Arnold’s Restaurant

Awesome food! We’ve been coming to the Cape for over 25 years and only discovered this place last summer — can’t wait to go back this year! Prices are great for the amount of food you get. Onion strings are to die for, as are the fried clams, stuffed quahogs and the clams on the half shell. Everything is SO fresh!

Been here multiple times over the years, but our latest trip — We stopped here along the Rail Trail, completely starving. Since it was the shoulder season (September) at about 3pm, the line was almost nonexistent, which is definitely rare. We ordered lobster rolls, clam chowder and lobster bisque. Super spacious inside and out, so we sat outside and waited for our food. It’s served on trays so is not a formal restaurant (not like you should expect that from the interior) and it was absolutely delicious. Large portions, a bit overpriced, but about what you should expect to pay at this point on the Cape (especially in such a prime location). Love Arnold’s and can’t wait to go back when it re-​opens.

A group of nine of us came to Arnold’s over the summer during our Cape Cod trip and the one thing we looked forward to the most was seafood. We wanted to try one of the best lobster rolls in the area and Unilocal led us to Arnold’s. When we got here, we saw that the line was out the door! However, the locals told us it is always like that and the line goes by fast. After hearing that, we chose to wait in line anxiously with the other patrons. After about 20 – 30 minutes, we were finally inside and was able to order our food.
The inside is decked out with nautical motifs all over. You order at the cashier (fast food style), take a buzzer, and take a seat until your buzzer goes off (the raw bar line is separate and you can order your raw oysters and clams once you enter the dining area). The dining area is huge with seating inside and out. If you are a bigger party, the busboys are more than happy to put tables together to accommodate everyone (a plus!). After waiting about 15 minutes for our food, our buzzer finally went off!
We ordered quite a few things:
Cold lobster roll & warm lobster roll: not one is better than the other. It is really based on your preference.
Fried Calamari: yum
Fried clam strips: not as yum
New England clam chowder: everyone’s favorite!
While the lobster rolls was stuffed with much more lobster than we could fathom, the lobster tasted… kind of bland. It was missing that sweet seafood taste that fresh lobster is supposed to have. Unfortunately, the lobster rolls at Arnold’s was lacking in that. This was something that our whole group seemed to agree on. We couldn’t understand how this place could be deemed one of the best lobster rolls in the region but was missing the sweet lobster taste. We were a bit disappointed but the clam chowder and fresh raw oysters made up for part of the disappointed.
Each lobster roll came with a side of fries or potato chips. All of us left with a food coma. While we were definitely full, we were a bit disappointed. We felt that we have had better lobster rolls in other places. Would we come back here again? Probably not.

Came here on a recommendation that Arnold’s had the best lobster roll in Cape Cod… not sure if it was «the best», but it definitely was «the most».
Ordered the hot (CT-​style) Jumbo Lobster Roll which had 10oz (almost ²⁄₃ pound) of lobster meat. Was so big that I almost couldn’t finish it.
Flavor was what you’d expect as it was just lobster meat with butter, and the bun was pretty basic as well. But, the amount of lobster meat they give you is pretty incredible.
So, my detailed ratings would be:
Lobster Flavor and Bun: 3.5-stars
Amount of Lobster meat: 5-​stars
Clam Chowder: 3-​stars
Lobster Bisque: 4-​stars
Value: 3.5-stars
So overall, Arnold’s didn’t necessarily blow me away, but I’d still give it 4-​stars based on the amount of lobster they give you, and highly recommend it if you’re in the Cape.

NOTE: I came here on Monday, August 17, 2015, in the evening for dinner.
I came with a party of 3. When you arrive, the line seems very long. The line moves very quickly. I got the Maine Lobster Bisque. One member of my party, picked, a 3 lb. lobster. It takes long to pick, but so, worth it! (I got to taste some lobster). 2 members of my party, (including me) got the Small Lobster Roll, it came with great coleslaw. We all got sodas, (complimentary soda fountain) was great, due to not having to pay for refills.
All in all, I highly recommend, and I will definitely come back!

Every year my family goes on vacation to Cape Cod, and almost every year we stop at Arnolds for lunch on the way up! Some years there’s no traffic and we make it too early before it’s open, or some years there’s way too much traffic and we need to eat lunch before we hit Arnolds. Fortunately, this year we got to stop for lunch!
This is a cash only place, which I don’t love, but I’m with my family, so they’re paying and usually have cash on them. There is a counter to order as soon as you walk in, so you really can’t just walk in since there is usually a long line out the door. Again, fortunately for us, there wasn’t a huge line when we showed up. I got my normal lobster salad roll and fries. I think it comes with a bag of chips, but you can sub for fries (not sure if it’s more $ or not.) It also comes with a little side of cole slaw. As far as lobster rolls go this is a good one! It’s made with mayo, but not too much mayo, and there’s no celery or anything else in it. Just the lobster and some lettuce on a roll. Always good! The fries were good too, and I don’t remember much about the cole slaw, but I ate all of it so I must of liked it. My brother always gets clam chowder (everywhere on the cape), and it’s pretty good here too. I think it’s on the thicker side, which is how I think clam chowder should be.
There is a also a raw bar inside, and ice cream outside. I don’t think I’ve had either, so can’t comment, but I’m sure it’s good. Also there’s a mini golf place attached outside.
I love this place! It’s a tradition, so I’m always happy after a long drive to see the Arnold’s sign and know vacation has offically started!

My friend and I stopped here on our way back from Provincetown to grab a bite to eat for lunch.
When we arrived around 1:30pm on a Sunday, there was not much of a line, but that quickly changed once we put in our order.
We both decided to get a scallop roll and a side of fries and onion strings.
So often when you order fried scallops, the breading of the scallop is so thick, that you can’t even tell what you are eating. Thankfully, at Arnold’s their breading is so thin that it works solely to keep in the flavor, without making the whole dish too heavy.
In addition to the scallop roll, the tartar sauce was also very good, which can often make or break a seafood place for me.
Their fries and onion strings were pretty good as well, but nothing out of the ordinary.
After polishing off our sandwiches, we decided to grab a couple scoops of ice cream from the dessert window. After trying a couple flavors, we went with the peanut butter – which was so creamy and peanut buttery. Two scoops was definitely enough for the two of us and was priced very well at just over $ 3.
Overall, the lunch and dessert we had here was a great stop on the way back to Boston. If only we had enough time to stop and get a round of mini golf in – but I guess there’s always next time!

This place is a must every time we are on the Cape. This place hasn’t changed a bit. We always get the Onion Rings, so good. We also got some soft serve ice cream a couple times over the week, so creamy and delicious.
This place is always busy so don’t be surprised if there’s a line. Decent food, decent prices, friendly staff. See you next time!

Best hot lobster roll I’ve ever had, hands down. The line moves quickly, so even though it looks long, don’t give up! The hot lobster roll was HUGE, fresh, and delicious. Hubby got the fish n chips, and really enjoyed them. We also split a side (BTW a «small» side is HUGE), of fried clam strips, which were also tasty.
It’s not a fancy place, so don’t expect that. Just expect tasty seafood that will make you wish you could keep eating long after you are full.
Also, they are CASH ONLY! But there’s an ATM, so for those of us that didn’t know (like me), we easily got cash while waiting in line.

First stop in cape cod. Was looking for a place that could serve steamed whole lobsters and give me a bib to eat it with. Arnold’s did do that. but only that. I got the lobster special which is 1 ¼ lb lobster, clam chowder and corn. The lobster didn’t strike me as anything special and the corn was small and not juicy. The price wasn’t even good as I expected a good deal in cape cod. I think it was $ 21 for the lobster special.

We played mini-​golf before eating and it was fun. The course is well-​kept, but not very exciting. I did enjoy the last hole because you can send your ball down a water slide!
The real reason to come here is definitely the seafood. Don’t let the line scare you away, it moves quickly. Make sure you have cash, because they are cash-​only, but do have 2 ATMs on-​site. After you order, grab some crayons and color yourself a lobster! It took about 20 minutes to get our rolls.
We all had hot buttered lobster rolls, and they were the best I’ve ever had. Even the cole slaw was good, but fries weren’t anything special. If the place is packed (almost a guarantee) you will probably have to wait around for a table to open up.

Regular old beach shack tourist trap you might find in any coastal city in America. This place obviously specializes in locally sourced lobster. The staff here is comprised of sullen, Eastern European teenagers who would rather be at the beach than wiping up after the hordes of families shoving fried clams into their gullets. I guess most resort towns import their seasonal help, just like all of the Brazilian kids working in Lake Tahoe over the winter. But instead, Cape Cod gets lanky teens named Sasha or Predrag from Slovakia. I know it’s sad working at a place like this, but a little smile wouldn’t hurt.
The lobster roll was okay. The bun was stale but the lobster chunks were super large. When I picked up our food, we were given a free lobster roll. It seems like orders get mixed up a lot here, so there’s always extra food laying around.
Everything else here was forgettable. This type of food is pretty much identical anywhere you go on the Cape. Cash only!

Only got ice cream, but it was great! I had coffee Oreo ice cream and it was delicious! Lots or Oreo chunks folded in and creamy, dense coffee ice cream. My friend got coffee Heath frozen yogurt and it was delicious as well and smooth. Line moves quickly. You can try the flavors.

Skip every other restaurant on Route 6 or 28 that tells you they have the best seafood on the Cape. Come here. This is the real deal. I have been to dozens of informal lobster and seafood restaurants from Long Island to Maine. This is clearly one of the best and worth going our of your way to have lunch or dinner. (Expect long lines, but they move very quickly. Also, bring cash or check. No credit cards here.)
What makes Arnold’s so good? It is all about the food. First, everything is incredibly fresh. No doubt. But, more importantly, they know how to cook. Every item was perfectly prepared and tasted delicious. (The ambiance is fine for a restaurant where you order at the counter. But, don’t bring your first date here.)
My two showstopper dishes are the fried scallops and the steamers. Both made us all stop in our tracks and make satisfied yummy noises. Just thinking about it makes me stop and make yummy noises.
Let’s start with the fried scallops. I love scallops and I am a really tough critic of anything that is too rubbery or undercooked. These were perfect — juicy and piping hot. The friend clam bellies were also excellent. At many restaurants, these tend to be a lot of breading with a hint of clams. At Arnold’s, you can taste the sweet and juicy clam every time. And, speaking of fried foods, the onion strings are as good as the menu says they are. Congratulations.
We shared a pot of steamers, which were excellent — sweet and juicy. Big pieces of clams in large shells. These guys know what they are doing.
The lobsters were very good. I am not bubbly because there other items are so good. Now, normally, I get a fresh seacoast lobster any time I can. But, the other items on this menu are so good that I may end up with a scallop dinner next time.
So, in summary, this place is the real thing. If I could give it a sixth star, I would. As I said before: Skip every other restaurant on Route 6 or 28 that tells you they have the best on the Cape. Come here.

I totally ordered the wrong thing here. Rookie mistake. I ordered a salad with grilled shrimp while my mother-​in-​law and her sister had the onion rings and fried clams. Frankly, my salad was sad and kind of gross (the avocado was brown) and the shrimp were somehow both undercooked AND rubbery. Not good.
However, everyone else at the table was thrilled with their choices. I tasted some of the clam chowder and it was great. I know better for next time!

This place is one of the best seafood places I have ever been and I frequent seafood places on a regular basis.
I split the JUMBO lobster roll which was huge. It was full of real lobster chunks! The butter was on the side which was different, but I liked how I could control the amount of butter on it. I also loved the French fries and coleslaw.
This was a fantastic lobster seafood place. It was bright, lots of seating and even had a raw bar inside with cocktails. I highly recommend!

THE BEST lobster rolls. We visit every time we’re on the Cape and I have not found a better lobster roll in my life so far. My go to dish is the Hot Lobster Roll with butter & fries, with a side of onion rings — not because the fries are not enough, but the onion rings are too good to miss. There can be a long wait, and the lobster rolls are by no means a «cheap eats» but is definitely worth it! Fresh delicious plentiful lobster! Friends have also ordered seafood platters and burgers, and everyone was satisfied.

I love the cold lobster roll they have here! I got it to go. It’s basically chunks after chunks of sweet lobster meat mixed with just a tiny dab of mayo sauce on a thin piece of lettuce and soft hot dog bun. For just a dollar more, you could get the hot lobster roll — instead of mayo sauce there would be drawn butter. Try it if you haven’t before. It’s definitely a different experience, but so worth it.
Be prepared for a line. It’s also cash only. There’s an ATM inside — right by the soda fountain machine.

Great lobster roll, just the right amount of mayo and lettuce. Onion rings were out of this world. Only reason not to give this restaurant 5 stars is because we were expecting the «jumbo» lobster roll to be just a bit bigger. Jumbo cold roll was $ 24 (warm was $ 25) and there was definitely a good amount of lobster on the roll, but i’ve had similar sizes rolls for closer to $ 20. Will definitely be back next time I am in the area, can’t wait to try the fried seafood platter. We saw people walking by with these huge platter of huge fried clams and scallops that looked amazing. Keep in mind that this is a cash-​only restaurant, so come prepared.

Hands down the best lobster roll I have ever had.
Rolled up to a full parking lot, line out the door and cash only signs (ATM inside).
Our 4 hour car ride made us seem like sharks hunting for prey.
The menu had every thing you needed to fulfill your appetite. My only option was the lobster roll. The bigger question was.. . To jumbo size it?
Hahaha as good as the jumbo sounded, the meat to roll ratio was BEYOND my wildest dreams.
Lobster on lobster on lobster.
What roll?
Thank you for fulfilling my lobster fantasy. I no longer want to eat lobster rolls anywhere else, but here.
Do you deliver to California? ;)