Readers recommend 5 places for Cape Cod's best fried clams

Gwenn Friss, Cape Cod Times
·4 min read
3

Hold the metal fork and white linen napkin.

It seems Cape Cod Times readers like their fried clams without fuss, taken away to enjoy at the beach or eaten at a picnic table with friends and family.

Seasonal restaurants Kream 'N Kone in West Dennis and Captain Frosty's Fish & Chips in Dennis scored high when we asked Times readers to vote in our unscientific poll of Cape Cod's favorite fried clam places.

Fair warning: Clams are selling at market price, and as of Aug. 1, that was about $35 for a plate of whole bellies. But, hey, what is a beach vacation without fried clams?

Here are five Cape Cod restaurants that came out on top for fried clams:

Fried clams sit in the pass-through window at Kream 'N Kone ready to be served in this 2017 file photo.
Fried clams sit in the pass-through window at Kream 'N Kone ready to be served in this 2017 file photo.

1. Kream 'N Kone

Address: 961 Main St., West Dennis

Contact: 508-394-0808; kreamnkone.com

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily

Of note: Kream 'N Kone has been serving  fresh — never frozen — fried seafood for more than 60 years at the corner of Routes 28 and 134. Choose the air-conditioned inside or the patio overlooking Swan River.

Reader comment: Jim Tragakis writes on the Cape Cod Times Facebook group, Good Stuff at Cape Cod Restaurants: "If you’re not eating whole bellies, you’re not eating clams! Kream 'N Kone's are the best! Light, crispy and flavorful. You’re welcome!!"

Fried clams at Captain Frosty's Fish and Chips in Dennis. [Courtesy of Captain Frosty's]
Fried clams at Captain Frosty's Fish and Chips in Dennis. [Courtesy of Captain Frosty's]

2. Captain Frosty's Fish & Chips

Address: 219 Main St. (Route 6A), Dennis

Contact:  508-385-8548; captainfrosty.com

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Mondays, closed Tuesdays

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Of note: For 45 years, Captain Frosty's has been serving award-winning fried seafood,  including native fried clams and fresh Atlantic Cod delivered daily. The stand, with booths inside and tables shaded by umbrellas outside, gives off the vibe of a '50s diner.

Reader comment: Theresa Edo Freeman writes on Facebook: "Captain Frosty’s in Dennis. Tasty, and not overcooked! (That's very) important (for clams) to not get rubbery. I prefer strips, but whole bellies are OK, too."

Fried clams are one of the most popular choices at Arnold's Lobster & Clam Bar.
Fried clams are one of the most popular choices at Arnold's Lobster & Clam Bar.
A new walkway in front of Arnold's Lobster & Clam Bar allows customers to exit the restaurant without having to pass those who are in line ordering food. The new foot traffic pattern was put into place last year due to the COVID-19 restrictions.
A new walkway in front of Arnold's Lobster & Clam Bar allows customers to exit the restaurant without having to pass those who are in line ordering food. The new foot traffic pattern was put into place last year due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

3. Arnold's Lobster & Clam Bar

Address: 3580 Route 6, Eastham

Contact:  508-255-2575; arnoldsrestaurant.com

Hours: 11:30 to 9 a.m. Thursdays through Mondays, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays

Of note: Inspired by the '50s-type diner, Arnold's, on the TV show "Happy Days," native Cape Codder Nate Nickerson opened a drive-through clam shack more than 40 years ago that has grown over the decades. There are inside tables and outside picnic tables, as well as an ice cream stand, gift shop, mini golf course and a chance to have your photo taken in a make-believe race car.

Seafood Sam's Fried Whole Belly Clam Platter is served with cole slaw and fries. The restaurant has been sourcing clams from the Kneeland family for 50 years.
Seafood Sam's Fried Whole Belly Clam Platter is served with cole slaw and fries. The restaurant has been sourcing clams from the Kneeland family for 50 years.
Seafood Sam's, called Sam's Clams when it opened in 1974, has locations on the Cape Cod Canal in Sandwich and in Falmouth.
Seafood Sam's, called Sam's Clams when it opened in 1974, has locations on the Cape Cod Canal in Sandwich and in Falmouth.

4. Seafood Sam's 

Address: 6 Coast Guard Road, Sandwich; 356 Palmer Ave., Falmouth

Contact: 508-888-4629 for Sandwich, 508-540-7877 in Falmouth; seafoodsams.com

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily

Of note: We highly recommend checking out the blog at seafoodsams.com: You will learn how Sam Vecchione, at age 55, rented a small laundromat in Falmouth and opened Sam's Clams, a takeout-only shack in 1974, When Vecchione traded up to a larger, eat-in restaurant and called it Seafood Sam's, he hired the Lewis siblings who, as teens, needed jobs. One of them, Jeff Lewis, went on to buy the business, which now has locations in Sandwich and Falmouth.

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On the website, you will also read about Seafood Sam's food truck "Fish on the Fly."

Reader comment: "Their clam strips are legendary. The perfect ratio of clam to breading, and I’ve always felt like the value is solid," writes Emma Gauthier, who also raves about sunsets over the Cape Cod Canal, visible from Seafood Sam's in Sandwich.

Chatham Fish & Lobster before it merged with Mac's in Chatham. The restaurant still uses gluten-free breading for its fried fish.
Chatham Fish & Lobster before it merged with Mac's in Chatham. The restaurant still uses gluten-free breading for its fried fish.

5. Mac's Chatham Fish & Lobster

Address:  1291 Main St. (Route 28), in Cornfield Marketplace, Chatham

Contact: 508-945-1173; www.chathamfish.com

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily

Of note: A 2019 merger of Mac's and Chatham Fish & Lobster resulted in a remodel for the restaurant, including a raw bar. The restaurant offers indoor and outdoor seating.

Reader comment: Maryellen McHenry writes, "Because I must be gluten-free, I used to go to Chatham Fish and Lobster as all their fried food is GF. I haven't been for 2 years (COVID) and I see it's now called Mac's Chatham Fish & Lobster. ... I see it's all still gluten-free so I'll be headed down there soon."

One more thing: Mac's Seafood has several outer Cape locations, including: Mac's Fish House, 85 Shank Painter Road, Provincetown, 508-487-6227; Mac's Market & Kitchen, 4680 State Highway (Route 6) in Eastham, 508-255-6900; Mac's on the Pier, 265 Commercial St., Wellfleet, 508-945-1173; Chatham Fish & Lobster (market in Ring Bros. Marketplace) 485 Route 134, South Dennis, 508-394-1181.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Fried clams on Cape Cod: Readers' top 5 choices include Kream 'N Kone

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