D’amato’s Seafood II

I was desiring seafood today — I’m planning a trip up to Maine mid-​June, so scallops were on my mind. Never tried D’amato’s in New Haven before, they open at 10:30am, so that worked for me.
Ordered the scallops platter, they were ready in about 10 minutes. I thought they were alright, fairly average tasting. Not the best scallops I’ve ever had, but not bad. Breading was decent, fries were good. No coleslaw came with the platter. Honestly, thought that should have been included. The platter is a overpriced by a few dollars, esp considering D’amato’s is just a take-​out place (no indoor seating at all).
So I wasn’t as enamored with D’amato’s as my fellow Unilocal reviewers. I feel my meal was just a tad above average, about a 3.5 Rating (rounded down to 3 Stars for this review). I would still like to sample other menu items in the future though, will write an update when that happens.

Call your order in first ! — place is busy. 15 min wait– The seafood is super fresh– shrimps are perfect size not too small and not annoyingly jumbo. They’re fresh soft and amazing. The fried batter is perfect — and the portions are huge. Highly recommend. Will go back

Every since I was younger my dad would get these big boxes of fish for cheap and delicious. Lines would be out the door and on the side of the building with people waiting for food. 15 years later and it’s still one of the best seafood places to go too. Always tell everyone I know to go and try it out.

The best, most fresh seafood around. They will also sell you some of their fresh fish if you should happen to decide at the last minute to make chowder for dinner. Lucky that I live around the corner from this place. What can I say, sometimes you gotta make chowder. Very friendly and family owned, they take pride in their seafood and they sincerely want you to enjoy your meal.

Don’t worry about the area and let this place amaze you with their quality fried seafood, fast turn around, and great service. I think they may even have some grilled or seared stuff too, but the fried stuff is what comes to mind. Prices are totally fair for what you get. Portions are large. Everything I have ordered has always been fresh (with not a hint of that funky seafood smell that you get elsewhere). The clam chowder satisfied my wife and picky kids. Not too thin not too thick, tons of clams. Just the way it should be. The batter for the seafood beats all the West Haven «beach» places hands down. You can tell this place is legitimate by the line at dinner time and all day long. They get a diverse crowd, so they’re obviously meeting or exceeding everyone’s expectations.
About the location: there is always parking on Whalley or on Ellsworth Avenue. No need to fear the walk, Ellsworth between Whalley and Goffe is safe in my opinion. The neighborhood has been colonized by orthodox jews in the last few years so its quite common to see black hats and black suits along side every other ethnic and racial group New Haven has to offer. I have never had any problems in this neighborhood even before Damato’s was there.
Can’t wait to surprise my daughter with a lobster roll the next time I go in now that she is obsessed with them. I am sure she will not be disappointed.

So what had happened was… I ordered my dinner next door and then was curious about the offerings at this place… because fried seafood. Need I say more?
I decided to make my own appetizer and ordered the shrimp side order. The side order is the same exact size as the platter – just without the fries and onion rings.
The shrimp was fresh, and the batter was crisp without being greasy. The tartar sauce was awesome. I would love to have the shrimp from here (sans tail) on some crusty French bread with tartar sauce, tomatoes, lettuce, and pickles. That would be a decent shrimp poboy. Glenwood Drive-​In in Hamden could stand to learn a thing or two from this place.
I would definitely return here even though the neighborhood appears to be a touch sketch. I’m going to try one of their sandwiches or their lobster roll next time!
ETA: This place closes right at 7 pm on weekends. They will turn away customers who show up a little bit past 7 because the owners want their employees to go home on time. I really respect that.

Best in town everything is good And fresh. Always get your money’s worth. Call and order in advance. Place is always busy from Thursday’s –Saturday

Always amazing! And I MUST disagree, the prices are not too high. I’ve been a fan for well over 20 years & the sons are just as wonderful as their dad + grandad. They always go above and beyond to make us happy. Never a bad experience. You won’t be sorry!!!

Great food~I always get clam chowder and it is so good! Creamy and they give you lots of clam. Love their scallop too. One of the best seafood place in New Haven area.

A flounder platter, scallop box, clam chowder quart. Definitely the best seafood place in the New Haven area. Great taste, great quantity, great price. Great customer service. Fresh seafood.

Love this place I used to order from there a lot but, I haven’t been there in a while but, they never disappoint! It’s so good & they are very nice!

I don’t really trust New Haven, let alone a seafood place in New Haven. But this place! They’re food is sooo good. Not even kidding. And I love the customer service. They treat their customers like family. The only thing I have a problem with is their delivery method. They only deliver on thurs-​sun at certain times. And when you call at those certain times, they usually say they don’t have a driver, so you’d be lucky if you actually ever get food delivered from them. They can also be a bit pricey, but for fresh seafood, you can’t really complain about price, plus they give you a really good amount of food.

Dont judge this book by its appearance. This take-​out only spot has some of the freshest tasting seafood, which has made it a main stay in the New Haven area.
Its primarily fried seafood, but it is not greasy at all. The servings size is ample so the food will leave you more than satisfied.
They turn the food around quickly, but you can also call ahead if you just want to grab/​go.

Amazing! Very tough to place an order on a Friday. or even call. There have been times when the line is out the door. Yes, it’s that good. My family has ordered the huge platter for gatherings many times and it is always the same– fresh, succulent, reasonably priced, yummy seafood and fries and onion rings. If you don’t mind the wait I would suggest trying it. It’s mainly for take out and they only have benches outside. I’m getting hungry just writing this.

fresh, awesome seafood! batter is light — not greasy! shrimp is the best ever! we’ve been going here for years!

I love this place. I just happened across it on a drive down Whalley Avenue.
I was pleasantly surprised when I got home. Finally! A place that is not afraid to use a little salt and pepper on seafood, while it is still hot, right out of the fryer!
Generous, but not gluttonous, portions. Reasonable prices. Quick efficient and friendly service. Friendly (but not overfriendly) once they get to know you as a regular, and polite even before they get to know you.
I don’t think I would stay there to eat, unless the only other choice was eating in my car. It’s pretty much a take-​out place with just a few seats.
Nice multi-​generational dynamic, too.
When they say your order will be ready in 10 minutes, they mean 10 minutes. On the few occasions where they said 15, they meant 15. It’s an actual estimate, not the pat answer given by most places that specialize in take out.

This spot has some of the best fried fish sandwiches– large fillets served on toasted bread, ol’ school delicious! Their shrimp is fresh and flavorful. The breading on their fried food is not greasy. Their prices are reasonable. Whereas the location itself isn’t the cleanest street side restaurant, the food is consistently well prepared for a take out meal if you can’t make it to the shore. In fact, its portion size exceeds that which is overpriced along the shoreline and their flavors are often much more tasty. Street side parking and occaisonal wait. Take Out only.

If you want a quick seafood fix this is your place. They have a pretty big menu with soups, a few kinds of fish, calamari, shrimp, crab cakes and a few non-​seafood items. But the best of all is the kickass onion rings. Call ahead if you’re in a hurry because they cook to order. Get at it!