Tides Restaurants & Pub

Great view, even better lobster Roll! Friendly accommodating staff! Always love to come here. Can’t wait to come back more now that summer is here!
France C

Terrible! Greasy clam appetizer. Horrible potatoes skins. Drinks too strong to taste good. Worst waitress service to complete the bad experience Would have been able to put up w terrible service and food if we at least had a view. Out dated place. Over priced. Why did I come here?

My second visit here, both times have been lunch.
We had about a 7 minute wait to be seated today. Unfortunately all booths facing the water were taken. Our server came shortly after being seated.
Appetizers=
Cold Seafood: clams, oysters & shrimp. Very good size. I loved the clams they were like taking a fresh bite of the ocean. The oysters were ok but it’s also not season for them.
Clam Chowder: I liked it. It had good flavor & decent amount of clams. Good consistency.
Lunch: Lobster Roll, an entire lobster on a yummy roll!
Nahant is such a beautiful area and this place is great to visit for a bite to eat.

I kind of love this place for its divey vibes and Good bloody Mary’s. I’d give it 5 stars if it didn’t smell so bad. It really smells bad every time. We hung out on the patio last time so no biggie. I love places with pint size cocktails.

Nahant is a place that I don’t visit very often. When my date suggested one of his favorite spots, Tides, as our dinner venue last night I was excited not only to try a new restaurant, but take in some pretty beach views as well.
The last time I was in Lynn I was there to purchase my vehicle. I remember the fast– paced test drive through the city and passed through this familiar territory on the way to Nahant last night. It’s city life at its finest, but I love how the ocean air and seagulls suddenly appear as the industrial feel fades into the distance. Once I turned onto Nahant Causeway, I was amazed by the beautiful ocean views with planes flying overhead and the city shining in the distance. The ride into Tides felt like a little adventure and I really enjoyed it.
Tides has a small parking lot that fills up quickly, but last night I snagged a spot right away. My date suggested we dine in the bar area as it faces the ocean and is a bit more scenic than the dining room. (Although I believe there are some good views from the dining room as well). The bar room has large windows overlooking the beach and an outdoor patio area as well. The restaurant itself is very casual with what appears to be its original décor. I noticed the vinyl on our booth seat was a bit worn, so don’t expect high class luxury. It’s a real casual, low key beachfront dining experience, yet with good food and some pretty scenery.
The menu offers a variety of classic American fare with an emphasis on seafood. There are pasta dishes, burgers, chicken, steak, pizza — something for everyone. There was a very lengthy list of appetizers. I went with good ‘ol fish and chips and was happy with the large portion. They asked if I wanted fries AND onion rings on the side– sure sounds great to me! My meal was really good and I especially liked the steak fries on the side. My date last night is one of those non-​seafood people (they just don’t know what they are missing– sigh) and went with grilled chicken. He seemed happy with his meal and said it was a dish he often orders on his regular visits to Tides.
Our server’s name was Julie and she was very friendly and attentive. The bar room had several TV’s so we were able to check in on the Sox game. They have a decent drink menu too and close to 30 beers on tap. Seafood and beer overlooking the water is a perfect night out in my book. I can’t believe I have been missing out on both Nahant and Tides all my life! Looking forward to a return visit in the near future.

My fiancée and I stopped in for a quite bite this past Thursday night after a long grueling day on her suggestion. I had never been to Nahant before and honestly wasn’t sure if I stuck out like a sore thumb in my business suit, but Tides was worth the stop!
The short wait for the table, the food (boneless BBQ wings), and the Baked Stuffed Haddock and the Steak Tip meal I stole off of her plate were all delicious. Highly recommend both entrees especially if you love stuffed fish like I do. The fish was very fresh and tasty, and the portions were huge. The servers were very nice, and the manager went out of her way to help me recover my credit card I stupidly forgot at the table.
I will return in the near future, perhaps with a beach day before hand.

For her 90^th birthday, my aunt wanted to sit in the bar with her family for dinner. We made a reservation and specifically requested the bar.
When we arrived, they set up a table for us in the diningroom. We reminded them that we requested the bar, they said «let us see what we can do», as if this was new information.
When they showed us to our 2 tables, my aunt was a little disappointed with the location/​arrangement. Adjacent to us was one long table with 8 seats. We felt we could squeeze 5 on one side, so I walked over to the manager to see if we could move. I was told no because «the plates won’t fit on the table». I assured her we would be fine with the set up, we’d really prefer to sit together. I was told no and she made no attempt to make up for things. I asked for another manager, which effectively pissed her off. I admit to yelling back at her, throwing out the ol «I’m never coming here again and I’m telling all my friends about this» lol, but I was livid by then. We did stay (uncomfortably at our 2 tables) and, admittedly, the food was good.
I did call back to speak with the General Manager, who provided me with the same, lame plate excuse. I would have eaten off an appetizer plate if I needed to. It would have been nice to celebrate my aunt’s birthday as one big, happy family. Very disappointed with the customer service. Just a simple little adjustment would have made the experience great rather than soured.

Don’t bother eating here anymore. Their prices went up, and now their quality is going down the tubes. Just returned my $ 20 veggie pizza because it was
Cold, undercooked, had very few toppings and was in a box
That felt like it had been out in the rain.

I’ve been in Nahant for a while now & have brought all my friends from Boston to visit & as much as they love the beautiful beaches– they all come back for the Tides! We hit the beach in the am, see our fave bartender Cait (I think\hope I spelled her name right!) for drinks & lunch– then back to the beach– then back to Tides for dinner! This beach bar that I loved at first sight has only grown on me more & more! The service at the bar is consistently good, no matter how busy it is! You may have to wait for food on a busy day, but you’re at the beach– where do you have to be???

Sorry all of my reviews lately have been shitty but here is another…
The hostess looks like a young version of Elvira pale as a ghost and dead from the neck up… She was hanging on to the podium for dear life, like she had the hangover from hell.
We get to out table, at an oceanfront restaurant and have a view of the top of the booths… Who picked these things? You can’t see the water over these things
Ugh…

Solid place… nothing spectacular.
If you’re a seafood lover you’d probably enjoy it more than someone who doesn’t, like me. Their steak and steak & cheese are pretty good. Cocktails are okay, nothing great.
My wife likes the seafood but it’s not her favorite.
Staff is always nice… service can be slow sometimes though.
They do have a great view of the beach. Good place for lunch.

The stuffed mushrooms are delicious treat. The haddock is delicious. My potato was hard and dry. And after taking home the ceasar salad pizza, that we enjoyed, I went to take a bite and found a big fly mushed into it. Yuck. We love the location, the great appetizers and the main courses. But they are slacking, getting sloppy. They had a rude male bartender and the drinks tested different every round. Sad we love this place but they need to work on customer service and consistency. I’m still going back. No salad for me though.

Great view, great food and a great atmosphere. It’s all of the above that keep me coming back. I love the burgers and tips, and the seafood is excellent too. If you’re there in the Summer, order the Hot Fudge Sunday. I highly recommend that too. I’m a local and lucky to have such a nice place to eat and drink in within walking distance.

Let me start off by saying, I go very out of my way to go to Tides. I live 25 minutes away and go here because I very much enjoy the experience. Here is my breakdown.
The View — The view is great if you’re on the bar side. The family restaurant side only has a view of the parking lot. I recommend this area if you have kids and the bar side if you’re looking for a pleasant date experience and/​or you’re with a large group of cheerful friends.
The Food — I have gotten plenty of different things from pizza, to appetizers to entrees… They’ve all been great. The potato skins with steak are extremely good and my favorite thing on the menu. The chicken parm, YUM! The pizza is very well spiced and not bland. Gourmet? Nope… but yummy party food with some family friendly options.
The Drinks — This is where my star falls to a 4. Tides used to be great when it came to their drinks… before their kitchen fire. They were closed for several weeks/​months to repair the damage and I feel ever since, they’ve been making weaker mixed drinks. I’ve actually had to send two drinks back because they were all syrup. They’ve always corrected the problem, but I feel like a lot of people who don’t speak up are getting jipped in this area. If they fix their weak drinks and bring back what they used to be just a year ago, I’d give them 5 stars.
The Staff — Friendly and personable! I’ve never had a bad waiter or waitress. You can always strike up a conversation with them and they’re always willing to banter back and forth. If you go late at night though, I’ve noticed some of the hostesses get rushy because they are closing in an hour… they don’t like seeing you come through their doors at 9pm if they are closing at 10. I don’t like that sense of urgency, but I guess I understand it even though most people finish in an house.
The Atmosphere — I really only only go to the bar side of the restaurant so I can’t attest to the other side, but the atmosphere is lively and enjoyable and honestly one of the reasons it draws you in. The locals around the bar are always smiling and talking to each other and the patrons seated in the area bring a sense of fun to the mix. You can be a little loud yourself because you aren’t singled out in the noise department. That to me is a fun night out. They also have KENO if you’re into that.
Conclusion — This is a really fun place with great food and OK mixed drinks. The atmosphere is lively and the staff is friendly. The wait times can be very long on a friday/​saturday night usually hitting 2 hours during peak times… so get in early.

We waited about 20 min for a table on Labor Day. It was very busy, even at 7:30. Our waiter was a nice guy. I asked about the salmon special — coconut encrusted — and he said people liked it. I ordered that along with a stuffed quahog and my cousin had the chowder and a chicken parm sandwich.
I also ordered garlic bread and onion rings as sides, but the kitchen mistakenly added sweet potato fries to boot! Bonus! It was all very good — especially the salmon. No room for ice cream, but the special sundae was a reasonable $ 4.
I don’t make it to the North Shore more than once a month (first time to Nahant) but I’d come back some day.

Nice ocean-​side restaurant with a patio and great view of the beach. There was a 25 minute wait which meant a lot of people must love their food and frequent the place. Gotta respect that, right?
We could not sit on the patio because there was a «chance of rain». It hadn’t rained yet, nor did it LOOK like rain, but they didn’t try to chance it at all. That was a little disappointing… though, it was really hot out, so I didn’t mind eating in.
Our server (Tim? Or name that begins with a T) was very nice. We were a party of 4 and he was a pro.
I ordered the Lobster roll, of course… since I was visiting and hadn’t had one during my entire visit. The «just» lobster roll was market price, which was $ 22 at the time. It came with a side, which I had the grilled vegetables. They were tasteless and couldn’t really be saved by butter or salt. It was a skewer of squash, red pepper, onion and green pepper. Needless to say, I didn’t eat it. I also ordered one oyster, which was a nice sized oyster. It was good… I mean, it was an oyster. Can’t really mess those up. I squirted it with lemon and put a little cocktail sauce on it and slurped it down. The lobster roll was good… chock FULL of lobster meat. The menu specified that it was served cold with hot butter on the side. I didn’t know if it should be served cold with hot butter or if it should have been baked. I think I’ve heard of both, but I wanted to have it the way the locals would, so I took it as it was offered. I’m glad I did!

My bf and I came across this place on a motorcycle ride. It looked like a nice place to stop and eat along the water. The view was gorgeous! You can see the entire Boston skyline from the patio, which looks out onto the ocean. You can smell the salt water in the air. The atmosphere was exactly what we were looking for on a nice summer day.
The food was good, nothing special. There’s a TON of options, from sea food to burgers to light pasta entrees. I feel like food could be hit or miss at this place. For example, the fries and onion rings are definitely frozen, but the french dip sliders I got were savory and delicious. Looking at other people’s food looked like it could be hit or miss as well. Pizza looked good!
Glad we sat outside… there are some interesting smells coming from the inside. It was a nice place to stumble across, I’d go back if I were in the area again to sit outside and enjoy the view!

Pleasantly surprised by this place! The location is so great, I figured it would be super touristy.
Came here on a summer beach day and had a blast. The patio seating is great (though beware, it’s outside so it can get hot, duh, and bring sunglasses/​hat because it can get sunny). Menu had a nice variety. Sandwiches were solid, though the fries weren’t as crisp as I prefer. The table next to us ordered the salad with salmon and the salmon looked seasoned and grilled to perfection. I ended up getting a Greek salad and it was delish. Our waitress was very attentive.
Definitely the perfection location for a lunch or snack break on a beach day (especially if you’ve parked your car already and don’t wanna drive out of the area). Pricing was really reasonable (less than $ 10 for a sandwich and fries), particularly given a place like this on the Cape would be a complete rip-​off.
Be mindful of the venue when ordering — I would stick to more basic pub food (sandwiches, apps like wings, pizzas, salads) — this place isn’t exactly gourmet Michelin-​rated (duh — but some of the other reviewers here seem disappointed) so ordering more complex dishes (lobster roll, pastas, etc.) could potentially be disappointing.

We have not been to the Tides in years and we will NOT be back. What a rip off. We ordered two just lobster rolls and bowl of clam chowder. The lobster rolls were good but very expensive, even for lobster. $ 22 each. Kelly’s is a better value. The clam chowder was a real disappointment. They served it in a tiny little bowl (the same size as a kiddie ice cream) and charged $ 5.00. I have added photos of the chowder. I actually called the restaurant and asked if they might have given me a cup in error and was told they only have one size. I really felt taken.
Avoid unless you enjoy overpaying for small portions.

Lunch for three on Monday afternoon.
Plenty of parking, sat outside with amazing ocean views all around.
Steak and cheese sandwich was huge (took one half home).
We were out visiting a dear friend and she suggested Tides for lunch. This place is great. Amazing views, smells, and along a Nahant beach. A twisty maze of passages (all different) to get to the back deck.
Food was plentiful and delicious.
Will be back!