I'll admit that I'm a sucker for no frills seafood places like this. Provided that what they lack in decor, they make up for with lower prices and fresh fish. My first visit here with a friend had us both pleased, and with plans of returning. As you walk in you do realize that this is a fish market too, although the outside shouts that as well. I regret not taking any fish home but I did grab a Manhattan clam chowder that was pretty solid. Once passed the cases 2 dining rooms are evident, we sat in the larger that faces a small patio. Surveying our surroundings, we decided that it was clean and bright, not really all that bad. We started with calamari, my friend ordered grilled shrimp, her daughter had the kids spaghetti, and I went for the lobster dinner. We all scarfed down the nicely fried and tender calamari, marinara sauce seemed a little thin but it didn't matter. My friend liked her shrimp which came with a choice of 2 sides. Her daughter loved the pasta, mom tried and agreed. But my lobster stole the show. It was a 1.5 pounder and perfectly steamed and eviscerated for easy consumption. I chose the Spanish rice and grilled veggies, veg was ok, rice was excellent with the addition of diced up carrots and onion. The crustacean itself was as good as it gets, so addictive I considered getting another. The $35 price seemed fair, and the other 2 meals were even more of a bargain. Service was professional and friendly, we all had fun eating here. I think the trick with places like this is sticking to what they do best and sell the most of. I'm curious to see how their scallops are, but might just stick with lobster. BYOB too! read more

Woolley's Seafood House Restaurant - Calamari (very good) - Seafood Near Me - Howell, New Jersey

Ordered two lobster rolls and they were very light on lobster meat and heavy on mayo. Onion rings were hot and delicious! read more

Woolley's Seafood House Restaurant - Lobster roll w onion rings - Seafood Near Me - Howell, New Jersey

We decided to visit a local seafood market, that's well known for their array of various seafoods. We were not disappointed. Stepping into the market, we were greeted by a vast array of seafood options, each more enticing than the last. The abundance of fresh selections is truly remarkable. Once we had chosen our scrod, we returned home and prepared our seafood dinner. After our first bite, we knew we went to the right market. The scrod was tender, flaky, and bursting with flavor, embodying the essence of freshness that we had hoped for. We like forward to future visits. read more

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Great food, price also and super fresh . Excellent service as well and fast . I ordered the whole fried tilapia and was cooked perfectly. read more

Woolley's Seafood House Restaurant - Fried tilapia with 2 sides - Seafood Near Me - Howell, New Jersey

I love the flounder with Spanish rice it's delicious. I enjoy getting it all the time here

I used to love this place, always fresh and clean with a limited but delicious menu We walked in about 5 pm on a weekday and the smell of the place was not a pleasant one. We realized that they changed the layout and and there's no separation between the fish market and the restaurant.We sat for a few minutes and couldn't take the smell. I was very disappointed and won't be back. read more

seat there for an hour and 1/2, and didn't get my food, very poor service, had to ask for utensils and got spoons... this place fell off now it's a dump. i will never go here again read more

Twp pounds King Crab legs, two pounds Snow Crabs, and a pound of jumbo fish were the stars of last night's birthday celebration. My sister picked up the order at Woolley's Seafood House Restaurant for the nine of us celebrating my mom's birthday. The King Crab Legs were spectacular. I have always chosen Snow Crabs over King Crab Legs in the past as I find them much easier to open, not to mention they are about one third the price of King Crab legs, well last night's dinner opened my eyes as to why exactly King Crab Legs are so much more expensive. The Crab inside was sweet, plentiful, and mi amore please dip these in some drawn butter to get just a little bit closer to heaven. After eating one or two of these legs and then trying the snow crabs well let's just say maybe it would have been best to start with the snow crabs as it is quite the downgrade to go from King to Snow. The jumbo shrimp looked huge, but my personal palate wasn't feeling it. This year was a great birthday celebration for the parent and food was definitely on point. Supposedly, there is a crab meat shortage in the market at this time however if you're jonesing for crab meat I can definitely recommend this spot for take-out orders. As always people SYOY!!!! read more

Woolley's Seafood House Restaurant - King crab legs - Seafood Near Me - Howell, New Jersey

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Lobster roll Deeeeelicoousnesssss!!!!! Took Dad here and he loved it alot!!!' There hours are great and they also have a fresh seafood area to take uncook seafood home!!! read more

Decided to check this place out for lunch ! It's definitely a hidden spot , I ordered the New England clam chowder soup . The soup tasted good but to be honest it tasted a bit bland, the portions was good. I also got the salmon sandwich which was came with a thick piece of salmon , which was definitely enjoyable, i really enjoyed the bread it came on . I'd say it was a decent meal for the price and place , I'd come back , if I was in the area and needed a quick snack! The server was very nice and helpful! The room was spacious and not crowded at all so that was nice ! read more

Woolley's Seafood House Restaurant - Clam chowder - Seafood Near Me - Howell, New Jersey

Excellent food at a reasonable price! In addition, it's a cozy restaurant with friendly staff

Vibes and atmosphere and service were great. Kelli our waitress was warm and excellent. Food was a good amount in quantity but just OK in terms of quality. The lobster seafood linguine with red sauce was the best of what we ordered. The lobster was sweet, but texture was a little soggy and could be more firm. Clams and shrimps were tasty. Scallops ok. Mussels didn't taste the freshest. The New England clam chowder is kind of sour/has a wine taste to it. Manhattan clam chowder was fine. Had some clams in it. Corn chowder also had a hint of alcohol taste to it. The seafood linguine with white wine sauce had a coconut taste to it. The seafood was OK but not amazing. Grilled swordfish was not good. It was overdone and oily and rubbery in some parts. French fries were great. Was hoping for something more extraordinary with this restaurant, since it was connected to a fishmarket read more

Woolley's Seafood House Restaurant - Menu - Seafood Near Me - Howell, New Jersey

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Causal seafood eatery attached to the fish market. Parking is tight, but there are secret spots in back. Service was quick and friendly. Dated interior which gave that shanty feel. Fairly priced lunch specials until 3pm. They offer Laurita wines by the bottle. For the shrimp cocktail appetizer, the shrimp were a nice size and fresh, but very mealy and tasteless. Would not get again. Wanted the soft shell crab, but they ran out for the day (midweek in winter too). Opted for a crab cake sandwich. A bit more breading than expected, but still enough lump meat. Definitely fresh and had a nice flavor. It was very large and soft--completely fell apart with every bite. No binding whatsoever. However, the sesame seed bun was top notch and chipotle aioli paired well. Very yummy and crispy French fries. Not opposed to returning, but overall mediocre. read more

Woolley's Seafood House Restaurant - Shrimp cocktail - Seafood Near Me - Howell, New Jersey

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We had the worst meal there. We were a party of 4. Food was terrible! Our order of fish & chips had fish that wasn't cooked, one order of French fries were still frozen, the crowders & bisque were cold. Took forever to get menus, had to asks for our salads. Our server was very nice but the service was terrible. Every table was complaining. One table got up and left. Seemed like nothing was organized - just haphazard on who was serving who. One table got in a screaming match with the staff. I hope it was an off night. read more

Oh man. Had come here a bunch in the past. Moved to the area and was really excited to be so close to this restaurant. The past few times idk what happened, let's just say things were bland and underwhelming. This most recent time I just had to write about. Ordered drinks and there were black things floating in both the water and soda. Sent it back and it happened again. The server was really kind and it seemed to be coming from the lemon. So we got new drinks without lemon, great, problem solved. Then we ordered Manhattan clam chowder which we usually love but it was just awful. It didn't taste like anything except very watered down. The main meal was fine, just very simple and plain. Not sure what's happened here that things are going downhill, but this last visit was disappointing. read more

DO NOT eat BASA WHITE FISH. Its farm raised and I was in hospital for 3 days. Only select WILD/OCEAN fish (COD). Be warned.

Fresh fish and of course Woolley's amazing server - she is so accommodating and running the two rooms - wow! she rocks it! Loved our lunch and feel bad I've not reviewed sooner. Love love love this place! read more

Woolley's Seafood House Restaurant - Fish and chips are amazing! - Seafood Near Me - Howell, New Jersey

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My husband and I came here to celebrate Valentine's Day a bit early. There was no one else here except for us which was nice and give you bread and butter to start. We ordered the 'Garlic Shrimp' for the appetizer which was SUPER garlicky but very delicious. For our entrees, my husband ordered the 'Seafood Combo' which has shrimp, crab cakes and I think flounder that is blackened. It comes with a salad and 2 sides... he chose the Spanish rice and roasted potatoes. This meal was over $34 which is a bit steep for what he got. It is fresh fish so you have to take that into account but for the portion side, I do think it was a bit steep. He did enjoy the meal overall, but the roasted potatoes were very bland as was the rice so he left those behind. I got the 'Clams in White Sauce' which was good. I did not get 2 sides with mine but it still come with the salad. The salad for both of us was hard to eat because the lettuce was diced so finely and a very small portion as well for the house salad. We did not get dessert. The whole meal in total was over $100 with tips which is too high for what we got. The service was quick, SUPER friendly and informative. It was a nice place to check out, maybe even an okay place for an occasion but we probably would not be back. read more

We moved away from the beach towns to Howell to get away from the crowds. We were hoping Woolley's would be a taste of home. Wish they could have done better. Average at best. Seafood seemed fresh. Tuna bites were good. No clams in the clam chowder. It was all veggies & tomato soup. Seafood Casalina entree deserves more garlic & seasoning. Thin & dry Blackened Swordfish. Salad was small and sloppy. Service was quick & helpful. read more

I really wanted to like this place. First time I went I ordered fried flounder and it was awful, the fish tasted old. I was only able to take two bites and had to throw it away. Went back three months later (thought to myself maybe it was a bad day, let me give it another try) and ordered the fried flounder again and also their jambalaya. The jambalaya had many long strips of peppers & onions which totally over powered the dish and it had minimal flavor. Unfortunately, the flounder was as awful as I remembered as soon as I took a bite and again it had to go into the trash for fear of getting food poisoning. I wasted my money twice, shame on me. Won't be fooled for a third time. Definitely will never eat from this establishment again. read more

Food and service has gone down hill. to many other seafood restaurants to go to. Will not be back.

We enjoy the seafood here the food is always fresh and tasty. We enjoy the casual ambiance and the friendly efficient service from the entire staff. Sometimes it's crowded which is always a good sign but we are never made to wait. Soups are always delicious and hot. On our last visit we enjoyed a cup of New England clam chowder and the special soup creamy broccoli with scallops and clams and was delicious. Our dinner was Mediterranean seafood in white sauce was utterly fantastic and a Caesar salad with seared tuna also delicious. It's our go to spot since we live and work close nice to know you can stop by for a healthy meal after work read more

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Have eaten here for the past couple years and have had essentially the entire menu. It's an all seafood menu with sandwiches, platers, soups, and oysters. Never gets to packed so the food comes out fresh and quick. Really like the oysters, calamari, whiting, calamari, onion rings and great tartar sauce. read more

I was really hoping that this restaurant would be my goto whenever I crave seafood but I was quite disappointed. The clam chowder was super thick and barely had any flavor to it. The seafood paella was very watery but tasted ok. We got the raw oysters and clams. Some of the clams were not fresh and they were nice enough to replace the ones that were spoiled. The crab cake was the best dish we had. read more

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The staff and ambiance were excellent and friendly, but we were unimpressed with the prepared dishes. We were so excited to have some amazing seafood. Unfortunately, everything was quite bland. It was as if there was no seasoning at all! I got the paella, and I have to tell you, "Don't bother with the paella." While they gave a lot of seafood with the dish, it was a poor excuse for paella. The quality of the seafood was good and tasted fresh, though. It was our first time visiting this restaurant, and we're pretty sure we won't be back. You pay a fairly high price for the food here; we expected better-tasting food. Bland and unimpressive dishes suggest a very inexperienced chef and kitchen staff. The owner should consider hiring a more experienced chef to give this restaurant a chance. read more

I really liked the fresh seafood market that is attached next door. The fish mongers can be a bit loud (like a market) and shouting "who's next?!". Understandable since a bunch of us were in there and there's no real line or number tickets. We walked next door for lunch. The restaurant is pretty big with 2 dining rooms plus a small terrace outside. It has an old rustic cabin look. There was a friendly waitress, 2 cooks, a dishwasher, and another person taking phone orders and helping out. Could be short staffed due to covid. As for the food, it can be hit or miss. I got the soft shell crab sandwich which I enjoyed however...... We started with the lobster bisque since they said it was very good. It was very thick and salty, overly salty. I had wished the cook try his food before serving it. The ssc was a large portion and not overly greasy. The only downside was my bread was cold. So you have a hot protein on a cold bun...My son had the fish and chips. If your thinking of a British type fish and chips (crispy, crunchy, flaky) it is not. It's more like those of package frozen fish stick that sticks to the fish. The fries was very good. My wife had the seared scallops. It was very pathetic (burned and overcooked) hence rubbery and it seems like one of them either dropped or someone was hungry haha. See pic. We didn't want to send it back since we were in a hurry and hungry. The waitress seems swamped with 3-4 tables (groups of 2 and 3). Had to flag her to get water and ketchup. I'm guessing covid keeps workers at home. Would I go back? I may just go back and purchase the fresh seafood from next door and cook it myself. read more

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I was very impressed with the lobster rolls. Staff was very polite. Just a simple no frills seafood joint on Route 9. read more

Woolley's Seafood House Restaurant - Delicious lobster roll! - Seafood Near Me - Howell, New Jersey

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Truly fresh seafood both times I've been Thur the staff has been awesome willing to answer my questions and bake recommendations totally a win! I read more

Many things. Food quality. Lower prices If southbound on busy rt 9 hard to turn around to get to Wooleys. Crab cakes need much more lump crabmeat. Heavens manhattan and New England clam chowders certainly need more clams. Roasted vegetables were very good read more

They totally changed the menu. And the service. We ended up leaving. Not a place for a real meal. Maybe a quick lunch but the price maybe not! Sorry we used to like the place read more

Passed this place a thousand times and barely knew there was a restaurant attached to the adjoining fish market. The menu is done well featuring seafood of the utmost freshness served by a staff prone to adventure. But fair warning, the atmosphere is threadbare at best so, if you're out to impress or your relationship has hits the skids, swallow hard and consider your options. Personally, I love unpolished surroundings that make you work for it but they're not for everyone. Otherwise, enjoy a fine meal and take a fresh look at the traffic rolling down US9. read more

I was talking with someone yesterday, telling them about how much I loved Woolley's and ironically, he says to me oh my God I was going to tell you how much I love the place! The seafood in the market is fairly priced, and absolutely fresh with an amazing selection and the restaurant absolutely has its charm. Delicious soups Wonderful platters, big selection, and loyal following. A real local Gem. read more

Stopped in here one day for lunch. The clam chowder was good, a bit salty. The beer battered fish was hot and fresh with fries. Not sure I would do oysters or clams again, as it wasn't that busy and questioned how fresh they were. read more

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Best and maybe only place in the area to get Ipswich clams/whole belly clams. The regular fried clams are the frozen type but the whole bellies are the New England tradition we grew up eating.. broiled scallops are awesome too, french fries are the frozen floured kind would be great if they offered some real 'chips' also, wedges maybe made fresh would be amazing read more

Food-messy presentation (seafood Caselina; shrimp and scallops) had no flavor, Sundried tomatoes were chewy, sauce was bland and thin, shrimp was over cooked and bland (Lobster Bisque); too thick and too salty Servers were pleasant Restaurant aesthetic is lacking better decor. There were flies in the restaurant. Price of food was not worth it. ($20-$45) Would not come back read more

Don't know what the food taste like after I put my order in I watch one of the cooks dropped a pair of tongs pick them up and hung it right on the oven ready to use again everybody so worried about covid-19 just nasty dirty ass people. Guess I'll never know what the food tastes like that image is not going to leave my head read more

We have heard about and seen Woolley's many times and decided to try it out. Friends swear by their fresh seafood and also about the dining room. Our server, Danielle, was very good. We chose to share an order of Fried Oysters (excellent) along with a Fried Flounder Sandwich and an order of Fish and Chips. Everything was tasty and hot. We brought food home. Prices were good and the selection large. We will be back. read more

Woolley's Seafood House Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Howell, New Jersey

Great service and fresh seafood! What more do you need!?! There is a fish market to the left and restaurant to the right. The restaurant is a little dated looking but there is also an outdoor patio area that is great. We've been here multiple times now and everything has always been fresh and tasty. Definitely a great little local gem. read more

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I've never been here because I'm not much of a seafood person but my girlfriend and I wanted to come for a nice ladies night out. The service was very good but the Jambalaya was outstanding. I eat shrimp but not scallops they were very accommodating substituting the chicken for the scallops. This dish was amazing! Full of flavor, meat and SPICE. I'll definitely be back for more. It is a little pricey BUT it's a local community restaurant so I don't mind paying a little more. Oh and the close at 8 on the dot, not sure if it's because it's Fall but it was a Saturday night not a huge deal but something to note. read more

Woolley's Seafood House Restaurant - Shrimp & Chicken Jambalaya (extra spicy) - Seafood Near Me - Howell, New Jersey

D-rated seafood, and I'm embarrassed to say that I was there THREE times this summer. They must buy leftovers or the worst quality seafood ever for the lowest price. The first lunch I had was softshell crabs, which were thin and paltry and overfried. The french fries were ok. I had softshell crab a week later at a restaurant in Bridgewater that were to die for. The low quality softshells that they served here were of the lowest grade and quality. The second lunch was scallops, small, dried out and flavorless - yet expensive. The shrimp were overcooked and tough. For a seafood restaurant shouldn't they have gotten this down pat a LONG time ago? The french fries again were ok. But, six of the 12 tiny littleneck clams on a half shell were passable, five were full of grit, and one was so grossly tasting of rancid fish that I almost puked at the table. Today, a friend talked me into going there as a convenience. I did it reluctantly, but we sat at 3:10 PM, and were handed a dinner menu. Most entrees were $30 to $50. This was lunchtime and we were told we missed the lunch hours and now had to buy dinner. If the food was actually good, I might have done it, but I wasn't coming away with a $100 lunch bill for fish/seafood that's subpar and measly. We excused ourselves and got up to leave, and the server let us leave. What happened to welcoming customer service? How do you let two customers leave without offering them an alternative to the dinner menu at 3 in the afternoon?? Not only will I never return to eat, but I will never buy from their market again. I guess she cost her business a little revenue. What nerve. We customers keep paying higher and higher prices, while the quality declines so much that it's sickening. Friends have told me they went to this place 50 years ago and it seems they are tired, they don't have people who can actually cook properly, and their buyers are buying the low end of seafood. Have people forgotten what quality tastes like? read more