If you are craving an absolutely divine lobster roll on the Cape, you must visit Captain Cass Rock Harbor Seafood (also known as Cap't Cass)! Located at 117 Rock Harbor Rd, Orleans, MA, it's a quintessential, nostalgic New England lobster shack. It features the BEST lobster rolls we've ever had! Believe me, over the past six decades, we've eaten hundreds of lobster rolls. We've tried them from Maine to Gloucester, Mystic to Newport, Block Island to Hyannis, and Provincetown to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Cap't Cass beats them all! The outside of the shack is an absolute Cape Cod icon! The exterior walls are covered in vibrant, colorful vintage fishing buoys, and beautiful patriotic bunting hangs right above their big "Coffee & Beignets" banner. Seeing that bright red "OPEN" sign lit up on the white siding made us so excited to head inside! Cheers to a fantastic meal! Dave and I had a wonderful time clinking our glasses and getting ready to dive into our food. Sitting right by the window, we could see the bright green buoy hanging outside, while the wall next to us featured some awesome decor--including big lobster claws and a beautiful painted fish plate! We even brought along our trusty Cape Cod summer guidebooks to plan the rest of our perfect weekend getaway. Our lobster rolls were piled high with massive, fresh chunks of meat. We paired it with a side of perfectly crisp, golden-brown onion rings, a splash of fresh lemon, and some creamy coleslaw. Every single bite was pure heaven! Our server Quinn added to our meal with her pleasant personality, attention to detail, and excellent service. The inside of Captain Cass has the best nostalgic charm, too! They have a great chalkboard wall featuring their cute "Cass-A-Boo-Boo" lobster mascot, framed historic "The Cape Codder" newspaper clips, and vintage buoys. They even serve those fresh beignets all day and have their official Cap't Cass hoodies and shirts back in stock! You can get the rolls served two ways: traditional cold with mayo, or our favorite- warm and hot with butter. We are already planning our next visit to this local favorite! Bonus: It's just a quick ten-minute drive from our favorite inn, the Ship's Knees Inn in East Orleans. Big thanks to our innkeeper friend Pete Butcher for highly recommending it. We are so glad he did! read more

See all

Solid spot to stop and sit indoor or out. You can order right at the window if you choose to eat outside and sit at their picnic tables. The parking lot overlooks rock harbor with fresh seafood coming in daily. Enjoyed a lobster roll, which was packed with tender lobster meat and lightly sauced with mayo. The she-crab soup was really the star. You rarely see it on the menu locally and it's comparable with the best we've tried down south. Oh and it's BYOB! We'll definitely be back! read more

Capt Cass is back under new ownership! The restaurant has been redone while remaining true to its history. The counter seats and chalkboard menu are still there. The tables are new and more comfortable. The entire room is bright and inviting. There also is a large outdoor seating area with a take out window to order food. The food is good, similar to the "old days." read more

Cap't Cass - Exterior - Seafood Near Me - Orleans, Massachusetts

See all

Lunch at Cap't Cass was beyond Great ! All entree's were loved. Best Whole Belly Fried Clams ever, The Fish & Chips , Cod was so fresh ,the She Crab Soup and Clam Chowder equally excellent . Others had the cold Lobster rolls were loved -perfect . Even the Cheese Burger was loved . A great experience ! read more

The restaurant is under new ownership. It has been remodeled and now has indoor and outdoor seating. The owner came to greet us at our table. She was enthusiastic and welcoming. Clearly thrilled with her new restaurant. The food was very good and the service enjoyable. We plan to return. I am very pleased that this genuine Cape Cod gem has returned. I wish them great success. read more

Cap't Cass - View outside Capt. Cass Restaurant. - Seafood Near Me - Orleans, Massachusetts

Good food, good value, great serving size. It was recommended to us by locals, and was definitely not in a touristy area of the Cape. The lobster roll was delicious, simple, but full of quality meat. We ate outside and the ambiance could have been better, but I wanted to be able to be outside and enjoy the location being so close to the water. Only thing I'd change is adding more to the outside seating area. read more

Reasonable prices, BYOB, outdoor picnic table seating, fresh lobster rolls. Hoping they add some speakers, or have some live music scheduled from time to time! It was a little quiet, we found ourselves whispering, and didn't really feel the need to take our time, this became a "just eat and leave" type lunch. I regretted not BYO-ing! I forgot they are BYOB, and I recommend doing that. One lobster roll had more lobster on it than the other, but both were a decent size! read more

See all

Lobster roll was overflowing with lobster! Gluten free bun was great. Angel at the counter also had a great attitude. read more

Fun atmosphere and yummy soup. Sevice was quick and lots of options to choose from. Soup had flavor and hit the spot. There is beach near by to walk and relax. read more

Cap't Cass - She Crab Soup - Seafood Near Me - Orleans, Massachusetts

See all

Cute, small, exceptionally clean and friendly place for lunch or early dinner. Both inside and patio seating. I had the oyster po'boy and wife had the fish sandwich. Both were very good and fresh. Fries were ok, onion rings so-so. BYOB. A quieter, friendlier alternative to the clam shacks on the main roads. Worth the short trip down scenic Rock Harbor Road. read more

A wonderful experience!! We learned about this place while visiting P-Town from 2 cool folks that told us about it and they had the restaurant shirts on so on our way back to Cap Cod we decided to give it a try and we are so glad we did! It is a cute place inside and staff are friendly (some younger staff so be patient everyone is learning). There was a long line outside. It's interesting where you could order outside to go/picnic or order inside to be seated- note limited seating area. We tried the She crab stew- absolutely Delicious!! I was looking forward to trying the Clear Chowdah but they were out- so next time!! The hot lobster roll and the Po'Boy shrimp sandwich both were fabulous! It is plastic utensils which makes cleanup easy. To note it is BYOB, otherwise they serve coke products. So thankful for those cool folks that gave the recommendation! This place will not disappoint and they have recently reopened, I am sure the local community is excited as I am to have stumbled upon this place! read more

See all

Food is delicious, staff super friendly and you can't beat the location! For the landlubbers, hamburger and fries can't be beat; for the seafood aficionados, the lobster roll is packed with tender, flavorful lobstah! read more

Cap't Cass - Near closing time at Capt Cass - Seafood Near Me - Orleans, Massachusetts

We were so happy to see it reopened! The owner did a great job giving it a facelift. The staff were very friendly and attentive. The other patrons were also friendly. The food was so good! Not greasy and overall very tasty! Can't wait to come back! read more

See all

Great place, good Value, great food and service. Very clean. Must try while on the cape. Location, right at Rock Harbo read more

This restaurant was the winner of our best new find for our 2025 vacation on the Cape. Besides a bowl of delicious clam chowder, (what did they add to it to make it a notable plus?) , We went with the seafood platter and change out for the onion rings. Delicious as well. Not over fried, still moist and yes, it was fire sh. Thank Quinn for being there when we needed you. See ya next year. Oh, you want ambiance Yelp. Look at the place, cute, quaint, and well and clean. What more do you want? read more

Recently reopened after many years -- under new ownership but with the same feeling as of old. Delicious hot lobster roll and fried seafood. Small interior with a local feel and now with a takeout window (same menu as inside) and many picnic tables with umbrellas. We hope the inside will be open year round! read more

Caution! First come first served .... Except for employees friends!! Love this place over the years, but after tonight's experience, I will pass. I was excited to show out of town for guests an old favorite of ours. We ordered at the window and proceeded to wait for a picnic table outside to open up. After a few minutes-- what luck! A large group got up from the best table directly next to the scenic view. My party had been seated there for less than five minutes before Michelle, a strange woman with a black cowboy hat on kicked us out of the table stating " Lisa and her big group of friends are coming". Unfortunately, for her I have been here before and knew it's supposed to be first come first served. She wouldn't drop it, forcefully shooed us off the table into a table in the shade. This woman proceeded to place a highchair On Top of the table and caution tape all around it and to another table, A Couple Was Still Seated At. (See photo.) It also took up to 52 minutes to receive our food, the fish sandwich was cold and the hot lobster roll had no butter on it. The owner has plenty to learn about rebuilding a clientele, but most importantly the art of hospitality as a patio full of guest saw her behavior and we're speaking about it the rest of the time there. As a longtime guest that was excited for their return, I now will explore the more hospitable options we have to choose from on the Cape. read more

Cap't Cass - Seafood Near Me - Orleans, Massachusetts

Horrible. We were devoted fans of the Old Captain Cass. Their Scallop roll was huge and fried to perfection. This was NOT that. There were 6 Scallops on my platter... yes. 6! The batter was falling off so either the oil was not hot enough or basket overcrowded. No coleslaw came with it. Given the huge expense they put into the building, they should have added some expense to the food. Sadly disappointed. read more

No problem with the service or ambience. Outdoor dining tables were fun on a summer evening. The problem was with the food. My husband and I split the seafood platter. Everything was so overly breaded to the point that we could hardly taste the seafood underneath all the breading. Version 2 of the restaurant is nothing like the pre-pandemic Captain Cass. For years it used to be our favorite Cape eatery. Now it has fallen way short in the quality of the food. We won't be returning. Too many other options out there to settle for something so low quality. read more

Super cute lobster shack, quintessential New England. The lobster roll was delicious. Cash only. read more

Cap't Cass - Seafood Near Me - Orleans, Massachusetts

This is a completely authentic Cape Cod seafood shack. You need to bring CASH if you want to eat here. It's a wonderful throwback, a local joint serving what looks like mostly local customers. Stay away if you can't eat fried food, I think that's all that is served. We had fish 'n chips, fried clams dinner plate and the scallops plate. Served with slaw & fries. Don't make the rookie mistake of eating too many fries. You're going to leave full no matter what. Cap't Cass is a 100% genuine experience. Pay in old school hard copy check or use cash. No plastic. BYOB. read more

See all

I enjoy coming back bc this is such a quintessential historic venue where much history has been created & maintained. It's right off the docks where the boats come in and the menu is simple. Get the lobsta roll, soup and try a platter. The food is consistent & it's simple. Hue she crab soup has lots of spice & things going on that help flavor it. The seating is right so pls don't come w large groups hollering for a table together. U come in, order ur food, & enjoy the grub. This is classic cape code clam shack fair. They don't pretend to be anything else. read more

See all

This is New England charm and food at it's best. You can look out the window and see where the boats come in with the fresh lobster and seafood every day. Its cash only and they open for lunch until 2pm then they reopen 5 to 8 for dinner. If you take a look and see where the fishermen go to eat...well, that about says it. When the fishermen and their families eat here... It's not fancy. It's not pretentious. But the food is drop dead fabuloys... awesomely fresh. I wait through the long winters while they are closed..just waiting for them to reopen when summer arrives. This place has been run by the same family since the 1950s. I can never decide...their lobster roll will rock your world.. But their sweet local fried oysters are the stuff I dream about...so... read more

See all

Seeing a sign $13. For a lobster roll I took a chance, What I got was a very "small" soupie mayonnaise mess that I wanted to take back. Its 2:10 PM and they are closed. What a waste of time and money. Maybe because I was the last person of the day? Either was it was an embarrassment. I will never go back. read more

They have remodeled and the place looks terrific. Can't wait to get some wonderful seafood there.

This is like going back in time. The staff were sweet and kind. The food is delicious the clam chowder is so tasty tastes like home. I love that atmosphere and quality of food hasn't changed since my parents were alive 20 plus years ago. If you want to experience Cape Cod go to Cap't Cass you won't go away unhappy. Went again today, June 21st still amazing!!! Relaxing atmosphere!! read more

This place has the best scallop roll anywhere, and at an excellent price. Staff is friendly and always fun. Pay attention to the hours since they can vary from the time of season and they also close for a bit between lunch and dinner. Another plus is the BYOB offered. They are also walking distance to the Coast Guard boat CS 36500 that went out of Chatham and rescued the crew of the tanker Pendleton, which had broken in half during a storm. The daughter of the CS36500 captain, Bernie Webber, volunteers for the historical society and is often at the boat. She is a very special person to chat with. So for a nice afternoon the combination of Capt't Cass and the CS36500 cannot be beat! read more

Zero stars. Couldn't have been worse. Who has clam chowder with sea water as a base. There was no cream and the Broth was grey. Not to mention NO flavor. The fish and chips had mushy fish. Lots of batter. Ugh! We also had the coleslaw. LOADED with mayo. Again no flavor. Actually more of mayo with some cabbage in it. The lobster roll had also too much mayo. And they had the nerve to add mayo on the side. Worse meal on Cape. Been coming to cape for over 15 years. By far the worse. P.s. The place also was not very clean. A totally dirty. Prices were high ( lobster roll and fish & chips 46.00 ) and the food was terrible. STAY AWAY. read more

We have been coming to the Cape for years and have driven by this place, but never stopped in. Today we had lunch here, glad we did. Wow the plate of fried whole belly clams were amazing. Not only was the portion large, but the taste was the best in Cape we've had. Can't wait to get back here next season. read more

Cap't Cass - Clam Roll - Seafood Near Me - Orleans, Massachusetts

See all

Cap't Cass in Rock Harbor, Orleans is so sweet. We come here every year to watch the sunset and also to eat the fresh seafood. The fish and chips are amazing, served with tartar sauce. I always get the clam chowder, this alone is worth the visit. My sister had the scallops, they are like little pieces of heaven. This place is family owned by Cap't Cass himself. He lives upstairs and his daughters and granddaughters run it for him only in the Summer and Fall months. It's like a little old house, you would miss it if you didn't look for it, nothing has changed much since the 1950s when he and his wife opened the place. We like sitting at the bar, it's low and the kids and join us. You can bring your own wine and beer. read more

Based on Yelp's posting that it was open, we drove over and found the restaurant closed. Waste of time.

I really wanted to live this place. My friend who's a Cape regular RAVED about Cap't Cass, and while I love hole-in-the-walls, the food here was just OK. I loved the quaint ambiance and low-key vibe of the place, but my love affair really stopped there. Their homemade clam chowder was horrible to me, not b/c it was brothy, but b/c it really tasted like a bowl of hot water with clams thrown in. Maybe they pride themselves on the amount of seafood in the chowder instead of cream and filler, but to me it was just bland, underseasoned and quite tasteless. My fish and chips entree was decent but nothing to write home about, fried cod, fries and coleslaw: again it was fine but really I wasn't that blown away. Admittedly, neither my friend nor I ordered the lobster roll because at that point we had eaten about 6 already during our trip, so I think we OD'd on lobster rolls by that time, and it's allegedly their hallmark dish so I'd give old Cap't Cass another chance next time I'm there. read more

Bad food and bad service. The clam chowder and crab stew were both borderline inedible, and the fish and chips were tasteless. They boasted a homemade clam chowder that we were excited to try, but it completely fell flat. The soup was oily and honestly tasted like bathwater. The crab stew wasn't much better - it had no taste and was hard to eat because you had to chew through the spices floating on top which somehow did nothing for the flavor. Coleslaw tasted like mayonnaise on cabbage and the chicken salad was a weird shredded chicken mush. The service was also slow. We went during the busy hours so we expected a wait, but not to have to wait to get any service at all. It seemed as if our waitress was also a chef, because she disappeared into the back for 10 minutes at a time. The only redeeming factor was the nice sea-side atmosphere and sunset... which we missed because the service was so incredibly slow. I don't really know how they're still in business. Maybe we should have just order the lobster - its pretty hard to screw up that. read more

Lobster roll is amazing- fresh and all meat, no filler. So glad we skipped the chain restaurant and came here! Limited seating and only open 5-8 for dinner. read more

Cap't Cass - Lobster Roll - Seafood Near Me - Orleans, Massachusetts

Wow, what a find! I was tempted to keep this secret for myself. Loved the place, loved the food and both came with authentic New England dry sass from the waitress. read more

We couldn't have been happier to stumble on Cap't Cass! Such a quaint little restaurant with fantastic seafood. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Bonus is that it's next to the bay! read more

Cap't Cass - Seafood Near Me - Orleans, Massachusetts

See all

We had great service, which is why this is 2 stars and not 1. But... The prices here are crazy for truly mediocre fried food. $25 chicken lobster?! $15 fish sandwich, which was supposed to be cod and was actually SCUP, trust me, I'm sure is was. What are all the great reviews about? Definition of a tourist trap dressed up like a local joint. read more

"Quintessential" Cape Cod seafood restaurant located at Rock Harbor. Not fancy. BYOB. Portions were huge and delicious. Service was great. I'll be back! read more

I came here on a vegan diet during the 4th of July weekend and fell in love with the place and its people. Because of its authentic and just throughout cute charm I had to make an exception from the rule, besides... there is not a single vegan thing on the menu. (If you dont just want to it fries :) ) For food alone though, no offense, the place is ok. I had the fish and chips and didnt taste much besides the tartar sauce and fried batter. Not much Cod taste left after all :( My boyfriend had the lobster roll and really liked it. But really... I think its a shame that the general cuisine on the Cape (not just Capt Cass is deep fried fish! Come on people! Let me taste what I am eating! You might conclude that the taste buds of the wanna be British tourists on Cape Cod are a lot less sophisticated than their owners want them to be! Again ... the place is totally worth a visit and the people have deserved the 5 stars! read more

Great locations and solid food. Typical seasonal place - cash only. Service is friendly, though a little slow. I would give the food three stars, but the location and old cape cod atmosphere bump it to 4 stars. Fried fish, shrimp and lobster rolls were delish. Lobster roll was all tail and claw - but a little pricey for the portion. Despite what others said, ours were not light on the mayo - not too much - but definitely not light. Fish was lightly breaded which is a nice change from the typical battered fish. Solid fries, though the coleslaw was fresh but not to my liking (too much mayo). The chowder is RI style, which is broth based. It was good, lot of clams and good clam flavor. The Coast Guard rescue boat from the movie "The Finest Hours" is docked at Rock Harbor in the summer, giving guided tours on weekends. Make a fun all day event - watch the movie (good for all ages), tour the boat, get some lunch or dinner (BYOB) at Capt Cass. There's even a small beach nearby and the parking is free. Consider taking a short drive over to the Orleans Historical Museum for a little more edutainment on the boat and the rescue. PS, the movie is based on a book - maybe a summer assignment for your school age kids ;-) There are not a lot of seats, but they can handle big groups (saw two tables of 8 flip while we were there). read more