Cape Ann Restaurants
 

We will be in Rockport from June 11 - 16 for a family wedding. After the wedding we plan to explore Cape Ann for a few days. Can you recommend great places for lobster and seafood? We will probably visit the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, go on a whale watch trip from Glouster, explore Marblehead, Ipswich and Rockport and go to Boston one day for the Gaugin exhibit at the BMFA. Any other ideas are welcome.

Restaurants in Rockport:
Casual seafood -- Fish Shack, Chowder House
Expensive, fine dining, gourmet food, gorgeous views: My Place by the Sea

Gloucester restaurants:
Casual seafood: Charlie's Restaurant
Seafood, steak, apps, drinks, HUGE menu: McT's
HUGE portions of seafood for great price: The Causeway

Hope that helps!!

Try Woodman's in Ipswich. It's a lobster shack type place where the fried clam originated.

Isn't Woodman's in Essex? And it's much more than a lobster shack now...?

Yes, Woodmans is in Essex. I actually prefer Farnhams over Woodmans...to each their own when it's comes to the best clam shacks on the North Shore!
Also in Essex, Perriwinkles is a good choice.

You're right, BuzzyJ -- it IS in Essex. Another senior moment <<sigh>>...

Second for Woodman's - order at the window, eat at picnic tables. Great seafood - but don't let the modest surroundings deceive you - it is not cheap - but it is local, fresh seafood. (well, maybe the shrimp are not local!)

They also have a liquor license.

While there are several other places locals say have as good or better seafood (one could engage people in a heated debate over this), if you are visiting, Woodman's is a local institution - I think that is where you should eat one meal anyway.

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions! I hope we can try many of them.