So, I decided to revisit my once childhood favorite seafood restaurant to see if maybe I was too hard on them the first time around. I can aptly say that, even five years later, my overall rating remains the same. At this point, I believe a more than fair way to describe The Weathervane is: the Red Lobster of New England. That's not to say they're terrible by any means. They're just middle of the road for me (and, I suspect, many others). And the biggest reason for this is because when it comes to seafood restaurant choices, there are plenty of smaller local joints that just execute this genre WAY better. Having said that, we can discuss tonight's choices. Staying true to my outgoing sentiments from my previous review, I went with.. The Half & Half: Haddock and sea scallops. Okay. I actually have a wicked funny short story regarding the scallops. Or rather...the first one I attempted to take a bite out of. I guess picking it up with my fingers as opposed to immobilizing it with my fork was a miscalculation on my part. Because the millisecond I dipped it in clarified butter and took a bite, the scallop immediately shot out of its exoskeleton of batter like a clown out of a cannon, then projected out of view into parts unknown. I thought maybe it settled somewhere amidst the booth I was sat in. But no....I never managed to locate the dislodged, rogue scallop. Now, I'm no professional chef by any means. But I've been taught that if you first coat your raw seafood in flour, then egg wash, and THEN more flour atop of that, the batter will stick better. I suspect Weathervane does not do this. Even after carefully utilizing my fork going forward with each scallop, I definitely experienced technical difficulties keeping the batter from slipping off like Teflon. But at least the scallops themselves were cooked adequately so...6 out of 10. As for the haddock, there's not much to say here, really. It's pretty standard and unremarkable. A bit mid, much like the restaurant itself. Again, I could be wrong. But it really seems like this stuff tasted way better back in the 80s/90s era. I hope this isn't just nostalgia talking. 6 out of 10. I think if you want to have some above-mid fried seafood, Lobster Boat is a slightly better choice (but only slightly). I even tried the clam chowder again and it was okay, par from the fact that I had to add layers of seasoning. As said, my overall rating remains the same. I just needed to try other menu items to confirm. It's a place I'd visit again if I was in the neighborhood or something. But I doubt I'd go out of my way again like we did tonight. I'm maintaining my original rating with 3 sea scallops projecting out of their batter coating like a bat outta hell out of 5. read more

Weathervane Seafood Restaurant - Half & half: haddock with sea scallops - Seafood Near Me - Chichester, New Hampshire

Highly recommend. Our group of 8 just had the BEST experience last night. Went specifically for the Thursday night double lobsters. ($29.99). They were truly incredible and fresh but so were the apps especially the onion rings (very hot & crispy) and steamers. Our waitress Autumn was fun and attentive. We would definitely go back. read more

Weathervane Seafood Restaurant - App combo - Seafood Near Me - Chichester, New Hampshire

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We were visiting from WV and used to love weathervane in South Portland Maine, the seafood was horribly expensive here 44.99 for clams and scallops (1/2 & 1/2 ) they were good but obviously frozen. Light golden brown. We ordered 2 dinners, 2 swanky Spritzers and a strawberry shortcake to take home. The waitress was nice. Strawberry shortcake was so disappointing I took a picture it was a dry biscuit, a tiny cup of strawberries and no whip cream. With tip $164.00 what a joke! We went to OOB Maine the next day and got fresh clams for 1/2 the price. read more

Weathervane Seafood Restaurant - Take out strawberry shortcake - Seafood Near Me - Chichester, New Hampshire

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Our NH chums took us here on our last night before we headed back across the pond. We're up for anything seafood-y, and the menu here does not disappoint. They have a surprisingly varied choice, although for us, it's all about the lobster! I like the fact that you can get a 'lazy man' lobster so you don't have to do all the dissection yourself, just enjoy the end result. I'm afraid I didn't remember to snap any pics of the meal as I was too busy eating, but I did at least get a shot of the menu! It wasn't too busy so the service was OK, but I imagine it can get pretty noisy when it's full. But it's definitely gone onto our list of places to eat in NH. read more

Weathervane Seafood Restaurant - Menu - Seafood Near Me - Chichester, New Hampshire

Had nothing but good experiences here over the years with my mother and father, well my dad and I always enjoyed seafood but as for my mom she only liked Tuna. For our birthdays, we would sometimes go here. The waiters and waitresses were always nice, we always got the water with the lemon slices, and not to mention the appetizer Combo. My mom would always complain that she felt full after eating it. I miss the three of us going out to eat here. read more

Absolutely the most disappointing meal of the year. Rushed from Logan Airport to Weathervane for Wicked Twins Thursday only to be told they were out of lobster. It was 7pm--not exactly closing time. The waitress was pleasant but completely overwhelmed. She explained "it's a race weekend." The race is Sunday. I do not blame the waitress. The responsibility falls completely on the incompetence of management. Either they did not anticipate "race traffic " despite events being held in the area for three decades or they weren't willing to sell lobsters at the sale price anticipating greater demand throughout the weekend. Of course, we were caught off guard and had to change our selections. The waitress returned 30 minutes later and finally took our orders. I opted for a healthy option--the broiled trio. The fish arrived smothered in bread crumbs and lukewarm. The french fries tasted as if they were cooked hours earlier and held under a heat lamp. I tried maybe a quarter of the fries in search of one decent, crisp specimen and never found one. My broccoli was overcooked. Hubby ordered a shrimp cocktail--which was standard fare and generous. He ordered fried shrimp and chips. Again, fries were a complete bust. The shrimp tasted as if the fry oil hadn't been changed in a week. The coleslaw was flavorless. Now, I understand why the Bedford location closed. The mismanagement and mediocrity of this chain has caught up with them. Makris, although a more expensive option, is closer to the racetrack and more dependable. If you're looking for the best seafood in southern New Hampshire, make the trip to Surf in Nashua. You will not be disappointed. read more

We have always liked weathervane but sadly this time the food was served cold and the side dishes showed up 5 minutes after the entree's. The meal was just ok The server was amazing as she was always checking to see if we needed anything else. read more

So after a bad experience a year ago I decided to try Weathervane again, thinking it would be better - I learned not so much as we went today for lunch - not busy at all. Waited 10 minutes for our server who was apologetic and very pleasant. Ordered a chicken Caesar salad entre and a baked haddock lunch. 20 minutes later server show up with my baked haddock but no salad for my daughter stating they forgot to grill the chicken and will take a while to get it. I said just bring the salad...which turned out to be very fresh - it was the best part of the lunch. I went to talk to the manager as our server seemed to be negotiating about our bill on our behalf. The manager was at best aloof and basically ignored me and my inputs. Terrible management both front and in back. Obviously won't be returning. Good luck. read more

I ordered the broiled salmon, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli for my main course and fried pickles for the appetizer and a root beer for the drink. Food was pretty good but the bar area we were seated in was in the 80s. Made it kinda uncomfortable to sit there. Also our waitress wasn't friendly and never refilled out drinks. Next time I visit Chichester NH, I'll find another spot to get my seafood read more

Very disappointed with our order for 28.99 for half and half that was definitely not worth the price for the food we were given, was take out order read more

$26 fried combo dinner: Heavy on fries and clams, very few shrimp and they were so small they looked like the clam strips. Never had scallops that small. Just a bit larger than a pea! Small square of haddock was the fish. Same meal at Beefside, radically different! Much better flavor and what I consider to be standard sized portions/pieces! Very disappointed for certain. read more

We love this place. My first time but my husband regular when he lived here in NH. We were here for our son soccer game at UMASS. We stop by Friday and back again Monday otw to the airport. Our server/service is super nice and friendly. We had steamer,fried clams, chowder, and fried Haddow with onion rings. Everything we had was exceptionally good. We will definitely be back. read more

Food is bland and the restaurant is hanging on by a thread, for such a busy area it's never busy because competition in the area clearly outshines in both food and atmosphere. Wait staff isn't the problem, the waitress was super nice but the frozen sub par food doesn't work when the ocean isn't far and other restaurants utilize that convenience!! read more

I ordered the seafood Cioppio, (seafood Chowder). Terrible. How about adding some broth to the meal. Fish over cooked. Wife ordered the fish and chip. Overabundance of undercooked and cold fries, And more batter than fish. Will never go back. Service was lackluster at best. Place needed to be swept up, there was litter all over our area. read more

I love the Weathervane chain of restaurants. I have been to the Chichester, NH & Dover, NH locations. This review is for Chichester. I love anything seafood, especially fried. My fiancé & I shared the Admiral's Platter. We were hoping that they would have smelts, but they don't. We were there around 11:30 for a quick lunch so it was not too busy (on a Saturday). I noticed a handful of people coming & going with food orders to pick up. I have used that before, too, with success. It's good to see that they are still doing relatively well with business. I filled out one of the comment cards that they leave with the bill. I gave our waitress a good rating because she was fantastic & knew her stuff. I also suggested that maybe they see about adding smelts to their menu when it asks for suggestions. The service, quality of food & everything else is just fine to me. This kind of place attracts an older crowd, but it's still great for all ages! read more

The food wasn't really hot and a little pricey I got the lazy man lobster. It was good, but there was some very squishy pieces. read more

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W ent in last night as a party of five and was very pleased with the food and service. We had haddock, chicken tenders, native shrimp, and fish chowder... all of which was very good, One thing, however, did leave a bad taste in my mouth. When we asked for rolls - which always added a great deal to the meals - our server told us (politely) that you no longer serve them. I realize times are tough for restaurants and they must economize where they can. But come on! This really seems sleazy and may well discourage future visits, if only on principle! read more

I had forgotten how close this place was to my work and stopped in here on the way home from Maine. I had the Apple Salmon and it was pretty good, a nice combination and the salmon was done very well. It's a bit out-of-the-way from my normal locations but worth stopping by here next time I'm in the area. read more

We previously loved eating here. My husband ordered us takeout earlier today. We live within the vicinity of the restaurant. He ordered us two fish and chips and two clam chowders. The food was ice cold when he got it back home. He had to wait at the restaurant for the clam chowder to be finished (they told him on the phone the food would be ready in 15 minutes, but it wasn't). The chowder contained zero clams and was full of onions, which I can't eat. It was also not fully cooked and had zero flavor. We have ordered the clam chowder in the past and it was delicious but sadly, no more. We had to throw it out. The chowder also isn't cheap since it's $9 a bowl and yeah, it was a complete waste of money. The fish and chips also weren't good. They didn't have any flavor. This is the first time we have had issues with the food here and sadly won't be returning. My husband also left a generous tip because of the current world situation but he regrets doing so. read more

Went on 5/8/22 place was not overly busy! We were seated right away, server showed up fifteen minutes later took drink order. Then fifteen to twenty minutes later our food order was taken , we both did pick 2 w/ fries! Well i had sea scallops & Whole clams i had maybe 4 scallops and few clams & heaping pile of french fries! Husband had haddock & scallops and a few fries. Waitress never asked if we needed drink refills , never asked if anything was ok , the meals were just kinda warm like pre made under heat lamps! You dont get bread and butter any more. This cost us $88.61 and it was sooo not worth it! Will prob not return! read more

"It could have been a lot worse." "Most of it wasn't too bad" "not fatal if swallowed " Jk. Actually it was exceptional. Very tasty haddock that looks small but it's thick. Waiter Martina kept our drinks full and checked on us often. We knew the fries were not gonna be great but there was French fries seasoning that saved them. I used them do dip in the garlic mashed potatoes that came on separate plate. That could've been my meal. But when I got int the fish, ambrosia! Ambiance is very cool. Like a maze or labyrinth. It's easy to get lost. Only. Negative for me we the 8 dollar drinks. I had water which was okay. I'd like to go back and try hamburger but it was same price as the haddock. read more

6 of us arrived at weathervane @ 07:00 pm for Taco Tuesday. 06/20/23 15 min later after seating us took our drink order another 15 min. Drinks finnaly arrived. Took our food order and 45 min. Later she brought out one persons meal. 20 min later she brought out 2 people's food. The last two meals arrived 13 minutes later and where cold . I wouldn't recommend this place to my worst enemy if I had one read more

We had the sampler platter of onion rings, mozzarella sticks, Buffalo chicken tenders and fried mushrooms. Very good. Large portions. We also ordered the lobster roll which was pricey but very good and the half and half combo with haddock nuggets and clam strips. Everything was very good. Service was excellent. read more

Weathervane Seafood Restaurant - Sampler - Seafood Near Me - Chichester, New Hampshire

This place lately seems real unorganized. Many in the neighborhood use to come here often, others did not want to go due to inconsistency so my husband and I decided to go. My husband asked for a beefeater gin martini with a lemon twist, got drink had a wedge of lemon with three olives in it?? He made a face when trying he said it was full of lemon juice. We told waitress and she said you asked for lemon twist so I squeezed the lemon in the drink. My husband said he want a lemon twist in the glass and didn't ask for olives. She brought another drink back with olives no twist. I asked for a margarita without sour mix I would like fresh lime, so she said oh that's a skinny margarita. I said great. Omg full of lemon aid which I asked what was different with this one? I was shown that's how you make them but omg was not very good and was very sweet. Onion rings were great!! Said meal would be a longer wait as my baked haddock was made stuffed. Got meal wanted by putter for potatoes came towards embed of meal to ask if everything was ok. We were the only ones in the bar. We were asked if we wanted dessert even though we didn't finish dessert, like when that's done.thank you. We were also told by waitress very slow day and she only made $7.00 all day in tips. Huh.... I do feel in her defense. She seemed new and was asking another girl questions. Should help each other out. Not the best experience, we care so please take notice as a group of us use to really like your place. read more

This was my first visit to the Weathervane. I can say for $191 for two people, there was not much to write home about. The lazy man's lobster was $80 which is heinously overpriced. Mozz sticks were basic, sauce was watery without much flavor. The cheesecake again was basic, not much flavor. The steamers may have been bad, they smelled overly fishy, fell apart in my hand, and were literally just mush. The lobster pie was very good. The big moose frozen drink was great but their "claim to fame" $5 margarita, tasted like a cup of juice without alcohol. The waitress, Vanessa, was great! Overall I would not go back. read more

Terrible food! Ordered broiled haddock..so salty and inedible. Garlic mashed potatoes tasted like instant potatoes! Then ordered Tuscan Haddock...layered in salt. read more

$29.99 for a 1lbs lobster almost 100 miles away from the coast. Will not return. Food was good but pricing is astronomically read more

I went for seafood cioppino, and was very pleased! Filling, tasty and well prepared- not what I would expect from a fish n chips place- I'd get it again! Onion Rings were excellent as always- server was pleasant and attentive- went on a Saturday at 2 pm read more

My my! $9.99 for a bucket of steamers! Between those bites of briny freshness and the cup (size more like a bowl) of lobster bisque and crackers I was stuffed! My friend had the clam chowder and a lobster roll, both really good. Wash the clams down with a Sam Adams on tap and you have a great meal. We will be back. Hopefully for their Thursday lobster special. read more

Weathervane Seafood Restaurant - Bucket of steamers. Yum! - Seafood Near Me - Chichester, New Hampshire

We went out to dinner Friday night 3/29/24 to the Weathervane in Chichester. They sat us in the bar area which was full. There were two waitresses but they were also bartending for the rest of the restaurant. Our waitress came over pretty quick to get our drink order and appetizer order, but after that things started going downhill. We waited quit a while before she came back to get our food order and then to bring out our appetizers and drink refills. We finished our appetizer, drinks, watched other tables order and get their food and no visit from our waitress. After 45 minutes we tapped out. My husband went up to the bar to ask to pay for what we got and our waitress saw him coming and booked it out back. Took almost 10 minutes to get the other waitresses attention to get the check. YUP! They charged him for our entire meal. No apologies, no offer to pack it up just charged us. Needless to say I was not happy and called the restaurant when I got home. The manager said well the girls said he just asked for the bill. I said well we certainly didn't think you would charge us for something we never got. she has to fill out paperwork and send it to corporate and they will make the decision if we get our money back or maybe a gift card. I said no gift card we won't be coming back! $101.00 for 2 drinks, a coke, fish chowder and calamari. And I put a comment on their website and they removed it. Don't go!, read more

Called and ordered a pick up order with menu in front of me. i ordered the admiral platter. I inquired as to what it would cost to upgrade to sea scallops as replacement for bay scallops and to upgrade to whole claims instead of clam trips. i was told "upgrades" were $3 each. When I arrived I stated I wanted to use my $10 birthday credit on my rewards card. At this point a man cut in that they needed to see my ID to prove it was my birthday. I explained that it was good for the month. He stated it was only good on my birthday, I dug out my phone and produced the email. Then he said I can get the reward. Then I see the bill has $14 in up grade fees. I again explained when I called she said it would be $3. His reply was " I doubt she siad that". I paid came home had my luke warm food that included seven clams. Yes, the seven clams. Last time they will see me! read more

We arrived early for dinner on a Tuesday evening. I had never been to this Weathervane before, and was pleasantly surprised when the giant dining room filled up rather quickly for a weekday. I thought that was a good sign of things to come. The service was exemplary and the restaurant was well-staffed. Drinks were kept full by the attentive wait staff and a couple small requests we had were handled with a smile. The menu selection is huge and broad and there's something for everyone. We went for seafood so that's what we ordered. I had a fried platter of fish and assorted shellfish. The fried items were just a notch above average- by no means outstanding, but certainly enjoyable. Batter was nice and firm and crispy and not at all soggy, like some places where the food had been sitting under a heat lamp. French fries were also tasty and slightly above average. Consistently cooked and tasted like potatoes. Other people in my party had fried fish, with a similar opinion as mine, and a lazy lobster. The lazy lobster was well-loved and was presented and portioned perfectly. That's the dish that Weathervane did best out of all of our food. I'd certainly go back again and I'd recommend this place for families and anyone looking for quality seafood at a reasonable price with friendly staff. read more

Weathervane Seafood Restaurant - Large dining room and well-organized area for easy moving around. Unlike many chain restaurants I've been to. - Seafood Near Me - Chichester, New Hampshire

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This is not fine dining by any means, but the food was pretty good and the service was also very good considering we had a party of 9. I had the daily special "trio" which was haddock, shrimp, and salmon. The salmon was NOT dry, which is more than I can say for some much pricier restaurants. They even had a couple of local craft beer choices. Every else seemed to enjoy their entrees as well. I didn't hear any "excellent"s, but I heard a lot of "very good"s read more

Pleasantly surprised! Have not been for years. The waiter was super pleasant! The fish and scallops were fresh and delicious. The food came out very quickly. Onion rings were delicious! The coleslaw was fresh too! My only complaint is the tartar sauce needs to be changed.. too sweet. read more

Clam chowder was very good. Just needed a little salt. Had the lobster pot pie with crab meat stuffing. Was different but very good. Went back two days later. Again had the chowder but this time a lobster roll. Was a little small. Also disappointed they didn't have bigger lobsters than one pound. All in all a good place to eat while in town. read more

We stopped here while passing through the area. We weren't expecting much but needed lunch. The ambiance is worthy of the 3* average ratings the place shows but our service and food was much better. Our waitress was quite attentive with prompt, courteous service. The cup of clam chowder was large and good - a bit "wetter" than I prefer but tasty. The Haddock fish and chips - regular size was incredible. The portion of fish was very generous and the taste was outstanding. More important, it was very fresh. The fries and coke slaw were ok - but they did not take away from the star of the show - the fish. read more

Haven't been to a "Weathervane" seafood restaurant in 30 years so I figured that I would try it again as my wife wanted a fish dinner. Well, that was a mistake. They should be ashamed of what they serve. We got the "larger" seafood plate which was some little things the size of a dime (shrimp and scallops?) covered in batter and the so-called clams looked like pieces of string covered with batter, the fish was over cooked and just horrible. After a few bites and overloaded with batter, we left it for the garbage. The worst seafood for a seafood restaurant we ever had. It really looked like a frozen dinner you would get at Shaws Supermarket. To top it off, our waitress never came back. We waited 20 minutes after our meal and finally went up to the register. They had no idea where she went and I paid the bill. read more

After 2 hours of sitting waiting for our food my food came out ice cold, my wife's came out wrong even down to the soggy Cesar salad made with the wrong lettuce and our daughter's came out totally wrong. We sent everything back and asked for just 2 cheese burgers medium to tide us over. Manager said he would cook them personally. They came out so over cooked we just asked for our drink receipt and left. Very disappointing read more

Great for what they offer, friend of broiled seafood served fast. Because it smells overwhelming like fried seafood most people don't give a lot of thought to hygiene or attire when coming here. Very popular with the blue hair community, i don't think i saw anyone under the age of 60 in all the times i have come here. Still they come at you with the pitch like Office space, Would you like some of our bottomless coke products, or possibly some jalapeno poppers to get started off. No, actual never, you never need to ask me that again, total waste of everyone's time because almost everyone who comes here knows what they want. Twin lobsters on Thursday are small, and i think that should be expected but they are decently fresh. Oysters are sandy, they really need to work on cleaning them before serving, tired of picking broke shells or dirt out of my mouth. Always ask for extra napkins. read more

Went to this restaurant yesterday and it was amazing! I ordered the clam chowder, calamari, and chicken tenders with mashed potatoes. The waitress was very nice and brought out our tables chowders and drinks fairly quickly. The chowder was great! Soon after our calamari came and it was fairly good as well. After we finished our chowders and talked for a little bit, the entrees arrived. I was surprised of the big portion of mashed potatoes but I didn't mind. I did think the chicken tenders were good but quantity seemed low, that could also be because I ordered the smaller portion. In the end, this was my first time going here and I left happy and will definitely be returning. Highly recommended! People - 10/10 Food - 8/10 Drinks - 6/10 Decor - 10/10 Restrooms - n/a (didn't use) read more

Weathervane Seafood Restaurant - Clam chowder - Seafood Near Me - Chichester, New Hampshire

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