We ate a late lunch at Cala's yesterday and I was very disappointed. The ambiance was fine and the staff was friendly, helpful, and courteous. The problem lay with the food. The clam chowder had a sparse scattering of clams and potatoes but a lot of odd little balls of partly cooked flour. It was like eating a bowl full of floury dumplings in heavy cream. The baked haddock sandwich tasted good--and being able to get the fish baked instead of fried was a welcome choice--but there wasn't much fish to eat. Clearly the bun was supposed to fill us up, not the fish. The coleslaw was good and the hand-cut fries were excellent. But I would not go back. read more

A local place, for a quick bite. If you go early lots of noisy kids on the right side. Bar typically noisy on left. Fish tacos excellent. Craving a burger. Hamburger was way overcooked. Well done asked for medium rare. It was dry and shriveled up. Fries were okay. Average prices and service. Usually eat baked haddock which is often good. Individual pizza also can be good. Convenient. read more

Normally I don't write any reviews on yelp and rarely read others because they aren't too helpful. I am writing this purely to respond to "Brian L's" review below and will quote the character Sergeant Hulka from the movie stripes, "lighten up, Frances". Brian, Being from upstate NY myself and think the whole region here doesn't really do wings justice (other than a few establishments in Newton and Boston that shall remain nameless) but to say you would give Cala's four stars but for their wings is disingenuous. Have you ever had a lobster roll or New England clam chowder when you are home in Buffalo? Or had a steak in Buenos Ares, or even Chicago for that matter? I could go on and on with examples but the point is that many times one specialty item that made a certain way (albeit very simple to make) tends to get "changed" for the masses once you move further away from where it originated. As far as wings go, I wish more bars/pubs/restaurants could master this very simple but purists delight but we live where we do and for the most part, Cala's wings are better than most in the greater Boston area. Your description of "SN" which was really an off color and insensitive description was completely unwarranted and when you get called out by the bartender- you then try defend yourself by saying that your many friends on facebook seemed to have found it funny is completely irrelevant. You clearly run with people who are equally immature and awkward as yourself. You then go on to attack the bartender who you first say is attractive and then say must have been a transvestite after she rebuffed your asking for celery and carrots reeks of your own insecurity with women and probably fueled this whole personal attack disguised as a review. Finally after saying in the first part of the review that you would have given them four stars and then in your edited comments where you again start out by saying you were just being facetious and that the food is really good you again conclude with a passive aggressive statement trashing another dish. The point of these reviews is to fair and impartial and honest- you clearly have an ax to grind. Please state where you work so that some of us can go and give your efforts at your job a "fair and unbiased" review thrown in with a little of your awkward "like nails on a blackboard" humor.. read more

On a recent snowy night we stopped in for dinner. We live in town and have eaten there quite a few times. It is a convenience more than anything else. The food is o.k....nothing exceptional...The menu is mostly new with a few proven items. I was really turned off by the xtra charge to put CANNED anchovies on the caesar salad..WHO DOES THAT? In the past they have used WHITE anchovies..which are expensive so I can understand the up charge..On a more positive note..the service is always good and the atmosphere is cozy. read more

i've been here once for lunch about 6 months ago and had a very nice lunch, and just recently for my friend's rehearsal dinner and although it doesn't compare to many SF's restaurants, it does ok. the decor is ok, kinda institutionalized, like those wolfgang puck counters in the food court at the airport. their service was great- we had the whole place to ourselves for the rehearsal dinner, the servers were patient, and when it really WAS time to go, they weren't yelling "ok, time to go" like they did at the Landing down the street, and the meal was good, decent. i got the halibut and was pleased that there was risotto under it considering i WAS going to order the wild mushroom risotto but didn't b/c i was told the halibut was wild alaskan and had been flown in fresh that morning. we had a choice of creme brulee, chocolate turrine or sorbet, and i wished i'd gotten that damn choco-turrine, man was that hmmmm good, especially w/ a swig of red wine. the bartender was great too, when i ordered a vodka soda, he put it in a pint glass : ). it was a messy night... so there ain't much to chose from in manchester, the area is very affluent, so i'm surprised there is actually no really high end restaurant in town, but cala's is a nice choice for local fare. read more

Perhaps the best fish tacos on the North Shore. Consistently good food and service. Good bar as well.

The biggest problem is the attitude. The next problem is the food, it is a hit or miss. We have been there 20 times over the years and are done. This should be a restaurant not a clique. All customers should be treated fairly and with respect! What a shame it had great potential. read more

Our first time here. Tuesday, late afternoon/early evening. My fiance and I had a business meeting in the area and decided to walk around a bit afterward and look for a place to have a sandwich. The menu posted outside the entryway was very helpful to us. I love it when places do that. We were able to get a pub table at the front window on the bar side. The room was about 1/2 to 3/4 full. Our waitress was prompt and pleasant. First thing I loved was seeing the newfangled Jalapeno Martini on the menu--yay! A nice touch was that the olive garnishes (I think there were 3 or 4) were stuffed with cheese. We love fish and were pleased to see that we had a choice of baked or fried for our Haddock sandwiches. The sandwich bread was a nice Brioche-type roll. The lettuce was the tender, buttery, Boston variety which is much more suited to a sandwich than that fiberous and tough Romaine everybody else uses. The Coleslaw was studded with celery seed, another detail that most places tend to leave out. The waitress checked back with us at the appropriate intervals. The restroom was spacious and clean. The TV's, mounted in 2 corners and tuned to sports channels, were just the right size and volume to be entertaining but not intrusive. We live in Salem, just blocks away from many great restaurants, but we'll make the drive back to Cala's to try more from the menu. Thanks for the pleasant discovery! read more

Just finished having lunch here with my family. The place is smaller but has a nice feel to it with it's nice and bright decor and walls. I was trying to decide between the burger and pulled pork sandwich because I'm picky about pulled pork. I asked the server which he would recommend and without hesitation he said the pulled pork. It was SO good. I ate the entire thing which is usually not easy for me to do. But it was seriously amazing. The flavor was delicious. Everyone else in my party said their food was really good too. Will definitely be coming back for another sandwich!! read more

Great food, great service, warm decor, lively atmosphere. I'd be a bigger fan if they were a tad less expensive, but that's what I get for hanging out in Manchester. read more

The food isn't great at all, just kind of 'meh.' I went for lunch with my mom and they were literally out of four or five items on the menu (it wasn't busy when we were there). read more

Great chowder! It was not too rich and had a lot of flavor! My favorite after the beach.

I highly recommend this restaurant. Incredible food. We went on a sleepy Columbus Day at lunchtime with seven people (3 were kids). Everything was phenomenal. The calamari app was delicious, and all 3 salads ordered - Cobb, Arugula, and Spinach - were incredible. Very fresh leaves, perfectly done chicken, great homemade dressings. And the Reuben sandwich was amazing as well. The kids ordered pizza, chicken fingers, and hamburger. The burger and pizza were the best they've ever had - and I sampled and can confirm, these were not your typical kids meal fare. We were incredibly surprised that this small restaurant produced one of the best meals we've had in a long time. Great service as well. If you are in Manchester by the Sea, and want to be downtown and near the water, stop here. Then go walk to ice cream at Captain Dusty's, which is just 100 yards away. read more

Super good food. We had the butternut squash arancini to start and the pesto was on point. I ordered the mac and cheese which was so so good, it was more of a delicious pasta dish than just plain old mac and cheese. Service was good, atmosphere was chill. A little pricey but we'll definitely be back. read more

Good, solid food. Occasionally loud but you never have to wait more than 10 minutes to be seated. Wait staff is very friendly and I love their specials. read more

I had a great lunch with the delicious Cobb salad and wonderful chowder. The chowder was so awesome and full of lots of clams, potatoes, veggies. It was super savory with not too much flour read more

Absolutely terrific, easily the best restaurant on Cape Ann. We started with the oysters and the divers scallops, and then had the ostrich and the rack of lamb, everything was suberb. The service was good and the price was a bargain considering the quality, we spent $92 for the pair of us. read more

Ate on a restaurant.com coupon. What a great find went in Thursday sat right down, had the evenings specials. Chicken Alfredo,omg was it good, hubby had fish.. And chowder really good so he says. Service outstanding...really great dinner and a nice new find ...thanks restaurant.com read more

I love the restaurants and bars all around Cape Ann! There are so many places to choose from that are excellent, this place however is a dud. After 5 minutes in the bar me and my guest wanted to leave. If this is what represents MBS we will not be returning. The bar lends itself to men only. The menu is boring, the atmosphere was dull and the music playing was ridiculous. The food was fair not memorable. I'm shocked its within the same group as Alchemy and Hale Street. When we asked for our check, we wished we brought in our baseball glove to we could catch it when it was thrown at us. read more

I'm amazed that everyone goes to their sister restaurant, Hale Street Tavern, 2 miles away and waits, for however long, to be seated...go to Cala's..better service..the same or better food..Jamie at the bar is exceptional and strives to create a "local' restaurant experience in a growing small chain read more

Always good and sometimes exceptional. If they have lobster rolls, order them! Yummy with claw meat, some celery, and a little mayo. What could be wrong with that? Service is always good. No complaints here! read more

I always enjoy my time coming from Marblehead to Cala's........The food is excellent, and the bartenders, waitstaff....are just terrific....

Love it here! I've never had a long wait and the staff is very friendly and professional. Food is delicious; the kale salad is my favorite.

food is amazing but the waitress was rude, snarky, and just so unpleasant.

had an early dinner there on sunday. i had a nice bowl of clams in a tomato bean stew. very good. main course was the special, a whole trout with lemon over jasmine rice and asparagus. also very good. my wife had calamari prepared with sesame seeds and a honey glaze, very tasty. service was fine and prompt. if you are in the area i would highly recommend. during peak times i'm sure reservations would be a good idea. read more

I went to Cala's a few months ago and was not impressed, but I always like to give a second chance. Well their second chance just proved my first instincts were right. The food was tastless, and the service was awful. The waitress seemed to be bothered that we were there like we were interrupting her from some other task. Sorry Cala's - I won't be back and will not be recommending you to anyone. read more