Sat at the counter and we were able to watch the cooks do their thing. Pretty neat to watch. Had the Seafood Mediterranean dish. Absolutely fantastic. Didn't make my way over to the sit down tables on the other side of the restaurant. It was a weekday lunch and we were seated right away. My father frequents the place and said that weekends and nights usually have over an hour wait. Worth the wait I'd say. read more

Awesome, awesome seafood. It's pretty loud, but I have a hard time faulting them for that. Not the place for a quiet, romantic dinner, but if you want seafood, you can't get any better. read more

Worse place ever...long wait...bad service, cater to old regulars. Told 1 hour wait, try 2 hrs...checking back constantly after 1 hour. They want you to sit at bar and drink high priced 12.00 drinks while they have you wait forever! Then wait forever for rest room, because they only have one. No apologies for ruining our night. I will NEVER come here again ! read more

Good food and good service, 4 of us on a Tuesday night around 7:30 no waiting. Two of us had fish and two had steaks...all of were happy.

Disappointed- menu looks great and couldnt wait to eat here. The bartender was slow and not very happy to be there. No greeting or anything. Screwed up a simple drink and had to make another one. Dinner- out of lobster bisque. Offered me seafood chowder. Only had white fish and potatoes and was flavorless except for the black pepper i added. Swordfish with pineapple salsa was Cajun and no pineapples in the salsa. Half inch thick and well done the edges were curling. My wife had the seafood boulabaise (sure i spelled it wrong). It had one clam and no liquid. I asked for a soda and received a bottle like i was at a sub shop. The best thing they had going was the building and the two girls working the desk. Smiles and very nice to talk to. I hope they find another place to work. read more

The waitresses are awesome. Had the fishbone wings with the sticky sauce and it was ok, it looks flavorful and tender, but looks are deceiving. . Also the PEI Mussels in a white wine. The sauce was good, but the mussels were small and not very tender. The Seafood Saute was very good, something I would definitely order again. My partner ordered the baked stuffed shrimp and liked it. Looking at other customers, I noticed one table that received bread - not sure what you have to order to get bread... read more

The grilled seafood is my favorite dish. Service is always at least very good. Outdoor seating is nice. Indoor seating is a bit crowded and so noisy that it is difficult to carry on a conversation many times. The food makes return visits worthwhile. read more

Best fish place in the Lowell, Chelmsford, Billerica area. Nice atmosphere inside!!!!

Slow and disrespectful... Made a reservation earlier in the day for Saturday September 22, for 7:30 for 2 of us, which was for seating within a 1/2 hour of the reservation time. Arrived 7:35, told it would be the full 1/2 hour wait. They had never asked my name for the reservation, which of course they could not find, since they had just assigned me a random name, until they matched my phone number. We did not sit at the bar but in the 'waiting seats' by the front door (which can sometimes someplaces speed up seating). We were not seated for 1 HOUR and 15 MINUTES - 8:45 for a 7:30 reservation - horrible! No apology, no compensation, not even an offer of a complimentary drink, appetizer or dessert, which is what other restaurants do when they blow it. (though our very nice and attentive waitress Kristina did apologize at the end of the night about the long wait, but since we were about to pay the bill and tip, it seemed a bit self-serving?). This restaurant demonstrates DISRESPECT for its customers. Ambience: nice seating and lighting, but Very loud with no sound dampening, no music. Food: Seafood casserole; 4star; tasty; nicely done scallops and shrimp, but the haddock whitefish was quite dry. Coleslaw excellent. Seafood saute: 2star; perfectly cooked and flavored seafood components of scallops and shrimp and a bit of lobster. However it was on a fettucini base with a sauce that was so salty as to be INEDIBLE. My wife was excellent company, and you should wish for someone as nice to spend your evening with! read more

I came to this place because someone in the restaurant business recommended it. Boy, what a great surprise. I drove 30 minutes to have lunch here with my husband. The first thing I noticed was how clean and updated the interior was and how friendly the staff was. I then looked at the menu which was quite extensive. I ordered the trout which was cooked to perfection and you had your choice of 2 sides. I ordered the mashed potatoes and a veggie. Both sides were flavorful. My husband ordered the mixed seafood plate with rice. The potions were ample and cooked to perfection. Their prices were not bad except for a few meals that were over $20.00, but I think those were dinner portions. You have a choice of how you want your fish prepared which is always nice for people watching their weight. Finally, the bread that was served was out of this world. I'll have to go back and try the fish and chips. Great job Fishbones!!! read more

yummy stuff and when i am in the area i eat this good seafood. they staff and workers keep everything fresh and spotless which is nice. read more

terrible service - six of us arrived at 7pm the reservation policy is to be seated within 30 minutes priority seating. approached staff 3 times for table - after that failed approached manager david after waiting 45 minutes - this kid could not manage a seven eleven. not helpful at all - he hid in the kitchen - we all left - steer clear with party's of six or more. read more

I've been there about a half dozen times over the last couple of years. The food is excellent and service is good. The tables are a little close together, so it can be noisy if you want to talk, and it can be difficult to get a table on a busy night. Overall I'm a fan, but generally go on off nights or times. They have good drinks and dinner at the bar can be fun. read more

The lobster risotto is incredible...enough said. Quite pricey, but worth it. Best to visit when eating with business partners

Fishbones is one of the best new seafood places I've tried in years. I love the atmosphere. From the outside you would never know how visually pleasing the inside is. The prices were somewhat inflated, though the quality of the food made it more digestible. I had the clam chowder which wasn't the best I've ever had but good enough to do the trick. The Ahi Tuna was grilled to perfection. I would highly recommend it. The spouse thought the bouillabaisse was missing something. I tried it and agreed, though neither one of us could pinpoint exactly what was missing. There wasn't any room for dessert even though the couple next to us highly recommended the key lime pie. Overall, high marks for seafood in Chelmsford. read more

The atmosphere is cozy, and the food is decent ( minus the previously FROZEN coconut shrimp!!). With that out of the way, I must comment on the manner in which the servers are treated. On each my past 3 visits I witnessed or overheard servers being humiliated- publicly- by the female owner. These servers are charming, personable and attentive. They do their jobs with professionalism and more. The manner in which Kathy- the owner- handled herself was despicable and demoralizing to others. SHE made it difficult to enjoy my meal. I will not return. And don't be fooled into thinking you'll get a delicious homemade fish chowder upon seeing their attractive display. That, too, is made elsewhere... SUPRISE!! read more

Great Place! The atmosphere is amazing. Recently went for the scallops over house salad and my boyfriend had the shrimp salad. Both we're so flavorful and the dressings were house made! We plan to go again soon! read more

Every so often, when the weather permits, I dine outside this seafood restaurant with my family. Waiters are friendly and patient with kids. When I dine at Fishbones, I usually order fish and chips. Restaurant seating may get a bit tight if you go after rush hour or Saturdays, but seating and parking is fine if go during off-times, before people get off work or Saturdays when its packed. I recommend this restaurant for small groups or couples. read more

Tasty fresh seafood, good wine list, and decent service. We've been here several times but the noise level is so noxious that we will no longer go back. Too bad, because the menu is interesting and changes daily. Good for groups and drinkers, not for couples or those who wish to have normal conversations while savoring their dinner! read more

I've eaten at Fishbones several times and each time I enjoy more and more!! Great daily specials and tasty signature dishes. Each time I go I have their Tuscan salad it's a must, loaded with marinated artichokes. I also have had their fried oysters which were very good. And if you enjoy a cocktail Fishbones is the place to go next try their house Bloody Mary served with Cucumber vodka and a jumbo shrimp! Bar staff are great. Service is fine I don't mind if it's a bit slow I'm never in a rush. read more

My two favorite dishes at Fishbones are the raw oysters as an appetizer and the sushi-grade seared tuna steak salad as a main dish. It is expensive as a whole but it is justified with the excellent seafood. The reason I am giving 4 stars instead of 5 is because there is usually a wait time (which can't be avoided) and there is very limited seating. Overall, they have excellent service and quality food. read more

Really excellent with a great variety of well-cooked local seafood. Outdoor patio seating is a great place on a summer night The absolute best shrimp cocktail. Smoked salmon, blackened salmon with pineapple salsa and seafood casserole are also on our favorites list Can be a bit pricey and there call-ahead seating process is a bit random. read more

I went here for lunch a few months back based on the feedback I had received from numerous friends. The interior is very nice, service was great, but I felt the food was below average. My girlfriend ordered the tuna salad and it literally came out looking like Geisha tuna was dumped on top. My swordfish was the consistency of bubble gum. For a place built on seafood, in my opinion, they are low on the totem pole. read more

Wish I knew about Fishbones when I first moved to Chelmsford. Now that I have found it, I return a often as I can and always take friends to introduce them to this wonderful restaurant. The bar is super also. read more

On a recent Saturday, I ordered my usual Crabcake Sandwich. It used to be delicious with actual lumps a of crab. Now it is mushy, with a distinct fishy taste. YUK! On the next trip, I ordered the lobster risotto for the first time. This had the same off-fishy taste and color as the crab cakes. I don't know if this is a new variation, or if it has always been made this way. It contained only a few tough pieces of lobster meat. I hope this is not a downward trend. This has been one of my favorite places. I'll go back again, but this time if the quality is not there, I won't be back. read more

I have heard wonderful things about the food, so kudos to the chefs but otherwise, unimpressed. The customer service is awful. I ordered a gift card over a month ago and it never came. I sent several emails to the woman who must be one of the managers and was either completely ignored, or told I'd be called back and never received a return call. I was then told I would receive a reissued gift card and it never came. Sent an email, no response. I have never dealt with such horrible customer service, ever. read more

I gave the restaurant one more chance tonight. Well I wish I could say it was great. I ordered the fishermens platter which should have been a nice light golden brown coating on the fish. Well it was a dark brown and over cooked and dry. The onion rings had nothing in them to the point of having opinion strings and they use to be my favorite. The French fries where the only thing not over cooked. I told our waitress but got no response other than the bill. I guess it's time to move on, quality is just not there anymore. Three strikes now. read more

One of the best restaurants in Chelmsford. I have dined here several times and always had a great meal. The only issues with Fishbones is that they are a relatively small restaurant which fills up quickly. Also as others have mentioned, parking is limited. read more

This place would be a 4 of 5 star, but staff lacks keeping to their reservation times. I have been to Fishbones twice in past 2 months and both times after making reservations I was waiting up to 1 hour before being seated. I do not mind waiting if I don't make a reservation, but come on people. The entire point of making a reservation is to be seating within a certain amount of time. Other than that this place is great...great food, good drinks and a lively atmosphere. read more

I've been getting take out once or twice a month for over a year now and the food seems to always be a crap shoot. One time it would be great, the next so - so. For example, I ordered a fried fisherman's platter and fried clams, fried scallops and onion rings . Everything was perfectly cooked and flavorful. A few weeks later I ordered the same and what I got was a pile of burnt rubber. All the fish was way over cooked and tasted like it had been cooked in burnt oil and the onion rings I got with the order consisted of a clump of what I think were onions - fried on the outside and mush on the inside. It was awful. When I called and complained, the response was 'Oh, sorry. The cooks must be having an off night.' No offer to reimburse or replace the inedible food. I gave it a break for a while because of this incident and last week figured I'd give it another try since there are not many options for fish in the area. I ordered the Fried Fisherman's platter - it was on special, with fries and onion rings. I also ordered the clams again, which are only being sold as an app, but that was fine. They seem to go back and forth between offering them as a meal and as an app, but I'm fine with that as I don't eat fries any way. I then asked for onion rings and was told they no longer have them as an app. So I asked if that meant the fisherman's platter didn't have them either and was told 'Oh yes, they come with it." So I asked if I could have a few with the clams - I didn't care what the price - but there was nothing else I wanted for a side. It was early and there was not a lot of business at that point, so I knew I wouldn't be overwhelming the kitchen with my request. They were in house, after all. I wasn't asking for something off the wall, just a few onion rings. I was told that they would 'Have to ask Chef'. Well, 'Chef' said no. He wouldn't make them. I was then given the excuse that the reason they couldn't do it was that 'the price of onion rings had gone way up'. Seriously? Is that all you have? If I'm going to be fed a crock of bull, at least make it semi plausible. They kept trying to sell me some other new app and may have succeeded, right up until I heard that lame excuse. I know my business won't make or break them, but I'll take my hard earned money to where my business is appreciated and my simple requests are at least addressed honestly. I gave a second star for the few occasions that the food was very good, but after this - I won't be back. read more

Dined at Fishbones restaurant in Chelmsford this evening with my family. When I received the check the server told me they can't accept Visa gift cards. On my way out I asked the manager the reason why and he told me it was the restaurant's choice not to do so. Just wanted to let the public know not to go here if you have a Visa gift card. " NOT ACCEPTED". read more

I've been here many times but I feel like this place is starting to slide downhill. The menu is tired. Every time I go here the greens are sautéed spinach and the veggie of the day is broccoli. It's so boring that even thinking of going there again makes me sad. There's a hamburger but no fish sammy? Weird. It's not that the food is bad, just basic. read more

The food was ok. For what you pay, you should get bigger portions. Better seafood in Maine.

We went here on a friday night at 5, all of the tables were full with people waiting, but plenty of seats at both bars. At 5:10 there was no more seats anywhere. I wish that the menu had more non fish options. It's about 90% fish. There's one steak for $26, a burger and salads. I got the filet mignon steak. It was good and tender, not the best I've ever had and not the worst. Hubby got the seafood platter. He said that there was only 2 small clams on it, most of it onion rings etc. He said it was just ok. The mixed drinks were good, they're $7 each. Service at the bar was very good. read more

great seafood! good idea to make a reservation. excellent service and really tasty panko tuna with ginger soy broccoli & wasabi mashed potatoes. can highly recommend the blood orange martini. on the main drag in chelmsford, a charming new england town. read more

Prefer to have no stars. Rude staff, poorly managed! Clearly not interested in new clientele. We called ahead on a busy December evening and were told to arrive in 45 minutes for seating. When we arrived, we were directed to sit in the cramped, freezing entryway while we watched 4 parties with no reservations (but clearly familiar to the older of the two hostesses) receive tables with no wait. The apparent secondary hostess looked apologetic, but said nothing. We were ignored (even asked to move!) as we waited over an hour. Having waited that length of time with no attention from staff (save for the sympathetic looks from the ineffective second string hostess), we called ahead to MOONSTONES and were promised immediate seating. There, we had the delicious celebratory dinner and drinks we had anticipated several hours before! Shame on you Fishbones! We were visitors to the Boston area. Local relatives (newly weds) had hoped to treat all four of the new in-laws to a lovely dinner! Thank goodness there are true professionals, like the folks at MOONSTONES who saved the day! Moonstones has excellent food, great waitstaff in a lovely and comfortable setting. Do yourself a favor - skip Fishbones! Go to Moonstones on Chelmsford street (978-256-7777), you won't be disappointed! read more

I stopped by Fishbones on a Sunday night for dinner hoping to get a good baked haddock dinner. My girlfriend and I both got the baked haddock. Both of ours had a decent amount of skin/scales on it and both of us had bones. The rice was hard like it had been left out too long and the broccoli was mostly raw. When we informed the waitress about the fish, she said the skin/scales are normal and there's always the possibility of bones in fish. How come it happened to both of us, then? I think the fact is that whoever was on prep-work that day just did a bad job on the haddock. I've had baked haddock many times and if prepared correctly, it will have no skin/scales (unless noted otherwise on the menu) and will be deboned completely. We asked for the manager and she echoed what the waitress said but took my girlfriends meal off of the bill since she didn't eat really any of it. On the plus side, the menu has a lot of variety, the restaurant looks fairly clean and has a private parking lot (though hard to find). I'm sure some of the other items on the menu are good but I don't think we will be returning to Fishbones to find out. read more

Good quality food, reasonable prices, friendly service. Drinks are tasty, though maybe a little on the pricey side. Not a huge fan of the atmosphere. The bar side is great if you can get in, but on the other side, where there seem to be more tables, you're staring at the fish market. And I don't enjoy watching a lobster watch me eat his aunty. read more

Came for lunch on our way from Maine back to New York. No wait and the staff was friendly enough. Our mutual friend ordered the fried calamari as a starter. They arrived pretty quick and were fresh and in a very light batter..almost like a tempura. All of us enjoyed them. Entree for me was the fishermans platter: consisted of fried clams, scallops, jumbo shrimp, haddock, French fries and onion rings. Everything but the onion rings were excellent - my fav. Were the scallops! My DH had the fried oysters and 3 cheese risotto and our mutual friend had the surf and turf - black angus steak with crab cakes and shrimp. They both loved their meals and cleaned their plates. For dessert my DH and I split the warm brownie with homemade vanilla ice cream, chopped walnuts and pretzels accompanied by expresso our Mutual friend had the lemon cake and a coffee. Both were great! Definitely a great suggestion Yelpers!! read more

This place makes me so sad. I want to love it. I try to love it. I just cant love it! This area was and is still in need of a great fish restaurant. If i was basing my review on the Fish market portion that doesn't exist anymore (RIP) I would give it 5 stars, some of the freshest fish I have ever experienced, especially the Ahi. But the restaurant side of things I feel like they come up VERY short and here is why: I've only eaten at this establishment about 8 times and all 8 times I left feeling the same way; Is the chef afraid of salt? Do they intentionally leave the fish tasting bland to showcase the freshness. Dont get me wrong, 9 times out of 10 what ever fish you order will be perfectly cooked, but none of the flavors are ever fully developed. Meanwhile, when the bill comes to the table there usually some sticker shock, not because its expensive but because you feel like you are over paying for what you just ate. I had some customers in town on business and they were looking for some good spot to hit for fresh seafood, at first I was reluctant recommending FB but because there is nowhere else doing the fresh fish thing in this area, I had no other choice. Well when I checked in with them the next day, they said the fish was ultra fresh but not much flavor. They were pretty disappointed, and so was I. I felt so bad because I felt the same way every time I left but I had no other choice but to steer them in that direction. So heres the run down, if you are a plain Jane that like unadulterated fresh fish, go. If you have a complex palate that demands complexity and flavor development, pass. read more