I'm only giving a 3 for food presentation and because the sever was nice... Came out to celebrate part 2 of my birthday and was superrrr disappointed. For starters, we ordered a large basket of calamari, and a small was brought out. Server had to end up requesting another small basket. We were satisfied with that. He was very nice about it and apologized because he keyed it in wrong. For dinner we ordered crab cakes and swordfish. Sounds good right? WRONG. When the food came out it looked amazing. I just knew my crab cakes would be a hit... they were pan seared but BURNED! They were very charred/crispy. So crispy to the point I had to use a knife to cut through and I couldn't cut it in one take! Just wait until you see the pictures. In a nutshell, I had to remove the crusty outside and eat the middle. The potatoes and mixed veggies were good. You can tell their food isn't made fresh. The sword fish also came with mashed potatoes and mixed veggies. We've had sword fish before but this was very over cooked. It was so dry and bland. It has absolutely no seasoning. Like NONE! Zero seasoning. Crab cakes weren't that seasoned either to be honest. Just hard crust just like my crab cakes. The crust part wasn't even edible. What a waste of money. And their prices are ridiculous for what they are bringing out. Won't be going back unfortunately. Maybe the have food drinks, the people at the bar looked pretty happy and it was packed. read more

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Excellent, excellent seafood!! The Crabcakes were moist & delicious! The Squid rings were perfectly cooked & tender! The Cremé Brulee was incredible! The best I've had in years!! And, finally, the service was wonderful; friendly, polite, & quick to bring drink refills & extra napkins!! I've recommended this restaurant to all of my friends in Raleigh because it's definitely worth the drive to get fresh, delicious seafood! You get your money's worth & more!! read more

Love this place for every time I visit the RDU area. The seafood tastes fresh and the people are SUPER nice. I ordered the crab legs and the lobster and they were both delicious and also very very reasonably priced. On Tuesdays, they also have half priced bottles of wine. Will definitely be back! read more

Squid's - Seafood Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Service was outstanding. They had a crispy fried fish taco special. Not special at all. Was mostly just the scrapings from the bottom of the fryer. Could not find the fish. Mostly just crispy bread mixed with burnt fryer residue. The rest of my party was very satisfied. I just ordered the wrong thing. read more

My wife and I went here at the recommendations of another couple. On a Friday night, the big parking lot was at the risk of spilling into the street despite a longish driveway. It appeared to be a very popular place. The restaurant looked pleasant and almost homey inside. Our waitress was very pleasant and professional. The entrees on the menu harks back about several decades. While there were absolutely nothing exciting, it can be comforting. I made a comment to the couple who recommended the place that the restaurant offer's traditional American food, with maybe a tad too much emphasis on 'traditional'. She appeared nonplused and told me that's what the catering company she works at serve regularly. Coming from someone in the food industry, I don't know how to take this. All I could see in my mid were large trays of food roasted and baked, then maybe kept warm under heat lamps before being dished out and carry out to diners who had a choice between prime rib, Cornish game hen and maybe a vegan option. Don't get me wrong. My meal appeared well prepared and tasted fresh, but both my wife and I couldn't remember what we ate a week later. read more

Went here on a whim since the restaurant was close by and I noticed it while I was driving. I really enjoy the complimentary hush puppies that they bring out for you at the beginning of the meal. They were so light, crispy and delicious and it can be VERY easy to get carried away. I was practically full off of hushpuppies by the time my entree came around. The server we had was super sweet and very attentive to our table. He made great recommendations when I couldn't figure out what I wanted. I ended up getting a scallop dish and it was really delicious. I only wish I had a few more scallops, there weren't that many on the dish and for the price, I was expecting a little more but they were really delicious and cooked well. I enjoyed the atmosphere, it was quieter and pretty relaxed on the inside. read more

Fresh Lobster, Juicy Tender Steak and the Best Hush Poppies Ever! Great Place to Have a Birthday Dinner Celebration! read more

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This restaurant is as good as it gets. Great food, spectacular service, treat yourself, during these troubling times, and at least eat right. The Surf&Turf menu, the Garlic Marinated Ribeye, Lobster Dinner, & Black Pearl Salmon dinners are simply outstanding. Also, the hushpuppies are dangerous! If you're not careful a basket or two will disappear before you realize it. We started dining at Squids by accident. My wife and I were invited to dine there with friends and the rest is history. We haven't stopped! This is our number 1 place for great food! read more

We went to Squids for my birthday! First time trying the restaurant but I have family members that love it. The food was really good. The hush puppies were amazing. I filled up on those as I could not stop eating them. I had the talapia and it was so good. There were 8 of us and everyone loved their meal! They had some really good drinks on the menu. I was not crazy about the mule, but they had a lemon martini that was wonderful! read more

3 1/2 stars. The staff at this joint REALLY know how to work a steamer. The crab was steamed to perfection, the vegetables were really effing good, and the peel and eat shrimp? Well, I kept neglecting them in favor of side dishes and oysters, and whenever I remembered they were in a basket, they were STILL pleasantly warm. That has to be the most notable part of it - I rarely have an experience where the dish holds its heat appropriately. The service was also a hit - our waitress did a great job of getting to us at the right time, recommending one dish over the other, and telling me enough about the bloody mary to make me drool and say, "Yes Please!" The lack of the full 4 stars however have to do with the atmosphere in the dining room. This main room TOTALLY reminded me of a cafeteria style dining room, but I think sitting outside or at the bar would have been nice. I think that might be a fall activity so I can get some more of that shrimp and oyster action. There was a group there that was having a grand ole time, so I think its safe to say this place is good for groups. read more

Squid's - Garnished Bloody Mary and LOTS of horseradish. - Seafood Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Comme Ci Comme Ça. Oysters: excellent Crowd: most people were over 65. Price: On Mondays, lobster is 25% off. We really had just come for an appetizer, but what the hell? Why not? Lobster: meh. The tail had the juiciest, most succulent meat. The innards were really gross. I've seen my fair share of lobster guts, but this one was full of black......goo. My friend Angie and I were sitting at the bar, so we asked the bartender, what to do with all of this black.....goo? He made a face and said "I wouldn't touch it." Service was fair- no one was extremely helpful or amiable. In fact, when we were greeted by the hostess at 4:50 PM, she said "We do not start serving for ten minutes." and would not give us a menu. Since, typically, it takes about ten minutes to decide aNyHoW, I was uncertain why our menus were omitted. Now, back to the lobster- I am no expert, but I am fairly certain this was an abnormal amount of goo. I would love to believe it was roe. But I'm fairly certain it was.....yeah....you guessed it.....bile/refuse/defecation. Mashed potatoes were good. That's pretty much all I've got. read more

Nothing was bad . . . but nothing was that good either. Food: I love seafood, and chowders are one of my favorite dishes, so I ordered a bowl for my main. It was okay - rich, creamy, but too rich and creamy in the plain cream way without seasonings or flavors in it. The boyfriend had fish, and it was pretty good, but not something that I'd go back for. I also ordered a slice of cake because they were freshly baked. I asked the waitress what she recommended and opted for the red velvet (it had a cute Christmas decoration - I posted a picture), but it was pretty bad. And it isn't often that I order cake and neither finish it nor take it home. It was dry and didn't have much flavor. Atmosphere: Felt similar to a cafeteria, only it wasn't. But it definitely had that sort of clientele and atmosphere. The inside hasn't been updated in a while. Price: Ended up being around $45 after tax and tip for a soup, entree, and piece of cake, so I felt it was a bit overpriced for the quality of the food and amount we ate. read more

Squid's - Red velvet cake in December - Seafood Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Due to covid it was a little depressing dining in due to lack of atmosphere of others but the food was delicious and the service great. Scallops perfectly cooked and bullibase ( sorry for spelling ). Was outstanding. read more

I've just never been much of a fan of this place; I know it's one of the better places to get seafood in the area, but somehow I must always wind up ordering the 'wrong' thing (plus the name weirds me out just a bit). I've done the calamari (which does have some pretty good dipping sauces), crab-stuffed ravioli and different fillets, but nothing quite makes the mark with me. It's kind of cute on the inside; lots of hardwood, fish, nautical-themed stuff (but in more of an upscale way than a "Joe's Crab Shack" way). The main room is a dining room, and the restaurant opens up to the left where there's a bar area. Pretty good space for a bar with some tables scattered in and TVs -- I've watched a game or two here, and it's definitely off the beaten path enough that it's not crowded for that sort of thing. They have some patio seating on their deck, too. read more

Squid's - Seafood Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

I feel like I'm running out of things to say about mediocre restaurants in the area. It was fine, nothing was bad or disappointing but I honestly don't think I would recommend this place to someone. It's more like a local eatery/family restaurant kind of place, not so much a flavor destination. The best thing was what my friend got which was the crab cake dinner. Not mostly breading like you would expect but actually a decent amount of crab meat (although likely canned but still good lump crab meat). My "horseradish" tilapia was basically just lightly breaded without a whole lot of horseradish to be found. My bloody mary was probably the biggest let down of the evening. Here's my thing...its a MENU ITEM. When you put a standard drink on your menu it's generally because you add a unique twist or just make it really great, but it wasn't great, it was fine...not even good, just fine. Cheap vodka and very little at that, lots of lemon seeds at the bottom for some reason and no spice, no identity, just watery tomato juice a little bit of lemon juice and some pepper, add a *splash* of Crystal Palace vodka and voilà you have a Squid's bloody mary. Actually the best tasting thing may have been the hush puppies brought to the table as soon as you sit. I don't know, like I said it was fine, I have no plans to ever go back unless someone's grandparents are in town and I want to play it safe. Other than that, I'm good on Squid's. read more

Good was very good. Place is not fancy but it is definitely liked by the locals. Parking lot fills up early so you might have to wait for a spot or go back behind the building. We enjoyed it so much going back for a second visit. I had scallops that were cooked to perfection. Two of my friends had flounder and one steak. Waiter was very attentive and friendly. read more

Over priced for quality of food. Portions small and hostess was rude. Also menu has not changed in 25 years. Yawn!

Everything was great at Squids, the food was delicious, the service was excellent and we were served quickly. Great place for seafood. I will be back. read more

We received a gift card for this restaurant, so we decided to give it a try. I asked what their most popular entree was and got the Wasabi crusted tilapia. My fiancée got the spicy fra diavlo. My dish was cooked perfectly- dish was very moist, shrimp were al dente BUT it didn't seem to have any seasoning on it. The onion sauce on it was good but didn't add a lot of flavor. My fiancées dish was almost too salty to be edible. They also used smaller shrimp for it, and I think it would have tasted better with larger shrimp. The hush puppies served at the beginning of the meal were ok, but nothing special. I got the house Merlot, and that was good. Overall, the meal wasn't terrible, but I don't know that I would return because the meal wasn't worth the price we paid. read more

Squid's - Seafood Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

The meal kits are just perfect. One of my favorites is their fish and shellfish. We order for four and bring the meal kits to friend's homes to enjoy together. The staff is friendly and they wear masks. So thank you to Squids read more

I'm torn between 3 and 4 stars. Just a few things off the mark. I ordered their swordfish special. The swordfish itself was good. It was blackened and cooked just right and that is the most important part of the meal. The risotto that came with it had a great flavor but it seemed a little under done. I also ordered the seafood chowder since it was a chilly night. It was good but I probably wouldn't order it again. The service felt kind of rushed even though it wasn't busy. I'm eager to go back though because it seems popular with locals and some of the shrimp dishes I saw coming out looked wonderful. read more

Came in here on a Wednesday looking to satisfy my craving for shell fish. I got here about 5, a full hour in happy hour and one before it ends when oysters are half price. They weren't anything fantastic, but I honestly had no complaints. They were chilled, shucked, and properly served with fresh horseradish, crackers, and cocktail sauce. I was pleased with them. This being my first time in here, I can't say for sure, bit given the companions I had at the bar, this place attracts an older (50+) clientele, at least a the bar. The decore and atmosphere are in line with what you'd expect; that of a nautical theme, which as other have reported, is perhaps a tad outdated. The rest of the menu is surprisingly upscale with what you'd expect, with entrees like Tilapia filets and seared tuna. Bottom line: If you are looking for a causal, but not too causal, satisfying quench to your seafood needs, this won't be a bad place to go. read more

Squid's - Fried catfish with fries and slaw. Not sure it's worth $14, but it was good. - Seafood Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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My mom lives in Chapel Hill, so most times I come home to visit she wants to either order takeout or go to Squid's for special occasions. I've been living in Boston for a few years so great seafood is not hard to find up here. However, I ordered my first lobster dinner from Squid's before I fell in love. My mom often orders the fried scallops -- which comes with a generous serving and are perfectly lightly fried. The hushpuppies are amazing and one of our favorite things about Squid's. This place does not disappoint and the service has always been great. read more

Solid seafood restaurant overall. I ordered the seafood Kabobs which came out as one skewer with 2 shrimp and 2 scallops and another skewer with 3 decent size filets of different fish. The scallops and shrimp were cooked perfectly, two of the pieces of fish were moist and tasty but one was way too overdone. The mashed potatoes and sautéed vegetables served on the side were what you would expect (in a good way) and solid size portions. My girlfriend ordered the shrimp and scallop pasta dish which was pretty tasty as well. The waitress was slow to greet our table but other than that the service was very good! read more

Squid's - Seafood Kabobs - Seafood Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Still very good after all these years, fried and not fried. Don't fill up on hush puppies no matter how good they are!

I've only eaten at Squid's twice and both times I had the Squid Ring appetizer and the Seafood Kabobs, which are excellent. As others have mentioned, the mashed potatoes are awesome. Great food and atmosphere.... I'm looking forward to trying out the rest of the menu. read more

I am a bit upset having dinner at Squids tonight. They are running 1/2 price Oysters at the bar, but you cannot order there and take to your table. Normally would not be a problem but I have a handicap person with me and she cannot sit at the bar tables. When I was seated, I asked for given tables for a handicap person. I tried to reason with the manager, but he said it was their plan to get more bar traffic... I have eaten 100 times at PRG and Mez. I have never been told "no". I cannot believe the manager of those places would impose rules on a handicap person like that. I should just stay out of Chapel Hill. read more

Variety of seafood with reasonable price! We were visiting from MD and wanted to try southern style inspired seafood. I cannot say Squid's is for that place, but their dishes are creativity filled with deliciousness! One thing I have noticed is that the crowds were more on the older side. I am in 20s, didn't feel out of place here and had a great time. It's homey, welcoming and highly recommend!! read more

Squid's - Trout medona - Seafood Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

This is a reliable place for well-prepared fish. The mashed potatoes are heavenly; do not miss them. The best bets here are fish dishes that are prepared simply. The yellowfin tuna is excellent, as well as the fish of the day. Wine by the glass is reasonably priced and there are good choices. On some nights this place can get crowded One thing of note: the evil handiwork of Ulysses Roque, the pastry chef. Dessert is must here. Do it without hesitation. Tonight's visit featured Maple Pecan Pie. Yumiferous. read more

It is rare that I go to a restaurant and have no complaints. Tonight that was my reality. I have worked in and out of the restaurant business for 40 years and have been to Squid's many times. Tonight we were there to celebrate my husband's pre birthday. The oysters were fresh and delicious. We went for the happy hour and the price was great. The bar waitresses Lacey was awesome. Though she was really busy we couldn't tell; she was extremely attentive and catered to our every need. We ordered the Maine mussels in marinara and the fresh grouper specials for our mains-absolutely fantastic. This is a must go to for fresh seafood and great service! read more

Squid's - Seafood Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Always good with reasonable prices. The manager is a very nice gentleman. Butter Spicy Fra so

Been around the world several times. Squids is still my favorite restaurant in the world. I've had many items on the menu but my go-to is hands down the seared ahi with asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes. Pretty consistent over the years and service is always top notch. I've seen Roy Williams in there a bunch -- so you know it's good when Roy is a frequent visitor. read more

Amazingly popular and busy seafood restaurant offering consistently mediocre food, though thankfully they lean away from Southern Fried and offer most items steamed or broiled. Squid's is part of the 518, 411 West, and Spanky's group of restaurants, all of which do what they do consistently and solidly if not spectacularly. Squid's offers a good variety of seafood, and a few non-seafood items. The dining room with its rows of packed tables gets crowded early with the senior-set and families, and depending where you are seated, it can be loud and you can be uncomfortably close to other diners. The market is ok though small with inconsistent offerings, though you can custom order items a few days ahead of time and they'll get them for you, which is nice, though I prefer Tom Robinson's Seafood in Carrboro. If you just have to dine in a place that offers mostly seafood in Chapel Hill, well, here ya go. But pretty much every decent restaurant in the area offers a variety of seafood dishes now, and almost of all them do it better than Squid's. read more

Squid's - Photo from Squid's web page - Seafood Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Great experience!!! Oysters were amazing, and 1/2 off!! Can't beat that. They were large in size and came with all the bells and whistles (ie: crackers, horsey,cocktail,hot sauce). Service was wonderful. Truly a seafood must!!! My only recommendation for them.... Branch out make a little seafood market if you get your stuff fresh. That's really what I went there thinking it was. A market. LOL. A pleasant surprise. read more

Squid's - Seafood Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Okay, honestly, 5 stars for their Caesar Salad. I know that's a super weird thing to love at a seafood restaurant but every time I'm back home I go to get the salad. I used to get their Popcorn Shrimp dish all the time which is good too. I'm also a huge fan of their hush puppies, and desserts- in particular the Chocolate Silk Pie. My mom, without fail, always gets the Tamari Grilled Tuna dish and loves it as well. The service is on point- friendly but not overbearing, and the wait is never that bad despite it usually being pretty busy. They also have a great happy hour deal, with 1/2 off oysters on the half shell (from 4-6pm in the bar area only) that my parents always make a date night out of :) read more

We came the day before yesterday to eat raw oysters on the patio and we were told it was closed but would be open the next day, so we went home and stuffed down our craving. We called yesterday to confirm you would be serving raw oysters outside on the patio and you said you would be--starting at 4:30, first-come, first-serve. When we arrived at 4:30 we were told the patio was closed. We are not comfortable sitting inside, so we asked to get them to go and we were told we could not do that. CRAVING raw oysters, we went online and found Shuckin' Shack Oyster Bar 10 miles away in Durham. Long story short--we drove over and gave them a try. Raw oysters on the half-shell were excellent, very cold, like we like them; and sorry, Squid's, the sweet tea and hushpuppies were the best--superior to yours. We've been coming to you for decades, but we have a new place now. Bye... read more

I frequent a lot of restaurants. Went to this place just because it got so many Great reviews, and my wife loves Lobster.I am from Maine....and know what lobster tastes like...what they called a 1 1/2 Lobster for a cool $30 was...I can't find words for it ....this place is way overpriced (like a lot of restaurants in Chapel Hill) and some of the stuff feels like it was yanked off the frozen section, nuked (the veggies), and slapped on your plate.. ...I hate to say it....this place was garbaaaage. Ambiance was ok, service was better. Drinks and food? Negative Ghostrider...The only thing I really liked were the (free) hush puppies. read more

Squids is near the top on our list of favorite restaurants in the area. We've got that place dialed in! The following review is based on about 25 meals there, albeit we're not adventurous with the menu. The FOOD, start to finish: the hushpuppies are usually pretty good, lighter and fluffier than most, but you didn't come here for the hushpuppies. The fried food is Really Very Consistent. We love the oysters, the shrimp (!) , the scallops (!), the popcorn shrimp. Now, the oysters will vary some because they come from different sources but 9 times out of 10, they are quite good raw, steamed or fried. We like the pasta dishes a lot, the Genovese and Fra Diavolo. As far as everything else goes, it is hard for us to say because we don't stray far from our Squids Formula. We've had some really good specials but don't remember what they were. Never had the lobster or steak. I think Squids is very good at what they do, which is fairly straight forward fish. If you want cheaper, go to Mayflower. If you want fancier, go to An or Revolution. SQUID'S FORMULA: 1) Go early for happy hour (half price oysters) or late to avoid the crowds. Squids is super popular (why?) with bluehairs and they like to eat at 6 and be in bed at 8. 2) Eat at the bar. It is more casual, you can drink your Angry Angel (excellent with fried stuff), watch the game and strike up conversations with laid back folks who like to eat at the bar. Also, you have better service because your servers are always within eye contact. 3) Get appetizers, especially fried stuff, especially shrimp or scallops. 4) Share the one entree that just feels right. 5) Did I mention the fried stuff? Just checking. THE LOCATION: is not sexy, right off 15-501, but very accessible and easy to park. Feels like a fish camp. THE DECOR: is relaxed fishy but nice. Note the monstrously phallic neon squid. DRAWBACKS: We always blow a LOT of money here because the Squids Formula allows for no variance. 2-4 beers, some oysters, a basket of shrimp, a salad and a shared entree is gonna be $60+. But you know, the Lantern costs that much for two cocktails and a couple snacks. SQUIDS SHOUTOUT: open 7 days a week so you'll never have that "Aw, shit- It's Monday" moment. read more

You know those Red Lobster commercials where they make it look like a real seafood restaurant, and they crack the crab legs and juice goes everywhere? And the waitstaff appears literate and smiles? That's what Squid's is - the restaurant that Red Lobster pretends to be in commercials. I am biased because I love raw oysters, and eating them at the bar is awesome. Also, did you know that oysters and stout is an awesome combination? Just sayin'. read more

Whenever we would drive by Squids and the place was packed, so we figured this place must be good. On a lark, a friend and I decided to try it tonight. The meal started off great. There was a basket of hot hush puppies waiting for us as soon as we sat down. Sweet and buttery, light and fluffy. They reminded me of creamed corn. Delicious. The hush puppies gave us high expectations for our main entrees. I had the Horseradish Crusted Tilapia and Dan had the Genovese Shrimp & Scallops. Let's start with Dan's dish. The over all experience was a rather bland runny pasta. The sauce was a very runny marinara-like soup (did I mention that the sauce was runny?). The scallops and shrimp were okay - nothing to write home about. The pasta was cooked well, but it needed the sauce to carry it. Lets be honest, noodles don't have a lot of flavor on their own. The only part of the dish with any real flavor were the red olives. They packed a puckering punch that was out of place with the rest of the meal. Dan was convinced that they must have been some kind of pallet cleanser, like ginger is to sushi, "except that there was nothing to cleans." My dish was a lot better but that isn't saying much. Everything was cooked technically perfect. The fish was juicy, tender, and flaky. The green beans were soft but not limp. And the Yukon potatoes were simply awesome. Aside from the buttery, oniony, deliciousness that was the potatoes, my dinner lacked balance. The Tilapia's crust had no hint of the fabled horseradish. Instead, it tasted like the breading in a crab cake. Albeit, a very tasty breading, but not one that should have been atop of this lightly flavored fish. When I took a bit of it I expected to taste crab instead of fish. It tasted incomplete. The beans were pretty flavorless. They could have used some butter and salt. And while the potatoes were awesome, I cook potatoes like these at home all the time. Possibly this is why I liked them so much. I might have rated this as a 3, but the meal was very overpriced for what it was - boring. read more