Love this place! Usually I'm in for lunch and the lobster roll and tuna entrees are my go to!

Bravo, bravo onion rings are back and so good. Last nights dinner and drinks were over the top. Manhattan and vodka gimlet where served well chilled and made just right. Husband had fried scallops and shrimp, nice size order and cooked to perfection. For me three colossal shrimp well chilled and a side of fries hit the spot and a cappuccino finished of a great meal. read more

I emailed the restaurant, privately, with my concerns about our recent experience there. I received no response at all, so I think it is appropriate to write this review as a "cavaet emptor". My partner and I had visited Fishbones fairly regularly over the past year and a half or so, but after our recent experience, and subsequent lack of response regarding our concerns, never again. On previous visits, we sat, about equally, at tables and bar seats. Each time we enjoyed consistently delicious food and somewhat spotty, but mostly excellent, service. On our last visit (a Saturday evening), we were offered seating at the seats looking into the kitchen. As we both love to cook and had never sat there before, we thought it would be fun. Fun, however, is not at all how I'd describe our experience. Horrified fascination might be more apt. Steven and Pete were cooking. We started noticing something strange when every couple of minutes, Pete would leave what he was doing to walk around the corner or crane his neck at the front door. It quickly became apparent that this was happening every time an attractive woman or girl (!) walked in or past the door to the restaurant. More alarming still was the commentary that accompanied this undisguised ogling. Comments made, not quite under his breath (certainly loud enough for us to hear) that were, suffice it to say, completely inappropriate and offensive. I am no militant feminist but we would have thought that in an open kitchen such as theirs, the staff would have been trained to be more sensitive about their behaviour and conversation, particularly within earshot of their clientele. We were quite surprised and dismayed to note that Steven (whose coat noted "Executive Chef") not only did not put a stop to this behavior, but goaded it on with smirks and comments of his own. In addition, we heard these two "gentlemen" make several less than kind/appropriate remarks about some of the female waitstaff, as they were working. Here Steven and Pete were both openly laughing. What an utterly horrifying environment in which to have to work! And what an wholly unappetizing environment in which to enjoy our meals! Steven was eventually replaced by another (quiet) cook and it was here that Pete brought his behaviour to a new level of inappropriateness. He became very loud, demanding, appaling rude to his co-workers and no longer made any guise of monitoring his language. At one point, we heard him refer to someone - in a normal, conversational tone of voice - for all to hear - as a "fu#*ing douche". Our jaws were about on the floor. We left, in spite of our delicious meals, feeling sickened. Someone tolerates (or even encourages?) this behaviour and for an establishment that does so many other things "right", this is baffling and most disappointing. read more

Just freakin' amazing!!! Every time I travel in the area from NJ I make it a point to stop by. Ridiculously fresh fish and great bar. You won't be let down with their food. Prices are not outrageous for the quality. It's a small restaurant so just plan accordingly. Wait staff very attentive and helpful. Don't think twice and just go there! read more

I absolutely love this restaurant! Visited several times over the past few months, have never had a bad meal, and the service is excellent. Delicious seafood all around, much better than those "big name" seafood places with their exorbitant prices. Everything on the menu here is reasonably priced for what you get, and portions are generous without being ridiculously over the top. My recommendations: PEI Mussels (out of this world!); Lobster Roll; Calamari; Clam Chowder. I have full confidence, based on my own experiences with Fishbones, that most anything on the menu would be great! Now when I'm in the mood for seafood, Fishbones is my #1 go to place. Highly recommended! read more

I had heard wonderful things about Fish Bones and finally had the chance to try it this afternoon. First impression was that it was adorable. Set in Chelmsford Center, I felt that I was walking into a sea side cafe with its white washed paneling and pretty blue walls. The hostess wanted to seat our party of seven at a round table that might comfortably fit four. When I asked to be moved to a more suitable table, the hostess was not pleased. Our waitress was very nice and tried hard to meet our needs. Ordering pan seared sea scallops, she warned that the pan was very hot and that we needed to be careful. The presentation was nice - especially the mixed seafood grill with ample pieces of salmon, but my scallops were ok at best. Despite the hot pan warning, my scallops were cold - and so was the pan. The flavor was good, but certainly not the best that I've had. For a side dish, I ordered mashed potato and these too were cold and tasted like they had been leftover from Thanksgiving. Our waitress replaced them with rice that was a much better option. Overall, thr experience was OK, but not what I expected. read more

This is actually a 4 star restaurant but the bar staff and hostess services is a 1 star. You can't make reservations, you can call ahead but they are utterly clueless in managing tables and can't provide any details on time. What is the point to call ahead and get a 'yeah come on down its a short wait' only to sit for 45 minutes. Any well run restaurant should know average table time and should be able to monitor and manage tables. A hostess should approach you with a smile and quality service. Instead they send you to the bar or a stool to wait. It's degrading when you come to spend money and are treated like this. I frequent the place every few months because the food is great, it's a well run kitchen and the waitresses are kind and friendly. I seem to be frequenting it less often because the first thing should always be a pleasant smile and a courteous and well educated hostess who knows the restaurant. read more

Teerible food and bas service. The sea food has to be the worst I have ever tried. We were seated at the bar since they claimed they would give us a table in 20 min, but they only offered me the option 40 min later when I was finishing my second course. The food was mostly frozen pre-made and overpriced for what it was. read more

Can you say "Butter, butter, butter...?!" I've heard a lot of good things about this place so decided to finally try it out. The atmosphere was cool. I would have to say the prices were pretty high for the portion size. We had the lobster risotto and seafood Mediterranean pasta. You can taste nothing but butter. It seemed like they even had butter in the steamed broccoli that came on the side. Although the portion was small, I couldn't even finish it because I just couldn't handle all that butter flavor. It actually gave me a headache and made me full. Normally I would still be hungry after eating a portion that size. read more

One visit we waited for almost an hour, another an hour and a half. The staff kept saying that we'd be seated soon, but soon never came, so we left. The food has always been pretty good, the service not so much. read more

Their food is always delicious, but I just can't stand the noise. It is so loud in that restaurant - we were there on Friday night and with everyone talking, the metal chairs and tables on a tile floor with high ceilings - it's just too annoying. My friends have always commented on how noisy it is, but last Friday, it was obnoxiously noisy - I finally realized what they were complaining about. It will be a while until we return. read more

First time here for lunch. Hostess distracted and arguing on the telephone for a solid 4 minutes before she even addressed our group, nevermind welcomed us. Waitress unenthused and lacked personality or general friendlines, without much knowledge regarding the menu. Started with the crab cakes.. cold, lacking actual crab with a ton of pasty filler, definitely not something we would order again. My wife's salad consisted of yellow wilted lettuce with a sprinkle of pecans, slivered strawberries and a bitter lemon dressing. The shrimp that she ordered with it were decently sized and fresh. I was looking forward to the swordfish, seeing that every review I had read was positive regarding it. At this point I began to wonder if I was at the right restaurant. Unimpressed. Poorly seasoned and I questioned the quality.. it was almost wet and definitely chewy. Not what I would consider a top notch swordfish steak to exhibit. Asparagus was cooked well and the vegetable couscous was ok, could use more flavor. Dessert was key lime pie.. excellent. Mediocre, can definitely use some work, beginning wi th customer service. Won't be returning. read more

This was the biggest disaster I've ever had at a restaurant. We had reservations and were told it would be a few minutes to be seated. A party of four was still at our table. An hour later we were finally seated. We place our orders and 40 minutes later our waitress sends over another waitress to tell us they forgot to cook our order. It must have fell on the floor or something to that effect. By now its after 10 and we've been there close to 2 hours. Inevitably the children we had to pick up call and we have to leave. Still no food. We only had salads and clam chowder, 3 glasses of water, and a glass of wine. They asked if we would mind waiting a little longer and they'd pack our food up. Ahhh..nooo. Then they had the nerve to charge us for the 2 salads, one glass of wine, and the 2 cups of clam chowder. Not even an apology. I would never ever go back to this place. read more

Ate here last night with my parents. We did the call ahead seating for 7 and showed up at 645. I was told to keep close and assumed we were being sat right away. Then a group of four shows up who obviously know the hostess and another menu is added to the stack and they are shown to their (our) table. So we grabbed drinks at the bar and took a seat - the hostess had mentioned it would be no more than a 30 minute wait. About an hour later we were sat at the bar near the kitchen. Apparently this is preferred seating, but we would have enjoyed a table instead. We sat for roughly 15 minutes before getting menus - which we should have been given by the hostess when sat, and waited another few before having our drink order taken. From here on out everything was great. The food got mixed reviews but overall very tasty. My biggest complaint was the hostess service. I believe but cannot prove that other tables of three and four that showed up after us were seated first b/c they were locals or familiar with the hostess. I was actually ready to get up and leave when we were finally seated. Thankfully our waitress was great and turned our poor service around. If we are in the mood for seafood again and don't want to cook at home we may give Fishbones another try. But if we are shown the same poor seating service I will not return. read more

We were veery disappointed in our last visit. We waited for an hour plus and there's were many table available by the time we were seated. the food we s also not as good as usual and we will likely go elsewhere where we can either get a reservation or at least sit at the bar and order appetizers. read more

We had a "reservation". We waited for a 1/2 hour after we got there; only to be seated after the people that came in after us!! The restaurant was so loud. My family and I were shouting at each other from across the table. The food was mediocre at best. We won't go back! read more

We frequent the place often...but the bar service (denise) was awful and stressful. something made her angry and I was afraid to ask ...Where is my order after 30 minutes... read more

I have heard great things about Fishbones so when I received a gift card for Xmas I thought we would give it a try... We went on a sunday afternoon. Decided to sit at the bar to watch the big screen tvs... Our bartender was so-so.. he wasn't an enthusiatic fun person I believe bartenders should be. No great greeting no have you been here before.. no wow thats a good choice or tell me his favorites... So I ordered the lazy man lobster my hubby the stuffed shrimp. We each chose colesalw and garlic mashed for the sides. Our meals came in a reasonable amount of time. Then I began to eat one of the chewiest lobsters I have ever had. I felt like I ordered lobster at a chili's or 99 Rest. There at least you don't expect much. Here I expected since their specialty is fish they would provide me with a delicious product taht matched the price I was being charged.. The garlic mashed had hardly a hint of garlic.. The coleslaw was good.. My husband found his stufed shrimp to be very dry in places but ok otherwise. So for the price.. its not worth it.. Would rather dine in Newburyport or Essex and get a better meal for less money. At least we had a gift certificate.. read more

My wife and I just got back from lunch, outside. The food, stuffed flounder and blackened trout, were very well prepared, and the lunch price was more than reasonably ($10 and $11). Our waitress, Linda, (I got her name from the check) was pleasant, efficient and attentive (just the right amount). Just before leaving, we had a conversation with the host, Kara, (I asked her her name). She was particularly pleasant, a very good person to be the first (in this case, the last) contact with the public. She added a nice touch to an already pleasant lunch. MP Chelmsdford read more

We went here for dinner after reading the reviews and glad we did! It turned out that we were here 5 years ago. We didn't realize it until we stepped in to the restaurant. Getting old does that to us! Hubs ordered the Seafood Sauté and loved it. The seafood were all fresh and cooked just right. He is a picky eater and doesn't like it when the seafood is overcooked. This place satisfied him! Daughter ordered the Herb Roasted Hake and loved her entree as well. The fish was nice and soft just the way she liked it. Lastly, I ordered the Sesame Tuna Steak VERY VERY VERY rare and they delivered! I loved the way they just grilled the tuna on top! It's obvious that this place serves fresh seafood and confident in their food to serve it the way a customer wants it. We were full but we ordered a Chocolate Ganache Tart to go. I forgot the name of it but it looked good when I saw the table next to us ordered it. Glad to see this place still around and thriving 5 years later! Service was really friendly. Will definitely return when in the area! read more

See all

I love it here. First went with my bf for his 22 bday. he LOVED the raw bar. Our waitress was super cute/friendly and ended us off with a free chocolate muffin. all the food was AMAZING. didn't go for my bday and regretted it so made a second trip for my anniversary. bacon wrapped scallops had a hint of caramel and we SOSO good. Always get the sangria: always affordable, always delicious! I got the seafood pasta my first trip and the Mediterranean seafood pasta the second and both times fell in love with my meal!! for the quality of the food the prices are more than fair (and im super cheap!) haha worth the money and the wait (both times waited approx 15-25 minutes) only complaint would be how close all the tables for 2 are, which leads to a lack of privacy. but on our second trip we were seated at a more secluded table, which i enjoyed. highly recommended. read more

On Friday, 4/10/15 we came to Fishbone's for dinner. We were seated around 9:20 pm. There were 4 of us. After dinner I proceeded to use the ladies room. On my way to the ladies room, I took a fall on the floor because it was wet and very slippery. I slowly got up and went into the ladies room to find that floor was also wet and slippery. When the manager came over to me I asked for an accident report. She said there was none. My husband then became very upset and continued to ask for some kind of incident or accident report so that we could have it documented that I fell. The manager became irate and asked us to leave telling my husband he is not to ever come back to the restaurant. Prior to leaving my husband spoke with 2 other witnesses who proceeded to give him their name and phone number and told him that they saw what happened and they were willing to help if we needed it. On our way out the door, I tried to speak to the manager calmly and her response was and I quote..."I get it, I'm a klutz too". Excuse me??? I didn't fall because I was a klutz, I fell because the floor was washed and still wet while customers are still eating in the restaurant. That's inexcusable!!! The words and threats your manager used is inexcusable. We had very poor service on Friday, April 10, 2015 at the restaurant. We were served a desert menu prior to us completing our main course. She was slow at responding and quick to get us out of there. We were seated very late in the evening (around 9:20); therefore, if you don't want your customers hanging around past closing time, you should not seat them after 8:15. We were rushed. We spent nearly $300.00 and hardly worth it. We come to Fishbone's 2 to 3 times a month and we bring in many people. We were appalled at the service and the rudeness of the manager read more

Had the Seafood Casserole it was over cooked, had a strange taste and the one small piece of haddock I tried had fish bones in it Talked to the waitress and she took it back and recommended the seafood medley. I took her advice. By the time it came my wife had finished her meal. Although over cooked and dry the plate had good flavor. No visit from a manager or offer of a free drink or anything. Also ordered a virgin Bloody Mary. $7.00 and only had a lemon and olive. The regular Bloody Mary comes with a jumbo shrimp and cucumber so I essentially paid $7.00 for spicy tomato juice. Very disappointed with the management. Waitress was great and I think she was taken back by the lack of management response. Too bad ,was there before with a much better experience. read more

Food is very good. But long long wait times. We called ahead and they say if call ahead and it is 15 minutes from when you arrive. It was 40 minutes. There is barely a waiting space. Hostess was super sulky. read more

Wanted to try a new restaurant on our shopping trip and YELPED Fishbones. Decided to give it a try. We arrived on Saturday late afternoon a little after 4 pm and were greeted and seated immediately. Our waitress Sally was very friendly and helpful. We decided on the fried Calamari appetizer, the hubby a fried Haddock plate with cole slaw and baked potato and for me, the Lobster Roll with fries and cole slaw. The appetizer arrived rather quickly and was very fresh and crispy. The dipping sauce was very tasty too. Our meals came right as we were finishing our appetizer and my husband thought the Haddock was terrific. My lobster roll was average (hard to beat the lobster rolls I've had all summer from The Beach Plum in Hampton), the cole slaw was excellent and the fries, hot and crispy but not hand cut. Overall, a good experience, average pricing, good service so we'll be back when we're in the area. read more

food did not taste as good as it looked. the table was too small. we had to ask the server to take away the water bottle bucket to make room for the app and the service was slow. read more

Wow! Stumbled upon this thanks to Yelp. Food was outstanding. Had oysters that were really fresh. Fish soup had lots of fish. Mixed grill was wonderful with shrimp, big pieces of salmon and swordfish with grilled zucchini and tomato. Margaritas and sangria were nicely potent. All in all a wonderful meal! Kudos!! read more

We came here for lunch today and sat at the bar. The decor is nice and bright and the bar was well stocked. They have a great wine and beer list and some interesting drinks. We both had their signature Bloody Mary that is made with my favorite crop cucumber vodka (which is very hard to find at liqueur stores) and comes with a delicious pickle and extra large shrimp. We had the truffle chips and mussels with a red wine broth for our apps. The truffle chips were great, nice and crispy and served warm with a garlicky dip. The mussels were just average, while we loved the red wine broth the mussels themselves were lacking in flavor. I think they were under cooked and just didn't have an overall good taste to them. We only ate about half and left the rest. We ordered a half dozen mixed raw oysters, they were good but two of the smaller type were barely there, don't know if I've ever seen an oyster that little and thin. We also had a burger which was cooked perfect and had great flavor, including the potato roll. Fries were good, coleslaw was just average store bought type. The food took a while to come out, even though we were the only customers. The service was ok, not much interaction from the bartender or staff for that matter, no goodbye on the way out from the receptionist lol. I'm mixed, not sure if I would come back. read more

Delicious! Went here on two occasions and both times satisfied with quality and price.

I love the seafood medley. So yummy! There is parking behind the restaurant, just a little tricky to find.

Great place for seafood outside of Boston. The specials are always good. If you are going for lunch, go early as even on weekdays, the place fills up. Haven't tried it for dinner but plan to take my wife there in the near future. read more

I have been to Fishbones many times. Food is great and service is normally good - A few of us from the office wanted to sit outside for lunch..called ahead and there was no wait and patio was empty ...only to arrive 10 min later to a full patio and a 15 min wait (they had empty tables but needed time for the waitstaff to catch up) We left after 15 min and still no signs of being seated. I would only go early or go late - they clearly can't handle a lunch rush. read more

this place is nestled in center of chelmsford..great seafood dinners and appetizers..as well as an open kitchen..drinks...tapas..steak and chicken courses, as well.. read more

Best place in the area to get seafood hands down. Everything is so fresh and good. For a good deal.. go for lunch or buy stuff from their fish market and bring it home to cook yourself. It is unique in that no matter who you are you can find something to try on the menu that you have never had before. There were fish on the menu I never knew existed. read more

Fresh fish, lightly fried and delicious. Calamari was sweet and definitely not rubbery. The fish and Chips was pure scrod, and the Ipswich clams were light and flavorful. Food came very quickly and staff was attentive, in spite of the full restaurant. It's a small place so come early. By 6:30 there was a line. About $21 each for more than we could eat. read more

I started off my meal with one of the best martinis I have ever had! Our waitress poured my martini up to the top of the martini glass and it was delicious. While I was waiting for my entree I was looking at other people's dishes and they all looked awesome. Although the fried dishes looked unbelievable, I decided to choose a healthy choice: sushi grade tuna with sesame seeds & seaweed salad. They served me a very generous piece of tuna and my dish was delicious. I highly recommend Fishbones if you like tasty, fresh, high quality food with excellent service. read more

We loved this place! Great atmosphere and even better meal. I had the scallops, shrimp and lobster over pasta! Amazing! Such a generous portion that I took half home for lunch the next day. We sat at the bar and watched the chef. Best seat in the house. Don't miss this place! read more

Today I had the crab cake sandwich and my husband had the special, which was a buffalo shrimp Gorgonzola wrap. I got sweet potato fries instead of the regular and my husband asked for a sub of mashed potatoes. We came a little after noon on this Saturday and by the time we left it was getting busy. We didn't dwindle because we had our little one with us. I can totally see why it wasn't an empty restaurant! The food was really great!! My crab cake was full of crab meat, hearty, not too crunchy or soft, with tomato and lettuce on a delicious brioche roll (or something.) We loved everything we ate! Edited because our last experience wasn't quite so great, but I still think this is a good place. read more

Excellent!! Like everyone else has said make a reservation! We did came in early. I had seafood sauté my husband had Sesame Tuna Steak, perfectly done. Only down side to evening computers went down waiting forever for our bill!!! But dinner was great! read more

I have vague memories of this place being good a long time ago, and was in the area and in the mood for fish and chips so I stopped in. The fish itself was fine, and I think the batter would have been good, but it was the oiliest fish and chips (or pretty much fried anything) I've ever had. I subbed the veggie (asparagus) for the fries. Nice option to have, but the asparagus was overcooked to mush. At least the cole slaw was good. Don't think I'll be going back anytime soon. It was mid-afternoon - maybe the B-team was on in the kitchen. read more