The Clam Shack - SANIBEL

Delicious lobster roll like amazing. And good service and they had my fave two chicks elderflower drink! The lobster bisque was disappointing though. Sorta thick and lumpy.

Me and my wife went there for dinner it was fantastic my wife had the best lobster roll ever I had the best clams ever we’re only here for a week and we have to go back a second time it’s well worth it the staff is great you will not be disappointed

Meal was pretty good. I had a lobster roll but the service was the worst. For a town that has lots of options I would expect the service to be much better. I ordered steamed clams as an appetizer and they tried bringing it out AFTER my entree. One of the guys in my party just ordered a bowl of soup of their meal and it was brought out within 2 minutes. The woman server had a real attitude with me when I told her I no longer wanted the clams since they were served after my entree. I will not be coming back here again.

I have to begin this review by saying that I will not be able to say enough about this quaint little restaurant that serves authentic New England seafood. First and foremost, I am from New England originally and now live in New York, so when I saw this place advertised it piqued my interest and I thought hmm, let 's see . I question anyone who claims to have authentic New England seafood. My husband and I were on vacation and this was our first trip to Sanibel Island, Florida. We arrived and noticed right away that this was a cute little restaurant, had sort of a Local bar feel when we walked in, and we were immediately greeted by Michelle who seated us and was our server. She was great. Very personable and made very good recommendations and did not make us feel rushed. They only serve beer and wine, which was fine, so we ordered beer and some Moscato wine which tasted great for such a hot day in Florida! I started with some steamers , which if anyone knows anything about New England, they are the Ipswich, or Pissah style whole belly clams. Michelle brought me a serving (the 1/2 lb. of clams that was quite large, with my own bucket for the shells and a container of broth and one of hot butter. They were Exactly what I would have received in New England and were absolutely delicious. My husband ordered fried shrimp for his appetizer, and they were also delicious and fried to a golden crisp. For entrees, I ordered the 1/2 and 1/2 combo (which is a big staple in New England of 1/2 whole belly clams and scallops, hand cut French fries and coleslaw. My husband ordered the Fisherman 's platter which consisted of fried cod, whole belly clams, scallops and shrimp, hand cut French fries and coleslaw. Let me just say that for a few moments during my meal I felt like I had stepped back in time and was in New England eating the seafood I grew up with. I had a wave of Nostalgia come over me with every bite. Now most would say it 's only fried seafood but I will tell you that it takes a special kind of talent to be able to cook (and especially FRY sea scallops, so they are not overcooked and melt in your mouth. The whole entire meal was phenomenal and so flavorful. I will also give credit for the coleslaw (which was a little warm and not cold like it should be , however, it was very good. I am very finicky about coleslaw and again, it tasted just like the style I would have received in New England. Our very best compliments to the cooks, the servers, and the owners (whom we learned were from Rhode Island for our great experience and awesome food! We highly recommend your establishment and if we are ever to return to Sanibel, we will definitely be stopping by again.

I REALLY wanted to give this place 5 stars. If I had to rate based on the taste of the food, it would easily be a 5. The seafood was very fresh and not rubbery, flavorful, and perfectly fried. (The fries were nasty, but not why I went there. . The two issues that brought my rating down were that the owner was our server, and he was VERY ANNOYING. All he did the whole time was tell us about his restaurant and owning it and how awesome it was. Interesting for the first minute or two, but annoying by the end of our dinner. Stop marketing to me once I 'm already in and seated, eh? Your story is interesting, but I don 't really care THAT much about the ins and outs of running your restaurant. Serve me my food and bring refills, or hire a real waiter. The second reason for a star dinged is that I ordered a fisherman 's platter that sounded like a lot of food, and that our waiter said I would barely be able to finish. I was thoroughly disappointed with the quantity I got for a $28 meal. 2-3 small scallops, 2-3 small shrimp, wimpy amount of oysters, etc. (See my picture . Again, if you have a tiny belly, the food is extremely delicious. But if you are hungry go elsewhere. I spent more on my dinner here than anywhere else on the island, and my entire family left HUNGRY.