Pretty good food! Second time Ive been there and it was great! Awesome shrimp cocktail, delicious salmon, rockin' haddock, wonderful scallops, and THE BEST chocolate cake EVER!! Greatly Recommended!

Posted by: antwan at June 14, 2009 11:36 PM

We brought guests and went by ourselves to The Gloucester House 3 MORE TIMES since our first visit on 6.30.2008 after not having dined there for a couple of years.All of our friends and house guests thrilled with the Steaks, Shellfish, Lobsters etc..The Seafood was generous and cooked to perfection and for some reason everytime we returned somebody in our party ended up ordering the Nut & Honey Salmon, without knowing we had it days before and loving every morsel of it.And it's only July 9th.Tonights meal 5***** again.

Posted by: Marillion at July 9, 2008 09:01 PM

For a True Taste of New England This Is The Spot.The food was outstanding starting off with the Home Baked Bread and ending with the strawberry shortcake.Service is excellent.The seafood, steaks and view are fresh in a relaxing setting on the waterfront.So many delicious choices on the menu and we are planning on going back weekly because the choices made it so hard to choose.We try most local establishments once before summer season kicks in and we are still raving about our positive experience at The Gloucester House we were both extremely happy and well fed.

Posted by: Marillion at July 1, 2008 01:03 PM

If you are looking great New England seafood, try this place! The haddock with the crumb topping is wonderful. Freshest fish I have ever had! My wife had the mediterranean salmon and she loved it. The service was good and the staff was friendly. The wines selection is good and reasonably priced. We were very pleased and will go back.

Posted by: Dave M at February 9, 2008 08:00 PM

75% of restaurants fail in their first year. As a long-time native of the area I have seen places come and go; trends ebb and flow. The Gloucester House has been in business for nearly 50 years. They must be doing something right.

It's fresh seafood in a laid-back, no-frills environment. If you know fish and aren't looking to be bowled over with gimmicks or an overbearing atmosphere, try it. I've had the salmon and the haddock entrees and have enjoyed both. Portions were large after having an appetizer and their tasty -- what I'm told -- homemade bread. The place isn't perfect, but no place is. I've tried all the "new" places in town and from what I hear they stole several chefs from this place. Plus, the "new" restaurant's menus have the exact same options as the Gloucester House (e.g. sole with crab stuffing and lobster sauce). At least this place has a long-standing reputation and original dishes.

Also, while the breakfast menu is no longer an option, the Gloucester House does have an impressive brunch buffet for private events. That's my favorite.

Posted by: Brandon Jackson at January 17, 2008 03:20 PM

No Stars. Service was fine, but the food was gross. Calimari tasted like dishwater, steak was tasteless. My boyfriend ordered haddock and he loves fish and normally eats every bit. I don't even think he ate a third of it. Onion rings and diet coke were about the only palatable things I tried. I was told the place was bad when I first came to Gloucester 11+ years ago. Yup. Agreed.

Posted by: Amie at December 29, 2007 11:36 AM

Even with some of the poor reviews we read here, my wife and I decided to try the restaurant. We were pleasantly surprised. We both very much enjoyed it. Great food and service. The restaurant also has a very nice atmosphere. Nothing here to complain about. We will go back.

Posted by: Bill at September 4, 2007 11:32 AM

What a rip off. I felt like a tourist when they handed me a tiny plate of fish....asked the waitress if she was joking, nope, they weigh out the portions. Managment did offer to make up with a free desert, no thanks, I'm not a desert person.
I will never go back, ever. So many other good deals around. Never again.

Posted by: glenn at August 15, 2007 04:30 PM

This was our first stop on a 4 day visit to Cape Ann. It was a rainy cool evening and the Soup and Salad was great. Service was good. Place was "packed"

Posted by: Bob & Carla at July 24, 2007 06:36 AM

this was my first time eating here. i ordered the stuffed sole, which in my oppinion had verry little flavor. i also ordered a bowl of lobster bisque to go to have something for a snack later on, while it wasn't worth the wait. it had absolutly no lobster flavor at all but more of a flour taste, and no meat in it at all. the service was also verry slow. i will deffinatily be looking for another place in gloucester to eat. i do not reccomend this place

Posted by: billy at July 16, 2007 05:54 PM

The bar specials are to die for and who wouldn't want to enjoy the company of Gilligan! He is delightful and a wonderful bartender.

Posted by: Monya at November 29, 2006 09:19 AM

The waitress screwed up my order and I sat with others while they ate for 20 minutes. I didn't want their meal getting cold. The food was okay and she was very apologetic. I will probably go back to give it another shot.

Posted by: Liz at August 19, 2006 11:20 PM

Our worst dining experience on Cape Ann! Poor food, slow service, rude waitstaff. Will not go back.

Posted by: Wendy at August 3, 2006 10:56 AM

My wife and I ate here in April 06, and the food was excellent. I had baked haddock, she had lobster. Granted it's tough to screw up lobster, but the haddock was superb. The homemade bread to start was very good, so were all the sides that came with the meal. It also has nice maritime NE charm. I am a native to the area and this is a good place to visit when I return.

Posted by: Rob at May 24, 2006 05:49 PM

P.S.

I can be reached at my work email
mccartysj@3div.usmc.mil

Thanks,

Posted by: Stephen J. McCarty at August 5, 2005 12:10 AM

I'm trying to get intouch with Michael L. Linquata who served in the 134th during WWII. If you or someone could please help me get intouch with him I'd appreciate it. My grandfather was in 2nd Platoon with him.

Thanks,

Sgt McCarty, Stephen J.
USMC

Posted by: Stephen J. McCarty at August 5, 2005 12:08 AM

My wife and I just moved into town and tried the Gloucester House. We thought it was pretty good. Although they have the sweet harbor view, we were hoping for a little more in the atmosphere department, in the inside. The food was good though...staff was great too. Hopefully they get a makeover or something because we're going to be hear for a while and we wouldn't mind adding a cool dinner spot to our "definite" list.

Posted by: Mike at June 28, 2005 07:46 AM

This was my first and last time coming to this place. The food was definitely overrated, but the service is the worst I have ever seen. The waitress couldn't remember her own name never mind what our order was. The whole wait staff should be fired. They are more interested in talking to each other than taking care of customers. This place is a disgrace, and if I could have given them 0 STARS I would have. Stay away from this place!!!!!

Posted by: Tony at May 26, 2005 12:43 PM

So wonderful. You walk in thinking that children should not be there, but the staff is so warm and accommodating that you forget you're in a nice place. My 2 1/2 year old daughter was delighted by the surroundings and the staff made our night out great. Thank you!!

Posted by: Laurie Andria at April 16, 2005 08:21 PM

Good place to eat in the winter because of the warm view of the fishing boats. Fried clams were good, service was excellent. Not unique perhaps, but certainly better than some of the previous reviews!

Posted by: Nancy from NJ at February 22, 2005 01:14 PM

Well, it had been years since I had been in here, so I though I'd give it a try. It started bad and got worse. On a hot Saturday afternoon I stepped out of my car to what appeared to be vommit in the parking lot. If that wasn't bad enough, there were dozens of yellow-jackets buzzing around the mess.
When we got inside we were told we would have to wait around 20 minutes, but it looked as though there were plenty of empty tables the whole time we waited, which turned out to be closer to 45 minutes.
My wife got the fish and chips. She had only one bite of the fish and left the rest. I had stuffed peppers, that were supposed to be a special.
I have no idea what these peppers were stuffed with, but it would not be a stretch to guess moose-droppings and rice. The tomato in my salad could not have been sliced within the past 48 hours and the dressing smelled like an old shoe.
The most amazing thing was the fact that the bartender broke wind loudly TWICE while we were there, the second time she laughed uncontrolably for several minutes afterward, like a child.
All in all, a terrible display!!

Posted by: Mikey at August 16, 2004 01:46 PM

The food wasn't as good as I had though and the service was slow.Clean environment was a nice touch and the views.But the food was about the same as if you bought it at a grocery store.I have to agree the seafood was just awful(very tough).
I'm sorry But I don't recomend this restaurant.

Posted by: Diana at June 21, 2004 09:13 PM

I have been three times and I think the food and service was good. I got fried shrimp twice, nice portion and the Shrimp was excellent. My husband usually gets the fried clams sometimes with a combo of other fried seafood and he loves it. Service has been great. I love the window seats, something about that harbor view with the fishing boats.

Posted by: Mary at June 12, 2004 02:56 PM

The lunch there is exceptional. The Friday night specials are outstanding food and value though a little smaller portions which are fine. Chowder is very good. Service has always been very friendly and efficient although the kitchen can sometimes be a little slow when they're very busy. Fish is fresh and not overcooked.

Posted by: Charlie P. at April 13, 2004 04:17 PM

Note from Admin: If you wish to post a complaint about an establishment, please mention the specific reasons that made you unhappy with the food or service. We'd also appreciate reviews that are polite and constructive.

Posted by: George B. at March 31, 2004 12:29 PM

Dinner portions were small, quality was average at best. The only positive are the harbor views.

Posted by: porkie at January 9, 2004 05:08 PM

Awful. Stay away. I am a long term cape ann resident. I know why I avoided it for 10 yrs. It is just as bad now as it was tben. Stale food and expensive. I had jumbo shrimp which tasted tough as if they had been over cooked or thawed badly. The steak was tough, the service awful.

It's a tourist trap for people who don't know any better

Posted by: chris at January 1, 2004 05:27 PM

I wondered why I was the only person eating my usual $4.95 lunch special at the Gloucester House bar today. This review site must be getting around. I hesitate to comment because I almost always eat lunch at the Gloucester House if I am not eating a take out salad and yogurt from Shaws at the picnic table at the Heritage Center. I have not found a deal as good as the G. House bar lunch specials anywhere else in town, and the other regulars are hardly newcomers to the community.

Posted by: Damon at November 14, 2003 02:07 PM

I have only eaten here once. The food was so-so, but our waitress was horrible. She kept forgetting things, and other tables were given bread knives. When we asked her if we could have one, she picked up my butter knife and asked me what I thought that was. We ended up using our hands to rip apart the bread. Haven't been back since.

Posted by: Heather at November 13, 2003 11:14 PM

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