a bit longer). Tons of choices- we had a large party and liked that we didn't feel like we needed to leave to make room for others since it's such a big place. Reasonably priced. In our party ordered was: Haddock, shrimp, scallops, lobster, clams. Not one of us were dissatisfied with our meals. YUM!
(4)Daniel G.
You most certainly got your money's worth as well as getting quality seafood. Chicken fingers could have been better but than again I should have just stuck to what they were good at which was seafood . Overall I would strongly recommend this restaurant to friends and family!
(5)Pierre A.
Used to come here 30 years ago when it was just a sea food shack. If you like fried sea food this is the place
(4)Kurtis K.
Food ordered: Clam Chowder - This clam chowder is by far the worst I've ever had. It's watery and there is absolutely no flavor. If I was a tourist in New England seeking clam chowder, I'd be so disappointed Clam Cake - Nothing tasty about it. Felt like I was biting into a piece of brick. Lobster Roll - The dullest lobster roll I've ever had. Absolutely no flavor. Pretty much just lobster meat on a hot dog bun. Save yourself the money and go to the grocery store. Chicken wings - The batter used wasn't cooked thoroughly and all the wings was stuck together. I've had better. Fisherman's plate dinner (Captain platter) - A few bites will leave you not wanting more. Probably the most greasiest plate I've had. Most of them tasted burnt. I guess hiring teenagers in the kitchen to deep fry seafood isn't a good idea. Overall: This place is spacious and there's plenty of seats. I wish the food was better. Definitely won't be returning.
(1)Brett F.
Do any locals actually eat here? The clambake is essentially a cavernous cafeteria close to Pine Point Beach. Parking is plentiful and atmosphere is non existent. You enter, order at one of the race track-like counters and they call your number when ready. The menu is typical mass market seafood. Fried food is fried food, so it's safe to stick with the fried clams, haddock, etc. The lobster roll was small, the meat was too chewy, and flavor was lacking. There's just too many other better places to get a decent lobster roll, including close by (Bailey's). The clam chowder was terrible. Very little chewy clams in basically a bowl of thin cream. The french fries were typical frozen crinkle cut, but were tasty. The only interesting aspect of this restaurant are the stuffed wild life. They have some massive bears that you most definitely would not want to cross paths with in the wild. It's fitting, because you may not want to cross paths with the Clambake either.
(2)Adam S.
A local place. Good seafood at a fair price. A lot of fried stuff, but steamed lobster is still there. I had the baked haddock, which was pretty good. If you go out back, you can feed seagulls french fries right out of your hand. Make the trip on up to Scaaaabro if you're around, it's a good place.
(3)Crystal H.
Local to the area, I've been here many times and it's my favorite seafood restaurant in the area. Can be a long wait if you go during the busy meal hours but it's always worth the wait!
(5)Hil P.
We visited this restaurant during the Labor Day weekend. I've seen it before but didn't stop. I wish I would have kept on going this visit. What a disappointment. Must be a tourist trap. My sister ordered the lobster roll and for 12.99 it was a total rip off! The roll was so tiny and the portion of lobster as well as the seasoning was very poor. I had the baked haddock...another disappointment! The presentation was poor - $15.99 - looked like an old plastic piece of fish with fish water on the bottom of the plate, very bland. I had a baked potato which was hard and butter didn't melt into it cause it was lukewarm. We had an order of crab cakes which is suppose to be light and fluffy and these were round..processed...whatever ! Greasy too ! So I would say the positive reviews on this are from people who are tourists and don't really know how food should be cooked ! And for Maine where all the seafood is fresh and available?? It sure didn't make it to our plate. Scratch this one off your list...move on
(1)Caity C.
This would be a fun restaurant to take kids. Huge portions of food, tacky atmosphere, and a crowd of seagulls outside waiting on your leftovers. Walk in and get in the corral to place your order. They'll give you a number for your order- you'll hear them calling numbers over the loudspeaker throughout your visit. Go ahead and pick a seat. My favorite place to sit is the enclosed patio- you can look at the marshes and watch seagulls crowd around for leftover French fries. You can feed the seagulls if you want, it's fun for kids. The food isn't that great- typical fried clams or shrimp. There are many places around that are better, but this is a fun touristy place, if you're into that.
(3)Benny Y.
He says: This is a solo review, as I did not see fit to bring the "she" there when we went up to Maine. The Clambake is not a very good fish place. The chowder is too thin and watery, the fish is mediocre, the breading is too heavy, and the prices are high. Their only plus is that the place is huge. I mean, genuinely enormous. So you'll always find a seat, even if they take forever to make your food. So if for some reason you need to feed a large number of wealthy people with no taste in seafood, perhaps this is the place for you. Seriously though, there are much better places. I wouldn't get seafood from here even if it was 100 miles further inland. She says: What a gentleman.
(2)Lindsay G.
In the top five worst restaurants I have been to in my lifetime. The lobster was so terrible I had to return it. The decor reminds of the movie the "Great Outdoors" with John Candy-stuffed deer heads everywhere. The one saving grace? Their salad bar which was pretty decent for what is essentially a nasty, seafood cafeteria.
(1)Gregory B.
I do not recommend the Lazy Man's Lobster. For almost $26, I expected a good portion of Lobster. All they gave me was three small claws. When I asked if that was right, they told me next time I should ask questions before ordering. I couldn't believe it!
(1)Dave C.
I went to the clambake for many summers. I like the decor inside the bears and moose are cool. The seagulls are ridiculous. But now that I've tried alot more seafood places I think the food is just OK. Just fried piles of seafood. It all tastes the same.
(2)Melissa N.
We used to cone to Old Orchard every year and eat here. My husband ordered chowder. It was more like soup. My dad got lobster and steamers it was super water filled. Or friend ordered chicken w stuffing and it was bland and didn't have much stuffing. My husband also ordered baked haddock. It was so dry and in need of seasoning. We will not go back or recommend to friends.
(2)Stephanie B.
This place is disgusting. The food is expensive, considering what you get is a heaping portion of over-cooked, greasy, fried seafood. There are so many casual-style seafood places in Pine Point that it seems like a travesty to settle on the Clambake. Leave the Clambake and drive in either direction for five minutes or so and you'll find a handful of similar places with much, much better food.
(1)R K.
many memories of this place from family trips to maine. just went here recently and still really like the fried clams here.
(4)Shane L.
As I perused Yelp, I was looking for a good seafood place to pick up some fried goodiness and some tasty chowder. I saw that the Clambake got a lot of two stars and threes but wanted to try out this restaurant anyway. I grew up in MA and RI and these types of establishments are a dime a dozen right on the coast but as we walked into this largely huge cafeteria style restaurant, we were pleasantly surprised. The decor is one that has picnic-like tables with a spread out feel to the place. The walls are decorated with stuffed animals and fish to give that outdoorzy kinda feel. It has a horseshoe bar in the middle that looks like it serves everything. The menu itself is filled with clams, scallops and lobster alike. You can go for your healthier alternatives or dive into some greasy goodness that will be dirty on the fingers. You order at the main counter so it does feel like a lot of pressure if you are not ready or have never been there before but it is well laid out and the staff is super duper friendly. You then take your number to one of the larger tables and wait to hear your number called on the intercom. I got the fried clam strips with a bowl of clam chowder. The clam portion was huge (I got the batter one) and the fried seemed to be endless. The clam chowder was a milk based chowder and was very thin (not my personal favorite) but was still chocked full of clams and potatoes. My son got the haddock sandwich and a bowl of haddock chowder and he thought it was delicious (huge portion caused us to grab a doggie bag baby). My wife got the fish and chips and the size of the fries order again was HUGE. All of this food was just under 40 clams (oh sorry, bucks) so we were happy about that. Sometimes seafood establishments jack up their prices because tourists like to say "Hey I got to eat seafood from Maine". If you want to go to a place that has a wonderful view of the marshes, open seating, great food and family type of atmosphere, check out the ClamBake ... you will not be disappointed
(3)Sharon R.
This is our second year visiting the clambake. Last year we made the mistake if getting our fried entrees in the heavier batter but this year got the crumbs. So much better!!! Portions are HUGE!!! You can definitely share any fried selection. Fisher mans platter is enough for 3 people!! Coleslaw was good and fries were fresh and crunchy. Baked selections were not as great. The Newburgh sauce was not good!!! And the stuffing choices were just ok! The lobster stew was terrible. Just cream and butter with a few pieces of lobster. And the chowder was watery!!! The bar selections are great and their speciality drinks in the pails are awesome but pricey. Good place for families as it's huge!! Prices overall are reasonable. Staff is super friendly!!!
(3)Kyle B.
The clambake recently added chili to their menu. It is amazing. Supposedly it has won prizes before. It has a thick and savory texture. Very flavorful. The next time you stop in you should give it a try. Their other food is also quite good.
(5)Rebecca S.
I've been eating here since I was a kid, and it hasn't changed much (with the exception of them taking out the salad bar). Prices are fair, and portions are big. Quality is decent- we ordered the scallops, shrimp and lobster dinner, and the lobster portion of it was three measly claws. Meanwhile the fried clam strips were awesome.
(3)Patty H.
What has happened! This used to be a great place. Today was grease, grease and more grease. All we could taste was grease and batter. It over powered the taste of what we should have been tasting like clams, scallops and shrimp. Not worth the hour drive. Maybe that is why on a Saturday mid summer it was empty.
(1)Leah R.
A significant drop in quality even in just one year. We ordered a lobster roll which was just fine. We also ordered two clam cakes.... OH MY GOD! It was really criminal! Instead of using real chunks of clams as they had in previous years, they now seem to be taking a short cut and having them minced finely to the point where you're not even sure clams are in there! The worse part of all was the amount of freakin' grease that saturated the clam cake. When you pressed down on it, you could see the oils oozing out! Kinda like squeezing an oily sponge. Talk about gross! Talk about unhealthy! I've been eating clam cakes for years and never saw anything like this before. I went back and expressed my disappointment to one of the two ladies at the service counter. She said she was sorry to hear that I was dissatisfied but insisted that they always made their clams cakes that way. In other words, "Thanks for you $25 order now go f*** yourself, Charlie!" Well, I can't bend over quite that far so how about I give 2 stars! By the way, if you really want excellent clam cakes with huge chunks of fresh clams, check out Skippers in Saco. As far as I can tell, they're the only place that still makes clam cakes the old-fashioned way... and the best way.
(2)Rose R.
We went with the whole family and found it affordable and everyone loved their meal. When does that happen! The steamers were so sweet! Great night out!!!!
(5)Amanda R.
Justin and I went to this restaurant and were disappointed. There were more fries and onion rings than the seafood we ordered. The clam chowda was just steamed milk with microwaved clam meat. Chowda should not taste like that and I had to add a ton of black pepper to finish it!
(1)Jay N.
Lots and lots of friend seafood... and yes, lobster. You're not going here for the fine food; what you're getting is a cavernous, cafeteria style dining experience complete with taxidermy animals hanging on the walls, a loud but happy atmosphere that likely includes a healthy does of saturated fat, but it can be a bit of fun. The back dining room offers an great few of the marshes and can be absolutely beautiful at sundown, especially as the Amtrak DownEaster jets down the tracks off in the distance. Gulls circle the back, outside and kids and grown-ups are encouraged to go out to toss leftover fries if you want to live a Hitchcock moment. The food leaves much to be desired but in the old school, family dining experience that is clambake, a little lack of better quality, better prepared food can be forgiven, perhaps just this once. ;-)
(3)Brian S.
Lobsters gulls and dead animals The Clambake Restaurant is a very casual seafood place where you order your food from a huge menu, hang around for a while and then get up and get your order and bring it yourself to your table. When we have been there the service has always been good, fast and friendly. Never got our orders messed up and because the place is so huge always found a place to sit in the several large rooms. Looking at the corpulent and very noisy gulls begging for food and going right up people to get it was a whole lot of fun. The decor is either very cool or very tacky depending on your point of view. I usually don't like stuffed animals staring at me while I eat but I have to admit I found walking around and looking at all the tacky but cool things entertaining while I waited. I especially enjoyed looking at the large Maine maps plastered on the ways. The food is what you should expect from this type of place. Sure I've had much better seafood and if you are a seafood snob it's best to stay away from this type of joint. The menu wasn't just greasy fried food but gave a lot of different options but it certainly isn't the fancy seafood that you can find in very expensive restaurants. The portions are huge and even though all seafood is now expensive you do get a lot for your money at the Clambake. My wife has eaten a whole lot of lobsters in a whole lot of places and said hers was very good. Not the best but certainly a properly cooked and meaty sea bug. A cool restaurant that's fun and not a bit pretentious. It is exactly what it looks like from the outside and if you exact some fancy and gourmet seafood it is your own fault. If someone is all snooty and condescending about seafood it is best they avoid this place. The Clambake is a cool place that never tries to be something it isn't.
(4)Joe L.
Lousy lobster, good clams,cafeteria style. Nothing to write home about. McDonalds has better tasting stuff. Good beer, but then again they don't make it, they only serve it. Don't brother going.
(1)Tiffany M.
I remember going here a lot as a kid! Went back last week with my own family! The clam strips were the best I have ever had! Wish I was closer cause I would love some more!
(5)S C.
The food here is just okay. I had the baked haddock and scallops with the seafood stuffing and it was very bland. First of all, it tasted like the fish and scallops were boiled and not baked and there was a lot of water just sitting on the bottom of my plate. There was no salt, pepper or any kind of seasoning on the fish or scallops. The seafood stuffing was pretty good and had good flavor. Even though there was no seasoning or much flavor, the seafood was fresh and you do get a lot of food. It was very filling. Along with the main dish, you get a roll and baked potato. It was so busy when we went, I have to say they did a GREAT job keeping things moving and keeping the wait to a minimum. The food was coming out of the kitchen very quickly. It is more of a fast food type place, so you can't expect a top of the line type meal. It is not a bad place for what it is. It is a really big place and can accommodate a lot of people.
(3)Steven D.
Every two years we come back to the familiar. This year no different. The amount of food coming out of this factory is astounding. Fried is their specialty - if not yours stay away from this crowded venue. Buy and wait for your number is the service method. Far from a 5 star but familiar to us that have moved on.
(3)Jeannine P.
Very long wait, 50 minutes for baked seafood. Lobster consisted of two claws and swimming in water. Would not return.
(2)Christine L.
The gang and I decided to go clam-farming (is there a better term for this?) yesterday! Unfortunately, there was a 4 hour gap between the time that town hall closed (where we got our licenses) and low tide, so we decided to grab some food and warm up at the Clambake Restaurant! We originally saw the building with its giant sign on our way to the beach, so it was fresh in our minds when we decided to browse the internet for places to go. The reviews on Yelp weren't too great, but we took a chance with Tripadvisor's recommendation... There's a huge parking lot which explains the enormous cafeteria-style interior. The menu is enormous, but you'll soon realize that it's a little bit repetitive (although nothing is exactly repeated). There are photos of most of the dishes on one of the walls facing the area where you order. Since we were going clamming, my friend and I split the Fried Maine Shrimp (listed under Odds & Ends, 1 pint). Usually, I figure you can't go wrong w/ fried shrimp! Today, I stand corrected. We were able to choose between two different batters, a lighter crisper one, or a thicker layer of batter. We went with the lighter one, which wasn't a problem, but the shrimp inside were just mushy! To think we ordered a whole pint... Among the two of us, we couldn't finish off the shrimp. They cooled down pretty quickly too, which didn't exactly help the taste. If I were given a redo, I'd probably do what my other friends did and get a 2-entree plate with a side of soup. The fried clams were alright, same with the corn chowder. I'm sure this place is a lot livelier in the summer, but in mid-March, it's pretty gloomy with its mushy shrimp. :( Note: you can order your food at the bar if you choose to eat there.
(2)Fred F.
What a great bar! What nice attentive service.....and absolutely love the atmosphere.....stuffed animal heads abound, with a great woodsy pine feel. Seafood chowder is excellent......terrific fried haddock sanwhich......but oh my.....in LOVE with the clam strips! Not a whole belly guy....so these were right up my alley.....quite frankly, perhaps the best I've ever had (sorry Howard Johnsons late of Time Square). Lightly battered, totally tender....and excellent tartar and cocktail sauce. Total chill Maine experience.
(4)Chris R.
I go hear every summer . love the food best seafood around. Little expensive but worth it. Never have a problem finding a seat.
(4)Scott R.
We beat the lunchtime rush and had the cavernous place almost all to ourselves. Sitting by the marsh-view windows made the stay more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise. Food? Okay. Definitely overpriced and lacking in preparatory care. Salad iceberg lettuce looked like a whole small head chopped up core and all. Fries a little "yesterday's oil." Nothing particularly recommendable. To cap a forgettable experience, one of us got jabbed by a spring poking out of the booth bench -- ripped a jean pocket but luckily went no further. Proceed with caution.
(2)Tammy H.
The food is predominantly fried but the good thing is they let you share meals without charging for it.
(2)Kathy S.
This place is totally nasty.... It's like eating in a school cafeteria. Unless you want to be served like you are in 12th Grade..Go some where else. The day we went there all we could smell was garbage. It was disgusting. We will NOT be returning EVER!
(2)Digby C.
We came off-season and it was quiet and uncrowded, but I'd guess it's pretty busy in the summer. The ambience is room-for-the-family, stuff on the walls, and picnic tables, really the kind of place you want to stop off, grab some food, and move on. Food was mixed, and by mixed I don't mean 'meh', I mean some very good, some very bad. Fried haddock: Really very good. I've posted before that my ideal is a thin breading with its own flavor, lightly fried and flaky, with moist fish. This really hit most of that...the breading flavor wasn't distinct, but I'd still take this over lots of fish from other restaurants. A. Fries: Really, awful...limp and greasy, flavorless, basically inedible. Nobody finished them. F. Chicken Fingers: Fantastic! No, really, come back and read this, I'm serious! Both kids had chicken fingers, which will normally earn an automatic D from me (on principle), but they kept insisting they were really good until I gave in and tried them. I actually tried one from each plate to be sure they were really that good, but the breading was flavorful and perfect, and the chicken was moist. Crazy. A+. Clam cakes: My wife said "okay", I said less than okay. Score it a B to be fair. I'd probably come back here.
(3)Sarah K.
Cafeteria-style joint! Taxidermy and lobsters- what else do you need? As a fan of these types of places I was in heaven- cafeteria seating, a salad bar and crazy decor. I popped in with my FH team so we have 20 with us and we were in and out in just over an hour- pretty impressive. The food wasn't anything special- but it was good. I'm not sure it was a great deal either but I still liked it a lot. I ordered the lobster- it wasn't huge but it was cooked right and it was fresh. For $20 that came with the salad bar. My little guys were able to munch on the chix fingers and fries. My team was satisfied as well which is no easy feat- try pleasing 20 college women...I dare you. If I ordered again, I think getting things that are "safe" at places like this is the way to go. Although the lobster was good, it wasn't enough. Next time I think a chowder or some bangin' side dishes would be in order. They looked awesome. The people at this joint were lovely- chatted us up and made us feel welcome. The outdoor seating is nice and overlooking the bay? The ocean? Not sure- some kind of water.
(4)Ash D.
This place is HUGE. There can be like 500 people in this restaurant and you will still find seating in one of the dining rooms. Each one of the dining rooms has it's own type of atmosphere too. It's pretty odd. It's loud, it's crowded, the menu is huge, the seating is never-ending, the service is fast, the food is alright, the prices aren't bad.
(3)Meg D.
Every year I go up on vacation to Old Orchard Beach, and this is our dinner we get our first night there. It never changes, never disappoints. I am a creature of habit and get the lobster roll, and split an order of clam cakes with my fam. Their fried clams are delicious as well. Everything is so fresh, and people are really friendly. Its fun, and you should check it out if you are in the area.
(4)John W.
One of the filthiest places I've ever seen. Expensive ,poorly cooked, and greasy clams
(1)Jennifer S.
We go to clambake whenever we are in the area! Both the fish and clam chowder are very tasty :) The whole fried clams are amazing as well. Overall this is a must go to!
(4)Ned B.
Bad food, overpriced, nothing but a hyped tourist attraction. I'm from Maine and can tell you to get better seafood anywhere else
(2)K T.
Very disappointed. Im sorry to right this review. Nothing really tasyed good. The lettuce in the salad was brown. The steak tips were too chewy. The shrimp I had was all batter. Very bad Kens is 100% better!! Go there I r s down the street.
(1)Donut B.
Just ate here 4 lobster n steamer dinners, fried seafood plate, chicken sandwich, grilles cheese, chix tenders - all good, fries are frozen but good, clam chowder good but thin - great seafood place
(4)Steven L.
This is a pretty good seafood restaurant. The portions are always big and the food usually tastes good, but mostly average. The only standout is their captains platter for two with clam strips, whole clams, haddock, shrimp, and scallops over a mound of fries. So, it's good, but it's not great.
(3)Philip M.
I was looking to forward eating here as I do every summer. The prices seemed higher. Too many French fries to make the plate full. 3 small pieces of lobster claw meat, good amount of shrimp and scallops $25.00. My wife had shrimp, scallops and haddock for 23.00. Wished we had gone to a full scale restaurant for the price and spent a little more. No complaints regarding the taste of the food. We won't be back.
(2)Pool D.
this is a kewl dive restaurant. order at a counter get a number, walk over to the bar stand in line. So 1 line to another. Then they call your food number over an intercom. Pick up your own food. you would think the servers would enjoy waiting and making tips but who knows. The food was good, the chowder was terrible. The voodoo drink from the bar was amazing. Would go back.
(4)Mitzi M.
I agree with Shane's 4 star review. I am a Mainer and have been visiting this place for over 25 years. It is fun, good food, and reasonably priced. I always enjoy my visits! Heading down there tonight as a matter of fact :)
(4)Karen R.
I love Maine seafood and love to check out those who consider themselves the best. This restaurant is gigantic. I am sure they fill up on the evenings in the summer due to their location and name. We ordered fried clams and fried Maine shrimp. Although the portions are large, I have had better fried seafood. Do not get me wrong, they are good, but I have been to many local places and the batter here does not match up. The prices are rather high as well. The children's menu is nice - they get a large portion of food, but offer no seafood choices for them at a children's menu price. I am glad to have checked this place out. The food was average, the restaurant is clean and the view of the marsh is rather cool. There seems to be a bit of a tradition of feeding the seagulls the left over fries (they seriously wait right at the back deck for this). The kids thought this was pretty cool.
(2)Old Bear ..
My family used to spend summers at Pine Point when I was a kid and I remember when The Clambake started in the early 1960s as just a 10x10 shack with a take-out window run by a local lobsterman who made ends meet by also being the town barber. The place has grown over the years by adding a small addition here and a big addition there until it is now a huge place with a computerized fast-food ordering system and a full bar. In spite of the growth, the place has maintained good quality. Fried items may still be ordered "in crumbs" rather than batter. And there are many other non-fried choices including boiled lobsters, steamed clams, etc. (My grandfather used to warn against places that offered only battered fried seafood. He noted that such places tended to add baking powder to the batter to puff it up so that a few clams would fill a cardboard take-out box. This has never been a problem at the Clambake at Pine Point.) The Clambake also offers broiled and baked versions of most of its fish, scallops and shrimp items. And hot dogs and hamburgers if that's what the kids want. The servings are huge, too. If there are left-over french fries, you can go out the back door facing the Scarboro marshes and feed them to the very aggressive seagulls. (see photo) If you want a gourmet experience, be warned that this place is basically a New England "clam shack" where you order and wait to have your number called to pick up your food at the pick-up window. And there are always several regional beers on tap at the bar which is very nice if you want to wash down all those delicious clams, scallops and shrimp.
(5)Jenna H.
This is a no frills, clog your artery by walking through the door, cafeteria type establishment. I would not have come here but the niece insisted that we all go here for her bday this past summer. We stood in line to order and when we finally got to the cash register - Bam! straight up bitchiness from the girl taking our order. Lovely. I will take fried clams with a side of attitude. Grow up - fake that you like working here, it will help you some day. On to the food.. The clams my husband got were ok, the greasiest I have ever seen, but they were edible. I got the fried mushrooms - which were actually fabulous!! I loved them - it helped bring this review up a star. I got a burger for my entree, and it was as I expected - thin and greasy. I needed a good drink to wash this down, and found that the bar staff was actually quite nice and pleasant - there is the second star. Other than that I don't think you will find me parked out on the picnic style benches unless I am strong armed again by my in-laws.
(2)Brian M.
We were taking the scenic up to Portland and looking for a place to grab some lunch. Parking by the beach turned out to be a problem and since we were just making a quick pit stop we didn't want to pay for parking or make it any more complicated than it had to be. So we drove through the main strip and came across The Clambake. I will give them this, they have ample parking. Unfortunately that's about all I can give them. I didn't mind the seat yourself, cafeteria style thing that they have going on. And the decor was kinda funny. I almost kinda liked the room full of taxidermy even if it went against the whole beach thing they had going on. It gave us a chance to see the moose and the black bear that we didn't get to see on the rest of our Maine trip. The food was just bad though. The chowder was thin and not very tasty. The shrimp wasn't as fresh as you'd expect for a place just by the water. And the clam cakes....I've never seen anything like it. They were gross, flat, fried patties. They're not the fluffy balls you're used to, but they look more like pancakes. I almost ate 3 of them, but the rest of the half dozen went into the trash. I was a little afraid to leave by the back door. There are a flock of seagulls that hang out and so many people feed them that any time anyone walks towards the back door the gulls go absolutely nuts. I kinda wish we had fought for a parking spot elsewhere because even after only eating half of my lunch I still felt like I had a brick stuck in my stomach for the rest of the day.
(2)Tracy A.
This used to be my parents go-to restaurant, and I loved it as a kid. I've tried this place 3 times as an adult, and all 3 times I leave feeling like my money was not well spent. Fried foods all taste alike, like they never change their fry oil. The portions are large, but the food is tasteless. Its Friendly's quality food for double the price. The cafeteria like setting is actually part of its charm. But, that still doesn't excuse the owners from doing some updating. I swear its still the same furniture since I was a kid. I'm 43. Also, its a bit unnerving to be dining so closely to a multitude of seagulls. Leaves an unsanitary vibe in the air. But, I can accept the lack of control over that issue. I think this place is a high volume cash cow for the Summer, so the owners feel it unnecessary to prepare tastier dishes and upgrade their dining rooms. Once the tourist luster wears off, its definitely a dull local dining option.
(2)Toni C.
The worst seafood i've ever had... actually, the worst food i've ever had. nothing tasted fresh. the plate i got was a greasy mess and i paid a ridiculous price for it. shrimp was completely tasteless (i don't consider grease a flavor) and the portion of.boiled.lobster was half a small lobster tail boiled until it was too.tough to cut with the plastic cutlary provided (it was too tough to bite through as well). i rate it 0 stars
(1)Kimberly L.
Don't waste your money; perhaps I am a seafood snob after having been raised on GOOD seafood in RI and MA (and even worked at a high end seafood restaurant a couple if summers during college) but when I went to clambake I had high hopes, but when I received my order it consisted of generous portions of suck! The folks who rated this place highly or said they have good seafood are either out of their minds, or don't know seafood. What I ordered: Fried whole clams 1/2 dozen Clam cakes Clam chowder Total: $43.00 What I received was the worst fried clams I have ever had, clam soup, and clam pancakes; no joke, the clam cakes were not the fritters one would normally expect, but pancakes in the style of a crab cake. To be honest it wasn't bad; it was perhaps the best item I tried but it was not what I expected at all, which ruined that part of the experience for me. The clam chowder, er, soup was bland, with not enough potato, and no discernible onion. It could use more onion, more potato, light cream rather than half and half, black pepper and a touch more salt. Aside from that, it was great! ;) Fried clams: I am a fried clam fanatic and always have been. I had high hopes, and opted for battered since I usually have them breaded. Well what I had on my plate was a very large portion of disappointing fried clams; the batter was pretty bland, they were very greasy (cooking oil obviously not hot enough!!) and I could not really discern the bellies. Usually the places I buy whole clams from don't just put he clams in tanks to flush out the sand, but actually feed the clams cornmeal. While I did not encounter any sand, the clams really did not have plump appearance and wonderful texture I am so fond of. The plate may as we have consisted of just clam strips, because the clams were so thin. Oh, and the tartar sauce? Bland again! I can make better tartar sauce from store-brand sweet relish and canola mayonnaise. Other items I tried: - fried scallops; kind of tough, dry, and unappealingand they were clammy (same oil vat obviously) - fried shrimp: I have had better fried shrimp from chain restaurants, and they were clammy (same oil vat again obviously) - french fries; okay but not good, like everything else they tasted like the clams their focus is definitely quantity, not quality. I have had better sea food at a diner in St. Louis. Ambiance: if you like stuffed and mounted animal heads all over, cafeteria-style dining, and expensive yet disappointing seafood, or are SOOO hungry you can't drive five minutes farther, then this place is for you. Anyone who says this place has decent seafood has probably only had Long John Silvers seafood or TV dinner seafood before coming to this place. I'm telling you, the seafood is lousy. Their focus is quantity over quality. If ramming huge amounts of calories down your pie-hole without regard to taste, aroma, or texture, then this may be the place for you. (Note: I have heard that their lobster is great even though everything else isn't, so maybe you'd want to try their lobster. I won't be bothered to)
(1)K B.
Wouldn't be my top pick but the food was good. Good place for lunch with a group. Nothing fancy or spectacular. If you want a lot of food definitely come here. Very many mixed reviews because you will either love it or hate it.
(3)Laura D.
When I think about the clambake a few things come to mind. 1. You wait forever. 2. The seagulls are so fat they can barely fly and will hunt you down for a fry. I credit this to my current fear of birds. 3. The whole ordering/food retrival system is very broken. They call numbers and you cannot hear them or understand them. As a child my parents would always bring our out of town visitors here. They thought it was so Maine. Well it is so Maine but it is also more fat then anyone should ever consume in a week never mind a day. This tradition meant we would visit anywhere between 3-5 visits annually. I partially credit the clambake to my childhood chubbiness and my father's now heart condition (only partially, my dad, I love him filled us with junk food) . The clambake is like the fried food Mecca. Everything fries, onion rings, chicken fingers, fish you name it is covered in batter or crumbs your choice and fried. Once fried each item tastes exactly the same and isn't very good. If you are looking for good seafood this is not the place to go. It is overpriced and not very good. If you are looking for an obese seagull there are about 100 in the parking lot.
(2)Samantha H.
Huge, cool restaurant with great food! Plenty of parking! Went here 2 yrs ago with the boyfriend. We both got the baked stuffed lobstah which was so delicious. I was licking my fingers. Salad bar was ok, not a whole lot to offer. Also, got their Voodoo Juice drink that came in a pail! It was sooo good! If I am ever up in the area, I will be visiting again!
(4)Malden G.
Ordered 3 Lobsters and all three hardly had any meat in them. The refunded my money back when I showed them the contents inside the claws were smaller than a twig. GET YOUR MONEY BACK if you crack them open and find out you just wasted 50$ and 40 minutes waiting.
(2)Ellen H.
Self serve, extensive menu, salad bar is fair...... the seafood is fresh and good... it is expensive but, average for fresh seafood.... lots of parking and seating.... fun dining room......feed the gulls it is a hoot =) I can see this place being heavily crowded in season.....
(4)Drew F.
Been going here for years since I was a kid. It's always been overrated. If a restaurant pills tons of food on a plate, people automatically love it for some reason. But it was always serviceable. Not any more. The pile of food is still there. But the quality, never that great to begin with is terrible. Food soggy. No taste. Greasy. Any of the other fried seafood places a half mile or so away on route 9? are way better than this. Way better. Do yourself a favor and pass this place by.
(1)Joseph C.
Another childhood favorite. I can remember eating here as a kid when we used to call it "The Tent" because you sat under large awnings. You stop at the window order your food wait to be called and go to pick up your order. Perfect place after a day spent at Old Orchard Beach. We always order steamers and dive into those as an appetizer before we tacke our lobster or fish plate. Is there anything better than stuffing yourself with seafood after a day at the beach.
(4)Wendy D.
Okay want to start of with. Real maine clamchowder is not the thick goopy stiff you get out of cans. It is a soup. Now I love the flavor of the chowder the fresh taste of the clams you name it. However, the last time I went to the clambake the chowder was soooo hot I burnt my tongue so bad it took 3 days to get better. The rest of the food is okay and couldn't day I would recomend it. If you want a real taste of Maine you need to find a local Lobster fisherman. The will have a little gazebo up and be bioling "lobsta" and crab fresh to order. You can take live ones home or you can have them cok them and eat them there or to go. Always a good deal on "Culls" one clawed lobsters.
(3)Alicia S.
Love it! We got the chicken finger dinner and the captains platter for two. We were not disappointed. The Captains was large enough that we'll eat a few meals from home on it. The tenders cooked to perfection. Crispy outside, tender inside, and the price for all we got, well worth it! The place is very affordable, and very nice. Would certainly recommend
(5)Kurtis K.
Food ordered: Clam Chowder - This clam chowder is by far the worst I've ever had. It's watery and there is absolutely no flavor. If I was a tourist in New England seeking clam chowder, I'd be so disappointed Clam Cake - Nothing tasty about it. Felt like I was biting into a piece of brick. Lobster Roll - The dullest lobster roll I've ever had. Absolutely no flavor. Pretty much just lobster meat on a hot dog bun. Save yourself the money and go to the grocery store. Chicken wings - The batter used wasn't cooked thoroughly and all the wings was stuck together. I've had better. Fisherman's plate dinner (Captain platter) - A few bites will leave you not wanting more. Probably the most greasiest plate I've had. Most of them tasted burnt. I guess hiring teenagers in the kitchen to deep fry seafood isn't a good idea. Overall: This place is spacious and there's plenty of seats. I wish the food was better. Definitely won't be returning.
(1)Tiffany M.
I remember going here a lot as a kid! Went back last week with my own family! The clam strips were the best I have ever had! Wish I was closer cause I would love some more!
(5)S C.
The food here is just okay. I had the baked haddock and scallops with the seafood stuffing and it was very bland. First of all, it tasted like the fish and scallops were boiled and not baked and there was a lot of water just sitting on the bottom of my plate. There was no salt, pepper or any kind of seasoning on the fish or scallops. The seafood stuffing was pretty good and had good flavor. Even though there was no seasoning or much flavor, the seafood was fresh and you do get a lot of food. It was very filling. Along with the main dish, you get a roll and baked potato. It was so busy when we went, I have to say they did a GREAT job keeping things moving and keeping the wait to a minimum. The food was coming out of the kitchen very quickly. It is more of a fast food type place, so you can't expect a top of the line type meal. It is not a bad place for what it is. It is a really big place and can accommodate a lot of people.
(3)Steven D.
Every two years we come back to the familiar. This year no different. The amount of food coming out of this factory is astounding. Fried is their specialty - if not yours stay away from this crowded venue. Buy and wait for your number is the service method. Far from a 5 star but familiar to us that have moved on.
(3)Patty H.
What has happened! This used to be a great place. Today was grease, grease and more grease. All we could taste was grease and batter. It over powered the taste of what we should have been tasting like clams, scallops and shrimp. Not worth the hour drive. Maybe that is why on a Saturday mid summer it was empty.
(1)Brett F.
Do any locals actually eat here? The clambake is essentially a cavernous cafeteria close to Pine Point Beach. Parking is plentiful and atmosphere is non existent. You enter, order at one of the race track-like counters and they call your number when ready. The menu is typical mass market seafood. Fried food is fried food, so it's safe to stick with the fried clams, haddock, etc. The lobster roll was small, the meat was too chewy, and flavor was lacking. There's just too many other better places to get a decent lobster roll, including close by (Bailey's). The clam chowder was terrible. Very little chewy clams in basically a bowl of thin cream. The french fries were typical frozen crinkle cut, but were tasty. The only interesting aspect of this restaurant are the stuffed wild life. They have some massive bears that you most definitely would not want to cross paths with in the wild. It's fitting, because you may not want to cross paths with the Clambake either.
(2)Adam S.
A local place. Good seafood at a fair price. A lot of fried stuff, but steamed lobster is still there. I had the baked haddock, which was pretty good. If you go out back, you can feed seagulls french fries right out of your hand. Make the trip on up to Scaaaabro if you're around, it's a good place.
(3)Crystal H.
Local to the area, I've been here many times and it's my favorite seafood restaurant in the area. Can be a long wait if you go during the busy meal hours but it's always worth the wait!
(5)Hil P.
We visited this restaurant during the Labor Day weekend. I've seen it before but didn't stop. I wish I would have kept on going this visit. What a disappointment. Must be a tourist trap. My sister ordered the lobster roll and for 12.99 it was a total rip off! The roll was so tiny and the portion of lobster as well as the seasoning was very poor. I had the baked haddock...another disappointment! The presentation was poor - $15.99 - looked like an old plastic piece of fish with fish water on the bottom of the plate, very bland. I had a baked potato which was hard and butter didn't melt into it cause it was lukewarm. We had an order of crab cakes which is suppose to be light and fluffy and these were round..processed...whatever ! Greasy too ! So I would say the positive reviews on this are from people who are tourists and don't really know how food should be cooked ! And for Maine where all the seafood is fresh and available?? It sure didn't make it to our plate. Scratch this one off your list...move on
(1)Caity C.
This would be a fun restaurant to take kids. Huge portions of food, tacky atmosphere, and a crowd of seagulls outside waiting on your leftovers. Walk in and get in the corral to place your order. They'll give you a number for your order- you'll hear them calling numbers over the loudspeaker throughout your visit. Go ahead and pick a seat. My favorite place to sit is the enclosed patio- you can look at the marshes and watch seagulls crowd around for leftover French fries. You can feed the seagulls if you want, it's fun for kids. The food isn't that great- typical fried clams or shrimp. There are many places around that are better, but this is a fun touristy place, if you're into that.
(3)Leah R.
A significant drop in quality even in just one year. We ordered a lobster roll which was just fine. We also ordered two clam cakes.... OH MY GOD! It was really criminal! Instead of using real chunks of clams as they had in previous years, they now seem to be taking a short cut and having them minced finely to the point where you're not even sure clams are in there! The worse part of all was the amount of freakin' grease that saturated the clam cake. When you pressed down on it, you could see the oils oozing out! Kinda like squeezing an oily sponge. Talk about gross! Talk about unhealthy! I've been eating clam cakes for years and never saw anything like this before. I went back and expressed my disappointment to one of the two ladies at the service counter. She said she was sorry to hear that I was dissatisfied but insisted that they always made their clams cakes that way. In other words, "Thanks for you $25 order now go f*** yourself, Charlie!" Well, I can't bend over quite that far so how about I give 2 stars! By the way, if you really want excellent clam cakes with huge chunks of fresh clams, check out Skippers in Saco. As far as I can tell, they're the only place that still makes clam cakes the old-fashioned way... and the best way.
(2)Rose R.
We went with the whole family and found it affordable and everyone loved their meal. When does that happen! The steamers were so sweet! Great night out!!!!
(5)Christine L.
The gang and I decided to go clam-farming (is there a better term for this?) yesterday! Unfortunately, there was a 4 hour gap between the time that town hall closed (where we got our licenses) and low tide, so we decided to grab some food and warm up at the Clambake Restaurant! We originally saw the building with its giant sign on our way to the beach, so it was fresh in our minds when we decided to browse the internet for places to go. The reviews on Yelp weren't too great, but we took a chance with Tripadvisor's recommendation... There's a huge parking lot which explains the enormous cafeteria-style interior. The menu is enormous, but you'll soon realize that it's a little bit repetitive (although nothing is exactly repeated). There are photos of most of the dishes on one of the walls facing the area where you order. Since we were going clamming, my friend and I split the Fried Maine Shrimp (listed under Odds & Ends, 1 pint). Usually, I figure you can't go wrong w/ fried shrimp! Today, I stand corrected. We were able to choose between two different batters, a lighter crisper one, or a thicker layer of batter. We went with the lighter one, which wasn't a problem, but the shrimp inside were just mushy! To think we ordered a whole pint... Among the two of us, we couldn't finish off the shrimp. They cooled down pretty quickly too, which didn't exactly help the taste. If I were given a redo, I'd probably do what my other friends did and get a 2-entree plate with a side of soup. The fried clams were alright, same with the corn chowder. I'm sure this place is a lot livelier in the summer, but in mid-March, it's pretty gloomy with its mushy shrimp. :( Note: you can order your food at the bar if you choose to eat there.
(2)Fred F.
What a great bar! What nice attentive service.....and absolutely love the atmosphere.....stuffed animal heads abound, with a great woodsy pine feel. Seafood chowder is excellent......terrific fried haddock sanwhich......but oh my.....in LOVE with the clam strips! Not a whole belly guy....so these were right up my alley.....quite frankly, perhaps the best I've ever had (sorry Howard Johnsons late of Time Square). Lightly battered, totally tender....and excellent tartar and cocktail sauce. Total chill Maine experience.
(4)Chris R.
I go hear every summer . love the food best seafood around. Little expensive but worth it. Never have a problem finding a seat.
(4)Scott R.
We beat the lunchtime rush and had the cavernous place almost all to ourselves. Sitting by the marsh-view windows made the stay more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise. Food? Okay. Definitely overpriced and lacking in preparatory care. Salad iceberg lettuce looked like a whole small head chopped up core and all. Fries a little "yesterday's oil." Nothing particularly recommendable. To cap a forgettable experience, one of us got jabbed by a spring poking out of the booth bench -- ripped a jean pocket but luckily went no further. Proceed with caution.
(2)Amanda R.
Justin and I went to this restaurant and were disappointed. There were more fries and onion rings than the seafood we ordered. The clam chowda was just steamed milk with microwaved clam meat. Chowda should not taste like that and I had to add a ton of black pepper to finish it!
(1)Jay N.
Lots and lots of friend seafood... and yes, lobster. You're not going here for the fine food; what you're getting is a cavernous, cafeteria style dining experience complete with taxidermy animals hanging on the walls, a loud but happy atmosphere that likely includes a healthy does of saturated fat, but it can be a bit of fun. The back dining room offers an great few of the marshes and can be absolutely beautiful at sundown, especially as the Amtrak DownEaster jets down the tracks off in the distance. Gulls circle the back, outside and kids and grown-ups are encouraged to go out to toss leftover fries if you want to live a Hitchcock moment. The food leaves much to be desired but in the old school, family dining experience that is clambake, a little lack of better quality, better prepared food can be forgiven, perhaps just this once. ;-)
(3)Brian S.
Lobsters gulls and dead animals The Clambake Restaurant is a very casual seafood place where you order your food from a huge menu, hang around for a while and then get up and get your order and bring it yourself to your table. When we have been there the service has always been good, fast and friendly. Never got our orders messed up and because the place is so huge always found a place to sit in the several large rooms. Looking at the corpulent and very noisy gulls begging for food and going right up people to get it was a whole lot of fun. The decor is either very cool or very tacky depending on your point of view. I usually don't like stuffed animals staring at me while I eat but I have to admit I found walking around and looking at all the tacky but cool things entertaining while I waited. I especially enjoyed looking at the large Maine maps plastered on the ways. The food is what you should expect from this type of place. Sure I've had much better seafood and if you are a seafood snob it's best to stay away from this type of joint. The menu wasn't just greasy fried food but gave a lot of different options but it certainly isn't the fancy seafood that you can find in very expensive restaurants. The portions are huge and even though all seafood is now expensive you do get a lot for your money at the Clambake. My wife has eaten a whole lot of lobsters in a whole lot of places and said hers was very good. Not the best but certainly a properly cooked and meaty sea bug. A cool restaurant that's fun and not a bit pretentious. It is exactly what it looks like from the outside and if you exact some fancy and gourmet seafood it is your own fault. If someone is all snooty and condescending about seafood it is best they avoid this place. The Clambake is a cool place that never tries to be something it isn't.
(4)Joe L.
Lousy lobster, good clams,cafeteria style. Nothing to write home about. McDonalds has better tasting stuff. Good beer, but then again they don't make it, they only serve it. Don't brother going.
(1)Meg D.
Every year I go up on vacation to Old Orchard Beach, and this is our dinner we get our first night there. It never changes, never disappoints. I am a creature of habit and get the lobster roll, and split an order of clam cakes with my fam. Their fried clams are delicious as well. Everything is so fresh, and people are really friendly. Its fun, and you should check it out if you are in the area.
(4)John W.
One of the filthiest places I've ever seen. Expensive ,poorly cooked, and greasy clams
(1)Jennifer S.
We go to clambake whenever we are in the area! Both the fish and clam chowder are very tasty :) The whole fried clams are amazing as well. Overall this is a must go to!
(4)Ned B.
Bad food, overpriced, nothing but a hyped tourist attraction. I'm from Maine and can tell you to get better seafood anywhere else
(2)K T.
Very disappointed. Im sorry to right this review. Nothing really tasyed good. The lettuce in the salad was brown. The steak tips were too chewy. The shrimp I had was all batter. Very bad Kens is 100% better!! Go there I r s down the street.
(1)Donut B.
Just ate here 4 lobster n steamer dinners, fried seafood plate, chicken sandwich, grilles cheese, chix tenders - all good, fries are frozen but good, clam chowder good but thin - great seafood place
(4)Steven L.
This is a pretty good seafood restaurant. The portions are always big and the food usually tastes good, but mostly average. The only standout is their captains platter for two with clam strips, whole clams, haddock, shrimp, and scallops over a mound of fries. So, it's good, but it's not great.
(3)Philip M.
I was looking to forward eating here as I do every summer. The prices seemed higher. Too many French fries to make the plate full. 3 small pieces of lobster claw meat, good amount of shrimp and scallops $25.00. My wife had shrimp, scallops and haddock for 23.00. Wished we had gone to a full scale restaurant for the price and spent a little more. No complaints regarding the taste of the food. We won't be back.
(2)Pool D.
this is a kewl dive restaurant. order at a counter get a number, walk over to the bar stand in line. So 1 line to another. Then they call your food number over an intercom. Pick up your own food. you would think the servers would enjoy waiting and making tips but who knows. The food was good, the chowder was terrible. The voodoo drink from the bar was amazing. Would go back.
(4)Mitzi M.
I agree with Shane's 4 star review. I am a Mainer and have been visiting this place for over 25 years. It is fun, good food, and reasonably priced. I always enjoy my visits! Heading down there tonight as a matter of fact :)
(4)Tammy H.
The food is predominantly fried but the good thing is they let you share meals without charging for it.
(2)Kathy S.
This place is totally nasty.... It's like eating in a school cafeteria. Unless you want to be served like you are in 12th Grade..Go some where else. The day we went there all we could smell was garbage. It was disgusting. We will NOT be returning EVER!
(2)Digby C.
We came off-season and it was quiet and uncrowded, but I'd guess it's pretty busy in the summer. The ambience is room-for-the-family, stuff on the walls, and picnic tables, really the kind of place you want to stop off, grab some food, and move on. Food was mixed, and by mixed I don't mean 'meh', I mean some very good, some very bad. Fried haddock: Really very good. I've posted before that my ideal is a thin breading with its own flavor, lightly fried and flaky, with moist fish. This really hit most of that...the breading flavor wasn't distinct, but I'd still take this over lots of fish from other restaurants. A. Fries: Really, awful...limp and greasy, flavorless, basically inedible. Nobody finished them. F. Chicken Fingers: Fantastic! No, really, come back and read this, I'm serious! Both kids had chicken fingers, which will normally earn an automatic D from me (on principle), but they kept insisting they were really good until I gave in and tried them. I actually tried one from each plate to be sure they were really that good, but the breading was flavorful and perfect, and the chicken was moist. Crazy. A+. Clam cakes: My wife said "okay", I said less than okay. Score it a B to be fair. I'd probably come back here.
(3)Sarah K.
Cafeteria-style joint! Taxidermy and lobsters- what else do you need? As a fan of these types of places I was in heaven- cafeteria seating, a salad bar and crazy decor. I popped in with my FH team so we have 20 with us and we were in and out in just over an hour- pretty impressive. The food wasn't anything special- but it was good. I'm not sure it was a great deal either but I still liked it a lot. I ordered the lobster- it wasn't huge but it was cooked right and it was fresh. For $20 that came with the salad bar. My little guys were able to munch on the chix fingers and fries. My team was satisfied as well which is no easy feat- try pleasing 20 college women...I dare you. If I ordered again, I think getting things that are "safe" at places like this is the way to go. Although the lobster was good, it wasn't enough. Next time I think a chowder or some bangin' side dishes would be in order. They looked awesome. The people at this joint were lovely- chatted us up and made us feel welcome. The outdoor seating is nice and overlooking the bay? The ocean? Not sure- some kind of water.
(4)Ash D.
This place is HUGE. There can be like 500 people in this restaurant and you will still find seating in one of the dining rooms. Each one of the dining rooms has it's own type of atmosphere too. It's pretty odd. It's loud, it's crowded, the menu is huge, the seating is never-ending, the service is fast, the food is alright, the prices aren't bad.
(3)Jeannine P.
Very long wait, 50 minutes for baked seafood. Lobster consisted of two claws and swimming in water. Would not return.
(2)Karen R.
I love Maine seafood and love to check out those who consider themselves the best. This restaurant is gigantic. I am sure they fill up on the evenings in the summer due to their location and name. We ordered fried clams and fried Maine shrimp. Although the portions are large, I have had better fried seafood. Do not get me wrong, they are good, but I have been to many local places and the batter here does not match up. The prices are rather high as well. The children's menu is nice - they get a large portion of food, but offer no seafood choices for them at a children's menu price. I am glad to have checked this place out. The food was average, the restaurant is clean and the view of the marsh is rather cool. There seems to be a bit of a tradition of feeding the seagulls the left over fries (they seriously wait right at the back deck for this). The kids thought this was pretty cool.
(2)Old Bear ..
My family used to spend summers at Pine Point when I was a kid and I remember when The Clambake started in the early 1960s as just a 10x10 shack with a take-out window run by a local lobsterman who made ends meet by also being the town barber. The place has grown over the years by adding a small addition here and a big addition there until it is now a huge place with a computerized fast-food ordering system and a full bar. In spite of the growth, the place has maintained good quality. Fried items may still be ordered "in crumbs" rather than batter. And there are many other non-fried choices including boiled lobsters, steamed clams, etc. (My grandfather used to warn against places that offered only battered fried seafood. He noted that such places tended to add baking powder to the batter to puff it up so that a few clams would fill a cardboard take-out box. This has never been a problem at the Clambake at Pine Point.) The Clambake also offers broiled and baked versions of most of its fish, scallops and shrimp items. And hot dogs and hamburgers if that's what the kids want. The servings are huge, too. If there are left-over french fries, you can go out the back door facing the Scarboro marshes and feed them to the very aggressive seagulls. (see photo) If you want a gourmet experience, be warned that this place is basically a New England "clam shack" where you order and wait to have your number called to pick up your food at the pick-up window. And there are always several regional beers on tap at the bar which is very nice if you want to wash down all those delicious clams, scallops and shrimp.
(5)Jenna H.
This is a no frills, clog your artery by walking through the door, cafeteria type establishment. I would not have come here but the niece insisted that we all go here for her bday this past summer. We stood in line to order and when we finally got to the cash register - Bam! straight up bitchiness from the girl taking our order. Lovely. I will take fried clams with a side of attitude. Grow up - fake that you like working here, it will help you some day. On to the food.. The clams my husband got were ok, the greasiest I have ever seen, but they were edible. I got the fried mushrooms - which were actually fabulous!! I loved them - it helped bring this review up a star. I got a burger for my entree, and it was as I expected - thin and greasy. I needed a good drink to wash this down, and found that the bar staff was actually quite nice and pleasant - there is the second star. Other than that I don't think you will find me parked out on the picnic style benches unless I am strong armed again by my in-laws.
(2)Alise K.
I've lived in this area for 14 summers and always wondered why the clambake is always packed. We tried it recently and I'm still wondering why people flock here like seagulls going after a pier fry..... I don't think any locals frequent here. The place is full of tourists. We tried fried clams, steak, clam cakes and lobster stew. All not great. The lobster stew was milk and lobster, that's it. No flavor. Self service , The food line was sooooo long!
(2)Paula G.
Really enjoyed this HUGE, no frills, wait in line, order, wait for number to be called yummy restaurant! This place is super busy but don't let the long line waiting to order fool you- the line moves fast (getting your order takes a bit longer). Tons of choices- we had a large party and liked that we didn't feel like we needed to leave to make room for others since it's such a big place. Reasonably priced. In our party ordered was: Haddock, shrimp, scallops, lobster, clams. Not one of us were dissatisfied with our meals. YUM!
(4)Katie L.
We always stop here on our way in to OOB for a late dinner. I always get the fried scallops and I am never disappointed. Thick, sweet scallops that are piled high with French fries. I swear to heaven, there is nothing better than the seafood here in Maine, especially at the clambake. Also, this restaurant doesn't cook with salt. The meals and the fries come out unsalted and you have to salt them yourself, which is great for those who cannot eat it. Usually, I put just a pinch on my fries and let the rich potato taste dominate. There is nothing better. The clambake has an extensive menu. While it is kind of expensive, you get what you pay for and with the casual ambiance, it's a great beach side joint to grab some fresh, sweet seafood and feel the vibes of the ocean. You will not be disappointed!
(5)Marty P.
With summer approaching, I recently treated myself to three fish and chip lunches, one each at The Clambake, Bailey's Seafood, and Ken's Place, all on Pine Point Road in Scarborough. Or at least I tried to do so...more on that later. Also, I decided to do takeout, with the intention of 'dining' in my car each time. I am posting my review under The Clambake heading as I found this to be the best of the three, and I'll tell you why. My criteria for a fish and chips meal comes down to three basic things: Taste...how well is the fish and coating, fries, and cole slaw (if included) seasoned. Temperature...are the hot things hot and crispy. Value...is it worth the price. Bailey's: I started this epicurean (such a fancy word) journey at Bailey's on a Thursday afternoon. Scanning the menu I didn't see fish and chips as such, only a haddock dinner for about $18.95. Too much for a lunch but upon inquiring I was told that there was a fish and chips option for, I believe it was $8.95. By the way, anyone expecting fish and chips to mean cod and fries (the English way) should expect the milder haddock to be served instead at these places. Bailey's takeout was served in a styrofoam like container, making it easy to carry and open. I asked for ketchup and tartar sauces, went out to my car and had lunch. Probably eight or nine good sized pieces of fish. No complaints about the value. Hot and crispy! Not too greasy, but unfortunately totally bland. The fish breading was in desperate need of seasoning. The fries were also unseasoned but they were ok...looked liked fresh peeled fries but not sure they were. No cole slaw included here. Overall, a 3 star experience because of a lack of taste. Come on Bailey's put some seasoning in your fish coating. The Clambake: Also a mid-week lunch. The spacious ordering and pick-up areas were pretty devoid of customers on this particular afternoon. Again, fish was served in pieces with crinkle cut fries and a very good kind of tangy slaw. About $8.95. This combination is on their regular plate menu. I filled a couple of small cups with ketchup and tartar sauce (maybe available when picking up your orders at the counter if you ask), and proceeded to my car. Takeout was served on a cardboard tray, wrapped in a paper bag. Kind of difficult to handle in the car but I only lost one piece of fish and one fry. Hot, crispy, not too greasy at all, and seasoned pretty well. I have had excellent fried shrimp a few times at The Clambake in previous years, but for some reason I was surprised at how satisfyingly tasty this lunch was. I know there have been some off reviews, but I was quite happy. So, this was a 4 star experience. Ken's Place: Visited in mid-May at noon on a Saturday. Busy but quick ordering from a very pleasant young lady behind the counter. Not seeing fish and chips on the menu, I asked and was told that the closest semblance to such was their haddock dinner. For a resounding $16.95. Well, what's a comparison shopper, uh...eater to do? I swallowed hard and ordered said dinner. Ken's haddock is served in a large single piece with ok fries and a good cole slaw. With many takeout windows, the food order doesn't sit around before it's served up. The takeout haddock dinner was delivered on a three section plastic/coated type plate, on a tray and in two paper bags, one in each direction so that there was no chance of spillage. Smart move. I asked for ketchup and their homemade tartar sauce and was literally given a dozen of each. Now, in my humble opinion, there's a lot of waste in that. I wound up using two of each. But then again, I didn't finish it all and the reason was quite unfortunate. The first thing I noticed was how wet or greasy the paper bags were (couldn't tell which). Out to my car and found that because the plate was one of those three section lunch plates, the large piece of fish sort of hung over one of the ridges rather than laying flat. Very small point here but actually kind of inconvenient. In fact, a small section of the fish broke off and fell apart. Ok, fish was hot, fries were hot, cole slaw was good. However...TOTALLY tasteless. More so than Bailey's. How can this be??? But a much more egregious problem was that the fish and fries were swimming in a pool of that liquid which soaked through the paper bags. I played along and dipped my pinky into it. Water? Oil? Both? I think it was water but can be convinced otherwise I guess. Made the fish and fries soggy and ultimately inedible. What is going on Ken's? Later that evening, I told my significant other of my experience, and she told me that her mother ordered great looking fried clams there last year but was struck by how tasteless they were. I hate to do this but...1 1/2 stars. The radio commercials tout the freshness of the fish. No doubt! But geez, big disappointment! So...The Clambake for the win, Bailey's in second, and Ken's Place bringing up the rear in this tasting.
(4)Courtney C.
The Clambake Restaurant offers reasonably priced seafood in a prime location for summer beach goers. The food has always been well cooked. My family has come many times over the years, first as tourists and more recently this past Mothers Day as locals (We vacationed in OOB every summer for years until we moved to this area about 7 years ago). This was my first visit back since moving to southern Maine. Having lived in the area now for many years, the Clambake has lost some of its appeal to my family. We decided to stop in this Mothers Day because of the nostalgia we feel for the place. The view from our table was great. The food was good (I had the chicken dinner and my mom had lobster stew and a lobster roll) She loved her food, mine was your average chicken breast and stuffing. What I didn't care for is the setup of the restaurant. You walk in the door and wait in an amusement park ride style line until you get up to the register and place your order. At that time, you can choose a fountain drink (they forgot to give us ours, we had to come back and ask for them- we were given a slight attitude from the young girl who had forgotten to give them to us- she held up a finger in my face and told me to "wait my turn'", the man standing behind her saw this and quickly came over to ask me what we needed and promptly brought us our cokes from the fountain machine. After you place your order, you find a place to sit and wait for your number to be called over the intercom. Once your number is called, you find the counter where your food is waiting for you to pick it up. Our table found it quite annoying that literally every 3 seconds you hear a three digit number being read over the loud intercom. There is a bar, but the place does not really radiate the "sit down and relax and have a drink" type of atmosphere with the intercom blasting numbers every couple of seconds. I can understand why the restaurant has to be set up this way, I overheard that it seats 800 or so people. It's meant to be a quick service stop so they don't need to hire wait staff. I guess this is why it is appealing to tourists who are on a quick stop to get some seafood on their way to the beach, and not so appealing to locals who know better spots to sit and have a relaxing seafood meal.
(3)Jeannine P.
Been coming for over 10 years ever trip to Maine. The only down fall. They got rid of the salad bar and all the fixings where you pick up your food
(5)Daniel G.
You most certainly got your money's worth as well as getting quality seafood. Chicken fingers could have been better but than again I should have just stuck to what they were good at which was seafood . Overall I would strongly recommend this restaurant to friends and family!
(5)Pierre A.
Used to come here 30 years ago when it was just a sea food shack. If you like fried sea food this is the place
(4)Cavan M.
This place is well run and while very busy has the process down to a T. The portion were large and fish was excellent so keep portion size in mind when ordering. We sat out in the back area overlooking the saltwater marsh. Totally enjoyed the visit and it lives up to expectations. Just knocked one star off for constant calling out of customers numbers. A necessary part of their process but it take away from the enjoyment.
(4)Shane L.
As I perused Yelp, I was looking for a good seafood place to pick up some fried goodiness and some tasty chowder. I saw that the Clambake got a lot of two stars and threes but wanted to try out this restaurant anyway. I grew up in MA and RI and these types of establishments are a dime a dozen right on the coast but as we walked into this largely huge cafeteria style restaurant, we were pleasantly surprised. The decor is one that has picnic-like tables with a spread out feel to the place. The walls are decorated with stuffed animals and fish to give that outdoorzy kinda feel. It has a horseshoe bar in the middle that looks like it serves everything. The menu itself is filled with clams, scallops and lobster alike. You can go for your healthier alternatives or dive into some greasy goodness that will be dirty on the fingers. You order at the main counter so it does feel like a lot of pressure if you are not ready or have never been there before but it is well laid out and the staff is super duper friendly. You then take your number to one of the larger tables and wait to hear your number called on the intercom. I got the fried clam strips with a bowl of clam chowder. The clam portion was huge (I got the batter one) and the fried seemed to be endless. The clam chowder was a milk based chowder and was very thin (not my personal favorite) but was still chocked full of clams and potatoes. My son got the haddock sandwich and a bowl of haddock chowder and he thought it was delicious (huge portion caused us to grab a doggie bag baby). My wife got the fish and chips and the size of the fries order again was HUGE. All of this food was just under 40 clams (oh sorry, bucks) so we were happy about that. Sometimes seafood establishments jack up their prices because tourists like to say "Hey I got to eat seafood from Maine". If you want to go to a place that has a wonderful view of the marshes, open seating, great food and family type of atmosphere, check out the ClamBake ... you will not be disappointed
(3)Sharon R.
This is our second year visiting the clambake. Last year we made the mistake if getting our fried entrees in the heavier batter but this year got the crumbs. So much better!!! Portions are HUGE!!! You can definitely share any fried selection. Fisher mans platter is enough for 3 people!! Coleslaw was good and fries were fresh and crunchy. Baked selections were not as great. The Newburgh sauce was not good!!! And the stuffing choices were just ok! The lobster stew was terrible. Just cream and butter with a few pieces of lobster. And the chowder was watery!!! The bar selections are great and their speciality drinks in the pails are awesome but pricey. Good place for families as it's huge!! Prices overall are reasonable. Staff is super friendly!!!
(3)Kyle B.
The clambake recently added chili to their menu. It is amazing. Supposedly it has won prizes before. It has a thick and savory texture. Very flavorful. The next time you stop in you should give it a try. Their other food is also quite good.
(5)Rebecca S.
I've been eating here since I was a kid, and it hasn't changed much (with the exception of them taking out the salad bar). Prices are fair, and portions are big. Quality is decent- we ordered the scallops, shrimp and lobster dinner, and the lobster portion of it was three measly claws. Meanwhile the fried clam strips were awesome.
(3)Ruth B.
Huge portions of fresh fried seafood. Definitely a Maine Experience. Large seafood platter comfortably feeds two. Sea scallops (vs the small bay scallops) were particularly tender, moist and tasty.
(4)Brian M.
We were taking the scenic up to Portland and looking for a place to grab some lunch. Parking by the beach turned out to be a problem and since we were just making a quick pit stop we didn't want to pay for parking or make it any more complicated than it had to be. So we drove through the main strip and came across The Clambake. I will give them this, they have ample parking. Unfortunately that's about all I can give them. I didn't mind the seat yourself, cafeteria style thing that they have going on. And the decor was kinda funny. I almost kinda liked the room full of taxidermy even if it went against the whole beach thing they had going on. It gave us a chance to see the moose and the black bear that we didn't get to see on the rest of our Maine trip. The food was just bad though. The chowder was thin and not very tasty. The shrimp wasn't as fresh as you'd expect for a place just by the water. And the clam cakes....I've never seen anything like it. They were gross, flat, fried patties. They're not the fluffy balls you're used to, but they look more like pancakes. I almost ate 3 of them, but the rest of the half dozen went into the trash. I was a little afraid to leave by the back door. There are a flock of seagulls that hang out and so many people feed them that any time anyone walks towards the back door the gulls go absolutely nuts. I kinda wish we had fought for a parking spot elsewhere because even after only eating half of my lunch I still felt like I had a brick stuck in my stomach for the rest of the day.
(2)Tracy A.
This used to be my parents go-to restaurant, and I loved it as a kid. I've tried this place 3 times as an adult, and all 3 times I leave feeling like my money was not well spent. Fried foods all taste alike, like they never change their fry oil. The portions are large, but the food is tasteless. Its Friendly's quality food for double the price. The cafeteria like setting is actually part of its charm. But, that still doesn't excuse the owners from doing some updating. I swear its still the same furniture since I was a kid. I'm 43. Also, its a bit unnerving to be dining so closely to a multitude of seagulls. Leaves an unsanitary vibe in the air. But, I can accept the lack of control over that issue. I think this place is a high volume cash cow for the Summer, so the owners feel it unnecessary to prepare tastier dishes and upgrade their dining rooms. Once the tourist luster wears off, its definitely a dull local dining option.
(2)Toni C.
The worst seafood i've ever had... actually, the worst food i've ever had. nothing tasted fresh. the plate i got was a greasy mess and i paid a ridiculous price for it. shrimp was completely tasteless (i don't consider grease a flavor) and the portion of.boiled.lobster was half a small lobster tail boiled until it was too.tough to cut with the plastic cutlary provided (it was too tough to bite through as well). i rate it 0 stars
(1)Kimberly L.
Don't waste your money; perhaps I am a seafood snob after having been raised on GOOD seafood in RI and MA (and even worked at a high end seafood restaurant a couple if summers during college) but when I went to clambake I had high hopes, but when I received my order it consisted of generous portions of suck! The folks who rated this place highly or said they have good seafood are either out of their minds, or don't know seafood. What I ordered: Fried whole clams 1/2 dozen Clam cakes Clam chowder Total: $43.00 What I received was the worst fried clams I have ever had, clam soup, and clam pancakes; no joke, the clam cakes were not the fritters one would normally expect, but pancakes in the style of a crab cake. To be honest it wasn't bad; it was perhaps the best item I tried but it was not what I expected at all, which ruined that part of the experience for me. The clam chowder, er, soup was bland, with not enough potato, and no discernible onion. It could use more onion, more potato, light cream rather than half and half, black pepper and a touch more salt. Aside from that, it was great! ;) Fried clams: I am a fried clam fanatic and always have been. I had high hopes, and opted for battered since I usually have them breaded. Well what I had on my plate was a very large portion of disappointing fried clams; the batter was pretty bland, they were very greasy (cooking oil obviously not hot enough!!) and I could not really discern the bellies. Usually the places I buy whole clams from don't just put he clams in tanks to flush out the sand, but actually feed the clams cornmeal. While I did not encounter any sand, the clams really did not have plump appearance and wonderful texture I am so fond of. The plate may as we have consisted of just clam strips, because the clams were so thin. Oh, and the tartar sauce? Bland again! I can make better tartar sauce from store-brand sweet relish and canola mayonnaise. Other items I tried: - fried scallops; kind of tough, dry, and unappealingand they were clammy (same oil vat obviously) - fried shrimp: I have had better fried shrimp from chain restaurants, and they were clammy (same oil vat again obviously) - french fries; okay but not good, like everything else they tasted like the clams their focus is definitely quantity, not quality. I have had better sea food at a diner in St. Louis. Ambiance: if you like stuffed and mounted animal heads all over, cafeteria-style dining, and expensive yet disappointing seafood, or are SOOO hungry you can't drive five minutes farther, then this place is for you. Anyone who says this place has decent seafood has probably only had Long John Silvers seafood or TV dinner seafood before coming to this place. I'm telling you, the seafood is lousy. Their focus is quantity over quality. If ramming huge amounts of calories down your pie-hole without regard to taste, aroma, or texture, then this may be the place for you. (Note: I have heard that their lobster is great even though everything else isn't, so maybe you'd want to try their lobster. I won't be bothered to)
(1)K B.
Wouldn't be my top pick but the food was good. Good place for lunch with a group. Nothing fancy or spectacular. If you want a lot of food definitely come here. Very many mixed reviews because you will either love it or hate it.
(3)Laura D.
When I think about the clambake a few things come to mind. 1. You wait forever. 2. The seagulls are so fat they can barely fly and will hunt you down for a fry. I credit this to my current fear of birds. 3. The whole ordering/food retrival system is very broken. They call numbers and you cannot hear them or understand them. As a child my parents would always bring our out of town visitors here. They thought it was so Maine. Well it is so Maine but it is also more fat then anyone should ever consume in a week never mind a day. This tradition meant we would visit anywhere between 3-5 visits annually. I partially credit the clambake to my childhood chubbiness and my father's now heart condition (only partially, my dad, I love him filled us with junk food) . The clambake is like the fried food Mecca. Everything fries, onion rings, chicken fingers, fish you name it is covered in batter or crumbs your choice and fried. Once fried each item tastes exactly the same and isn't very good. If you are looking for good seafood this is not the place to go. It is overpriced and not very good. If you are looking for an obese seagull there are about 100 in the parking lot.
(2)Samantha H.
Huge, cool restaurant with great food! Plenty of parking! Went here 2 yrs ago with the boyfriend. We both got the baked stuffed lobstah which was so delicious. I was licking my fingers. Salad bar was ok, not a whole lot to offer. Also, got their Voodoo Juice drink that came in a pail! It was sooo good! If I am ever up in the area, I will be visiting again!
(4)Malden G.
Ordered 3 Lobsters and all three hardly had any meat in them. The refunded my money back when I showed them the contents inside the claws were smaller than a twig. GET YOUR MONEY BACK if you crack them open and find out you just wasted 50$ and 40 minutes waiting.
(2)Ellen H.
Self serve, extensive menu, salad bar is fair...... the seafood is fresh and good... it is expensive but, average for fresh seafood.... lots of parking and seating.... fun dining room......feed the gulls it is a hoot =) I can see this place being heavily crowded in season.....
(4)Drew F.
Been going here for years since I was a kid. It's always been overrated. If a restaurant pills tons of food on a plate, people automatically love it for some reason. But it was always serviceable. Not any more. The pile of food is still there. But the quality, never that great to begin with is terrible. Food soggy. No taste. Greasy. Any of the other fried seafood places a half mile or so away on route 9? are way better than this. Way better. Do yourself a favor and pass this place by.
(1)Joseph C.
Another childhood favorite. I can remember eating here as a kid when we used to call it "The Tent" because you sat under large awnings. You stop at the window order your food wait to be called and go to pick up your order. Perfect place after a day spent at Old Orchard Beach. We always order steamers and dive into those as an appetizer before we tacke our lobster or fish plate. Is there anything better than stuffing yourself with seafood after a day at the beach.
(4)Wendy D.
Okay want to start of with. Real maine clamchowder is not the thick goopy stiff you get out of cans. It is a soup. Now I love the flavor of the chowder the fresh taste of the clams you name it. However, the last time I went to the clambake the chowder was soooo hot I burnt my tongue so bad it took 3 days to get better. The rest of the food is okay and couldn't day I would recomend it. If you want a real taste of Maine you need to find a local Lobster fisherman. The will have a little gazebo up and be bioling "lobsta" and crab fresh to order. You can take live ones home or you can have them cok them and eat them there or to go. Always a good deal on "Culls" one clawed lobsters.
(3)Alicia S.
Love it! We got the chicken finger dinner and the captains platter for two. We were not disappointed. The Captains was large enough that we'll eat a few meals from home on it. The tenders cooked to perfection. Crispy outside, tender inside, and the price for all we got, well worth it! The place is very affordable, and very nice. Would certainly recommend
(5)Heather G.
The Clambake is an unmitigated disaster when it comes to efficient flow of service. Process: 1. Wait in a wind-ey line full of tourists, reach the counter for your turn, shout out an order, get a number 2. Wander down the high-school-memory-inducing halls to find a seat down one of the corridors in one of the many room-offshoots 3. Loudspeaker calls out numbers periodically (you can imagine the noise pollution that goes on here), and you rush up to get your tray, returning to your seat with a greasy pile of deep fried fish parts, gobs of tartar sauce, and wet naps galore. The entire experience is a ruckus, and not for the faint-of-heart or high-of-blood-pressure...so those pregnant or nursing, or with a serious risk of heart attack, stroke, or liver damage may want to consult a physician before beginning dinner. Now, onto the food: Those tourists coming to look for the "authentic Maine seafood experience" - save your money. This isn't it. This stuff is battered and deep fried to the point of nonrecognition. For those who claim to "hate seafood" and so instead contemplate ordering the chicken fingers when they eat here- don't bother. It all tastes the same - like some sort of white-fleshy-meat, deep fried and carrying the faint hint of a seafood smell. You can't avoid it. Now, for those who want to have a REALLY casual meal, eat something greasy and sinful, and then go out back to feed the seagulls and take in the salty ocean air, this is your place. Though, I still cannot understand why people like to feed seagulls. (or pigeons for that matter). They just become a nuisance if you attract them with food. But hey, I guess *that* actually IS part of the Maine-coastal experience. I wouldn't necessarily stay away from this place, but I would say that you should probably come here if you're craving crunchy, greasy fry, not if you're craving a nice coastal seafood meal the way Maine-ahs do it.
(2)Karen R.
The Clambake has a huge menu, a salad bar and tons of seating. I've never had anything here that I didn't like. I usually get the fried scallops and they always taste fresh. They also have a cute little gift shop attached.
(4)Benny Y.
He says: This is a solo review, as I did not see fit to bring the "she" there when we went up to Maine. The Clambake is not a very good fish place. The chowder is too thin and watery, the fish is mediocre, the breading is too heavy, and the prices are high. Their only plus is that the place is huge. I mean, genuinely enormous. So you'll always find a seat, even if they take forever to make your food. So if for some reason you need to feed a large number of wealthy people with no taste in seafood, perhaps this is the place for you. Seriously though, there are much better places. I wouldn't get seafood from here even if it was 100 miles further inland. She says: What a gentleman.
(2)Lindsay G.
In the top five worst restaurants I have been to in my lifetime. The lobster was so terrible I had to return it. The decor reminds of the movie the "Great Outdoors" with John Candy-stuffed deer heads everywhere. The one saving grace? Their salad bar which was pretty decent for what is essentially a nasty, seafood cafeteria.
(1)Gregory B.
I do not recommend the Lazy Man's Lobster. For almost $26, I expected a good portion of Lobster. All they gave me was three small claws. When I asked if that was right, they told me next time I should ask questions before ordering. I couldn't believe it!
(1)Dave C.
I went to the clambake for many summers. I like the decor inside the bears and moose are cool. The seagulls are ridiculous. But now that I've tried alot more seafood places I think the food is just OK. Just fried piles of seafood. It all tastes the same.
(2)Melissa N.
We used to cone to Old Orchard every year and eat here. My husband ordered chowder. It was more like soup. My dad got lobster and steamers it was super water filled. Or friend ordered chicken w stuffing and it was bland and didn't have much stuffing. My husband also ordered baked haddock. It was so dry and in need of seasoning. We will not go back or recommend to friends.
(2)R K.
many memories of this place from family trips to maine. just went here recently and still really like the fried clams here.
(4)Stephanie B.
This place is disgusting. The food is expensive, considering what you get is a heaping portion of over-cooked, greasy, fried seafood. There are so many casual-style seafood places in Pine Point that it seems like a travesty to settle on the Clambake. Leave the Clambake and drive in either direction for five minutes or so and you'll find a handful of similar places with much, much better food.
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