We were visiting, and stopped in on Friday night (8/1/08). The reggae band was awesome, and we danced all night. Hope you will have this band again. Great food, atmosphere and music!
Posted by: Ann at August 3, 2008 05:53 PMin the words of The Who
meet the new chef; same as the old chef-
okay, as xpensive as the Rudder, good for drinks and bar;
fantastic bar staff, food is okay, but just okay-
Thanks for all the great reviews. Well summer is here and we can not wait to see all of you. I would like to introduce our new chef Matthew Manley. So come check out his food, it is exquisite. Couple of new things for your entertainment such as Gospel Brunches and speed dating and some great talent on thursdays. Any ideas, requests or critiques please post. See you this summer.
Posted by: Madfish Grille at June 15, 2008 05:36 PM
madfish is open! summer has begun.... new head chef this year, matthew i believe, well kudos to him! a wondefully refreshing menu with lots of options, no matter what you're looking for... we sarted with the spinach/artichoke/aged cheddar dip-delicious! then had the crispy chicken sandwich, nice and juicy, very good! oh and we had a side order of onion ring, they looked like art, and tasted great! i'm very excited to bring more friends&family around, spread the good word, and make madfish our choice destination this summer!!!! i overheard some people talking about their live music, saying thurs nts were sure to be a hit! we'll be back..... for sure.
When do you folks open for the season?
whether you want expensive weak drinks, or for that matter, ladies, this is the place to go! 
We go to school down in Boston and have been up three times this summer and plan on continuing. madfish is like our splurge every few weeks. the location is perfect, the food has been amazing for everyone, everytime, and the prices, all things considered are pretty decent for the quality and the view. service is slow and casual in that great sort of way that any restaurant on the water should have- the lazy beach kinda vibe which is great and the staff is fantatstic to boot. can't reccomend madfish enough
Posted by: Zach at July 27, 2006 10:58 PM
Yet again, another wonderful day at the madfish, not only was the food exquisite and the waitress remembered My wife andI, I know that I have left the last comment, but I really hope the owner looks at this and is excited. You have a great staff , good food and an excellent veiw. I honestly would bring anyone to this resaurant, I have only had lunch there, but I'm sure dinner is as wonderful as the lunches that I have experienced. I definetly reccomend the Johna Crab BLT, almost as good as the Lobester Roll! Nicole, if you see this, email me at FBrachfield@yahoo.com ! I want to see if you see this. Thank you
I just wanted to inform the owner that this is a wonderful restaurant. I went there at 4:30 today, july 18th, and my wife and I had a wonderful experience. Even with the heat, our waitress was friendly and delightful. Our lobster rolls were delicious and so were our drinks. I would recomend this restaurant to anyone who wants to have a great dining experience, hopefully you are as lucky as we were to get a great waitress! Thank you madfish.
what a great location! very cool ambiance. we had dinner in the bar, crab BLT&the mussels. food was excellent, as was the service. the bartenders&waitstaff seem to enjoy their work and each other, having fun while getting the job done. being in this business i can appreciate that. we stayed to hear some of the reggae music, we loved it. the bar got extremely busy and the ladies behind it were really doing a spectacular job trying to get to everyone while maintaining a smile! overall we had a great time at the madfish and will surely return. thank you.
i loved the evirnment especially that chef named jeff... the food was good too and the staff was kind and helpful. i give it a million stars the food was different and tasted sooooo good.
Just would like to thank everyone for another wonderful year.I appreciate all the reviews.Any comments or anything that you the customers would like to see in season 2006 please post.Have a great winter everyone and hope to see you in the Spring.
Nicole Ahearn
Posted by: Nicole Ahearn at November 20, 2005 08:31 AMQuite simply the best steamers, very good food and ambience. I would never miss a Sunday night with Jack Lee and Diversity. It's just too much fun. I look around and absolutely everyone is smiling all night long....pure pleasure!
Visited at the start of the summer and this restaurant was the best. I came back just recently and the entire place is falling apart. How can the owner put someone at the front desk that doesn't even speak english? I don't mean to offend, but that's just strange business.
The fresh, hip vibe from the beginning of the summer was missing and was replaced by over-worked, tired-looking employees. They all did a great job, but seemed like they were very tired.
The food was excellent, hats off to the team in the kitchen, things couldn't have been better.
Posted by: anon at September 12, 2005 12:54 PM
We were there this weekend, service was great considering it was so busy. The waitresses looked exhausted, even in the bar. The table next to ours had some issues with their food and it didn't seem as though there was any management to deal with it.
We, however, thought things were great regardless and will return if they are open for a few more weeks.
Went to Madfish Grille last night. Lovely atmosphere right on t he water, however, on a warm night with no airconditioning, it was a little warm, even with the windows open. Food was very good. There were 6 of us, and everyone seemed satisfied with their choice. Salads were all very good. Seafood risotto was excellent, fried seafood plate was excellent. Salmon was very good but could have been cooked a little more. Had to ask for bread as the waiter forgot to bring us some, but when he did, it was delicious with a humus dip. Entree came out a little too soon as we were still enjoying our salads. Prices were reasonable. We all said we would go back again.
went last night. the food is good, but we thought that we were going to see the latin band Fantasia,
but no band. we then were walking back to our car, and lo and behold the band was playing at the Studio restaurant, a few doors down. we went right on in and Studio.
Went to Madfish Grille today for lunch, after checking out the online menu and the comments here. A lovely, relaxing setting, definitely not for those in a hurry. The service was very good, the food arriving neither too late nor too early. Didn't have to strain our necks or rise up from our seats to get the waitress's attention. I started with the baby arugula and grilled mission fig salad with peppered chevre and pickled red onions. I think I was out of my league with this dish. Or does everyone have trouble with the "stems" of the arugula? The ingredients were fresh and the combination of flavors interesting, but a bit too vinegary for me. We both had the Cuban sandwich and this was fantastic. Huge chunks of smoked pork and ham with gruyere cheese and pickles piled between two large slices of thick bread and then grilled before serving. Came with an abundance of thin, crunchy lightly salted sweet potato fries and a smaller portion of crispy fried plantain. For dessert I opted for the Legit Banana Split made with Richardson's ice cream. My companion chose the strawberry shortcake made with lemon poppyseed cake, but this combination did not work for her. The other dessert items, including Madagascar Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee, an Elvis Torte (think peanut butter and bananas), Wildberry Bread Pudding, and Chocolate Cake, will have to wait for my next visit. The dessert menu does not appear on their online menu, so I thought I'd give some of the details here.
A soul-satisfying dining experience in a minimally hard-to-find, charming section of Gloucester. I'll be back.
Posted by: deronda at July 13, 2005 06:17 PM
I had dinner there last night out in the new front patio area. It's amazing out there. Our waitress was so nice and the food was incredible. I don't think that the food is over priced considering it is delicious and prepared so beautifully (try the tuna entree). I heard a few customers complaining about the how long they had to wait for their food, and in defense of this restaurant and all restaurants there are a few things to be considered: 1. this is not a fast food restaurant good food takes time to be prepared. 2. It was a beautiful saturday night, anyone expecting to go into ANY restaurant on a saturday night should EXPECT to wait extra amounts of time for a table, food and drinks. Instead of complaining just grab a drink and enjoy, that's what we did and the night couldn't have been better for us.
For the price this place is not up to par. I got the seafood rissotto and the rice was undercooked and crunchy and the lobster was overcooked. The drinks were small (though served in nice looking glasses) and once again over priced.
This area of Gloucester is lovely and dynamic, and the Madfish is a fun place from which to enjoy the atmosphere. Each of the three times I was there last summer (2004) the food was vy. good, the service was friendly (slow, but polite and pleasant), and the people-watching great. The surrounding art gallerys add much to the scenery and charm.
The weather couldn't be better for the madfish. I was there last night and the food, service and drinks were all incredible, as usual. The salmon and the halibut entrees are to die for. There isn't a comparable restaurant in this area!
Posted by: josie at June 11, 2005 08:52 AMThis place is my favorite bar during the summer time. I can't wait when it will be open pretty soon. It was so much fun to go there. I love to drink and socialize outside by the porch.
I can't wait for the madfish to open. I hope that everything is as good as last year. Can't wait for reggae, warm nights on the deck, delicious food and of course, Margaritas!!
good place to pull up, dock, and eat.. Very good!
Sunday Night at the Madfish - Reggae Night! It is great fun, with lots of people, great drinks and the band - Jack Lee and Divercity is spectacular. The band starts at 8. I've been going here nearly every Sunday in the Summer for 3 years and it is by far the most fun you can have in Gloucester on a weekly basis!
The Madfish just opened last night. The new menus is amazing, as usual. You're missing out if you don't try it!
Posted by: TOT at May 7, 2004 04:12 PM
This restaraunt is amazing. The dining room is beautiful with Charbanova fish on the walls. It's unique, to say the least. The staff is beautiful and friendly. The food has an exotic twist, different from anything around the cape ann area. The bar gives you that reggae, tropical, surf feel. Check it out!
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