Captain Linnell House

Excellent service and superb food! First time eating here and we will return next year! Shrimp and scallops were fresh and just the right proportion. Wine was great. Since we were celebrating our 35^th wedding anniversary, they put us on the garden room. Very accommodating hostess.

Went there with my parents last night. We all had the prix fix dinner. A fantastic deal: appetizer, entrée and dessert. Portions were very generous. Appetizer: I had the kale salad and loved it, one parent had the cherry tomato
and mozzerella pearls salad –excellent, the other had lobster bisque which he enjoyed. Entrees: two of us had the duck which was fantastic and one had a huge portion of prime rib. The service was attentive the setting elegant

Have had countless family dinners here for birthdays and anniversaries through the years. Great food, friendly staff, beautiful building, perfect for dinner or bigger parties.

The $ 35 prix fixe meal can’t be beat! The food was not only delicious, but served in huge portions. I had the tomato soup (very flavorful) and Atlantic swordfish. For dessert, you can choose ANYTHING from their extensive selection. Our group had the skaket mess (favorite!), kahlua-​brownie sundae, carrot cake, and hot fudge sundae — all so so good! Service, while pleasant, was a bit slow — dinner took over 2 hours so be prepared to enjoy the experience. We all left feeling more full and satisfied than on Thanksgiving!

We read the reviews and decided to try captain linnell’s for ourselves. We got a reservation without issue on an off season Sunday night. This feels as if it is a classic colonial cape cod fixture. (Not sure, we are tourists) … It is Elegant and professional, a perfect location for our anniversary dinner. The food was excellent, portions were hearty, service was accommodating. We both had the prix fixed menu which was great. Ahi seared tuna was perfect, salads and clam chowder were great. We were so full we took our desserts to go.

Phenomenal dinner at Captain Linnell House! We had a last minute party of 8 and they graciously accommodated us. The atmosphere is gorgeous and harkens back to a nearly lost art of fine dining. With the sun setting and a view of the garden it was just lovely. The tables had white linens, fresh flowers and charming brass lamps decorating them. The service was warm and friendly. The wine and cocktails were wonderful and the artisan rolls they served were delicious –warm and crusty and with whipped butter in the side. I started with clam chowder and it was divine — not too thick and not too thin with perfectly cooked potatoes and tender clams. Best chowder I’ve had in probably ten years. For dinner I had Farfalle pasta with lobster, shrimp and mussels in a light tomato cream sauce with fresh herbs. It was delicious and there must have been an entire lobster in the dish. My husband had the chowder and prime rib, which was juicy and flavorful. Others had filet mignon, Orichette with pesto and summer vegetables, seared scallops and sole with crab. Everyone else also had salads for their appetizers with a delicious Rouquefort dressing that was excellent. We shared hot fudge sundaes for dessert and they were also delicious with homemade chocolate sauce and that thick and rich homemade whipped cream you rarely see at restaurants any more. We will be back again next summer.

Everything is delicious… The lobster bisque is the best around and the clam chowder is to die for! The scallops melt in your mouth and the prime rib cuts like butter… Everything is fabulous including the landscaping and décor! A true «must go» in Orleans!

I can’t say enough positive things about this place. My parents have a second home on the Cape, but are from out of state and never felt discriminated against (and we’re from NJ). Every single time we’ve gone here, the food and service has been absolutely incredible.
The place itself is stunning — get there a little early and walk around/​take some pictures, because it is absolutely stunning.
There’s an extensive wine list (you’ll walk in and see wine), with some fantastic options, and their cocktails are also incredible. I can’t speak more highly about the food — it’s fresh, generously sized, and just delicious. The lobster bisque has tons of lobster chunks throughout, and my tuna, which I at my most recent visit, was perfectly cooked.
Save room for dessert, if possible! The options are fabulous (I usually get one to go, because I love the carrot cake to pieces).
I wish I remembered the name of our server because he was absolutely phenomenal — attentive without being overbearing, offered suggestions when asked, and was just fantastic.
Come here dressed up — you won’t blend if you wear jeans and look like a scrub, but that’s part of the fun of it. You’ll have an incredible experience!

Still classy and romantic after all these years but a few things could use a little updating.
We come for the quiet elegance and service as well as the great food. So please don’t expect to come straight from the beach or in sneakers jeans in T-​shirts unless you want to feel very under dressed. That being said, while jackets and ties are common here, they really aren’t necessary.
Nine of us were seated for dinner at 6 pm as we were told that for parties of that size our only other option would have been 8:15pm
This seemed a bit arbitrary but as we got closer to 7pm the dining room filled up and I’m not sure the staff could have delivered the same great service to the nine of us simultaneously if we had started our evening at the same time as the regular dinner crowd.
The wine list was wide and deep and could accommodate the medium to high price range. The bar deliver an excellent choice of inventive concoctions as well as the standards.
Since there were nine of us I got to see and sample a great variety of dishes. Here are some of the highs and lows:
The chowder was excellent, the lobster bisque was more of a lobster stew with nice flavor and chunks of lobster but could have been thicker. Both soups were only available as full sized bowls, an option to get just a cup or mug of either would have been nice for those with smaller appetites.
The Wellfleet oysters were just the right size and excellent in taste.
The tuna special was very well executed with nice sear outside and rare inside with a flavorful Asian inspired sauce.
The prime rib was huge and hit the table medium rare as ordered.
Important to note … all 9 entrees showed up within seconds of each other.
one person in our party ordered the chicken, lobster and vegetables in a curry sauce, a flavorful combo with not too much spice and once again a huge plate.
both the vegetarian (roasted veggies) and seafood pasta dishes were again excellent but Huge.
The scallop entrees were a hit with both guests that ordered only complaint was a lack luster presentation.
The scallop and shrimp in lobster sauce entrée was just OK with a very hap hazard presentation.
The lowlight was the ½ duckling which was very over cooked. This was a complaint from a previous Unilocaler earlier this summer so I would definitely steer clear of this until something changes.
All the deserts were fabulous but few had room for them given the entrée sizes.
note: no cappuccino or espresso available.
Advice to guests, for the best experience here — come hungry, well dressed and be ready for an evening if leisurely fine dining.

We did not even stay for our meal based on how unwelcome we felt. We think they cater to the local plaid pants set, country club set or old dowager sets but not people from New York. Definitely felt discriminated against. We had made reservations week before, showed up in dinner attire (I wore dress). They have a nice open dining room facing the gardens. There were at least 10 tables open. Behind this was a small room with no windows, dark and then two steps up to side room. They took us to the dark small room next to the exit sign to kitchen. My husband said would not do. They said all of the tables in their big room were specifically reserved for others. We could sit in the side room. There was only one family that they sat there who were a minority family and looked like they were there for a while. Now we really were looking at who they sat where. We left. Where we live in Westchester County New York, if a dining room was empty no matter who you were, you would be seated. One table saved I can understand not 10.

Epitome of class. Beautiful artwork, pleasant servers, proper plating arrangements, and the food. The food is classic American/​French with the most fresh of seafood. Get your classic dishes here for the quintessential Cape Cod stay. Bouillabaisse, clam chowder, soft buttery halibut. Also, the bar is probably the best on the Cape with some of the most experienced bartenders in the area. Love this place!

Beautiful old house, mediocre food, crazy high prices for what you get. The night we were there was during the holiday season and apparently there was a wedding party there. It took us an hour to get our food. And when I told them we had been waiting so long, no one seemed to care. I would never go back there. And why spend your money at that place when Orleans has so many better restaurants? Are those other restaurants in an old sea captain’s house? No. But you could go to Abba for less money and get a much better meal. Or El Guapo’s for even less money and have a great time and a tasty meal.

«We could not have been happier»
My spouse and I were married at Captain Linnell House in October 2012. Now that we’ve had a year to reflect on the experience we decided to return to Unilocal and leave a review.
We first came across Captain Linnell House in the fall of 2011 when we drove out to the Cape to look at locations for our wedding and reception. We drove out to Orleans to see the Linnell House and from there we worked our way back across the Cape.
At the Linnell House, we met with Shelly, one of the owners, who walked us through all the details. The location, for our taste, was just what we wanted. An old historical sea captain’s house with a beautiful garden out back. Shelly has been hosting weddings for a while… and she quickly put us both at ease.
After our first meeting with Shelly, my wife and I looked at each other and simply said, «this is the place.» We decided, though, to do our due diligence and visit the other Cape wedding locations that remained on our list.
We went to the Wequassett Inn, Chatham Bars Inn, the Popponesset Inn and others but none of those felt as comfortable as Captain Linnell House.
At the end of our weekend «tour,» we drove back to Orleans and put down a deposit with Shelly for the next year’s wedding date.
Over the next year we stopped by to meet with Shelly three more times to work through various details. She seemed to have all the time in the world for us and she was happy to answer our endless questions.
On the big day everything went off like clockwork. The ceremony, in the garden, was just wonderful and the food was truly amazing: tender juicy steaks and divine swordfish!
We could not have been happier with everything that Shelly and her experienced staff did to make our wedding day simply wonderful. Clearly, we would recommend this venue to other couples seeking a wedding location!
A footnote:
Another really nice thing about Captain Linnell House is that they only schedule one wedding per day, so there is no need to worry about running in to people who have nothing to do with your special day!

Beautiful old mansion. Excellent service. The bouillabaisse was terrific. I would definitely return.

Ok food but would not repeat. Heavy and large portions that had decent taste but the place is lost in the mix of newer and more interesting restaurants. Mainly a somewhat formal older crowd. Feels like a through-​back to a stuffy country club atmosphere.

Just awful for the prices. The place now caters mainly to weddings and corporate functions. I don’t know anyone who went to a corporate function who thought the chow was worth the price.
I went with a group of 50 or so. It was as bad as eating a rubber chicken lunch at the Hilton in New York for 500 people. I’m a local, and we don’t like it one bit.

Charming historic house turned restaurant/​event space!
We were their as a group of 50 for an event. The banquet room was moderately decorated… felt similar to a church fellowship hall — fake flowers, trees, and very bad carpet. Food and service were stellar however. They were very accommodating to my requests of vegetarian options as well as ‘no butter/​oil’ request. Not sure if this is a restaurant as well or just an event space, but I’d recommend it.

This was perhaps one of the worst dining experiences ever. The building In which the restaurant resides is seriously impressive and gives an outward impression of quality and refinement. However, appearances can be, and most definitely are, deceptive with the 1^st demerit due to their policy of not splitting entrees. Not classy. With two women with small appetites, this has been common practice on our trip and, in any event, I’d never encountered this penny-​pinching policy before. Second issue was the service which was slow, inattentive and careless. Water glasses filled only on request although the check was rendered at light sped when requested. We had booked a table for 3 at eight and it was apparent when we arrived that they were already winding down for the night. The food when it eventuallly arrived was little short of atrocious. We ordered 3 mains because of their no splitting policy and each was as bad as the other. Swordfish, duck and scrod parcel were all accompanied by pureed potatoes and turnip (I think!) and sad broccoli. Maybe they’re going for a retro 1970s look and feel. Presentation dire and food on the criminal side of bland. By this stage we were practically alone in the dining room. Bill was $ 120 for three entrees and three drinks included an over-​generous tip from my othe half. Never, ever again. It was shameful.

My fiancé and I visited the Linnell House as an option to host our wedding. We were wowed and we both instantly knew this would be the place. I can’t really describe how nice it is there but it’s got a great nautical theme with nice artwork on the walls. Very classy.
Since then I went back to have dinner with my parents to try the food and all of us walked away stuffed and very happy. We each tried something a little different except we all got the lobster bisque. It was fantastic!
The crowd in there for dinner is a lot older but to be expected (we were there in December). We’re both looking forward to the wedding and the food will no doubt be amazing.

After many months of planning, the big day finally arrives. The glowing bride, the proud groom, friends and family gathered to celebrate the joining of 2 people. The whole place was a lovely compliment to the experience. Flowers blooming outside, tastefully decorated inside. We were even luck enough to have a rare evening of sun– one of the 4 we got in June!
We arrived for a cocktail hour as delicious hors d’oeuvres floated around as we mingled in the spacious room for dancing, conversing and drinking. The skilled bartenders quickly sated the thirst of many guests with rapid fire. I can say that they made it easy for the guests. It was a pleasure being there but my one complaint was that everyone couldn’t be in the same room. We were broken up into other rooms in one area.