Cruiseport Gloucester

Worst lobster roll ever! And it was $ 28! Total rip off! The lobster meat tasted like it had just been thawed from being frozen and was super salty. The roll was hard and I basically just ate the lobster meat off of it. The sweet potato fries were good and the server was nice. I have been here a few times and I am usually impressed with the food, but lately it’s been really bad. Even Jeff’s Variety has a better lobster roll and it’s only $ 10. There is no excuse for having bad seafood when you are located right on the ocean.

Avoid lobster roll specials on Thurs. Roll is doughy, too big, and not toasted. Plenty of cold, tasteless lobster meat though. Better choice is Long Beach pizza place next to Dairy Maid on Tuesday night! They grill the roll and meat is very flavorful.

I have a love/​hate relationship with this place. For the most part, everything is excellent, The staff is very friendly and doesn’t rush you. It’s clean, the view is unprecedented, and for the most part, the food is great. The fried seafood is abundant, fresh, crisp, and not greasy. The beet salad is enough for a table of people and is delicious. Steak is super tender and flavorful.
But here’s my issue: the lobster pie is inconsistent. When it’s good, it’s the best ever: loaded with huge chunks of all parts of the lobster, sauteed in a delicious sherry wine and butter sauce with Ritz crackers. Traditional and delicious. Except when it’s not. I ordered it once about a year ago and there were no larger chunks, but seemed like all body meat. The next time, I mentioned it to the waitress and she apologized and the pies were good that time and several times after. But then we were there last Tuesday and the lobster pie had no taste and definitely no sherry in it. And the lobster just didn’t seem that fresh. Our waitress told us that Wednesday was Lobster Day, so maybe since we were there on a Tuesday it was an off day before the new lobsters came in? But that doesn’t explain the lack of sherry in the dish, which is what gives it such great flavor.
We’ll go back, because overall the food and dining experience is wonderful, but if the lobster pie is not up to their own standards, we’ll have to reconsider this place in the future, which would be a shame because it truly is one of the best restaurants in Gloucester.

All good experiences there.
Lots of good specials.
Good service, and good food.
Reasonable prices.

I went to Cruiseport Gloucester on Saturday, May 24^th and had lunch at the Seaport Grille. I had the Lobster Pie. It was OUTSTANDING !! The BEST Lobster Pie I ever had.
Also, the service was Terrific. The General Manager Lauren Johnston really knows the restaurant business. She stopped by our table and made us feel very welcomed ! I will definite come back again and again for a number of reasons such as the many delicious choices on the menu, full liquor, wine, and beer selection, the terrific service, the Classy General Manager, and the pricing was excellent !1
Stan Boliver
Cambridge, MA

went to the Cruiseport this last Sunday for a good friends wedding. The food was decent, but nothing to write home about.
The atmosphere felt very rushed. Even as a guest, I thought things were moving along much too quickly.
My friend, who has worked her butt off to pay for her wedding and reception, did not even get the chance to eat. Her salad was cleared after a single bite, her entrée wasn’t even touched. She did get to eat her cake though, cause that was on the itinerary. They were rushed out 2 hours before their reservation ended.
She ended up eating her wedding night dinner at Supreme Roast Beef and having her reception party in downtown Gloucester, Supremes gave her a bottle of wine, which is very generous and awesome.
I am very disappointed for my friend. She paid good money to have a beautiful reception. I am planning to have a reception of my own, and I certainly won’t be choosing Cruiseport.

The Grand Ballroom has vaulted ceilings, crystal chandeliers and huge windows overlooking Gloucester Harbor.
We have worked with Sheree and her team on numerous weddings and each wedding is unique and always beautifully done. The entire team is very professional and dedicated to making your day perfect.
We recommend Cruiseport Gloucester knowing our clients will be well taken care of.

Waitstaff has very poor service. They took anything off the table without even asking if you were finished and didn’t refill water towards the end only kept taking your glasses away when I was still thirsty. We didn’t even finish our champagne and they just took that too– waste of money. Food was good, but prime rib was a little overcooked.

the service needs to improve. the food and view are worth the waits and confusion. the last time we were there our waitress disappeared and it wasn’t very busy at all. we had to leave our table and have the hostess give us our bill and pay her. the ‘hostess’ has a lackadaisical attitude that carries through to the whole restaurant. i listened to a waitress try to talk a european tourist through how to eat a lobster and she wasn’t very helpful [at times it was painful].

Excellent seafood, great service, seaside atmosphere.

HUGE fish and chips! Good flavor, seafood casserole was tasty and well done. We did SIT there for almost 15 minutes on the deck before ANYBODY came and even then we had to flag someone down. She kept saying I don’t know where he went I can’t find him! .she eventually digressed and agreed that she was our only ‘hope’. ;) I asked if ‘he’d’ gone overboard or something? HE never surfaced… must have been some wires crossed someplace. Given that, the dozen or more folks who were waiting other tables and diligently placing napkin rolls on tables should REALLY PAY ATTENTION!

We had a gift card from Christmas to try this place. It was okay. It tries to serve a large variety of food so the presentation and uniqueness is lost. I had steak tips severely over done with broccoli and Delmonico potatoes. I felt like I can make this at home better so I was unimpressed. Its a nice view so we will come back for drinks in the summer. People who like large quantities of fried food and the local bakery bread will like this place.

Yes, the venue is nice and has a great view of the waterfront, but would be better without those pretentious big-​ass balustrades. It was after the noon rush and there were very few people there, yet everything took a while to get to the table and when it came — especially the fried plates — they were lukewarm. I think all they did was warm up some plates from lunch.
The tempura shrimp in the appetizer was limply fried and was undercooked and greasy. And the fish and chips? Who came up with that batter — tasteless except for a slight kick of hot pepper.
The steamed clams were good and a sizable portion but what can you do to steamed clams?
Sorry, I Halibut Point is better but so is Woodman’s.

Great food, excellent menu and great service.

The Seaport Grille — Restaurant in the Cruiseport
I’ve been here frequently, and do plan on going back for drinks…
The atmosphere is nice, a little loud inside but its because of the great acoustics the room has. Seating on the deck is breathtaking, even in the winter as they have heaters outside, and the room enclosed.
Drinks — Average priced and decent selections of wine and beer.
Food: This is a 50 – 50 dice roll. We’ve received undercooked to raw seafood on a few occasions (scallops twice and steamers twice) The lobster pie is ok, but as with most restaurants that buy flash frozen lobster meat, it doesnt re-​cook all too well (for a native of the area) but it wasnt bad. Very few claw tips which are gross, which was awesome.
We now go here for a few drinks and maybe an appetizer. I just wish their seafood cooking could be more consistent.

Dined with coworkers on a Thursday night.
I had the Lobster Roll, Clam Chowder, and Bread Pudding.
The Lobster Roll was fantastic. The meat was plentiful and there was no fishiness to the aftertaste.
My only gripe with the Lobster Roll was the Virgilio Roll (not the ‘standard’ New England Split Top). The bread was a little too chewy for my taste.
The Clam Chowder wasn’t anything special, so I’ll probably pass on that in the future.
Same with the Bread Pudding. I was expecting raisins & brown sugar, instead it was chocolate & caramel in the pudding. Different, but nothing worth going back for a second time.
My coworkers had the Blackened Haddock & Seafood Fra Diavolo. The Fra Diavolo looked great, and I made up my mind that I would try it the next time I’m there.
UPDATE: I had the Fra Diavolo last night. It was a huge serving of 12 mussels, 8 scallops, tons of shrimp & calamari, all mingled in a steaming mound of linguine. Although the tomato sauce was sweeter than it was spicy, I would certainly order it again.

After my last experience down the street, the Seaport Grille exceeded all expectations! I was still hankering for some good fried clams and found them here at the Grille. The quantity was more than I could finish (but did). The clams had not a bit of grease and were super clean and sweet. The side of slaw was perfect. Not to sweet with a little bite. I really believe the Seaport Grille has all the restaurants beat on «clam alley».
My martini was mixed perfectly. Average size, but presented well, with the shaker left for my used rocks and a touch more martini inside.
My wife loved her salmon dish and her wine pour was extremely generous.
With a table on the water, fabulous sunshine, great service and fantastic food, this has become a summer mainstay for my wife and I.

I had the pleasure of attending a wedding at Cruiseport Gloucester, then returning for Thursday lobster rolls at the Seaport Grille a year later.
The four generations that precede me spent most of their lives on the North Shore, and both the event venue and restaurant’s New England clam chowders warmed the icy waters of Greystone Beach and West Beach that run in our blood. But the arrival of the enormous lobster rolls at the Seaport Grille gave everyone pause – they’re things of beauty to look at, and even better to eat. It was hard not to get sentimental about it all – three generations at the table, a beautiful view of the harbor under a fresh blanket of snow, and the best chowder and lobster roll I might ever have.

This review is on the Seaport Grille which is the restaurant part of Cruiseport Gloucester. My husband and I have eaten here twice this summer. Both times the service was friendly and the food was good and plentiful. They are running a special of $ 13.95 for a 1 ¼ pound steamed lobster with french fries and cole slaw. We were shocked at how large the fried calamari appetizer was. I really like fried calamari but am often disappointed. The Seaport Grille’s calamari is the best I’ve tasted outside of Italy.
Yesterday we tried the steamer appetizer. Once again, it was a large plate with more than plenty for two to share. However, they cook the steamers with garlic, onions and white wine. I think this would be a good dish for people who don’t like a fish taste, but in my opinion, it hid the flavor of the steamers too much.
We enjoy sitting on their outside deck with a view of the fishing boats. It had been 3 months since we stumbled onto this small restaurant and decided to try it again. Our 2^nd visit was as good as the first.

I am so disappointed– the quality of food selection, service and overall dining experience has gone downhill within a year’s time at Seaport Grille. I guess success did go to their head! Last year at this time, they had great service, a nice menu, and a very cool dining atmosphere. Sadly, that is no longer the case.
I went last night with a few co-​workers and from the start– it sucked. The waitress didn’t understand how to read the specials, and kept stumbling over what was actually available. She even complained that the place seemed dead! It was raining out, so no sitting outside, however, they left the doors wide open so there was a cold wind and an ammonia smell from the plant next door permeating the dining area. Yuck. My friends ordered coffee and when she came to refill their cups, she actually told them that she was going to put on a new pot because their coffee was an hour old. Why would you tell a customer that?
The food stunk. Overpriced, and gross. The waitress never asked me how mine was. At the end of the meal, she came over and I had to ask her repeatedly to pack it up as all she wanted to do was chat with my friends about how quiet it was. She turned to me and said she assumed I wasn’t getting dessert since I was taking it home and didn’t once ask me why the food was uneaten! I ordered haddock and I may as well have ordered a plate of baked bread crumbs. Yuck. Where was my fish? Almost 16 dollars for that crap? No thanks.
It’s too bad as this place was awesome last year. Now though, poor service and a really expensive and limited menu. I will go to better places like Topside Grille right down the street before I ever go to the Seaport Grille again!