Took a friend for a casual dinner. My fried clams were so overcooked they were crisp through. Her fish was okay but lackluster. This is my second disappointing meal at this overrated little restaraunt. Will not go back read more

We heard so much about the Barnacle we decided to finally try it. We weren't impressed. My hamburger was charred black on the outside, and completely overcooked. Overpriced for poorly cooked bar good. read more

There must be better places to eat in Marblehead. Nice location on the water. Everything but the lobster was hardly edible-will not return :( read more

My husband and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary last night. We spent the day in Rockport, MA and decided to find a place to dine in Marblehead. We had no idea where we were going... we just wanted something outside, near the water and relaxing. We drove by The Barnacle and it looked packed for an early Wednesday evening. We decided to give it a try. Parking is impossible but we found a spot on the street and we squeezed in. It was worth it! We had a drink at the bar before we were seated. It's an old salty place full of regulars and very busy. I loved it! Within 15 minutes our hostess lead us to a beautiful table for two on a little deck out back. The view was breathtaking! Our server, Courtney, was the bomb!!! She was smart, funny and attentive. The food was fantastic! I had the seafood chowder and a seafood cassarole....soooo good! My husband had the surf and turf. Before he could even cut into his steak, Courtney noticed that it was way overcooked (my husband ordered it medium rare) and said she would bring him another. There was so much food he never even got to the steak so Courtney wrapped it to go. All in all it was a magical evening on the deck. We would go back again an again. I wish it wasn't over an hour from home! read more

Well---don't go here if you have your shirttail out and just got done sailing on hot memorial day weekend...they told me I looked like I had too much to drink! So much for a neighborly restaurant. I told them I would tuck in my shirt...no go...better avoid this place for your own good. Guess they have new owners or something. Their web site does not work either. Must be having tough times. read more

One of my favorite restaurants in the area. Highly recommend the lobster roll. The steamers were my 12yr old son's favorite. Tables outside are fantastic. A great experience. read more

My wife grew up in nearby Swampscott & we were visiting for a family wedding so I finally was able to check this place out. Seafood is all top notch, I'd not even bother with anything else. I could not wait to sink my teeth into a lobster roll. All I can say is YUMMY!!!!!! A bit overpriced, but the split hot dog bun was jammed with lotsa superb quality lobster meat. The chowder is to die for as are the onion rings. As we now reside in Chapel Hill, NC it's a little bit of a stretch for us to get there regularly, but I can assure you that when in the area again go there we will. read more

My cousin and husband live in Marblehead and were there to celebrate their anniversary. I live in Ohio and called to surprise take care of their bill. I talked to Jen and she carried it out perfectly, when the bill care she handed them a note saying happy anniversary from cousin in Ohio. Also they had the whole restaurant singing happy anniversary to them. Great job and when i'm out east its one of my favorites. Thanks again, great job! read more

Having grown up in Marblehead, it was wonderfully nostalgic to come back 20 years later and walk about the town and the Barnacle is one of my favorite haunts from years gone by. I did not come for the atmosphere or the charm or for a table outside on the water. You take literally three steps from the restaurant and get more view and some revolutionary war history to boot. As a food snob I was uncertain whether I could still appreciate the rustic surroundings having just a month ago, dined at Joel Robuchon's in Las Vegas. I invoked Anthony Bourdain and anticipated getting good local indigenous cuisine. My wife had one of their famous Bloody Marys. Built by hand and served in a 16 oz shaker glass. Spicy and delicious! We had chowder, rich and full of clams. It tasted like clams. That is all you should expect from real clam chowder and it was wonderful. I literally inhaled mine. We had lobster rolls. They were gigantic. A new twist (a modern consideration) was that rather than mix the lobster with mayo and celery, they put a dob on top and allow the customer to decide whether to slather or not. We slather. Thats just how we roll. The lobster meat was fresh and plentiful. We had to eat half the lobster before we could pick up the toasted hot dog roll to fit them into our mouths. To top off, we shared a clam roll. That too was wonderful. The clams were perfectly cooked but a bit small. Larger clams is just a personal preference. We had other plans for the notoriously best fried clams in New England the next day. Nevertheless, they were delicious and I was completely satisfied. It was wonderful validation to come back to a place years later and find that they have not changed. The restaurant remains in the same family that founded the place many years ago. read more

Wonderful fresh seafood & friendly service. This place is the real deal- small place, feels like someone's house and locals surround the bar. Add on killer water views and you've got all the hallmarks of a keeper! Of note: fabulous homemade bloody mary's, & clam chowder followed by crab cakes and the lobster roll. Yum, will go back. read more

This place looks like a dive! But it's view & food are fantastic! Not normally a fried food fan, but had their fried seafood platter & it was great! Lobster bisque was out of this world! Waitress was very friendly & good. Only gave 4 stars because it is so cramped you can hardly move. read more

It's ok. Not what I would expect from a seafood rest. In Marblehead of all places. The inside is old. The food ok. Seems more like it was thrown in a ton of butter and served. read more

Wonderful Lobster bisque, fresh seafood, good service, good portion size for a descent price. Seating on the deck was a little tight.

Went here with the family on a Friday night. The place itself is small and tucked away in a beautiful old coastal New England neighborhood. I imagine the views are pretty nice, but there was a heavy fog so we couldn't see much. The wait staff was EXCELLENT, especially in accommodating our two small children. The food was slightly below expectation as virtually everything required seasoning, but the overall experience was positive. read more

Great food good service. Pretty harbor view. Get there early. Our party of three had the fish an chips, grilled salmon and clam plate. All was delicious. Definitely a place to come back to. read more

I couldn't believe it! My shirt tail was out and I took a wrong step into the bar and I was told "you had some difficulty getting in here" The bartender thought I was drunk and wouldn't serve me! read more

The bar, the locals, the view, the drinks...my Favorite haunt in Marblehead.

Six people showed up for dinner without a reservation and we were seated without a problem. The view of the harbor from this place is the best in Marblehead. If you happen to be in Marblehead during a storm go to the Barnacle for an unforgettable experience. The service is always great as is the food. The last time I was there they had a dinner special two one pound lobsters for $22.00. Outrageous. I love this place. read more

Great for a quick seafood lunch, oysters are always on point as are the mussels. A little too much mayo in the lobster rolls for my taste but they pass the test as well. Good drinks. read more

I lived in Marblehead for 5 years, many years ago and would never visit without going back to the Barnacle! Great seafood, great view and such a special and unique place. So glad to see that it has not changed after many years and is till the wonderful place it always was! read more

Two stars just for the view. The food was tasteless, we ordered stuffed shrimp (shrimp was tasteless and stuffing tasted like breadcrumbs), lobster bisque and fish and chips. read more

My partner and I were disappointed in this place. We came in on a weekend lunch-and were seated immediately outside which was lovely-things looked great, The location is charming and the restaurant is a cute local New England on the water semi-divey standard. Love these places usually. However it took not kidding about 20 minutes to be offered any menus or drinks or anything at all and it was not super busy. It was also about 200 degrees outside so we were way parched. People were being served ALL around us and we were consistently overlooked. The service was TERRIBLE. I had to get up twice and just ask someone to come bring water, take order etc. There were teenage bussers sort of wandering around who kept walking past us, a server that was totally AWOL-the food took almost an hour and it was just 2 salads...2 hours there total. The food is ok, nothing remarkable-but at that point who cared, we just needed to hydrate and eat something before we started gnawing our chairs and hook ourselves up to an IV. *We are pretty obviously Queer-looking peeps-not that it should matter but we are upscale, urban palatable Gays-and there was a lot of staring and rubber necking here. It felt like there was some invisibility cape over just our table. We had a similar experience at the Sea Level restaurant in Salem that weekend. We wanted to love this place but it was a total bust. read more

Been coming to this little place since I can remember always to get the best Clam Chowder ever. Everytime my best friend from upstate NY comes I have no choice but to have atleast 2 meals at the Barnacle, she swears by their grilled cheese and fries with a bowl of chowder. I usually give in to lobster at least once! Always so fresh. read more

Great view right on Marblehead Harbor. Can be noisy. Best Blood Mary I've ever had.

The view and location are great. The food is average to good. The mussles were a bit sweet for a classic New England restaurant (despite some other positive reviews - maybe they have changed the menu). The stuffies are great, and wait staff is fine - nothing exceptional. Reasonably priced drinks, and overall, always a good time. read more

Serve was horrible. App was cold (mozz cheese sticks) entree was served w/o sides (never did receive) had to ask a manager for our salads after our entrees were served. Manager never offered to comp bill just asked "what do you want me to do?" Our drinks were never refilled or even asked if we wanted them refilled. Very disappointed. read more

My husband & I have wonderful memories of the Barnacle-we were frequent visitors there when we lived in Salem. We loved the salmon poppers in particular and often brought visitors there. But that was more than 9 years ago & it seems that things have changed. Recently we returned w/ overseas guests. I was so excited to go back. Initially it seemed as though things were just the same-quaint little place, great view. But, the food was terrible, with the exception of the chowder. A previous reviewer raved about the lobster rolls-have they ever had one before? They were bland at best w/ ?previously frozen lobster meat & a spoonful of mayo on top-yuk! We went in after the lunch time rush & really felt that we were putting the staff out by being there. The prices were astronomical, I was quite shocked when I saw the bill. Also, 18% gratuity had been added-presumably because we were a party of 6 (even though that included 3 kids under 9) or maybe because they heard my British accent & Brits are notoriously bad tippers. More fool them, I normally leave at least 20%.... Extremely disappointing. read more

Uh oh something is "off". We have been coming for 23 years and this wasn't a good visit. Hope owner reads review. Beautiful Day, Sunday 6 pm restaurant 1/2 full. Owner working. Not the usual Mussels, some not cooked properly. Not the same Barnacle chowder, no chunks of anything and lacked flavor. Hubby ordered seafood casserole, only one pinch of bread crumbs, lacked any flavor. Very disappointed. This wasn't what we've had in the past. My sliced Tuna was supposed to have blackened sesame seeds as the waitress said. No they were not. No flavor and It appeared the Tuna was rolled in the seeds. What happened? We love the Barnacle but we were soooo disappointed. I looked in the open kitchen and it appears the cooks are not the same. Imy hubby and I hope this is rectified. One thing that looked fine was the fried Seafood which we've ordered occasionally. Please fix this Barnacle as we are longtime customers but won't rush back after that visit . read more

i felt like fisherman just off the boat and heading into the bar for eggs. it has such an authentically nautical theme and feel to it - it helps that it's inches off the water and along a rock on the ocean. great BRUNCH read more