“ The Seafood was fresh , Service was quick, and restaurant is along the sea shore with a simple hometown ambiance. Townies pulling in by boats to get there seafood orders. The experience is worth the ride! So very delicious! A great memory! *Highly recommend ”

“ My review is about 4 months late, but wanted to say what a fantastic meal my friends and I had at Woodmans. As a Mass native, I grew up going to Woodmans occasionally. It was always a wonderful treat and continues to be equally a treat all these years later. I had the chance to visit in early October with some of my childhood friends and we had an excellent early dinner. Fried clams, boiled lobsters, chowders, a burger, fries, more fried clams and a few beers. It was complete nirvana! The restaurant is also bright and clean, and the employees behind the counter were working their tails off. Fun fact: 30 years ago this August Woodmans catered my wedding at my parent's farm in a Boston suburb. As good today as it was back then. Thanks Woodmans for the great food and nostalgia! ”

“ Dare I say the oil they use to deep fry is too clean? Fried clam bellies (yum), fried fish, everything - tastes just of seafood and batter - no old oil flavor. Very fast service in the off season (I've only visited in Fall, Winter, Spring - never summer), and Gluten Free options! ”

“ There is always a debate on your favorite clam place. Mine is definitely Woodmans over the other Essex places. It's not cheap but everywhere is about the same. You order at the counter and take it to your table when your number is called. There is not a waitstaff, this is definitely a "rustic" style of eating. When it's nice they also have outdoor seating and your furry friends are welcome there. ”

“ Coming from California I'm perpetually hankering for some good fried clams. So much so that, when I knew I would be coming to the area, I knew I wanted to find a really good joint that had the best fried seafood. The combo platter we ordered two plates was a good example of why you come here for fried seafood. I loved the fish, I loved the scallops, and I loved the shrimp. But I especially loved the fried clams. It made my craving for all this time totally worth it. I know the suggestions for best seafood in the area are wide and varied, but you can humbly add Woodman's to that list without much objection I suspect. ”

“ Stopped in and ordered a scallop plate with onion rings . Added a lobster tail fried add on The fried lobster tail piece soaked in hot butter was excellent as very tender and sweet... haven't had fried battered lobster pieces in quite some time ... The scallops were moist,,fresh, perfectly cooked. Onion rings very nice battered type vs breaded And sweet onions.... Very good lunch and left overs for lunch heat up tomorrow. I like this location as plenty of parking , outdoor seating... and option for a draft of beer I noticed a sign with daily specials which sound good options . Very responsive ownership who responded to address an issue I raised on a prior visit. ”

“ True to its epic glory, Woodmans of Essex has to be one of the most legendary seafood joints in all of New England. We had not been in 25 or 30 years. The place used to be a roadside stand, only open in the summer, with tons of outdoor seating out back. But now they built an upstairs bar with oysters, there was more indoor seating and they were open year round. But the essentials were the same--you ordered and they called out you number. I got the fried clams, she got the lobster roll, and the quantities were huge. We got a great meal at a beloved place. Recommended! ”

“ Disclaimer- I am not a "local"! Wow- what a great iconic "New England costal restaurant"! First off it is huge. We got there just before it opened and there was already a line. Glad we got there early! The menu is pretty large and the portions are huge! The folks were there are like a well oiled machine. They definitely have the process down. From start to finish it only took about 10/12 minutes to order and get our food. We ordered a ton too. I listed the food below. Again, the portions are big and the batter is great. Lobster roll- yum. Roll was perfect with tons of lobster. Fried 1/2 lobster tail- very different. Never had this before and it was good though for me I would stick with just fresh lobster. Fried whole clams- so good! Fried clam strip platter- my husband liked this but it was huge with onion rings and fries. Fried oysters- I really liked these because the oysters were fairly large so you really tasted them. If you want to get a taste of the area and the ocean, stop by and I recommend going early as the line was huge when we left! ”

“ Woodman's is a great outing on a warm day. Even if there's a long line to order, the vibes of being out and about right along the water surrounded by good vibes, friendly staff, and good views is all you need. We came here for Mother's Day (Woodman's has become our place to go if there's a summer occasion) and it was a such great day. The line was about 45 minutes long but hey! They had staff entertaining -- chatting with guests, and handing out menus and bumper stickers. It was so nice out too so no complaints. :) I ordered the chicken tender plate which could literally feed two if not three people. The portions are HUGE here. It also comes with fries AND onion rings. The clam chowder was pretty soupy and the clams inside it were a little too chewy for my liking so I'll probably do without that next time. There's tons of parking out back and they've got picnic tables set up, a Woodman's food truck to order things like a lobster roll or a hotdog without needing to wait in their super long line at the restaurant, Ipswich Pale Ale for a beer, ice cream, and a cute gift shop filled with merch. ”