Woodman's of Essex
Seafood restaurant · Essex ·
Iconic 1914 seafood shack serving fried clams
Iconic 1914 seafood shack serving fried clams
"A Cape Ann institution in Essex famed for fried clams and a long-running seaside food-shack tradition, often mentioned alongside other must-visit North Shore clam spots like J.T. Farnham's." - Erika Adams
"Woodman’s of Essex has been slinging some of the best fried clams on earth since 1914. Don’t sleep on the excellent clam chowder, either. Woodman’s is also located on Rte. 133 (sensing a pattern?), but unlike the Clam Box and J.T. Farnham’s, it’s open year-round, which means you can get a basket of fried clams for Christmas (well, probably the day after)." - Tanya Edwards
"Woodman’s of Essex has been around since 1914 and started serving fried clams two years later. While Woodman’s likes to say it’s the birthplace of the fried clam, the dish appeared on a menu at Boston’s Omni Parker House decades earlier, but Woodman’s certainly popularized and perfected it over the course of the last century. Another must-try at Woodman’s: the clam chowder. Open year-round. Woodman’s is open for indoor dining, outdoor dining, and takeout, and it is not requiring its customers to wear masks." - Terrence Doyle
"Woodman’s claims to have invented the fried clam as we know it today. That’s probably a bit bold, but that doesn’t detract from it being one of the finest seafood shacks in New England. Woodman’s is currently offering takeout, outdoor dining, and indoor dining." - Terrence Doyle
"Chubby’s original fried clams were enjoyed as a classic, casual seaside meal eaten outdoors with beers and a marshland view; the reviewer chose the venue for its ample outdoor space to physically distance, noted a companion ordered a lobster (described as fiddly to eat), and recalled a relaxed, humorous afternoon watching paddle-boarders while repeatedly returning to the fried clams." - Rachel Leah Blumenthal