Review The Gloucester House Restaurant - Gloucester

My family from out of state really wanted to try New England style seafood experience. This place did not disappoint. We tried calling ahead after a long day of sightseeing. But told we would have to come in and place our orders which was perfectly fine with us. Ordering at the window went surprisingly fast considering how packed the place was. There was outdoor seating and live music. And awesome views of the harbor. I would definitely recommend this place if you don't mind a busy atmosphere.

I had a hot lobster roll and a cup of clam chowder, girlfriend had fish and chips and we got an order of onion rings to share. The truth is we couldn't finish all the food we got, though not for lack of trying! The portions were so generous, we could have split an entrée and still been stuffed. Chowder was perfectly solid, just a really good, authentic New England clam chowder. The lobster roll was just piled with fresh, tender, juicy lobster meat. It didn't really hold up as a sandwich you could pick up, but that barely matters. The fish and chips was crisp and fresh. And actually the onion rings were a surprising highlight of the meal. They were fresh, you could tell they are cut and battered on-site, and you can tell they do a great job of changing out their fry-oil because they didn't have any of that fishy smell/taste that sometimes happens with places that are frying a lot of fish and other items. Overall the meal was 10/10 for value and quality.

I was just walking, saw the place and ordered two lobsters for $32, they were cooked fast and tasted great. I stayed in outside sitting area, with very atmospheric view of fishing boats and the water. I think the entire area is renovated, all tables, chairs, umbrellas looked new.

Great seafood restaurant in Gloucester. There was live music, great drinks, and delicious food. We got the fisherman’s platter, lobster roll, clam chowder, onion rings, and bang bang shrimp. We noticed that everything needed a touch of salt, but over all was very good. My personal favorite were the fried scallops in the fisherman’s platter. This is located right along the water as well. Highly recommend stopping here if you can!

We we’re looking for a lobster (lobstah) roll, and we were not disappointed. Although we didn’t get a lobster row. Platters are big!! I got a togo box before I sat down. Can easily feed 3. Yum!!

One of the epic lunches I had was here! Perfect taste, perfect music, perfect vibe!❤️ Service was quick; parking was easily available; wasn’t too crowded! Highly recommend anyone looking for a lunch!

Dine inside or out at this seaside gem. Although the meat in our lobster roll was over-chilled and tough to chew, the fish tacos (with haddock batter-dipped and fried rather than blackened) were delightful. Worth a visit!

There is a huge gift shop here that I visited. It has the basic merchandise. There cafe's pastries looked good 👍.

Amazing food and wonderful atmosphere. Bar service is always great too!

Enjoyed the experience here. The food is fresh and tasty.

Great food. Nice "by the sea" restaurant. The lady was wonderful, and prices are fair. Definitely recommended.

Wonderful food! Highly recommend it to anyone who wants good fresh seafood.

Great place to write a postcard by the harbor! Their Garden Salad with Italian dressing is AMAZING! When you’re ordering, you have to know what you want. If you ask them what’s in something, they’ll ask you what you don’t want. Also be aware that if you order onion rings they will give you an enormous plate. My favorite part about this restaurant: they have recycling and compost bins! Highly recommended!

Dinner this evening was amazing, great service, food cooked to order, fast and best meal we have had this vacation! Friendly, professional staff and great atmosphere sitting outside by the water. Will definitely be back. (Fried clams - huge portion and cooked perfectly. Lobster was sweet and delicious, poke bowl was also generous size, huge shrimp and delicious. .

great little spot to pop into . we just had oysters but everyone was having lobster and seemed happy !

Awesome food and fantastic atmosphere but even better..... the bands that play there. When there is a band playing, everyone and everything comes alive! You have friends everywhere that make you feel part of the community. The food is awesome and for the price, you get more than your share. They pile the plates. No one goes hungry! And of course the atmosphere, you are on the pier overlooking the most beautiful sight... the ocean with boats bobbing up and down at the docks! God's country for sure!

First timers to this establishment and what great food. You order food at the window, at which time you get a pager and you pick up your order. I had the blackened haddock taco 🌮 and the other person dining with me had a hot lobster roll. The haddock was cooked perfectly, As well as , the wonderful succulent lobster. 🦞 As far as service go, the prep was actually amazingly fast. There was no service outside where we were eating. There was a bar outside. The staff was pleasant and the restaurant was clean. I can heartily recommend it! The best part was seeing the captain and crew of “”the Hard Merchandise” of “Wicked Tuna”. It made for a perfect day.

The food was delicious, and between the prices and portions you get way more than you pay for. The scenery for your meal is just as good as the food, absolutely breathtaking. The people that worked there were perfectly placed to keep the entire experience perfect. I highly recommend!

My boyfriend has eaten here before and had a good experience even bringing the seafood mac and cheese home for me to try ( on a plane after freezing it ) it was delicious. We were expecting the same thing this time. The crab cakes were good. I ordered the lobster ravioli. The ravioli was not done, barely put in water. The sauce was tastless. My boyfriend ordered seafood mac again and it was as also tasteless. It was very saucy but not cheesy as normal. It's like they added cream not cheese. The rich flavor was not there. I ordered hot tea with cream it tasted funny to me but I thought maybe it's because of the water here. My stomach started hurting and ended up going to the rest room. My boyfriend smelled the creamer containers that I had already used and they smelled rotten. We paid for our very expensive, tastless meal after talking to the waitress, without even a sorry and left. I had a terrible stomach ache all night. I apparently like too much cream in my 2 cups of tea. We've had much better , cheaper food everywhere we have went. So disappointed in food, more disappointed in action of restaurant.

We were pleasantly surprised with a stop on a Sunday afternoon. The restaurant offers a brunch but we chose to order off the menu. Alex was our server and he was wonderful. The best fish tacos I’ve ever had which was served with homemade guac, sour cream and sweet sauce and my husband chose blackened haddock served over a crisp salad. The portions were very satisfying. We tried an order of crab cakes and seafood tomato based chowder which did not disappoint. What we appreciated was that the “hot” food was served hot! The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars was the non dinner style music coming from the bar. It was not relaxing and a bit loud. Can’t say enough about the meal and the atmosphere with a table right on the water overlooking a fleet of boats! We will return.

My family of four went late yesterday afternoon following a whale watch. We should have taken the hint from the rude hostess and left immediately, but we were all hungry and wanted to enjoy a nice meal on the water. We were seated on the enclosed porch which was lovely; however, the tables are so crowded together that once we were seated, we couldn't get out without having to disturb the people seated behind us on either side. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive (she was the best part of the restaurant). The shrimp cocktail appetizer was ok, and the corn bread was good. My margarita was not like any other I had tasted before (not in a good way) and I switched to a beer because you can't really mess that up. The clam chowder was tasteless, as was my Italian salad dressing. Also, I was pretty surprised that to add grilled chicken to an $8 salad would cost me another $8! I opted to not add the chicken. Most disappointing was the Fisherman's Platter:just no taste at all. Neither of my sons ate their meals at all. Overall, we had a very disappointing experience, especially for the cost.

If I could give it more stars I would! Service was great and food even better. Had a few raw oysters, cup of chowder and lobster roll! I was in heaven....so full, no dinner was needed. I'll definitely be back!

Had dinner and lunch food was great our server Kenna was perfect loved this place thanks

I don't mind paying $30+ for a lobster pie, but I would expect twice the lobster meat we were served. This was a $14 lobster pie at best. There are far better lobster pies on the East and West sides of town, as well as in Essex ,and Ipswich. Surprised they have been in business so long.

I expected a bit more after all this history about this restaurant. Made a reservation, but it was almost empty. Got 3 oysters, 1.5 lb lobster and a glas of white wine for about 60 USD; fair deal comparing to Boston. Overall it is good, worth to visit, but they rest on to their own legend.

The food was excellent and the waitress was very pleasant. We had one problem and it was not addressed when brought to our server’s attention. Water was slowly dripping from the ceiling and even fell on the head of a member of our party. When we notified our server,she said she could not do anything about it because it was from the air conditioner. I felt this was not hygienic for a restaurant. There were water stains on the ceiling and I feel this needs to be taken care of immediately. Very unhealthy.

Fine location right on the Gloucester waterfront with their menu serving up some great food, but the attitude from the dining room manager was poor and only slightly better from the server... You would think they’d greet customers to their establishment with a smile and be more personable, and when you’re done and walking out past them, you’d expect them to lift their head up and acknowledge that you visited their restaurant and say, “thank you” and wish you a good day... A happy environment goes a long way to bring back customers instead of having them say, “well maybe next time we’re in town, we’ll try somewhere else”

Our class ate here during our Whale Watch trip. The food was great and the staff was super helpful and friendly. We were even treated to some history and a great story. Thanks!

We found this restaurant while looking for a place for dinner that wasn’t crazy noisy...the Gloucester house was perfect...the food and drinks were great, staff was wonderful (Brianna) and we will certainly be back on our next trip to the area...

Food was excellent! Best slaw I've ever eaten in a restaurant. Thank you for better my gluten friendly and offering delicious gf options. My daughter loved the gf lobster pie.

Over cooked lobster, mediocre service, food was not what was expected for the price. The owner was more comcerned about his friends visiting for diner that he totaly ignored the reat of his patrons. Very disappointing!

We visit the Gloucester House when we are visiting in the area. We enjoyed a delicious meal. My husband often orders linquini and clams as it is one of his favorite meals. His linquini & clams was the best he has ever had. He felt the clams were very tender. My scallops were delicious and melted in my mouth. We will be back on our next visit to Gloucester / Rockport.

Excellent and so prompt with service , we will definitely return. My husband loved his seafood platter and the seared scallops and warm apple salad was done just right. Value and portions generous and reasonable! We arrived at a busy time with out reservations and got seated right away.

MY SERVER ALEX was polite, and attentive, the boiled lobster was delish. And the view of my favoite schooner the Thomas E Lannon just outside the window was the perfect frosting on the cake! Where else should I have a totally fresh lobster than in the Gloucester House , on the harbor, with a voyage on the Thomas in the offing! ALEX was awesome, too!

If I could give no stars to this restaurant I would.&amp;nbsp;<br/><br/>Today my family attended The Gloucester House with a friend (total of 6 people) and were KICKED OUT of the restaurant. To start, my family was told they could not be seated while I was parking (it was raining so I dropped them off). Despite this slight inconvenience, we sat down at our table and were introduced to our waiter Hayley.&amp;nbsp;<br/><br/>When we proceeded to order, we were told there were no clams, asparagus, or Lobster Ragoons. We were disappointed and I told her so, since we had come just for the clams. She claimed that there were no clams because the restaurant had been busy that weekend. She asked what my daughter would like to substitute for the lack of clams in The Fisherman&amp;rsquo;s Platter. I then walked away from the table, and called another restaurant to see if they have clams, which they did. Hayley then came back and had a horrible attitude with us.&amp;nbsp;<br/><br/>After our conversation, the Manger came by to defend the waiter, saying that our waiter had cried due to our interaction. She said that the clams were ACTUALLY not available due to red tide. I apologized for the way I had spoken to her. The manger was rude to us and NEVER apologized once. I was also surprised that the manager then inappropriately confronted me on calling another restaurant.&amp;nbsp;<br/><br/>We were then given another waiter Kara, who was pleasant and turned our mood around. We received our food then, and were surprised to find that our plates included clams and asparagus!!&amp;nbsp;<br/><br/>The Manager then returned. We expressed our confusion on receiving clams that we were told were not available due to RED TIDE. She didn&amp;rsquo;t address our concern and continued to defend Hayley. She ending the interaction by aggressively walking away while I was still speaking to her. The manger was rude to us and still NEVER apologized.<br/><br/>While finishing our meal, the owner of The Gloucester house spoke with us. He approached our table, put one of his hands on my son&amp;rsquo;s shoulder and one on our friends shoulder, and said,&amp;nbsp;<br/><br/>&amp;ldquo;Lady&amp;rsquo;s and gentleman, I am the person who&amp;rsquo;s either going to explain what has happened or I&amp;rsquo;m going to throw you out. Who is the man who was rude to my waitress?&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;<br/><br/>I then simply said, &amp;ldquo;I was not that rude to her.&amp;rdquo; And he followed up with,&ldquo;YOU&rsquo;RE AN ASSHOLE.&rdquo; Several times.&nbsp;<br/><br/>We were all astonished and walked out before the situation escalated any farther. The owner told him to meet us in the front to give us his business card. As we walked out, the rest of the wait staff continued to accuse us of being &amp;ldquo;the rudest person we have met all weekend.&amp;rdquo; We waited for the owner&amp;rsquo;s business card, yet he never reappeared.&amp;nbsp;<br/><br/>Extremely disrespectful facility and staff, clearly going downhill.

We were hesitant to try this restaurant because of a bad review, but the bed and breakfast recommended them. We were not sorry at all. The service and waitress was delightful and helpful even when they got slammed with a busload of diners. She had some great suggestions that we thoroughly enjoyed- lobster casserole and the haddock tacos. We loved their homemade sangria and mushroom appetizer. Even with all that we ordered, the bill was very reasonable. We would highly recommend them.

Terrible service. I've come here 5 or 6 times hoping the next time will be better. Abysmally slow wait staff to take your order, an average of 30 (thirty!) minutes once you place your order until you receive it, 3 slices of rolls for table appetizer, and you pay through the nose.<br/><br/>So many other authentic Gloucester restaurants in area that i'll never bring parents here again.

Really disappointing. We went based on a review from a shop owner. The portions were tiny and the price was crazy. We had mussels and sesame tuna. The mussels were bland with no effort put into seasoning them and the tuna was tiny shaved bits over salad. In essence it was a tuna salad. Not what we paid for at all. We left upset.

Sangria is Fabulous. Wow, a lot of reviewers hated this place and had bad experiences, but I had a very nice meal here and would go back for the sangria alone. Tried both the red and the white and both were delicious. The calamari appetizer was crispy and hot and tasted fresh and the Fisherman's Stew was delicious. Great flavor and loaded with seafood!

Came through last week and loved the Clam Chowder and Bing Bank Calamari. After a week of running around New England came back here on our last day to have that Clam Chowder again!! Without doubt the best. Today we also had lobster and Seafood Diavalo -- outstanding!! Great food and service.

It was our last night on vacation and we were looking forward to a great meal. What we actually got was mediocre food at best and TERRIBLE service. Our waiter was not personable, never asked us how our food was, and forgot our appetizer order. The french onion soup was more like cheese soup and was inedible. There are many other restaurants in the Gloucester area with waterfront views and better food and service.

The food tasted good enough, but the prices were outrageous for tiny, TINY, portions. My family and I were treated like garbage, and were sat outside by a large family with many kids...apparently because we weren't good enough to sit inside. I've heard the locals talk about it as an uptight, typical tourist trap. What a shame.

It is what it is. Basically a tourist trap in a very cute Cape Ann town. I didn't have any of the service issues that some of the other reviewers have mentioned, but I will confirm that the food was mostly served room temperature, even the soups. Seems targeted at a much older crowd who might not be able to handle strong seasoning. <br/><br/>My lobster casserole was quite nice, just fresh chunks of lobster meat in a light breadcrumb crust, alongside pureed butternut squash and fries that were actually quite good. The high point of the meal was definitely the fried clams which were generously portioned, sweet, and very fresh.

Always disapointed.... We have tried the Gloucester House, many, many times as we find ourselves in Gloucester needing to get dinner, seeming to forget one bad experience after another. <br/><br/>The service is slow and frequently inadequate, we find ourselves waiting and waiting, wondering if there were some catastrophe in the kitchen. <br/><br/>The food is always lackluster at best and many times lukewarm. We always find ourselves regretting the choice to give The Gloucester House another chance as it has yet to make it worth the attempt.<br/><br/>Given all the other and newer choices in town it is best to drive to keep on driving by.

Typical tourist trap in a coastal town. One of many that use the 'lobster special' to lure the hopeful. Service was good, lobster a bit tough and the boiled red potato useful if thrown from the mound at Fenway. Felt they were going thru the motions. Obviously they could fix all of these negatives with a bit of attention and I hope they do.

Enjoyed this place. Food was very good...fried haddock sandwich was delicious. Jaclyn, our waitress,was very nice and personable.

Excellent food. Best corn bread in Gloucester! The seafood pizza was outstanding as was the pan seared scallop and apple salad. Our server was attentive and informative. It's possible to eat outside overlooking the docks but in the middle of the heat wave we appreciated the air conditioning.

Great atmosphere, lovely deck over looking the docks, boats, and water. The food, drinks, and service were fabulous and well worth the money spent!! Run, don't walk to gloucester house restaurant!!

The lobster bisque was wonderful Fried clam platter was generous and a good lunch for two of us; also delicious hot cornbread