Duckworth’s Bistrot

I almost hesitate to write a review because it’s difficult enough to secure a reservation in this gem of a restaurant! The spot itself is cute and intimate. The servers are some of the nicest, most wonderful people. My husband and I come back fairly often and they remember us and ask about our son. They also know the menu inside and out (and were very helpful in making recommendations when I was eating dairy/​soy free for a few months.) The food and drinks are absolutely amazing. I highly recommend the ubiquitous bistrot salad and the duck breast. You cannot beat the flavor of this duck anywhere! That being said, I’ve never disliked anything I’ve ordered, so you can’t really go wrong.

This place is a must for great food and excellent service. You cannot make a bad choice, something for everyone.

Service is extremely friendly and personable. Food never fails to amaze — chef sources local and seasonal ingredients, expect your food to take a bit longer to come out as it is made fresh. Desserts change frequently but are all delicious and made my the chefs wife. Delicious! Reservations are highly recommended, especially days in advance.

Every single dish we had here was delicious !! We went there on a early Saturday night after visiting Ipswich and Rockport. The place was already full at 5:30pm. Everything on the menu has an option of full or half. In order to try more things, we went for the half option for every dish. We started with the mushroom soup and bistro salad, followed by lobster risotto and seared scallops, then the lamb leg and seafood stew. My personal favorite was the scallops, which were served with roasted red pepper purée, sauté spinach, and mashed potatoes. We also had a crème caramel for dessert with all the food plus two glasses of wine, the bill only came out to be around $ 120. We had a great experience at Duckworth’s and we will definitely be back when visiting this area!

My husband made a reservation a month in advance to reserve a window table. It was a special anniversary dinner celebration. He was told that if he made the reservation for 4:30 that they would be able to do that for us. When we arrived (on time), much to our great disappointment, they had already given the table to someone else. There were plenty of other tables that they could have given to those patrons. I’m sure it was if no consequence to them that we left, but it meant a lot to us :(:(:(:(

Lobster risotto is half past awesome! Pleasant severs even on a busy night. Definitely worth the ride! Everyone else go away so there’s room for me!

Romance– YES. Unbelievable food– YES. Date night– ABSOLUTELY!
I have heard wonderful things about Duckworth’s Bistrot for years, but had never had the chance to visit the restaurant until last night. It well exceeded my expectations. The charming ambience was so cozy, quaint and cute– the perfect spot for a romantic date night. We tried several items on the menu including the bistro salad (So fresh and clean) the lobster risotto (rich and indulgent, seafood perfectly cooked) and the pork schnitzel (Heaven in every bite). Every single thing that we tried was thoughtfully prepared with delicate attention to detail. The vegetables were fresh and crisp, the seasoning was spot-​on and food cooked to perfection. The waiter was kind and helpful with a wine recommendation and descriptions of the items on the menu. I honestly think this was one of the best meals if not THE best in terms of creative influence and perfect execution that I have ever eaten on the North Shore. The waiter also informed us that they make a new menu every day so that items are not repeated. The bar appeared small and very busy. Almost all of the seats were full even on a Wednesday night dinner.
As it’s so busy, it’s a good idea to make a reservation. I did find it a little odd that you leave your name on the machine and they call you back to fill your reservation (rather than just having someone answer the telephone), but it was well worth it. This is a North Shore hidden gem that we will reserve for special occasions.

My wife and I live a couple of miles away and come here for special occasions. It’s a small place, basically one dining room that seats 25 or so in close if not downright tight quarters. You will hear your neighbor’s conversation, desired or not.
There’s a small bar. Yes, the wait staff wears jeans but they are attentive. The waiting area is nonexistent if you arrive early. If they’re short-​staffed as they were one time we were there, it will be a long evening. Parking is on the street — the nearby lots belong to condos or local businesses and are no go zones.
Food is cooked to order in a small kitchen so there can be a annoyingly long wait. Food is locally sourced. Mrs. Owner is a pastry chef and the desserts are incredible.
Portions are manageable and tasty — none of the typical «mass quantities prepared badly» fare so typical of American chain restaurants. I’ve had the duck, which was fantastic, and the pork, which was amongst the best I’ve had.

Two words: mushroom soup. If you don’t get the mushroom soup you will regret it. The mushroom soup was one of many wonderful things about this restaurant. My husband and I ate here after our wedding and we were treated like family by our server, Colleen. We each ordered a bowl of soup and a «half-​size» entrée. I have no idea how I would have eaten a full-​size entrée because the half-​sizes were more than filling, even if I hadn’t also had soup! I had scallops which were perfectly cooked, and my husband had lamb which was tender and delicious. We sadly didn’t have room for dessert, but we definitely plan on coming again!

This restaurant was excellent. Great service, and an intimate setting right off the harbor. And the food was to die for! I especially liked the carrot soup — who knew such a simple dish could be so rich and flavorful?
Dinner at this restaurant was a highlight of my visit to Gloucester. I plan to visit again next time I am in the area!

We’ve been here 4 – 5 times and consider it a once or twice a year must. We’d go more often if we lived closer.
With one minor exception, the food has been consistently great. Definitely recommend the half portions so you can try more things. We get the lobster risotto each time and then experiment with the rest of the menu. It’s true the banana cake is usually to die for … once it came out a bit dry but the other 3 – 4 times it was a real winner.
Once, on a hot summer night, their AC was not working and it was a bit of an oven inside. The small space and bathroom complaints from other reviews are not untrue; but the place is charming and quirky and it’s all part of the package. Definitely make a reservation, and plan to wait outside or in your car until the time has arrived. Depending on when you arrive, there is a lovely view of the harbor just a 1 minute walk down the drive to the left, and there is a large art gallery on your right as you make that walk. We have never experienced the slow service I’ve read about in some of the reviews. I’m a bit puzzled by a few of the comments about the appropriate attire, because you can go neat casual or more formal and fit in either way. It can be a special date night place, or a place for a small group of friends. And yes, the wait staff typically wear jeans. Also, some have been critical of the BARTENDER serving food instead of their waitperson. The bartender (usually) is the one of the owners and is also the dessert chef, so I wouldn’t consider that a negative at all. And as for the possible ‘locals’ bias, that has not yet been an issue.
I would give Duckworth’s 4.5 stars if I could figure out how.

The wait staff (Colleen) was very attentive and noticed small details (like the candle had go out). She made an excellent suggestion on the pairing order of the meal. The lobster risotto was excellent, as well as the palinta and shrimp.

Probably the best restaurant in the area, we’ve had dinner here four or five times over the last couple years. Generally the food and service are quite good. We recently had an interesting dining experience at Duckworth’s. We arrived early and were promptly seated by the hostess. It took a while for water to arrive as the waitress was busy talking with some other patrons, menus came shortly thereafter. This must be the ‘relaxed European style dining’ referenced earlier. We ordered a mixed & house specialty drink that arrived in large water glasses with big straws. Really? Not even a small cocktail mixer– a large water straw? A martini-​type drink in a water glass? Ok. The meatball appetizer was very tasty as was the garlic bread that accompanied the dish. We ordered the lobster risotto, fish special, and pork loin — the server recommended ‘medium’ for the meat and I confirmed it should be slightly pink (yes, she replied). The meals arrived about 40 minutes later and the pork was overcooked. We mentioned this to the server and she appeared to be taken aback but did return it to the kitchen. Given that our entrée was overdone, I would have expected the kitchen to expedite our replacement but that wasn’t the case. The lobster risotto has always good but I expected to find a noticeable amount of meat (tail & claw) in the dish to accompany the hefty price tag. The beet salad was average, nothing special. Our other guest ordered the fish special and she said it was flavorful — a good portion surrounded by roasted root vegetables in broth. Our companions finished their meals before the new order arrived (again slightly overdone). Servers at other establishments usually offer a free drink or dessert when these things happen — not the case here. We ordered one chocolate pecan pie to share and it was good.
Honestly, we would have expected a more fulfilling dining experience for three meals that cost well over $ 200 (including tip).

It’s just so good.
This is an awesome place for a date night. The location is very cute and the staff are all just so nice. They all seem super legitimately happy to be working there, and they want everybody else to be happy too.
As you can see from the reviews, almost anything can be ordered as a half or full portion. This way, you can eat it as a small plates/​tapas style meal, or just get a full entrée. Even the half-​size portions are generous.
The chef’s specialty is sauces, so everything on the menu has some sort of amazing sauce with the dish. This really elevates a lot of proteins to the next level.

The food. The food was incredible.
Awesome staff, cute ambiance and extremely affordable. I was shocked that every entrée was available in half portions. Turning a $ 30 dish into $ 15, and the sizes were still generous. Its a great way to sample everything!
And everything tastes INCREDIBLE. Reserve early!

Ok, this place was amazing. I live in Magnolia and go to a lot of restaurants on the North Shore. I grew up in Manchester, MA and have lived here all my life but never tried it here until tonight on suggestion of a friend. Reservations are a must, even mid-​week. We called days in advance and they only had a spot for two at 5:30 and 8:45. We took the earlier spot and we’re glad we did as our leisurely meal lasted two hours. This was no fault of the quick kitchen or our very attentive server; we just chatted a lot and dragged out our courses. To start, I had the boston lettuce salad. I could drink the dressing. It was topped with the perfect amount of goat cheese and fresh, crisp vegetables. So good. A half portion was plenty. Next I chose the salmon, which came with a red pepper cream sauce, grilled corn, and roasted potatoes. I got a full portion and the piece of fish was huge. It was perfectly cooked, lightly accompanied by a flavorful sauce, and the corn had a ton of fresh herbs in it. I ate every morsel. To complete my indulgent meal, I had the banana cake. Previous reviewers raved about it and they were right. A light, fluffy cream cheese frosting within and over a triple layer cake accompanied by sautéed bananas. Ridiculous. I also had a cup of earl grey tea, served piping hot. I could go on forever, but I won’t. My friend raved about her choices too — a salad with poultry livers and poached egg, scallops with duck confit, and a s’mores ice cream cake. I’ll post pics of her meal too. Small and quiet, lovely background music, off the beaten path. I’ll be back sooner than later.

Does not get much better than this! The drinks, food and service were excellent. I had the sautéed shrimp with ham and spinach. Ate every last morsel. The deserts were amazing, the Banana cake is out of this world.
Only problem was getting a reservation at the time we wanted. Two weeks advance reservation yielded only 4 and 9 PM seating. We settled for the 4 PM and we were happy to get it. Plan way in advance during tourist season.

We found it on Unilocal,since it had 4 ½ stars we thought we’d try it. We were not disappointed. The ubiquitous salad was amazing with a poached egg and crisp bacon. The soups were fabulous. The lobster risotto was excellent, and we had the duck, which was cooked to perfection with a wonderful sauce. Our waitress (colleen?) Was very helpful and charming.

Wonderful. Absolutely delicious food with exceptionally well balanced flavors. Kind and friendly servers, very sweet and friendly patrons and the bar.
Their simple green salad with beets, asparagus, goat cheese and sunflower seeds was finished with a light dressing that I would love to have the recipe for! :) There was the perfect amount of every ingredient. Lobster Risotto had plenty of lobster, a great balance of vegetables! It was fantastic. The hanger steak was incredibly tender and flavorful. Rice pudding with port wine cherries to finish of the meal was lovely, not too sweet. Impressive!!!

Visiting Rockport and bam! Hit a jack pot! This restaurant is an absolute gem not only in the area but for anyone from everywhere. I do not mind driving 4.5 hours to come here to dine. Food with love with sophistication.