A true hidden gem! If you are looking for ambiance, move on, if you are looking for a fantastic meal then keep reading. We ordered seafood chowder, fried clam dinner, fried scallops dinner and we added on onion rings The seafood chowder was hot and delicious, full of seafood and just the right amount of spice. The fried seafood was not overly coated. The clams were large and sweet, the scallops were sweet as well. The onion rings did not disappoint! Their homemade coke slaw was a perfect compliment to the dinners. Our server was excellent. She was working both sides of the place and didn't miss a beat! If you are looking for great seafood, large helpings at a reasonable price, this is the place to go in Lowell. Please note: Cash only but they have an ATM and there is a bank nearby. read more

Since moving to Lowell a few months ago I'd heard great things about this place, so I was excited about trying it. Visited the restaurant alone, early on a quiet Monday evening, and ordered the fried sea scallops with rice and broccoli. (I wanted onion rings, but they were "sold out" - strike 1.) The scallops were large, plump, and mercifully not overcooked; but rather than being either pan-fried/sautéed or deep-fried and crispy (either prep would have been fine) these were soggy and oily - strike 2. Not only disappointing but especially unfortunate considering how lovely and delicate large scallops can be; what a waste. Nothing about either of my two sides was noteworthy or redeeming in any way. A frustrating, mediocre meal, for which I regret throwing away $30. I do not expect to return anytime soon to this "iconic" seafood restaurant. read more

Wow!! Amazing dinner and service all around! I had the Drunken "something" Baked Haddock, amazing salad and rice. My child had fried clams, fries, onion rings broccoli & cole slaw! The servings were huge. Food is so good... Even the Lemonade and Ice Tea we're better than most! This was a random stop for us and we hit the jackpot! Of Note: Cash Only. ATM on site and bank across the street! read more

Captain John's - Seafood Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

Absolutely delicious seafood plates are humongous very friendly great customer service

Food was great, everyone is friendly in there and the place isn't to big but it's nice

As someone who grew up in Lowell, Captain John's wasn't a place I would associate with seafood. I always thought it was a bar. After weeks and weeks of hearing others rant and rave about how great their seafood was and how it was imported daily from Gloucester I had to give it a try. Went there the other day and my husband had a fisherman's platter and I ordered baked scallops. Absolutely delicious and great portion sizes. I definitely think you get what you pay for here. The food was good if not better than some of the seafood places near the beach. I can't believe I waited so long to try this place. It's a hidden gem for seafood here in Lowell and I will definitely be back. read more

Captain John's - The baked scallops. Perfection! - Seafood Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

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Oh my. What a great find! Fried Haddock dinner $11.99. Huge portions! Paper plates and plastic dinnerware, but oh what a gem!!!

My husband and I were there before a concert in Lowell . I had the fried clams my husband the steak tips .. the food was delicious and so much of it we couldn't finish. Great service and the neighborhood feeling .. all the people working there seemed like they loved each others and worked together for years .. very down to earth . I would definitely recommend if your looking for good food and a comfortable setting read more

First, the good: I had the fried shrimp with onion rings. The shrimp were butterflied before frying and very tender. Onion rings were cut super thin and made in house. Both very good. It was nice and cool inside on a hot day. The rest: We visited around 2pm on a Sunday. Captain Johns is more a bar than a restaurant. The smell of beer spilled into carpet long ago was strong inside. Our server came over to take our drink and food order promptly. Make sure you ask what prices are, because what is on the menu is not what you are charged. The runner brought the food after a short wait and we did not see our server again until time for the check. I had to walk to the bar to get a refill of my soda. Drinks (fountain) were 80% ice in a collins glass and $2.25 each refill from the bar mixing wand. As above, the shrimp and rings were great. Fries and clams were cold... very good, just might have sat too long after cooking. Tartar was also good. Coleslaw was not tasty. There is no parking, find some on the street if you can. Restaurant is CASH ONLY. There are signs on the walls so you know. UPDATE after response from CJ's: There is parking in the lot across the street. read more

Captain John's - Hey look, my empty glass full of ice. Check out that nasty smelly carpet. This is the non staffed takeout station. - Seafood Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

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Captain John's blew our socks off. Their Captains Platter was filled with white fish, scallops, clams, and shrimp deliciousness. They are a cash only business, so that's a really important part about eating here. We will be back! read more

Did something quite unusual and went out for lunch today with the hubby. We decided to go to Captain's as people rave about the fish. Once in we ordered drinks while we perused the menu. Looking up a the dishes that were passing by our table, we decided we would order one plate and split it. We chose the seafood platter which was unbelievably delicious and the portion was more than ample. Even after splitting the dish, we had to ask for a to go box to take half of it home. Further, you can't beat the price for the amount of food. The fish was fresh, tasty and superbly cooked (not too much batter which is the way we like it). I can't rave enough about the scallops.... so sweet and tasty! The wait staff was friendly, accommodating and helpful. They were anxious to provide answers to our questions and eager to please. We will definitely return, sooner rather than later. Hats off to owners Nick & Maria (whom we haven't seen in decades)... your parents would be proud. read more

First time eating here...we got it to go. Starting with the positives: - Hugh portions - Fresh seafood - Nicely cooked food (except for one) - Tons of condiments - Excellent homemade onion rings - Order was accurate, no mistakes Negatives: - Clams were over cooked. I will go back, as you can see the pros outweigh the cons and the owner was very nice. She was really interested in knowing if we were happy with our meal and experience. read more

My second visit with friend and his family members. Entrées were fried clams, sea scallops and steak tips plus I had baked haddock. The portions were generous and delicious. Just wish there was silverware, not plastic. If it was take-out then yes! I'm from Whitinsville and one from Michigan. Good food! Thanks for the great service..... read more

Great food fun place to be Good people great service nice atmosphere. I like how it's a very comfortable rustic place.

Excellent food and service! The people that go there are genuine fun. Had scallops and haddock. Yummy. fresh and not greasy at all! So much food I had to bring some home! read more

No stars what so ever... came in at 430 the server came over said hi and then walked away. Had to walk over after 20 minutes of sitting there to get drinks. She came over with the drinks and I'm not very germ phobic but after she cleans the table off next to us took the straw wrapper off our straws and put it in our drinks, very disgusted by that, then took a while for her to come back and take our order when I asked about the two way she had no idea what it was and told me it was a big fish staff member who turned out to be one of the cooks in the kitchen she had no idea either so was already very concerned about the meal and hour went by and she had not come back. Food has still not come out so I went up to the frying and asked if our food was going to be coming out anytime soon another waitress came over and we took our order 10 minutes later it came out the scallops were completely raw, the haddock was overcooked and everything else was cold. The waitress never came back to ask us how our food was and at that point I just wanted to get out of there. I went up to the front again and I said can we please get our check in just to let her know that the scallops were completely raw? She looked at me and said oh I asked if there was a manager on duty and she looked at me and said no we don't have a manager tonight so I went to the bar part of the restaurant and asked if there was a manager I spoke with the woman I told her about the service and how our food was beyond disgusting. that is the worst service I have ever had in my entire life. I took one bite of my food and threw the rest out. Definitely will not be coming back here the bar and the restaurant which I really wouldn't mind but there was people, swearing and screaming in the bar and I had two kids under two read more

I ordered a two way seafood plate. It was generous with scallops and whole clams. I upgraded to onion rings. They were skinny ones. They only accept cash. They walked my order out to the curbside. This helps because of congested location. read more

Captain John's - Fried clams and scallops. - Seafood Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

Food is plenty full and very fresh. This is not a restaurant per se, so don't thinking you're gonna get atmosphere. It's in a bar and you were served on paper products and plastic.. I will sacrifice that for the price and the quantity and quality any day read more

Local place, loved it for years. Reminds you of Cheers, everybody knows your name. $5.55 corned beef on St. Patrick's day, fish on Friday's, hard to eat it all. A little loud but, it's nice to be able to talk when your out. read more

Captain John's - Fish and chips - Seafood Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

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Best deal around for fresh seafood! Everything is super fresh, and the fried and baked options are both really good. The batter on their fried seafood is thin and crispy, perfect! Captain John's is just as good as taking a drive up to any of the seafood names by the beach. Their seafood is locally sourced from Gloucester, and is certainly worth a trip. read more

best prices in town for the fisherman's platter! The man that answered the phone was so nice and helpful and when I went to pick up my food he put it in a box to make it easier to carry Outstanding service! But the haddock was a little dry read more

We were first timers to this location. We searched yelp for seafood and this was one of the results. The staff was very kind and attentive. Our waitress was Robin and she was super efficient. The locals that sit at the bar and reminisce about their glory days were comical. The owner was there, took over in 1983 from his father at age 19 with his sister. This place was like small town America! The menu has a lot it offer and the food is served quickly and hot! We tried the fried shrimp, scallops, haddock and onion rings. The oil was clean and fresh so the batter was light and the seafood was delicious! We had a nice cold beer and a Bloody Mary. The Mary was filled with horseradish and was perfect. This place is cash only and thankfully they have an ATM on scene for those who don't have any in their wallet. We will be back to get our fried seafood fix in the near future. I would suggest you try it out and support the family business who has survived through a lot of ups and downs! read more

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We go to CJ and it's has allway been a good time but last time we went it was very loud with a group of guys swearing a shouting and made the night poor also the bartender-waitress was gone for long time maybe just a bad nite food was great as allways still will come back read more

Another visit to Captain johns Restaurant in Lowell, Massachusetts and another great fish dinner, perfectly fried fish, best coleslaw ever, fast and very friendly service. If you can eat here and choose not to...well, you're doing yourself a disservice. AMAZING haddock dinner!!!! Best fish dinner I've ever eaten, ever! The place is amazing enough that whenever we visit from Idaho I HAVE to go there! Captain johns Restaurant please don't change a thing. This time I brought my wife, next time we'll bring some grandchildren to show their Idaho butts what great fried fish should be! read more

First off before you walk in, know what to expect - a local neighborhood bar and cash only. As long as you know that walking in then you'll be good. It was our first visit; we came for the clams and that's what we had. The plate arrived quickly and hot. The fries and onion rings were excellent and the cold slaw was possibly one of the best I've had anywhere. The clams were on the smaller side but were nicely cooked and tasty. Serving size was ample. Service was fast and the place was clean enough. Parking was a negative but we found a spot on the street easily. Plates were paper and utensils were plastic, but who cares since fried clams are finger food!!! Would I go back? Yup, sure will. read more

This place is awesome. The seafood is excellent. Fresh daily from Gloucester. The prices are very reasonable and big portions. The service is very good, too. Very friendly staff. It is a dive bar with charm. read more

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This is my #1 go-to place for seafood! Everything is brought in fresh daily and never frozen. The haddock is my favorite and they have an amazing seafood chowder. The owner makes every customer feel welcome and appreciated for their business. That goes a long way in my opinion, everyone has several choices on where they want to give business to and this is one of the best! read more

Orderd from here few days ago onion rings were soggy shrimp was tiny not much flavor fried clams were ok amd Buffalo chicken overall wouldn't go back read more

Got scallops from this restaurant for the first time on Thursday and these easily may be the best scallops I've ever had! They were cooked to golden perfection and were juicy with every bite. They don't gip you on the portion and you can't beat the price. $16.99 for 11 huge scallops on a bed of French fries. My husband got 2 giant pieces of haddock on a bed of fries for $10.99. He couldn't even finish it. We will absolutely be back, and after quarantine we can't wait to come in and sit at the bar read more

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Fresh seafood large portions reasonable prices what else you are looking for? I truly enjoyed the dining experience here

I love this food. If you like seafood captain seafood plate is awesome. Fresh and hot. Tastes so good. It's our favorite place near home .

The seafood here is pretty good and the portions are fantastic. It's not as flavorful as some of the other seafood platters I've had in the past but as far as a seafood place in Lowell it's a pretty good option. Most of the food is really good but some things are a little bit bland. Overall recommended if you'd like some fish and don't feel like going too far read more

This was our first time there. Super friendly staff and owner. I had the Captain's Baked Haddock with wine sauce, side Greek rice, coleslaw and tartar. Hubby had Baked Scallops, side Greek rice and broccoli...well the portion of my haddock was enough for 2. The rice was so delicious and the coleslaw was so yummy even my hubby tasted it and liked it and he's not a fan of slaw. Played a little Keno. Great place, great prices big portions. Can't wait to go back to have fried clams and onion rings!!!! read more

1st time there for lunch. Got a parking spot right out front (on street) no meters. We aren't the pub/bar type but had to try their seafood. So glad we did. Hidden Gem. Had the seafood platter, steak tips, and baked Haddock Plaki (something different from all fried stuff) came with a side of rice and broccoli. All served on paper plates & plastic utensils (probably due to Covid). Everything was delicious and the seafood very fresh. Good and friendly service. We will be back. read more

After reading the reviews, we decided to come here before checking into our room. Upon entering, our first impression is that the bar is large in size and it looks like the kind of bar that you'd see on TV, but without the dinginess and overall shady vibe. There are two pool tables in the front, along with regular tables for small groups and families. The bar also has an "entrance wall", which separates the family dining area from the bar area. The latter contains both bar seating as well as high top tables for groups of three. We were immediately seated upon arrival. We shared Seafood Platter with clams, haddock, scallops and shrimp. Hubs upgraded the clams to belly clams and Boy! was it worth it! We were intimidated by how it was placed in a big and tall pile and we were afraid we wouldn't be able to finish it. LOL! At the end, we were able to eat most of it. We also shared the Haddock Plaki with mash and vegetables special. We googled the dish to find out what it was and it was Greek-style baked fish with tomatoes and onions. It was delicious and it was our favorite entree of the two. When we ordered drinks, we were told that they didn't have unsweetened iced tea. We thought this was strange, considering we were in a bar and bars usually serve all types of drinks. Otherwise, service was friendly and quick. Will definitely return when in the area! read more

Went there for lunch to celebrate my birthday and Mother's Day. Got the fisherman's platter, it was huge and probably the best I've ever had! (Better than the famous Clam Box's in Ipswich.) Best onion rings too! Had tons of leftovers! And super friendly, welcoming service. Atmosphere is casual, beachy themed. Cash only! They also have keno available. read more

We stopped in for lunch today because we read all the great reviews. Once we found parking which was not a simple task, we ordered the lunch specials, baked stuffed Haddock and baked stuffed Shrimp. The shrimp was over cooked, and the stuffing looked and tasted bad. My haddock was ok once I scraped the strange stuffing mixture off. We could not eat the very dried-out rice, coleslaw was ok. The atmosphere is that of an old neighborhood bar room. The people were very friendly, the food was not good. Finally, it is Cash only. Would not go back. read more

The best seafood in the area by far. I had the baked scallops and my husband had the fried clam plate. You can't beat the prices and the service was excellent. read more

An old fashion neighborhood watering hole that hides the best seafood i have eaten. I ordered the fisherman's dinner and it was just like the picture piled high with onion rings and all done to a golden color. I'LL BE BACK. read more

Absolutely positively the BEST seafood we've ever had. Too much food for one sitting, but that's not a complaint , staff were so friendly and Maria is super nice. We will never go anywhere else for seafood ever again. This was our first time there and seriously we were NOT disappointed in any way shape or form. Prices are very very reasonable especially when you see how much food you get. I can't say enough about how good this place is!! read more

Captain John's - Fisherman's platter w/onion rings - Seafood Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts