My wife and I room our two kids here today (Labor Day). We looked at many of the reviews in Essex for Seafood and seeing the owner respond to some of the reviews that seemed unfair I said this is our place. Was there a...long line, Yes. Was there a wait for our food, Yes. Was it an expensive meal, Yes. Was the staff good , No they were Excellent ! It’s not a meal you can take your family too everyday but it was the freshest seafood you could find and I don’t mind paying for the Best ! Keep doing what you are doing and if you don’t have the time to enjoy a place that has been open since 1935, then don’t go. The loss will be yours so look to enjoy the experience. Also every employee had a mask, gloves and kept all separated 6 feet away the entire time, anything you read otherwise is not truthful. Look at my reviews all over the USA and lived in Europe Its the truth. Thank you Clam Box Team 👍More

If I had known that we could call in order, would have done so. Arrived at 4pm. 90 mins after the posted 2:30 pm oil change. Was told after we ordered fried clam plate with fries and onion rings, cup chowder and grilled chicken sandwich...the order would be ready in 20 mins. Every customer was masked and kept social distancing, except not sure all employees were masked. 30 mins go by, our number not called yet and many people began to arrive to pick up their orders that they had called in earlier. Many people disappointed at the wait. That isnt the worst of it. We picked up our items 60 mins after placing the order, clam chowder warm, grilled chicken sandwich just OK and the clam dinner, not hot, not warm but just room temp (that cooled in mins)which means it had been sitting at the window for some time. After eating 4 cooled clams and a few soggy fries and onion rings that had lost the coating, I wrapped it up. We drove home approx 35 miles away. I warmed them to eat but it had lost any crispiness and subsequently taste too. Very disappointed in our visit and will not return. I did not go to the manager to address the problem as I didnt want to cause a back up with kitchen serving others. The best part of our summer day out was the ice cream venue nearby(Whites Farm). Delicious flavors and sizeable scoops.More

They changed the coleslaw Please change it back its too dry and tastless. But all the rest is great im a 50yr customer and will be till I die.

We had been craving some fried seafood and my wife had seen them on Phantom Gourmet. So we hopped in the car and made the 2 hour drive over. We were not let down at all. Shared a monstrous seafood platter and a bowl of...chowder. The platter had plenty of seafood and a generous portion of scallops compared to most platters I’ve had. I also would say they make probably the best chowder I’ve had in a restaurant. So good! Staff was super nice and as far as the social distancing and COVID-19 BS they were adhering to as good or better than most companies I’ve seen.More

So stopped in back in June, of course during social distancing. The place was generally packed but everyone seemed to be able to keep away from one another. At 3pm the line wrapped around the building, which seems to be a symptom related to needing...to change oil daily at 2:30, which makes sense. The food and prices were generally reasonable, and the oil change was apparent in the consistency of the breading on my fish. Although not to be terribly funny, as good as the food was, the pickle spears, $1.50 if memory serves me, may have been the highlight of the meal. If I had done one thing differently, I wish I had skipped the line and mobile ordered. That seemed to work better than the 50 plus minutes wait between arrival and getting food, but others will have to let you know about that. Overall worth a stop, if only for the pickles and the quirky design of the building. Be back soon.More

I entered the Clam Box for a pick up order today. The customers were wearing masks and social distancing. The two or 3 teenage girls behind the counter were wearing masks HOWEVER the 4 or 5 teenagers working behind the counter in the cook/fry-a-lator area...were not wearing masks. At least one had a mask around his neck but was not wearing it. In all, at least 4 employees were not wearing a mask and in close proximity (less than 6 feet) to one another and food. Furthermore, they completely had maks off the entire 5 minutes or so I was there. It's not like they pulled a mask down for a second to adjust, they were just off. I was unaware of the requirements for masks. I didnt know who had to and who didnt. A little more research said all employees must wear masks at all times and these employees definitely weren't. I understand that there are exceptions for wearing masks for those with disabilities or illnesses but these were teenagers and appeared to be very mobile and active in their duties. I took the food anyway cause I already paid but didnt know for certain. Looked up the rules when I got home. Upon finding this out, I ended up throwing out $100 order and sanitizing thoroughly. Their lack of regard for Mass DPH requirementsconcerning coronavirus made me feel unsafe. I registered a complaint with the AG.More

We spent the day at Halibut Point in Rockport and stop for a late lunch early dinner. We both had a combo of fried whole clams and scallops with onion rings and coleslaw. Just a hint you might want to order just one and share...it. There was enough for two. They fried to perfection in a very light batter and the slaw did not have a lot of mayo. Very tasty.More