Woodman's Of Essex-Restaurant & Catering

Been going here since I was born in the 1960s & it hasn't changed a bit! Awesome fresh seafood, authentic picnic atmosphere that's timeless. Thanks Woodman's for being a classic!

What a wonderful surprise to find they had gluten free batter and a gluten feee flyer! the clam strips were amazing!

Another year, another excellent meal at Woodman's! The fried clams are the best you'll find anywhere, and the steamers are excellent as well. Service is always quick. Still recommend!

Well to be fair the fried food was very good. The clam chowder was tasteless and seemed to be basically hot white water with a few ingredients. Stay away from this unless you like Campbells soups. Although expensive : as all bellied clams are the batter was very good. Tartar dip could have been a bit tastier as well : too much mayonnaise. Although the charm is sitting at those 100 year old wood tables and eating with plastic utensils; but mr woodmans could at least turn the heat on. Everyone in the place had to wear a coat: really!

Usually this is one of our favorite stops for late afternoon lobster and beer. I feel compelled to write this review because I am so so disappointed about the meal we had. First, the price. We had 2 small lobsters, 2 coleslaw, fries and small chowder and 2 beers. It came to over $150. I know everyone's suffering now but that's nuts for a place that is only counter service.

Even worse was that the lobster was over cooked, tough and flavorless. I think they even used fake butter because it had no flavor either. Finally, and this is the best (I say sarcastically) they don't provide any tools with which to eat your lobster. No picks, no crackers. This is no longer the lobster shack I used to love. It will remain a tourist trap but for a local, I'll no longer be stopping there. Sad.

This little bowl of fried clam boat has about 10 pieces of clam inside. About 4-5 of them has sand inside and some are large enough to spit out. The bottom is all fries. This dish is ~$27 after tax. Subtracting the fries, I am not pleased with how each of those little clams would worth $2. Just like other reviews, outdoor environment was good, tartar sauce was good, and fries are good. I guess Google reviews are not always reliable.

I have been hearing for years how amazing the food is at Woodman's, so needless to say I was very excited to finally give them a try. Sadly, that excitement would be short lived! To give them a good honest try, I wanted to sample everything. I first went for their clam cake, which I couldn't even swallow one bite of. The flavor was simply nasty.

So that went promptly in the trash. Next was the "award winning" chowder. I am not sure who was giving out awards, but it must have been one of those things where everybody gets a trophy, because I know I wouldn't vote their chowder as being a winner at all. So another course was tossed in the trash. On to the seafood platter. I have heard about how amazing the onion rings are, but even the picture is different than what is on their website.

These were just unimpressive, greasy onion rings, nothing special. the fish and scallops were both flavorless with the shrimp being only slightly better. The only item in my entire meal that didn't completely suck was the fried clams. which I am normally not a big clam lover to begin with. Sadly the majority of my, quite expensive, dinner went in the garbage. the only edible portion of the meal was the particular food that I am not fond of. You will not see me returning to Woodman's anytime in the foreseeable future!

I have been visiting Woodman's for many, many years now and it was always 5 stars to me and I was SO excited to get back here only to be totally let down. NOTHING like it used to be. For starters they changed the batter on their Onion Rings. what used to be light and flaky is no more, now it's wet, thick and greasy. Reminded me of the crappy onion rings you get at a local pizza joint.

The Fried Clams were just "alright" not "delicious" like I used to rave about. They were sort of dry inside. The Clam Chowder was lousy and after two or three bites I was all set. The Clam Cakes were SOUR. I took one bite and I had to spit it out and lastly the fries were cold and hard. Totally disgusted with our visit. Not sure what happened here.

Definitely not the best anymore! 100.00 for a Fried Clam Plate, 1 Seafood Platter, 2 single Clam Cakes and 2 cups of Chowder. This was my husbands first time coming here and he was really looking forward to trying it after hearing all the hype from me. He said "it's the worst 100.00 meal I've ever had" 100.00 down the drain. Sad to say, but I won't be back. Clam Box next time.

Had my first fried clam run of the year. clam chowder fried clams and calm fritters with my girlfriend. Delicious as usual. If you are in the area, make sure you check out Woodmans.

We stopped in for an order of the fried clams. It was April so luckily there were no crowds to deal with. Whole belly clams were large, fresh and the batter was light, airy with a nice crisp and not greasy. You could really taste the fresh clams. In my opinion the batter could use a little salt to enhance the flavor.

Absolutely the best local seafood in town! We were visiting Essex and found this place. we ate here three times, it was that good!

Special place - busy with lots of customers. So much fried options! We tried the clam bellies, fish sandwiches, and chicken strips. Staff is friendly, but the prices are expensive. I guess it's seafood, though. I think it's worth visiting once, but I probably won't be craving enough to return!

My wife and I travelled 2,500 miles so that we could go back to Woodmans. It was worth the trip. It is the perfect American clam shack.

Never disappoints. Can be a scene with the crowds, but if you hit it at the right time and grab a table, you're in for a treat. They're experts here, and the lobster rolls are fantastic. Whole belly clams, fish and chips, onion rings, chowder, you name it; they're all really good. A little expensive for the experience, but it's so good.

Famous fried seafood restaurant - it's famous for a reason. They've clearly been doing this a while, they have a really good system in place here. Big parking lot, tons of tables inside, food comes out quick and everything is delicious. Nice beer selection, and since the bar is separate from the counter, you can grab a drink while you're waiting for your food.

It is a little on the pricey side, but I think you get what you pay for here. I've definitely paid less for bad fried seafood at other places. This is the correct choice for a fried seafood outing.

We visited on a recommendation from a local. We ordered a scallop dinner( $38) and a piece of fried fish which they told me was cod ($20) The scallops were good but the fish was horrible. It was thick and slimy and not white and flaky at all. I spoke to the chef kindly, asking him if this was in fact cod. He assured me it was cod but said the cod they had been receiving wasn't the same as their "usual" cod.

I showed him my fish and how you couldn't break it apart with a fork and asked if maybe it wasn't cooked and he just looked at me with a blank stare. Very disappointing. The fries were over cooked and the onion rings were very greasy.

We stopped in for a fish plate, clam chowder, and drinks. I've walked by this place several times and have heard it's the "spot" and was excited to try it out. The inside is very rustic, reminds me of the barking crab in Boston - but this is how seafood should be served. The clam chowder was one of the best I've had, there was so many clams and potatoes.

As for the fried fish, it was next level when paired with tartar sauce. I couldn't discern if the onion rings were homemade or not - equally impressive. P.S. There are no baked fish options, deep fried or bust

Clam cakes were small and burnt. First time We ever left what is in the picture. Definitely not worth the trip! Tried the fried lobster tail not my best choice.

I can't understand the bad reviews. I have been here many times and at each part of the year. I went last night, actually drove far out of my way because I had a craving and they once again did not disappoint. For an old clam shack to be crowded this time of year says something and it's clear people never stop wanting thier food. I had the staple fried clams and maybe it cost more than other place but imo.always worth it. I have had pretty much everything at some point on their menu and it's always a treat and keeps me coming back. Don't miss out if you are in the area!

Down River Combo as shown. Front order, side pick, self service, huge parking lot. Honestly, there is nothing special about how they cook. Everyone fry seafood in the same way. But their meats are really fresh and tender as you can taste. The classic country-style dining room setting makes people feel at home. If you grow up in a small town and get tired of the fancy city life, this is a place to remind you the good old time. P.S., I wouldn't recommend the fried lobster extra. It's too small.

It's expensive as can be; that's true. (My total was $42.00. Kinda high for a fried clam shack.) And yes, the lines are long -- scads of folks drive in from Boston and Ipswich to eat here. But ya know what? I'd break my own arm for one of Woodman's lobster rolls right now, and I might chip a couple of teeth for some of their wicked good New England clam chowder. This place has been in business since the dawn of time for damn good reason.

Such a good place to go back in time. GREAT HISTORY. FRIED clams a must. Sweet staff. Drove 48 minutes from Boston just to see what the brag was about. Soo worth it

This place is amazing. There are gluten free options that are delicious and won't leave you longing for flavor and there are non-gf items that won't leave you hungry. If you want plenty of seafood, then be sure to stop here; it's worth the drive.

Hands down the best clam I have ever eaten! The portions were unbelievable & it was the freshest and highest quality seafood that I've tried since being in New England. We tried the Chubby's original, fried calamari, clamcakes, and some chowder. You literally can't go wrong here! Check out the outdoor seating if the weather permits.

Great local establishment! Food is fresh and made to order. Expect long lines! Has ample outdoor seating. Perfectly fried seafood! Good selection of different seafood. Good size lobster roll and reasonably priced. Recommend highly! Friendly and knowledgeable staff.

I have a severe onion allergy, and they were able to prepare my food without issues. They also offer gluten free options as well. This place has great food and the tables outside were perfect! We also had ice cream and it was delicious! I would highly recommend Woodman's!

Fried Scallop sandwich was amazing - aside from the tiny bun it was on. Ask for a second bun! When I got my dish I couldn't even see the bun it was so small compared to how many scallops were included. White tartar sauce came on the side and was great! Definitely the best scallops I've ever had. My friends both got the crab roll - great portion size (for everything!), crab taste really came through. Coleslaw wasn't anything special and fries were fries. Overall really good quality seafood! Scallop sandwich market place today was $25.

I am a big fan of fried seafood shacks around here and Woodman's didn't disappoint. Of course there was a line on the weekend but it moves quickly. The kitchen operation impressive to watch! Fast friendly service. Ample indoor and outdoor seating (with a nice view). Food wise: I thought the portion of fried clam strips for the small boat was generous but noticed my friend who got the same thing got theirs with fries and they got less clams since fries are put in the same paper basket.

The clams themselves were tasty and well fried. Surprisingly the fries were excellenr- crispy outsides and soft insides. The Cole slaw was well flavored and crunchy. The lobster roll was very generously portioned on a hot toasted buttered roll which I love. The only difficulty I had was getting a cup of water so bring a water bottle if you're looking for tap water to drink.

I know, I know that they claim to have invented the fried clam, but to my thinking that means they had plenty of time to perfect it. We just beat the down the street rush for take-out, but still had to wait. The only place to sit was one of two wooden benches against the wall (the other had a sign advising not to use it), which wasn't a good situation for anyone with difficulty standing for awhile.

I did feel for the hard working youngsters working very hard in the small, hot kitchen. Hope they made more than minimum wage. Our meals were taken to a friend's home, so perhaps a short time in the car added to the limpness of both fries and clams. It doesn't a have anything to do with a general greasiness and lack of flavor; it was the first time ever I didn't want to belly up to a whole belly clam lunch.