Markey's Lobster Pool

I had the pleasure of visiting Markey's Lobster in September, and I have to say, it was hands down the best seafood experience I’ve ever had! Even though it’s a nearly 9-hour drive from home, it was totally worth it, and I can’t wait to come back. The prices were unbelievably reasonable for the quality and freshness of the food. When you think of fresh lobster, you typically expect it to be pricey, but at Markey’s, I felt like I was getting more than my money’s worth. The highlight of the meal was, of course, the fresh boiled lobster—succulent, sweet, and perfectly cooked. Every bite was pure bliss. I also tried their Lobster Bisque, which was a standout. It was rich, creamy, and packed with lobster flavor. It made the perfect start to the meal and complemented the lobster in a way that made me want more with every spoonful. Overall, my experience at Markey's Lobster exceeded every expectation. I’m already looking forward to my next visit, even if it’s a long drive—because honestly, the meal and the atmosphere were absolutely worth it. If you’re anywhere near the area, don’t miss out on this gem!

This place has a great view and is in a good location if you’re coming from the beach. Lobster roll was $27 it was filled pretty well, they only do a cold roll BUT it’s lightly dressed with mayo I really liked it as someone who doesn’t typically love cold rolls. We also got the lobster bisque and it had whole pieces of lobster in it delicious and the small was only 6.50 very reasonable for the 4 chunks of lobster we got in ours.

Special shout out to Markey’s fish and chips (fried haddock plate) we drive here just to get some good fish and chips and water view. The fish is fried to perfection every time! They have lots of options and other fresh seafood to choose from. Even when it’s super busy they run very smoothly and the orders come out quick! Must stop by when in Hampton🦞

We love this place. Have come here all our lives. Now we live in FL and boy do we miss it. Come here every time we're back. We had the Haddock, fish chowder, lobster bisque, scallops. All delicious. But they serve all kinds of seafood here including lobsters, of course, shrimp, and steamers. And they have food for non fish lovers like chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers. Even corn on the cob in season in summer, and salads. Very informal but I love the water views and outdoor seating on the water in summer. A typical New England place. Yummy, rugged, picturesque, nice staff. Love it

The view is absolutely amazing, what a perfect way to enjoy seafood. Wasn’t expecting basically everything to be fried but was pretty good, quick, and decently priced. If u ask the staff they explained the dishes nicely.

Seafood plates are big and tasty. Heddock is my favorite. 🦞 are great, too. I've been there four times, never disappointed.

Mediocre food and severely overpriced. I regret choosing this place for lunch. Lobsters were $38 each, for a 1.25-1.5 pound. Didn’t come with anything else, of course, so that is a royal rip off. Fried clams were cold and soggy, lobster bisque was watery- with no lobster to speak of, and the fish sandwich came with nothing but a greasy piece of tasteless fried fish on a cold hamburger bun. What a rip off. This place has gone downhill, and the tables were filthy and the blue trays the food came on were too. Such a poor choice to go there. It was definitely better back in 2019. And last point, we chose this place for the cherry stone clams, which we were told by the cashier were “swapped out” for little necks. They should update their menu to reflect that. Never going back to this tourist trap that does not respect their customers. I suggest going for a drive instead to the Rye Harbor Lobster Pound where lobster is literally $8.95 a pound and you can get quality chowders and other items at a fair price.

Food is classic, fresh seafood. We had a fried whole clams and scallop combo plus Fried oysters with scallops. Both the clams and scallops were sweet and tender, and not one grain of sand. We also ordered extra coleslaw and corn on the cob. Wow I seen scallops or whole clams that size and the freshness was surreal. it's counter service, where you order and pick up when they call your number, and tables and benches typical of a beach-side seafood restaurant, and there's a deck for outside dining with great views. I personally love these types of places it brings me back to my childhood. Great bar for drinks and yes portons are huge and pricing is reasonable compared what’s across the street. They take credit too 😉

Summer kick off at Markey's this weekend. Ordered clam chowder and loved. Shared the clam strip dinner husband. Absolutely delicious. They really know how to perfectly prepare the clams. Also ordered crab cakes with onion rings. Not my favourite but not bad. Service is quick and polite. Love the inside and outside of this restaurant. Super happy with this meal today for a fabulous start of summer 2024.

Ate there today for lunch , been a while since we were there. Lobster roll was chewy and tasteless , my wife got through half and tossed it. The haddock dinner was dry and overcooked. Clam chowder was OK. The cashier took my card and they asked for 15,20,or 25 per cent tip. No service P/U when your number is called. All Set with them...

I ordered a seafood plate, a cup of seafood chowder and a Pepsi. Although the seafood on the plate was tasty there were no shrimp. Overall the flavor was good, cooking oil seemed fresh. The seafood chowder was nothing but broth and a few potatoes, very disappointing. Counter service was manned by teens wrapped up in their social media discussion and I felt they were doing me a favor by waiting on me. The Ambiance was as expected. Clean and clam bar motif. I have been here at least 50 times over the years but I think it's time we go back to Browns. $54 Half ass seafood plate , seafood broth but very good Diet Pepsi.

My husband and I went there to celebrate Father's Day and we have been going there for many years we had just been there in April for his birthday and it was very good but this was a bad experience I ordered a haddock they gave me baked scallops the difference was the haddock 22.50 and the baked scallops was 29.95 I cannot eat scallops so I went back and asked for the haddock they did not understand when we were ordering in the first place and messed the oder up so I asked for the different in money and she told me it was the same price didn't want to argue so I told her I would never come back my husband went back and told her there was a difference she had to get the manager in the manager gave him the money I feel that the place has gone downhill the portions of food are not the same they're about half in the quality of food was not good when I got home I went to eat my food and it was not good quality my cat enjoyed it for 73 dollars it was not worth it ​

We really couldn't tell you why the locals love this place so much but the joint right across the street and this place are always busy. Idk if it's because it's on the border between MA and NH or the epic rivalry of the restaurants but it's an extremely casual place. You come in, get in line, order, sit down, and wait for your number to be called. While you wait, you go get your condiments from dispensers on either end of an outrageously thin walkway where everyone who just ordered and everyone who needs to get their food is walking back and forth from. The bar is tucked in the corner and is run by two ladies who will end up taking so long to ring you up or get your drink you might as well pick something up on your way home. There's outside seating but it's inconvenient and you can hardly hear what numbers they are calling. The food we ordered was so-so. A lot of batter on the fried oysters which tasted like there was no salt on any of it and the lobster bisque had imitation seafood in it and was also bland. Some ppl said their whole lobster and mussels are good, but I didn't make it back a second time to try!

We've been coming here for family celebrations since I was a child. We came on Mother's Day which I know is a busy day but all the days we usually come are busy as well. They ran out of French fries and chicken tenders not leaving many options for young kids. No extras added to the seafood plates that were meant to have fries to make up for it. The plates that used to be overflowing were super small with only a few pieces of seafood and onion rings. For the price this is concerning. We were definitely disappointed this trip and not sure if we'll be back. :(

husband and i went in a few weeks ago. we shared a seafood platter with fried lobster. By the end of the night we both ended up at the ER with food poisoning. Never again.

Excellent, fresh lobster lunch. She had a whole 1.5 pounder. I was not as hungry and stuck with the lobster roll and onion rings. We both enjoyed it.

We went to Markey's Lobster Pool today and got 2 fried clam plates. One with French fries and one with onion rings. The clams were way overcooked, dry, and tasteless. Fried clams should be a nice golden brown, and should be tender in the mouth. The clams we got today were dark brown, crunchy, and awful. They were so dry, we couldn't even taste the bellies. Oddly enough, the clams on top were hot, the clams underneath the pile were cold. How did that happen? What a waste of $75. The onion rings were greasy. The French fries were the only thing good. We'll never go back there again. My advice is to give this place a miss and save your money. I wish we did. Yuck!

Thought I was crazy for not enjoying my food but after looking over the last few reviews I feel reassured. To start off it was pretty expensive for a small amount of lobster. Took us about 20 minutes to be called up to receive the food and once we were finished, we felt disgustingly sick and had the urge to throw up. I have to admit it was a bit bland.. we jokingly put ketchup on a few bites to help add some flavor. The crab cakes were good but far from the best. Hopefully the new ownership can turn this negative streak around. Only positive was the location hence the 2 stars. Great views and atmosphere Food displayed on the pic is over 70 dollars

Always had excellent food here. The seafood from the lobster to the haddock to the burger have always been very good. Lately I am noticing they are lacking in management and the young people they are hiring seem clueless and not well trained. I ordered food the other night from here and as soon as I hung the phone up I told my wife I guarantee something is wrong because the girl taking the order seemed very uninterested. Go to pick it up and the staff is all laughing because they have my entire order to the wrong person. I know people make mistakes but it seems like the kids working there did not care. I'll Give it another shot but then that's it.

Oh Markey's, this review is a tough one... Hit the beach and wanted some nostalgia from the surfing days, had to hit up Markey's on the way home. I was going to let it fly that the fried haddock in the $40 seafood plate (scallops, clams, and haddock) happened to be one small 2 oz piece of fish. I was letting it fly because there were 8 fried scallops and about 10 fried clams. Then I was ready to dive in and try out my nostalgic chicken fingers...little did I know, Markey's now serves cutlets for fingers. Wasn't too thrilled with the sweet and sour sauce that wasn't sweet or sour. I continued on and tried the coleslaw, I was left unimpressed. Finally I moved and grabbed a French fry to dip up in the tarter sauce. Hubby didn't like the French fries, I was again left unimpressed. To be fair though we are spoiled by the Phoenician French fries! The tarter sauce was delish. Unfortunately the tarter sauce isn't enough to make me return again for overpriced cutlets and an overpriced seafood platter. $62 later, let's just say my nostalgia is cured and I'll probably switch to team Browns. Final note: no salt on anything.

Markey's has been a staple of Salisbury for many years. It's Ashame the original owners decided to call it quits. It is easy to see the new owners are out to kill what was a very successful business. The only thing they seem to know, how to charge outrageous prices. To have to remortgage your home for a dry tasteless haddock plate, a clam plate, done to a crisp, greasy onion rings, coleslaw with absolutely no taste, the worst I've ever had. I can understand a restaurant having an off day, even though they shouldn't. This was the second time I gave the new ownership a chance. It seems their aim is to get progressively worse.

Had an amazing lunch Markey's Lobster Pool Seabrook, Nh yesterday! The fried scallops and fried clams were on point! Onion rings were good too. The seafood to onion ring ratio heavily favored the seafood side which is always nice. The Coleslaw leaved more to be desired (I'd just save your money Markey's and not include it LOL) but the condiments/utensils/drink selection were very easy to access. So ya, even though the coleslaw was slimey and 1 meal + 1 drink came to $40 and change WITHOUT a tip (unfortunately after seeing the price I had to click "No") I had a great time!

Tasteless fried yuck. The calamari had absolutely no flavor, at first I thought I may have COVID. Then I drowned it in their two options for sauce, Heinz ketchup or Heinz tarter sauce. That I could easily taste. We had a fried plate and added lobster. Don't get this if you have dentures. Eating lobster was like tugging on stale taffy. The fish was soaked in oil and had zero redeeming qualities. I could feel oil in my system 12 hours later. There were many young kids working the dining room who sat idle while most tables were filthy. The bathroom was quite unclean too. It was a quiet day and the ambiance was quite nice. The view of the marsh is pleasant.

Found this place online and just one stop for lunch. We are so happy we picked this one. The lobster roll and lobster salad plate absolutely had a lot of lobster meats! We were stuffed after the lunch. Especially the lobster salad plate: I even doubted if they tripled the lobster meat for me. It was cold lobster with Mayo. If you like it, this should be your go to. Much more meat than the losbter roll. The chowder is also delicious! The place is also cute, right on the side of a little pond. Good view while enjoying the lunch. A little note comparing Markey's with Brown's (right across the street): we visited both and Markey's is way better!

Always the freshest seafood! Beautiful marsh view. Plenty of parking! Staff is always friendly!

So Brow's line was to long and decided to try Markey's, bad idea! The fish chowder was liquid soup, with butter floating and no taste, the fried oysters were cold and the portion minuscule, the lobster rolls were meager and a sad roll wanna be. The price was beyond exorbitant and the quality below poor. Not a place to visit.

Looking for your seafood fix while hitting up the beaches at Hampton or Salisbury? Markey's Lobster Pool is A-Okay, and can definitely provide that fried goodness that we all desire after a day at the beach. The big hype between Markey's vs. Brown's I can definitely understand... they're literally across the street from one another. So if you're looking to build your own opinion on the debate, than it's definitely worth trying. Things to keep in mind though, they are cash only! They have all the typical seafood options, combo plates, and lobster options that you'd find at any beach side eatery. I found their pricing to be pretty expensive with the average plate being $25-$30 range and their boxes at the smallest size being $20. I got the Scallops and Clam Plate and the Lobster Bisque, I also tried some of my friends Calamari. Scallops and Oysters were on-par with any fried seafood place, but the Lobster Bisque was the big surprise! You could definitely taste the sherry in it though, but they give you full claws and chunks of lobster well worth the $6 price tag. The calamari was a little disappointing, it tasted bland which is unfortunate. Other perks is that you get an awesome view of the saltwater marshes from their outdoor seating!

My wife and I have been going here for over 20 years, and we loved the food as we always came back. We didn't make it up last year (2022) as we normally do. We typically go for Mother's Day now and went today. The place has changed in many ways good but mostly bad. They now take cards and are no longer cash only (good). Now the bad. They are so unorganized, not attentive, and could care less about the customer. In prior years, you would order your fried food at one counter and lobster at another, with a separate ticket/number for each. Now everything is ordered at one counter (same ticket/number) I believe this is where the confusion comes in. The employees cooking the lobster are not on the same page as the counter taking ordered (they are located away from each other). Our fried food came up in a reasonable amount of time. However our lobster never did. After an hour of me and others waiting and waiting, some (including me) chose a refund or fried food instead. So disorganized with calling numbers, people taking wrong orders etc. the picture I posted was a picture of 2 lobster that they called out and no one claimed because the people who ordered either took another plate or left. Meanwhile a dozen people would have taken this order that we're waiting. We will probably never go again and will need to find a new place. When I approached employees behind the order counter asking if there was management or the owner there to let him know how the lobster cook area was so far behind they all looked confused (all under 30 years old). Not sure who was running the place but it isn't going to last. So disappointed

Food great. Service meh Fish chowder. Hamburgers are awesome If u are a regular treated better than transients Just saying

Best service around...Manager is attentive kind and welcoming,!!!! Can't say enough good things

Our meal was so good and a classic east coast lobster pound!!! The service was great and the staff was very nice!!

Stopped in today just around 5pm. Place was very busy! Order line moved fast. We went and found a seat and waited for our number to be called. Table was sticky and tacky. But ehhh... we sat by I guess is the bar area , the two very young girls that worked it just bad mouthing alot of the customers , I was taken back some what how rude and loudly they were saying these things! I mean you are working at a tourist seafood place , if you cannot handle the people or feel the need to talk about them all, then find a soft inside voice or find a new job. Back to the food ... it was good and portions too! But 78.00 bucks for the photo below was a bit too much. It was not 78 bucks good.

Another great seafood adventure at Markeys. We had the fried clams, fried scallops and steamers. The fried food was perfectly cooked and a average portion. Steamers were a nice size and also cooked perfectly. The prices are a little steep, but expected when your in a tourist spot.

And 1 star was being generous. Markeys has changed hands. My sister and I went to get some oysters fried and fresh but we couldn't eat them. They were so salty we couldn't eat them. The fried oysters were small and had no belly's. We will never go back.

Wow what's going on? This was always our spot every year. Went yesterday and it changed so much you don't know where to order and no signs. Plus they ran out of onion rings and changed the sweet and sour sauce. Sounds crazy but why change what works? These little things are what you look forward to. The amount of food per order has decreased in size but the cost went up. The fried shrimp and fried claims were barely cooked. The cashier looked like she was sleeping or on something as she just stared at us and we had to prompt her to take our order. Very sad to see a place we would visit several times go down the drain.

What a shame. My husband and I decided to treat ourselves and take a trip to Markey's. I have been going there for over 30 years. We heard there was a new owner. We stood in line more than 30 minutes on a Thursday in April, the one cashier was walking around talking to other employees and then to a previous customer for more than 15 mins. Other employees came to help but she never resumed her position stopping the whole place dead! The previous customer couldn't get their problem fixed because NO ONE there spoke English fluently! I personally asked the raw seafood guy if I could put an order in for what I wanted while I stood in line so all the food could come out together... he said No. My food was ready 25 minutes after the rest of my party! And the raw clams were full of shells So two hours later we had an early dinner for top price. We left truly aggravated and frustrated. Mrs Markey come back! Looks like it's Browns from now on!

I have been in the past and have been relatively happy....NOT TODAY! The onion rings were like Burger King's (Lousy breading)...The chowder was ok, nothing special and the lobster roll was sub-par at best!!! VERY DISSAPPOINTED

Terrible. Thin oily clam chowder with almost no clams. chicken strips were huge chick breasts pounded flat with excessive breadcrumbs and over cooked. Tuna roll was plain glob tuna. Added a tip but I regretted this later as no service provided. Pick up food at counter and police your own table.

Been a regular for 49 years. Not anymore. New ownership has ruined the place. Prices are up, quality is down. All good things must come to an end.

Went to Markeys on a mid afternoon last week, was met with a friendly smile at the counter, I believe her name was Bailey and her friend a coworker was like Kamala not sure of the spelling. I ordered the steamers. I asked if they were local and they were out of Rhode Island which sounded good to me. I hadn't been there for a while so I wasn't really sure what the steamers were going to be like. Steamers tend tend to be a little bit more sandier in the winter however they were clean white shells perfectly sized hardly any sand at all and whatever was there would be rinsed off. It must've been over a pound and a half it was recently priced at $25. Had a couple Sam Adams on draft ice cold which was perfect go along with the steamers. Then I proceeded to order a haddock sandwich, it was was white and flaky proportion was adequate and that was under $10. I want to complement the owners and the managers for keeping the place spotless I will be back in a couple weeks. This is one of the few places that you can still get steamers is in the winter.

We have been coming here for years. Came today and very disappointed in the quality of the food. We returned a batch of steamers that were bad and got a second batch just as bad. My scallops were mediocre and the cole slaw tasted like the cabbage was bad.

Fun spot to eat. On the top of all seafood lists in New Hampshire. We tried the Lobster Roll, Clam Roll, Fish Nuggets, Calamari, Clams, and Clam Chowder. The menu did not disappoint. Chowder and Fish Nuggets were a highlight.

Great meal today with a beautiful view of the water. I always keep my lobster whole so the juices stay but found out they dont have tools to crack them. So i ate what I could then brought it back for cracking. The taste was phenomenal because they are cooked in sea water with the juices of previous ones. Got the fried shrimp in a box which came hot. Steamers were $17.95 for a basket (quart). I usually buy them myself and cook at home. Cheaper. Oysters were $2.20 each. You can usually get them in a restaurant on that particular night for a buck and oyster. Corn was two dollars an ear. Lobsters for 1 1/4 pound were 11.99/pound For 1 1/2 pound and up its $13.99/ pound For the other items I posted some menu pictures which are current. CASH only!!

Best fresh seafood ever OMG best fresh fresh fresh fish ever I will love to have that fresh lobster every day plus those steam clams are amaziiiiing

Eh... Not the best place. I drove 50 minutes for this since a friend recommended this place and was really disappointed. The lines weren't too long and now I know why it wasn't compared the Brown's right across the street. I ordered a Lobster Roll and my boyfriend ordered a scallop and clams plate and a side of soda which totaled to about $55ish. The price wasn't bad. It's cash only, however they have an ATM inside. (one person at a time due to COVID) The cashier said just wrap around to the right and she'll send someone out to open the door. We literally waited 10 minutes for someone to open the door and still no one. Went back up to the cashier and she said she'll send someone now. Waited another 10. Went back up to the cashier and she said she'll send someone. Waited another 5 minutes... FINALLY someone opens the door. This place was so unorganized. Other customers were following us in even though the sign said 1 customer in at a time.... Workers didn't even care. Finally took out some cash and had to wait back in line to pay.. We added in a soda and fries and paid for that. We went to the pick up line and waited about 10 minutes and they didn't give us a soda and side of fries we paid for because it "wasn't on the order." We explained that we added it in after we took out cash from the ATM. Pick up lady was arguing with us. Went back up to the cashier and she finally looked at the order and confirmed we did pay for everything and they ended up working it out and giving us our WHOLE order. No apology, nothing. SUPER disorganized and poor communication on their end. The food was eh. My lobster roll had no flavor to it and still had shells in there. The fried clams were still really raw. The coleslaw was gross and tasted like straight up mayo. The fries was the only thing that was good. Would I come back? Most likely not.... FYI-no places to sit. We went across the street to Browns and found a picnic table and stone bench to sit on by the water.

Go somewhere else. To start, the server charged me for an extra item I didn't order. I had a $20 scallop roll which included the saddest 9 small scallops served on a sad wilty roll. Fries were decent. The view was good but I wouldn't go back.

We were excited to see how the new ownership would improve the food but it seems to have taken a sharp turn down. The "large" lobsters are only about 1.5 lbs each and weren't as tasty. The only saving dish was the fresh steamers. Maybe I'm spoiled but being in New England there are much better lobster options. They also hack up the lobsters in a questionable manner. No crackers or de-shelling tools provided.

I absolutely loved this place!! Lobster roll was amazing!!! Will hopefully grab another before I have to leave tomorrow. Staff was friendly and food came out fast!

Markey's is the place to go for lobsters, your lobster is boiled in salt water. They have spoiled having lobster anywhere else. Sweet and plenty of butter will give you an ultimate dinner. Their Clam chowder is excellent with lots of clams. Scallops were also prepared perfectly with fried onions and coleslaw.

I used to really like this place. Live food is gone downhill and a price on sky high.

No, dried fried food, small portion for $35 ... absolutely won't go here again. Across the street has way better food. Plump shrimp, tasty and fresh. Try them instead

I haven't reviewed Markeys in a few years as we hadn't been going every birthday. But we restarted the tradition this year/today. Still amazing! Prices went up but seafood is expensive so what's new. Lol We got a tuna roll, a cheeseburger champ with fries, 2 lemonades, 2 lobster rolls, a lobster bisque and a fried lobster plate. (Some of it was to go. Lol) Huge servings and everything was literally perfect. Ugh. I wish I could go more often but it's 3.5 hours away! Love Markeys. $107 for all plus tip for anyone wondering. Can't wait till next year!

One star is being generous. The lobster roll tasted day old and the clam strips were cold when I picked them up. Multiple customers were complaining as I waited to place my order. It should have been a sign. Never again will I eat here. Disgusting.

I guess all good thing do come to an end cause we ordered fried haddock dinner, a tuna roll and two large haddock chowders to go and this was the worst haddock dinner and chowder I have ever had. Look like they changed there batter recipe. The chowder had 1 potato and 2 very small pieces of haddock and they changed the recipe on there chowder too and how do you make a tuna roll taste so bad . THANK YOU I WILL SAVE A LOT OF MONEY THIS YEAR CAUSE I WILL NEVER BE BACK.

Good place to eat on the water. Good seafood and lobster. Family friendly, casual dining establishments. Order at the counter and pick- up food. Service is fast.

Go to Markey's! ... if you're looking for a tasteless mayonnaise roll instead of a lobster roll. One star for the pleasant water views and another star for the perfectly fried onion rings. That's about it. If you're looking for a lobster roll, head across the street to Brown's or any of a number of better options on the road leading to Markey's.

Went on an off-season Groupon deal, got a box of fried scallops and the fried shrimp plate. Scallops didn't have much flavor, surprising given it is currently scallop season. But the shrimp were great. Overall ok.

Fried to golden perfection!! Great tasting & generous portion of lobster as well. I can not comment on the cherrystones...they weren't mine but he definitely enjoyed them