Thanks so much for recommending the Topside for Thanksgiving. Great place.
One could tell upon entering that the atmosphere was unpretentious while
reflecting a confidence and style. One also can tell a lot about a place by
the why staff interact with the customers which reflects on how they are
treated by the owners. Great staff, great food.
Thanks again,
My wife and I and our 3 children were in Gloucester this past week from Ontario Canada and had dinner on Wednesday night at Topside.
It was the second time for us ,but the first time with our children and we thought it was excellent as usual.The staff is friendly and the food(I had lobster)is fresh and tasty.
We are coming back next August and will be back at your wonderful establishment.
Hicks Family
We are from the west coast and spent two weeks in New England. We spent6 of those days in Gloucester. This restaurant was recommended to us by the motel that we stayed. The service, food, atmosphere, and in particular the young man that waited on us,Ryan was his name. All of the above had us eating here three times and no disappointment at any of the visits. Highly recommend this restaurant.
Myself and a few friends were in Gloucester for the fiesta and we came across a small bar and grill on Rogers street.We decided to go and were greeted by a pleasant hostess.we were seated immediately(because it was dead)and shortly after was greeted by a clumsy young man who brought us crackers and some yellow tinted bean dip,not to mention he almost spilled the water on my lap. I was appalled to the fact that a salad cost 5 bucks and had little vegetables!!!!!!!For dinner i ordered the lobster special and was furious when it was cold as ice.Needless to say i will not be returning to this overrated establishment,one star is one too many!!!!!
Myself and a few friends were in Gloucester for the fiesta and we came across a small bar and grill on Rogers street.We decided to go and were greeted by a pleasant hostess.we were seated immediately(because it was dead)and shortly after was greeted by a clumsy young man who brought us crackers and some yellow tinted bean dip,not to mention he almost spilled the water on my lap. I was appalled to the fact that a salad cost 5 bucks and had little vegetables!!!!!!!For dinner i ordered the lobster special and was furious when it was cold as ice.Needless to say i will not be returning to this overrated establishment,one star is one too many!!!!!
My wife had a Bioled Lobster ($13.99) it was cooked perfectly she loved it. I had the chicken and eggplant parmesan with linguini Huge it was delicous the best i've ever eaten. also $13.99 we also had two cocktails a 16oz beer, coffee and split a piece of cheese cake with strawberries the waitress was friendly and knowledgable about menu. When we got the check I was surrprised it was under $50.00 This I CAN afford We'll go back again and again. Excellent!!
went to top side grill almond crusted salmon was out of this world wait staff was also awesome i will be back probably on a weekly basis ty dennis and dawn for agreat place to eat again
We ate at The Topside Grill this weekend and it was wonderful, great waitstaff, good food, and at decent prices.
can't wait till they reopen!!! my wife and i miss their cozy pub! prime rib and lamb shanks 
I have been traveling to Glocester and eaten at this establishment for 30 years. They make the BEST chowder and fish sandwiches. Their chef is amazing. Not much to look at but truely a hidden gem.
how can you post a bad review in jan/feb when this placs has been closed for these months I find the food great
This place is overpriced and tastes as if they serve frozen dinners. I am new to the area and found it to be the worst place I have tried in Gloucester. YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Me at February 7, 2008 06:52 PM
Possibly the worst establishment i have ever stepped foot in.the hostess was sloppy and corny.I also disliked how the bus person and the waitress waited on us.The roles of these two women should have been switched as the busser was more quick on her feet and more friendly.i was amused when the owners came to the the table with thier fake smiles and awful hair.and the food just striaght up sucked
Pretty good. Waitress was pleasant, timely, sincere and the effort was there. Food was good for the price. We had 2 big beers, 2 fancy (and yummy) martinis, an app. and 2 entrees and with a generous tip (more than 20%) was still under $80.
Worth going back! Not fancy, but just what I was looking for--casual and tasty. Good menu. Hope more check it out as it was pretty empty on a Friday night and it is 500% better than the nasty, tastelss Gloucester House across the street!
Posted by: Marci at December 29, 2007 11:32 AMHEY YOU REALLY NEED TO CHECK OUT THIS RESTAURANT. WE EAT OUT EVERY SAT. NITE IN GLOUCESTER AREA. THIS WAS OUR 2ND TRIP TO TOPSIDE (FORMERLY SCHOONERS & NOW RUN BY THE ORIGINAL OWNERS). FOOD IS FRESH AND HAS EXCEPTIONAL TASTE. SERVICE IS THE BEST. PROBABLY THE CLEANEST RESTAURANT ON THE NORTH SHORE. AND THE BEST KEPT SECRET!
can i say we went there with all good intentions after reading all the great reviews on this site. we ordered clam chowder to split and it seemed to be okay but a little resemblence to snows clam chowder. I had gota cheeseburger club and my wife chicken parm. The parm. was very good, my plate dissapointing ordered med rare and got well to well done. anyway i will go back to try the seafood. over all it has a nice feel and there still working out the bugs. george from gloucester
Outstanding! It's great to have the rightful owners and chef back where they belong! Great service! Clam Chowder is phenomenal, seafood is incredibly fresh. Chicken and Eggplant Parmesan WOW very tasty (excellent sauce!) Even the dessert Chocolate Bread Custard and Pecan Pie was good to the last bite. Dennis and Dawn came over to the table to say hello and we remembered how much we have missed their restaurants in town! It's great to have you back! Do not miss out on this experience! RATING The Topside Grill At 5 STARS
A newcomer to the Gloucester area, this incredibly friendly and affordable seafood tavern should win prizes for both "hidden jewel" and "quintessential New England dining experience". Walking distance from both the ocean and the shops & restaurants in historic downtown Gloucester, this is EXACTLY the type of establishment the North Shore was in need of.
Spending many hot summer weekends on Crane Beach, my wife and I found it increasingly difficult to end our beach days with a proper seafood dinner, in a comfortable, air conditioned, sit-down restaurant. Something you'd think would be an easy find on the North Shore... definitely NOT the case. Sure, you've got a dozen clam shacks along Route 127 and some fancy lobster restaurants up on Route 1a - but with those places, you're either breaking your back waiting in line (not to mention aggravating your sunburn with the cramped & sweaty conditions); or breaking the bank, wishing you hadn't forgotten your kakis and polo shirt. (-:
Enter: Topside Grill. We randomly stumbled upon it after driving around the North Shore and aimlessly walking the streets of Gloucester - desperately looking for a calm and cool place to satisfy our appetite for seafood. Despite wearing our sandals and casual beach garb, we were immediately welcomed by a friendly hostess, eager to seat us in any one of the unoccupied booths. Within minutes, I had some sort of refreshing 20oz microbrew in my hand (from Maine), and was drooling indecisively over the endless options for fresh seafood: both raw and cooked. Steamers, baked stuffed clams, chowdah, grilled swordfish, you name it - they had all the bases covered.
Service was prompt, though a bit uneasy - which goes hand in hand with any new opening. The atmosphere was perfect: a bit on the divey side, with a tavern area adjoining the restaurant, dim lighting, photos of lighthouses and nautical charts on the walls. At any moment, I felt that a character from The Perfect Storm could walk in and have a seat at the bar - definitely filled with hard-working locals on the tavern side.
The best part was the final tab. Dinner for two, including two beers and a glass of wine came in at just under $60. We did not skimp out either - we had a baked/stuffed seafood combo platter, a large salad, several sides, and the special house steamers; which the chef/owner personally came to our table to make sure we were satisfied with. Apparently, those steamers came off one of the visible fishing boats on the nearby docks, within an hour of us eating them!
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Posted by: doug at October 8, 2007 09:24 AM
Outstanding! It's great to have the rightful owners and chef back where they belong! Great service! Clam Chowder is phenomenal, seafood is incredibly fresh. Chicken Parm is very tasty (excellent sauce!)Even the desert was good to the last bite. Dennis and Dawn came aver to the table to say hello and we remembered how much we have missed their restaurants in town! It's great to have you back! Do not miss out on this experience!
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Posted by: Noelle at October 8, 2007 09:15 AMLooks like I get the honor of giving the first review of the NEW TOP-SIDE GRILLE. I have eaten there twice since they've reopened, and let me just say that the food the new chef is preparing is great. First I had the fried clam plate, huge mound of clams fried in an awesome batter, served with fries and cowl slaw. The fried shrimp plate was delicious, again huge portions and served with fries and cowl slaw. Every dish I saw come out of the kitchen looked amazing and I can't wait to try everything on the menu. The bar atmosphere is very friendly, with two T.V. for viewing and an unbelievably talented group of bartenders. I love all the changes.... 5 stars all the way. Keep up the good work.
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