The Inn On Shipyard Park

Everything was great! The wait staff was very attentive, the good and drinks were great… what else is there to say. Can’t wait for my next visit there.

Went for Brunch a couple weeks ago. It was a low key day with not a lot of customers. We had a table of 6 and an infant and they accommodated us without issue. Service was just okay. Very attentive at first, refilling drinks and checking in however after it was clear our food was taking a very long time she was no where to be found, perhaps afraid of hearing us complain? Several tables who entered after us had been served their breakfast without any word about ours. It would have been nice to at least hear an update or get some bread for the table? We were pretty starving when our breakfast arrived 45 minutes after ordering! Several of us have got the eggs benedict. One egg was slightly runny, the other was basically hard boiled. If you can’t poach an egg, maybe don’t serve brunch?! The rest of family seemed to have the same reaction, the overall feeling was basically… meh. Haven’t decided if I will give it another try.

Excellent dinner specials. Great water views and ambience. Not to miss: Sunday brunch.

Had heard about this place years ago but never got to try it.
A group of us hecked it out this weekend.
I guess the offerings are still just so limited along the Rt 6 corridor that kind of ok does well?
This place was just kind of ok.
Also maybe the locals like to be seen here? Or just support the local business?
Many of the patrons knew each other it seemed.
The age was also at the point that the tastebuds might be failing them?
The service was just ok.
The menu seemed expansive but maybe they should limit it a little and try to step up the quality?
The quality quantity price and taste all fell short.
We did find the beer selection to be just a little more interesting than many places along Rt 6. But that was about it.
The view is nice but our group decided that even at a quieter time beer and appetizers wouldn’t be enough to entice us back.

Not sure why this place is popular. Service slow, food bland, and way overpriced. My husband’s fish was under cooked and my burger over cooked. Cauliflower mashed had no flavor at all. Almost 2 hours for dinner. Very disappointed.

There is only one reason The Inn at Shipyard park is still in business and it ain’t the food or establishment: it’s the porch view of Mattapoisett Harbor. Take that away and you’re left with a dated, poorly maintained restaurant and inn, serving some of the most uninspiring food in the area. It’s too bad the meals and hospitality aren’t commensurate with the spectacular scenery overlooking the boat filled waters and piers.

Beautiful evening on the porch bar. The Mediterranean Nachos were so fresh and different! It was an explosion of flavors. Mix that with a best friend, a bottle of Prosecco, and the fig pizza, and you have found heaven. I haven’t had a meal this perfect in ages. What a menu!

Loose Canmon Orchestra
And quite a nice bar
Made for a wonderful night
Waitress Jan was out of sight
Always there to serve us
Waiting never made us nervous
We’re sure to return again
Hopefully next time there’ll be more men!

This quaint and historic inn has a wonderful bar with a wonderful selection of draft beer. There was live music the night we visited. We did not dine but the menu looks tempting. On Friday night, the place was bustling. Parking is a bit of a challenge. We can’t wait to go back to sample their menu.

Started of with teriyaki shrimp skewers, awesome. Then the main meal, lobster mac and cheese, and for my wife marinated steak tip everything was perfect, would definitely come here again.

Went there on a cold night. Looked really bleak on the outside, we almost turned around but we looked inside and hidden
in the back was a small dining room with a cozy bar with a working fire place. The menu is impressive the service friendly and the food was excellent. We will definitely go back and we recommend the food and the ambience highly, at least four stars, just don’t expect four star décor!

There are better options for a pleasant meal nearby. The setting is truly lovely and historic — but if you must go, wait for seating on the porch.
As a Mattapoisett native (similar to many) I worked at a prior incarnation of this restaurant/​bar as a teen. It’s seen several owners since then and though the current menu selection beats the last, no new owner has managed to fix the horrible acoustic issues this old building has — which makes a visit on a busy night incredibly unpleasant.
The porch bar has especially horrible acoustics — making conversation nearly impossible. There’s often live music inside if you’re looking for something to do.
The staff is lovely and the food is ok though I recommend against the odd and disappointing Mediterranean nachos.

This historic spot (it is the oldest operating seaside inn in America), has had a rather checkered food service over the last 15 years. Sadly, Mattapoisett only has 2 decent restaurants and both have service issues (Taste Buds is run by amateurs who don’t have a clue and Turks doesn’t take reservations and is so popular that it takes 2+ hours to get a seat and eat most nights).
This brings me to The Inn on Shipyard Park in the hope of finding a good restaurant in Mattapoisett and one on the water to boot!
We had a great lunch in the Porch Bar on the 5^th of July and wanted to give dinner a try. Last night was our Wedding Anniversary so it seemed like a perfect occasion. We were not disappointed!
The porch and bar were buzzing with customers when we arrived (6:00). We had reserved a window front table in the back room, but no one else was eating there yet, so we opted for one of the two corner tables in the Porch Bar. By the way, if you haven’t checked out the Porch Bar, you should. It’s a new bar with several seats that look out at Mattapoisett Harbor.
We started with a dozen Barnstable oysters ($ 21). They were perfect and accompanied by both a Champagne-​Vinegar Mignonette and traditional cocktail sauce. Given that to local market price for fresh oysters is $ 1.20 these days, getting them served perfectly oceanside for $ 1.75 each is outstanding.
My wife had the Lobster Ravioli ($ 29) that was homemade and garnished with a grilled split lobster tail. I had the «Old School Inn» ($ 23), which consists of 4 Jumbo Shrimp stuffed with crab, smoked Gouda, and buttered crumbs. It’s called «Old School» because it was the signature dish in the old Mattapoisett Inn in the 1980’s.
I never tasted the rav’s (my wife gobbled them up), but she did share half a lobster tail which was a nice treat. My Old School was better than I remembered it in the Old Inn 20 years ago.
The best part was unlike Taste Buds and Turks, we were in and out in an hour.
I am delighted to report that Mattapoisett once again has a great seaside restaurant!

Loved this place! After being highly recommended, we tried this lovely place. The food was delicious, drink list extensive, and service spectacular. Had a white watermelon sangria and fish tacos and loved them both! The views from the inside dining room were breathtaking. Can’t wait to come back next time we’re up this way.

Took my wife out for what was supposed to be a spectacular dinner. Not so much, according to our waiter we had one of their specialties, fried chicken. After a long wait, 35 minutes we were served sesame encrusted chicken which was one of their specials that night, apparently our waiter punched in the wrong order. then fifteen minutes later we received the correct order. Potatoes were not seasoned, dry with no butter, milk or gravy, chicken was not good, corn bread pudding was tasteless. We let our waiter know and he did nothing but bring us our check. No manager, no apology no nothing. Very disappointing.

Excellent food, excellent service, excellent views. The inn is a must go if you are in the area. We spent a day at the beach and ebbed at The Inn. I had the Inn burger and it was cooked as ordered and rated delicious. Everyone in our party was pleased with their food. (Vegetarian nachos, margarita chicken sandwich, and potato tacos.)
The device was on point and we didn’t wait too long for our food. I would definitely come back.

The day was March 17^th 2014. To the laymen out there it was St. Patrick’s day. I am a vegetarian, but my friends were not. This however, should not create a problem. They can eat whatever their heart so desires on St. Paddy’s without my two cents. Buuuut… this did create a problem for us at The Inn on Shipyard Park. This is because they had a very strict meat based menu, to which they were told to never stray from under penalty of death. Our waiter said well, you can have the onion rings or homemade potato chips that they had, or perhaps the Caesar salad? After looking at him like he had two heads I explained that Caesar salad was in no way vegetarian, and with all due respect, I am a normal human being, that needs the same nutrients as any other human being. So onion rin gs wasn’t going to cut it for me. We put our heads together, and came up with the sides that were on the menu already. Therefore I was not straying from the menu, but could forgo the corned beef. I was slightly annoyed by all this, but whatever. I don’t think anyone was being nasty to me, or was even cranky with me, I think it was the situation. My friend’s corned beef was huge! I personally thought the cabbage looked gross, but according to her it was cooked perfectly. My meal was ok. What I had on my plate was tasty, but I was disappointed with the size of the salad (when the meal came out I thought they had forgotten the salad, only for the waiter to point it out on my plate), and I think the asparagus was overdone. Not to the point it was inedible… just overdone. I think the main rule here is, don’t expect this place to bend to your wishes and you will be fine. Décor was ever so slightly outdated, but the fireplace added a nice touch. I would try this if I was in the area, but not go crazy out of my way to come here.

March 15, 2014
Mom and I had wanted to visit the Kinsale Inn Restaurant in Mattapoisett for quite some time, however, they closed their doors in 2012. Recently, we decided to check out the online menu for the restaurant that took its place. Once we saw what they offered for appetizers, we set off for The Inn on Shipyard Park.
The restaurant is inside of a working inn that — according to the website — is the oldest running inn in the nation. The building is settled in quaint Mattapoisett Village and has a beautiful screened porch where customers can sit and overlook the harbor. Mom and I headed inside and found that the dining room was as cozy as we expected. There is also the bar area where a few musicians were setting up for an evening performance.
Our waitress Emily arrived to take our drink order. Mom and I decided to have a few cocktails to accompany our impending appetizers. She chose the Honey Nut Cheerio ($ 9) and I decided on the watermelon sangria ($ 8). Mom’s «Cheerio» was made with RumChata, Wild Turkey American Honey and cinnamon. It really did taste like the milk from a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios! My sangria was like a piece of juicy watermelon and was extremely delicious. (We later found out that this drink is Emily’s favorite when she’s off the clock.)
Because we already knew what we wanted thanks to the online menu, we were ready to order. We decided on the fresh lump crab cakes ($ 11), baked gouda skillet ($ 12) and a pizza topped with bacon, feta cheese and pineapple ($ 11.99). The toppings were Mom’s personal concoction.
Emily brought over the appetizers first. Mom and I didn’t know where to start. Everything was beautifully presented and had an out of this world aroma. The baked gouda (baked with cream, shallots and garlic) was served with six buttered crostini for dipping. The flavor of this dip was fantastic. Both Mom and I wanted to stick our faces in the skillet. It was one of our favorite appetizers of all time. It was fun to eat, the crostini was crisp without being too crunchy and the gouda was delectably tangy.
The lump crab cakes were simply divine. They were stuffed with fresh crab and a mix of tasty veggies. The two large cakes were sitting on a drizzle of lemon-​sriracha aioli, and although I could have used more of the aioli (only because it was so yummy), you could feel the heat from the sriracha.
Our pizza arrived steaming hot and loaded with Mom’s crazy toppings. I loved the amount of feta cheese they used because I’m obsessed with all things feta. This particular thin crust pizza was just awesome. It held the toppings well and Mom’s choices — the sweet pineapple with the savory bacon and the salty feta — was perfect. I’m drooling just thinking about it.
Mom and I were stuffed to the gills. This was a fantastic find. Our total came to $ 55.24 and it was worth every penny. The restroom was as clean as the dining room was.
If you haven’t visited The Inn on Shipyard Park, you need to get yourself there immediately. It has a New England seaside vibe with an eclectic pub menu. Mom and I will be back when the weather gets nicer because we definitely want to try out that screened porch. Eating delicious food while sitting by the town wharf? It doesn’t get any better than that.
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I have never had the chance to stay here, but I have eaten here many times and have had nothing but good experiences. The Inn has a lovely atmosphere. It’s not overly fancy, but very inviting. There is no mistaking that you are in a small Massachusetts town by the sea; quintessential New England building with historical relevance, a faint smell of salt water, and accents behind the counter.
The staff is always friendly and attentive. And I am obsessed with the Grilled and Chilled Salad. If you love veggies the way I do, I highly recommend you try it. If you are ever in the area, take yourself out for a meal and/​or a drink. Heck, if you get lucky, you could even stay the night!

The trick to a successful stay at this inn is to spend an afternoon on the water, enjoy a meal at the tavern, retire for the night, then head to your next destination bright and early. I’m sure that would boost the review up a star. I simply can’t give more than three for a night’s stay.
My regret was not getting the chance to dine. Melissa’s review turned me on to the inn and I was impressed with the menu options, but I accidentally fell asleep at 8 PM. The restaurant should be your next date spot if you’re in the area!
A stay at the inn will offer great views of the water, sea breezes, and a place to rest your head. While I would consider staying here again, I would not stay for longer than a night. It lacks the comfort that many seaside stays are able to lure you in by.
Between closing and lunch, it’s quiet. There are no common areas with the exception of the second floor terrace. Awesome space, not so inviting once you go outside. There is one small table and two dining room chairs. A few potted plants, some sea shells, maybe a rustic buoy or four– three patio sets would make a world of difference.
The website notes that this is the oldest seaside inn in America. I couldn’t find any literature about the history anywhere in the room or at the inn. If you got it, flaunt it!
This place is a restaurant first, and an inn second. The hostess will show you to the room, but needs to hurry back to seat the guests. Very friendly, but I would hesitate to recommend a multiple night stay to family and friends. I did, however, notice that you can rent out a three bedroom suite with a kitchen. I’m intrigued!
Simple fixes like a terrace makeover, setting the clock, hanging art or photos on the bare hooks in the room, and hiding extension chords will make the stay a lot more homey.
The Inn has got potential!